Moving Forward on Immigration, Part II

Newsweek just posted an article online by Fareed Zakaria titled America’s New Know-Nothings: Reagan’s Lessons for the GOP on Immigration.

Now, if you don’t know who Fareed Zakaria is, he is the editor for Newsweek International, is a frequent guess on This Week with George Stephanopoulos and hosts Foreign Exchange with Fareed Zakaria on PBS.

His article (which I request that you please read) can be read here and expresses my opinion on immigration almost to a T. It’s very well put.

ER

Moving Forward on Immigration

Senators from both parties announced a compromise bill yesterday that would overhaul an immigration system in need of change. Some of the points in this bill look promising, but it will take a lot for both sides to completely agree on them all.

On point that I’m personally happy to see is the path to citizenship that will be given to those illegal immigrants already here by granting them a “Z visa” (some bullet points can be seen here).

Many of you know that I’ve written on this subject before and my main disappointment through the whole immigration fight has been how callus my party has been on the separation of immigrant families by categorizing them as a “threat to national security”. Granted, 12 million are here illegally, but 99.9% of them are here to make a better life for themselves. Forcing them to uproot and go back to their country of origin by performing mass deportations (mainly Mexican nationals) after they’ve been established here for years is heartless, cruel and quite frankly, un-American. President Bush himself (an exception to the majority of my fellow Republicans whom I called out above) said that this bill is “one that will help enforce our borders but, equally importantly, it will treat people with respect.”

This bill is a major step forward, and I applaud the efforts of Senator Kennedy and Senator McCain in bringing it forward to the Senate floor. Here’s hoping for an open-minded debate.

ER

Lucky Number Eleven?

Currently, there are ten candidates that are vying for the GOP nomination.

Out of the four current front runners, Giuliani has the clear lead. Giuliani’s moderate conservative views (whom I’m leaning toward at the moment) appeal to a large political middle, but his personal life might turn out to be a liability. Standing 14 points back, John McCain is a very likable and respected old warhorse, but at the same time he doesn’t seem to have the political correctness when it comes to censoring his words before they spew from his mouth. Newt Gingrich has a very loyal following, but that won’t translate to a broader base. And last, Mitt Romney’s grassroots conservative bell ringing is appealing to the right, but can he overcome the questions that middle-America raises about his Mormonism?

Out of this early field of candidates, it’s hard to pick one that you can lash onto. Can a late hour eleventh candidate be the answer for the GOP?

Enter Fred Thompson – former senator, actor and future presidential candidate?

Without spending any money, he seems to have vaulted himself nearly to the top of a crowded field. The most recent Gallup Poll shows him third and only seven points behind McCain. That alone is amazing when you consider his entry is still only speculation.

Either way, the buzz surrounding the former senator is gaining momentum and causing Republicans like myself to notice. November, 2008 is a long way off and a lot could happen, but if Thompson officially enters this field, I guarantee I, along with many others, will reevaluate our choice for the GOP nomination.

ER