Republican Presidential Candidates Tone Down Illegal Immigration Rhetoric at Spanish Debate

[no name 1]

CORAL GABLES, Fla., Dec. 9 — In front of what will probably be their most pro-immigration audience, Republican candidates toned down their rhetoric but told Spanish-language television viewers in a debate on Sunday that they would take strong measures to close off the country’s borders to illegal immigration.

The candidates were forced into a difficult balancing act by the debate, broadcast on Univision, as they tried to offend neither the Hispanic audience nor the Republican base many of them have tried to appeal to by taking a hard line on illegal immigration. The topic has led to some of the fiercest rhetoric in past debates.

Most of the seven candidates took a softer tone on Sunday, even as many spoke of working to eradicate illegal immigration. Some spoke of trying to send some of the 12 million people who are estimated to be in the United States illegally back to their native countries.

They sandwiched their remarks between gauzy paeans to legal immigration and the values of immigrants.

The debate, less than a month before the voters of Iowa and New Hampshire cast the first ballots, came as the battle to the Republican presidential nomination assumed greater intensity and uncertainty. Candidates found themselves fending off attacks on their records, and a shifting field threatened to throw some campaign strategies into disarray.

The sudden rise of Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas who was hardly considered a factor a month ago, has shaken up the race and thrust him into the center of controversies.

He began the day defending his record on “Fox News Sunday,” where he argued that when he called in 1992 for taking steps to isolate people with AIDS, he was not advocating a quarantine. Then Rudolph W. Giuliani was questioned aggressively on NBC’s “Meet the Press” about his judgment, his record and his business dealings.

Mr. Huckabee said that when he called for isolating AIDS patients, “we didn’t know as much as we do now about AIDS.” But as early as 1986, the United States surgeon general, C. Everett Koop, had stated that AIDS was not spread by casual contact.

Mr. Giuliani, on “Meet the Press,” found himself on defense for nearly the entire hour. He was questioned about Bernard B. Kerik, who was his police commissioner when he was mayor of New York City and who was recently indicted; the security arrangements that were made when he began an extramarital affair as mayor; and his decision to quit the Iraq Study Group, which was supposed to come up with a way forward in Iraq, at a time when he was giving many lucrative speeches.

At the debate, Senator John McCain of Arizona, who lost considerable political capital last spring when he supported an overhaul of the nation’s immigration laws to offer some illegal immigrants a path to citizenship, criticized some of his opponents for the tone they have used in discussing immigration. That tone, he said, has cost the Republican Party vital support from Hispanic voters.

“I’ll give you some straight talk,” he said. “I think some of the rhetoric that many Hispanics hear about illegal immigration makes some of them believe that we are not in favor, or seek the support of Hispanic citizens in this country.”

In the debate, which was sponsored by Univision and held here at the University of Miami, questions in Spanish were translated for the candidates, and their answers in English were then translated for the audience.

Mitt Romney, who was an outspoken critic of the proposed immigration law and who sent out a mailing on the subject last week with a chain-link fence on the cover, was forced to again defend himself for employing a lawn service that used illegal workers at his home in Massachusetts, where he was governor.

At the debate, Mr. Romney, who once said on Fox News that he would tell illegal immigrants to “go home,” used a different tone to describe his policy. “Those who have come illegally, in my view, should be given the opportunity to get in line with everybody else,” he said, “but there should be no special pathway for those that have come here illegally to jump ahead of the line or to be come permanent residents or citizens.” Mr. Giuliani said the nation’s first priority should be securing the border and establishing a tamperproof identification card. But he seemed to suggest that there could be a path to granting legal status to illegal workers once that is done.

“When we have control of our borders, when we preserve the legality of immigration, we can then turn to the people who are here, we can have them get the tamperproof ID cards, and the people that come forward and sign up, they can pay taxes,” he said. The people who do not do that, he said, “should be expelled from the United States.”

Mr. Huckabee, who has voiced compassion for illegal immigrants and who has had to defend a proposal he supported as governor of Arkansas to offer taxpayer-financed scholarships to the children of illegal immigrants, recently issued a proposal that focuses on strict penalties for illegal immigration. At the debate he said the illegal immigrants should go “to the back, not the front of the line,” and said they should start the process by going back to their native countries.

One candidate, Tom Tancredo, who has based his campaign on heated rhetoric about illegal immigration, boycotted the debate, saying in a statement that the very idea of having the forum in Spanish was un-American and that those who participated were simply "pandering" to Hispanic voters. The debate was originally planned for September, but most of the candidates declined to appear then, citing scheduling conflicts.

Several of the candidates praised legal immigration emphasized their ties to the Hispanic community. Representative Duncan Hunter of California recalled that he was once “a practicing lawyer in the barrio.” And Mr. Giuliani said he was the mayor of “the largest Hispanic city — maybe not in the hemisphere, but in the United States.”

