Do we have a Republican Canidate who will secure our borders?

Question

This has been President Bush's biggest failure. He is not doing enough to make our borders secure. It is no longer just a matter of migrant workers coming over to get better paying jobs, now it is a matter of national security and I feel that he is ignoring an urgent matter here.

Answer 1

I hope Senator McCain is "Border Conscious" especially when his state is right there by Mexico. He would be my vote for President.
Danny H - I don't think that Ethan is saying we should be a nation closed to immigrants. He was solely asking is there a republican candidate that has a plan to keep our borders safe from entering the country illegally. If an immigrant enters legally then...Welcome!

Answer 2

You know what's funny? At one point I'm pretty sure Rove and Bush had planned on Immigration being their next hot-button issue--the one that would pull their fat out of the fire.

It isn't now. What they found out is that the right-wing media machine has been too successful in getting all the followers like yourself whipped into red white and blue fever. Bush's hardcore supporters are now too far to the right for them and their proposals for Immigration--too far to the reactionary, fundamentalist right.

You see, Rove and Bush know you want to send 10 million illegal immigrants packing back across the border in boxcars. They can't do it. It simply isn't practical, not to mention that the folks who pay the bills for the GOP--Big Business--aren't exactly crazy about losing the illegals' labor. And from the political side--if you get too many pictures of giant INS raids or thousands of people being deported on the news suddenly it wouldn't look so great anymore--not even on Fox news.

That's why the administration is sneaking away from Immigration reform now--and border security is linked to Immigration, so they won't be doing much about that either. The Bush administration is very politically weak today and there's no political payoff in Immigration for them. Nothing they can do on it would placate their base (that's you) so they're just going to let all that cool down and fade into the background. That's too bad for them because like I say I think it was their last, best hope for a big issue that would unite their base again. That's too bad for us because it means border security stays largely as is and we continue on with a broken immigration policy.

The storm is gathering over them and I honestly don't know what kind of PR stunt they can pull off now. Do you really have more andrenaline left for more useless non-issues like Flag Burning or 'The War on Christmas'? It won't play outside of the most diehard Fox watchers and Rush listeners any more. There are just too many real things going wrong now for most people to be distracted by that dog and pony show.

Answer 3

Ethan, we are not at war with either Mexico or Canada yet. Let's hope it stays that way. Half of this nonsense that they are putting forth in the name of "national security" is probably unnecessary or wrongly prioritized. (Examples: It's apparently very important to swab the shoes of old ladies in wheel chairs and to take away their knitting needles so they can't stab anyone, and it's extremely important to start and continue a war in Iraq without any justification or WMD. But it's not so important to help our own people whose lives were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, and it's OK to sell the management of our country's ports to foreigners.)
Let's not close the borders like you suggested so we don't have to live in one giant concentration camp! Thank you very much.
I'm not apologizing, though my opinion is that Republicans these days don't seem to have a very good record with security issues. Why do you suppose that is?

Answer 4

"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

these words are on the statue of liberty. Some of the most contributing indivuals in the USA have been immigrants, and now because of the fear of terrorist, we'be succomb to exactly what they want. We've begun to isolate ourselves. This is not right, this is not how to live. I'm saying that we should open our doors to all, but there are ways to let immigrants into America without fear attached. What we need is better funding for the borders so that the Mexican border isn't so shorthanded and easy to get across.

Answer 5

Neither party and the people that "buy" them has border security as a goal. The long term goal is a unified continent and eventually a unified world. It is not a secret plot, the whole plan is discussed quite openly and has been for some time.

Answer 6

And what do you think a Democrat is going to do? The governors can put their national guard on the borders today. They don't need the Presidents permission at all. If any President including this one (and he's one of my favorites) tries to put active duty Military on our borders, I will not be happy. They are not trained to police their own people. If the Active Duty do go to the border they will shoot to kill, that is what they do. period...end of story. Call your governors and complain, not the President.

Answer 7

There is NO candidate on either side that will do it. No political will and practically impossible to do. We've had the war on drugs for how many years now? Too many-- and nobody has dont anything to stop all the drugs, people and other stuff that comes across our borders.

Answer 8

Seems more of a talking point for both parties. I think they just like to have people think they're going to than to actually do it..

Answer 9

You're forgetting to love thy neighbor as thyself Ethan :)

Answer 10

Tom Tancrato (at least that's how I think he spells it). He's a congressman from Colorado.