George Stephanopoulos might not think immigration is a major issue for Republican voters, leaving it out of Sunday's 90-minute debate among the Republican presidential hopefuls, but voters in Iowa would disagree.
The candidates, all of whom are spending at least a little time in Iowa this week before Saturday's Iowa Republican Party straw poll, can't seem to hold a town hall or meet and greet without getting at least one question about immigration. And the audiences are often times far more up on the issue than the candidates standing in front of them.
Former New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, found that out Sunday night at a pizza parlor in Boone, when a woman asked him about birthright citizenship, which means nearly anyone born in the United States is automatically a citizen, even if their parents are here illegally. Mr. Giuliani told the woman that it is in the Constitution so he can't change it.
"That's not true," one man piped up, apparently aware of the debate on this issue. Some Republicans in the U.S. House, using recent scholarship, have introduced a bill that would rescind birthright citizenship. They say the U.S. courts have never ruled specifically on whether illegal aliens' babies are entitled to citizenship, and they want to force the courts to have to make a final ruling.
Still, Mr. Giuliani had the last word, turning to one of the nation's foremost constitutional lawyers -- Theodore B. Olsen, the former U.S. solicitor general who is backing Mr. Giuliani and traveling with him through Iowa this week.
"Yeah, they're citizens," Mr. Olson concluded.
-- Stephen Dinan, national political reporter, The Washington Times
Comments (4)
Dinan! Dinan! Dinan!
LOOK who is blogging now!
Posted by jules | August 7, 2007 3:20 PM
It is apparent that Mr. Giuliani wants to limit or eliminate debate on the issue of "anchor babies" here in the United States of America. What he and other candidates will have to come to terms with is that the conservatives within the Republican Party have been awakened and reborn by the betrayal that took place during the illegal immigration debate. We are not electing someone for their convenience and ease. We are looking for a candidate that will go into the Beltway working for us. Any lazy person can ignore the issue of anchor babies in our country, and any RINO should switch parties! It will take several cycles to elect the kind of legislators committed to returning control of the nation back to a representative republic, but we are starting now. A fast answer, a slogan or a bumper sticker response isn't going to work anymore. We want to know what his position is, regardless of what he thinks the law is, because we want to know where he stands and what kind of person he is.
Posted by Dale | August 8, 2007 2:59 AM
Religion has no place in politics and children of undocumented need to return to their parents country and have the right when they're eighteen to return to the US if they wish.
Posted by LB | August 8, 2007 4:12 PM
My decision on who to vote for will clearly depend on their position on illegal immigration. I have been a lifelong Republican and two terms of Bush have made me sick. It was not enough to risk my grandson who is an officer and just spent a year in Iraq. I have had to endure the lies of George Bush and his fellow RINOS on various aspects of illegal immigration. For someone who has a degree in business, he clearly got "gentlemen A's" and didn't learn a thing! He should know that a true shortage of labor is reflected in increased wages as a means of attracting applicants to fill the shortages! (That is one reason the Mexicans are coming here. They can earn more!)
Residents of California like myself have seen our state schools ruined by spending funds on the needs of illegal alien children while there are no funds to buy new books and computers for the citizens! We have seen the gang violence increase while our local law enforcement make little or no effort to deport any gang member who is here illegally.
We are tired of Americans being killed on the streets of our country by drunk drivers. If their residency status had been checked the FIRST TIME they drove DUI, how many fewer dead Americans would there be?
We are tired of the leftist crowds who claim they have "rights" and the Mexican government handing out I.D. cards to illegal aliens. Everyone with an ounce of brains knows that anyone who enters this country here LEGALLY has been presented a legal document that lists their personal information. So only someone here illegally would need one of those Mexican I.D. cards.
We are sick of our tax money being used to treat them at our hospital ERs and sick of the closing of many ERs because the hospitals are not being paid by these FREELOADERS. By the way, when I last visited the local ER, I had to prove where I lived (my drivers license), had insurance, and got a letter soon after demanding the $50 co-pay as I was not admitted. Meanwhile illegals using the ER for children with the flu give a false adress and never pay a thing! (I am a retired RN so I know that is happening.)
By the way, I know a neighbor who is out of work and has no insurance who had to pay $1500 for care in the local E.R. By the way, they did not figure out what was wrong with him. He was an out of control diabetic! Some doctoring!!!
Even though he was out of work and without insurance, he was too proud not to pay or ask for MEDICAL. He used his savings!
He went to Tiujanna to visit a family friend who was a doctor. He did many tests, gave the neighbor free medicine and the testing equipment, counseled him on managing his diet, and for less money!! This neighbor is a legal Hispanic, by the way!
I don't know why the media isn't focused on how this "invasion" by illegals is hurting our legal residents and citizens who happen to be either Hispanic or Black. They are the ones losing jobs to illegals who work for less and without benefits while our citizens are deprived of the means to support their families.
We should be seeing a few sob stories in the news about them instead the sob stories we see whenever ICE raids a factory using illegal help. I will never forget the factory in Pennsylvania that was given a good tax break by a city because they promised to hire "Locals." Oh they hired "locals" alright, just not legals. The city fathers forgot to put that requirement in the contract I guess.
So when I vote, I am going to know the voting history of all the candidates. I am going to know who their advisors are.
By the way, the minute I found out Fred Thompson hired that idiot who ran the the Senate's committee on immigration Spence Abraham, that cancelled my vote for him. His "hot chick" wife is not my idea of a first lady. I would be more impressed if she were a non-alcoholic Betty Ford type.
Guillani's treatment of his wives made me wary of him but when I learned how he treated the cops who wanted to get rid of illegals, that cinched it for me! (Same for Bloomberg, should he decide to run.) I am not impressed with Guillani's conduct after 9/11. I think he was a man who happened to hire the right people under him and knew how to court the press. I thank the firemen and the police for acting without waiting for the boss to tell them what to do. (Like the idiots in New Orleans!)
I like Duncan Hunter's stand on immigration but he is not getting any press coverage so he will probably not get far. He'd make a good Speaker of the House if the repubs win in 2008!
I think Romney has some good qualities but am leery of him hiring too many Bushies for his campaign, particulary the leftist ones of the family! It is sad as I think his immediate family present themselves well.
I am glad John McCain finally cooked his goose with his support of the Amnesty bill, along with Senator Graham. Those of us who follow this issue closely knew they were both turncoats. I was supprised that two former military officers would commit treason by wanting to grant invaders amnesty! I thought they would be the ones more likely to shout at Americans to wake up to the problem. I guess it shows what too much time in Washington DC can accomplish!
Posted by nancy long | August 8, 2007 10:50 PM