Representative Ron Paul of Texas did not appear to tailor his message at all, drawing loud boos when he called for engaging with Fidel Castro in Cuba.

The changing dynamic of the race was evident in the way Mr. Huckabee and Mr. Giuliani found themselves on defense on the talk shows Sunday morning.

On “Meet the Press” Mr. Giuliani was asked, in light of the National Intelligence Estimate that found that Iran had suspended its nuclear weapons program in 2003, about the views of one of his foreign policy advisers, Norman Podhoretz, who has been a vocal proponent of bombing Iran as soon as possible. Mr. Giuliani said he would not eliminate the option of a pre-emptive military strike against Iran because it would build pressure for a diplomatic solution, but he added that such action should be taken only as a last resort.

Mr. Giuliani, known for testy responses to pointed questions as mayor, displayed in the combative interview a lighter side, as he often does on the campaign trail. He even took a page from the playbook of a Democratic rival, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, and laughed off tough questions.

When the program’s host, Tim Russert, asked Mr. Giuliani about the work that his firm did for Hugo Chávez, the president of Venezuela, who has accused President Bush of genocide, and about other clients, Mr. Giuliani laughed hard, leading Mr. Russert to interject, “These are all accusations being made in a very serious way about your business.”

Mr. Giuliani, who said he would not disclose a client list for his private business, said the claim that his firm had represented Mr. Chávez was a stretch. He said the firm had merely represented Citgo, which he described as an American company. Citgo is the American subsidiary of Venezuela’s state-owned oil company. His firm announced that it had severed ties with Citgo last June, after reports of Mr. Chávez’s connection to the firm surfaced. The firm said the decision had not been influenced by politics.

At the debate here Sunday night, though, Mr. Giuliani had tough words for Mr. Chávez. “I actually agree with the way King Juan Carlos spoke to Chávez,” he said, referring to the suggestion by the king of Spain last month that Mr. Chávez should “shut up.”

source

[pedroh 21]

and Tancredo pussied out.. claiming 'un-american-ism' to make a debate in spanish.. *playing the world smallest violin*

[no name 1]

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney is attacking Mike Huckabee on the issue his campaign feels is one of his rival's biggest vulnerabilities: immigration.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is upping the attacks on Mike Huckabee's immigration record.

Romney, who has lost his front-runner status in Iowa to Huckabee after dominating polls there, plans to air a television ad that targets the former Arkansas governor's record on illegal immigration.

The spot, which attacks Huckabee by name, hits the airwaves Tuesday.

Immigration is a major topic in the race for the Republican nomination, with candidates working to position themselves as tough on workers entering the United States illegally.

The Romney ad, titled "The Record," compares the candidates' conservative stands on social issues but draws a sharp contrast on their track records on immigration policy: "Mitt Romney stood up and vetoed in-state tuition for illegal aliens ... opposed driver's licenses for illegals," the ad's announcer says. "Mike Huckabee? Supported in-state tuition benefits for illegal immigrants. Huckabee even supported taxpayer-funded scholarships for illegal aliens.

"On immigration, the choice matters," the announcer says.

Romney spokesman Kevin Madden said the ad was intended to highlight the difference between the ex-Massachusetts governor's "pro-enforcement record" and Huckabee's stance on immigration in the past.

During an event Tuesday in Council Bluffs, Iowa, Huckabee called the ad "desperate" and said he thought it would backfire.

"I'm somewhat flattered in that I seem to be the recipient of the first negative attack ad in the Republican primary," Huckabee said. "That's usually the kind of desperation on the part of an opponent who feels that his only way of winning is to attack and destroy."

He added, "They see how much money they've spent, and we're winning. That causes people to do some sometimes desperate things."

Huckabee defended his decision to allow children of illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition while he was Arkansas governor.

"I was dealing with the failure of the federal government at a state level, just like a lot of citizens have dealt with it individually, and my feeling was, and I still believe this, that you don't punish a child for the crimes a parent commits," Huckabee said. "And that's my position; it hasn't changed."

Huckabee is not allowing the portrayal of him as soft on illegal immigration to go unchallenged. He has received the endorsement of Jim Gilchrest of the Minuteman Project, a group that has called for tighter border security and a crackdown on illegal immigration.

"For months I've been searching for ... an actual plan," Gilchrest said. "And I found the Secure America plan put together by Mike Huckabee to fit right in with what I feel would help at least begin to solve this problem."

Romney has taken a tough stance on illegal immigration during the campaign, saying he would strengthen border security and implement a system that would allow employers to verify whether a person can work legally in the U.S.

During last month's CNN/YouTube debate, Romney also criticized Rudy Giuliani for allowing New York to become a "sanctuary city" for illegal immigrants while he was mayor, an allegation the rival candidate has denied.

