There was a very important letter published in the Dallas Morning News about immigration. It was signed by a number of leading Republicans. Let’s look at some text:
This is the most far-reaching and thoughtful reform of our immigration system in four decades and one that will significantly enhance American competitiveness. As with any political compromise, improvements can be made. But the basic framework is one that conservatives should support. Indeed, for conservatives who opposed last year’s immigration bill, this package represents a step forward.
And:
Border security, the rule of law, national interest, economic competitiveness — these are the conservative concerns at the heart of the agreement. Yet conservatism is also, as Ronald Reagan reminded us, about optimism and self-confidence — about an America sure enough of itself to be a big tent and a beacon.
The Senate framework will allow us to go on attracting immigrants and maintain the rule of law, too. The benefits of the bill far outweigh its shortcomings. We believe it offers the only realistic way forward, and urge conservatives — and all Americans — to embrace the promise it holds out.
Several important points should be made about this. Many of the leading GOP academics signed this letter. For example, Greg Mankiw, a "brilliant", according to Mitt Romney, economic advisor to the Romney campaign; Tamar Jacoby, a senior academic at the Manhattan Institute (who wrote, along with another Romney advisor Cesar Conda, this wonderful pro-immigration piece about "rational and realistic" plans like this one); Kevin Hassett, the Director of Economic Policy at AEI; Gary Rosen, the editor of Commentary, a leading Jewish magazine; Joseph Buttom, the editor of First Things, a leading Christian magazine; and many others.
It is looking increasingly likely that this bill will pass. It will be imperfect, but it is serious. I would hope that, for our party and our country, people start following the path that these leaders and academics are setting out. It is particularly appalling to see people like Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, and Sam Brownback, people who used to support proposals like this, blowing in the political wind on this issue.
4 Comments
cordobes · June 5, 2007 at 6:57 PM
What do you think of this Gingrich’s article, Soren?
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=20987
“I will explore all these ideas in my speech at AEI on Friday, June 8. I hope you’ll join me. And then, all these concepts will be expanded into practical, workable solutions in the American Solutions “Solutions Day” workshops on September 27 and 29. It’s going to be the start of a great and meaningful adventure. I hope you’ll choose to be a part of it.”
Is he paving the way to jump into the race on Friday?
“It is particularly appalling to see people like Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, and Sam Brownback, people who used to support proposals like this, blowing in the political wind on this issue.”
Have you forgotten Giuliani?
ee2793 · June 5, 2007 at 9:20 PM
Illegal immigrants kill Americans and you and academics jump for joy. Get a grip.
eye · June 6, 2007 at 10:57 AM
cordobes,
I should actually apologize to Brownback. While he dodged for a while, he came down on the side of consistency with his past statements and consistency with his values.
But you asked about Giuliani. I don’t know what to make of Giuliani. He is making a cogent point that is not a reversal of his previous position. He wants more stuff in the bill. That’s different than the others who are selling their values for votes.
I will check out the Gingrich thing.
eyeon08.com » Bluey concerned about Romney’s mixed immigration signals · June 6, 2007 at 11:23 AM
[…] Bluey concerned about Romney’s mixed immigration signals digg_url = ‘http://www.eyeon08.com/2007/06/06/bluey-concerned-about-romneys-mixed-immigration-signals/’; digg_title = ‘Bluey concerned about Romney’s mixed immigration signals’; digg_bodytext = ‘My friend Rob Bluey is concerned that a Romney advisor signing an immigration letter sends mixed signals. I think that’s strange for two reasons. First, Romney has said that the bill is amnesty, that it is not amnesty, and that it’s a form of amnesty. Those are mixed messages. I am more concerned that this […]’; digg_skin = “compact”; digg_topic = “politics”; ( function() { var ds=typeof digg_skin==’string’?digg_skin:”; var h=80; var w=52; if(ds==’compact’) { h=18; w=120; } var u=typeof digg_url==’string’?digg_url:(typeof DIGG_URL==’string’?DIGG_URL:window.location.href); document.write(“”); } )() My friend Rob Bluey is concerned that a Romney advisor signing an immigration letter sends mixed signals. I think that’s strange for two reasons. First, Romney has said that the bill is amnesty, that it is not amnesty, and that it’s a form of amnesty. Those are mixed messages. I am more concerned that this is the only Romney advisor with the intellectual and academic integrity to be consistent on this issue. But hey, the staff comes to reflect the candidate, so what would you expect? […]
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