But Romney's credibility on the issue came under question when The Boston Globe reported last week that a landscaping company Romney employed to take care of his Boston home continued to use illegal workers after the newspaper had reported a similar incident almost a year ago.

Romney fired the landscaping company last week, saying in a statement that "the company's failure to comply with the law is disappointing and inexcusable."

A senior Romney aide said that Romney's son Tagg had been personally assured by the company's owner, a family friend, that the firm wouldn't use illegal workers after the first report.

During the CNN/YouTube debate, Giuliani attacked Romney for living in a "sanctuary mansion," where illegal immigrants were allowed to work.

source

[AnewKINDofFEELIN 0]

Ron Paul chose not to attend because he thought it was stupid to do a debate in Spanish. Go Ron Paul.

[pedroh 21]

Ron Paul chose not to attend because he thought it was stupid to do a debate in Spanish. Go Ron Paul.

I respect Ron Paul, did he pull the same bs excuse like tancredo?? oh.. that sucks..

[kerewin21 2]

CORAL GABLES, Fla., Dec. 9 — In front of what will probably be their most pro-immigration audience, Republican candidates toned down their rhetoric but told Spanish-language television viewers in a debate on Sunday that they would take strong measures to close off the country’s borders to illegal immigration.

.....

Mr. Huckabee, who has voiced compassion for illegal immigrants and who has had to defend a proposal he supported as governor of Arkansas to offer taxpayer-financed scholarships to the children of illegal immigrants, recently issued a proposal that focuses on strict penalties for illegal immigration. At the debate he said the illegal immigrants should go “to the back, not the front of the line,” and said they should start the process by going back to their native countries.

source

Wow, I would expect better from the New York Times. They don't distinguish between immigration and *illegal* immigration very consistently in this article. I'm sure everyone on this forum is pro-immigration; that doesn't mean we like illegal immigration.

Then later they don't distinguish between children of illegal immigrants who were born here (who are, of course, citizens) and those who are here illegally.

I am NOT impressed.

[AnewKINDofFEELIN 0]

Ron Paul chose not to attend because he thought it was stupid to do a debate in Spanish. Go Ron Paul.

I respect Ron Paul, did he pull the same bs excuse like tancredo?? oh.. that sucks..

I like his "bs excuse." The whole debate was a pandering circle-jerk and he chose not to involve himself.

[pedroh 21]

Ron Paul chose not to attend because he thought it was stupid to do a debate in Spanish. Go Ron Paul.

I respect Ron Paul, did he pull the same bs excuse like tancredo?? oh.. that sucks..

I like his "bs excuse." The whole debate was a pandering circle-jerk and he chose not to involve himself.

I agree on the pandering issue.. cuz I know the other candidates said a lot of BS.. but if Tancredo is soo anti-illegals and sh!t, he should have gone with the most related group to them, and talk to them about it, same Ron Paul... and they should have said it was about pandering, not about being in spanish, thats a weak excuse

[no name 1]

Ron Paul chose not to attend because he thought it was stupid to do a debate in Spanish. Go Ron Paul.

I respect Ron Paul, did he pull the same bs excuse like tancredo?? oh.. that sucks..

I like his "bs excuse." The whole debate was a pandering circle-jerk and he chose not to involve himself.

I agree on the pandering issue.. cuz I know the other candidates said a lot of BS.. but if Tancredo is soo anti-illegals and sh!t, he should have gone with the most related group to them, and talk to them about it, same Ron Paul... and they should have said it was about pandering, not about being in spanish, thats a weak excuse

In America, the national language is English.

[LaL 418]

In America, the national language is English.

it's a de facto language of the United States.

[mawilson 2,133]

Devilette - question.

You're a Hillary supporter, right?

Yet you're anti-illegal-immigrant.

Does it bother you that Hillary was the first one to sign the (failed) amnesty bill for illegals?

[no name 1]

Devilette - question.

You're a Hillary supporter, right?

Yet you're anti-illegal-immigrant.

Does it bother you that Hillary was the first one to sign the (failed) amnesty bill for illegals?

No, I am not supporting any candidate now.

[Reynaldo 0]

In America, the national language is English.

The official languages of the Americas are: Spanish, English, Portuguese, Dutch, French and other minor languages (both native and creole languages).

It always piss me off how you "Americans" call yourselves Americans, even when you're saying that other people from the Americas are not welcome in your country.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

It always piss me off how you "Americans" call yourselves Americans, even when you're saying that other people from the Americas are not welcome in your country.

It's the colloquial. Relax.

[Alex+R 0]

It always piss me off how you "Americans" call yourselves Americans, even when you're saying that other people from the Americas are not welcome in your country.

It's the colloquial. Relax.

It really does piss him off. He won't even let me use "America" or "American" to refer to the United States or something from it, even though we don't have any other adjective besides American.