The Blog @ Spolitics

A Whole Lot of Bananas

by Heywood U. Reedmore -- June 13, 2006 at 3:18 pm | In No, Seriously | No Comments

House Republicans opened up the Senate immigration bill and cringed. PoliPundit has the breakdown. Hopefully this will lead to a border policy that’s at least as strict as Disneyland’s. 

Update: The Right Angle says the Pence plan for immigration is dividing conservatives. To continue the above analogy, this plan is like Disneyland asking everyone who is in the theme park without a ticket to leave and then buy a ticket to re-enter. And of course, the “comprehensive” approach in general is akin to Disneyland saying they can’t enact policies to keep people from sneaking into the park unless they simultaneously deal with the people already there without a ticket.

Before they allow themselves to get bogged down with “comprehension,” Republicans should revist Rasmussen Reports’ poll from early May. According to Rasmussen:

Our national survey conducted on May 1-2, 2006 found that 67% of Americans favored an enforcement first policy (just 18% are opposed).

Rasmussen also states:

Other survey data found that American voters were more likely to favor a Congressional candidate who emphasizes enforcement of existing laws rather than one who prefers expanding legal job opportunities for foreign workers. 

This was demonstrated in CA-50. And:

Earlier surveys on immigration have found support for building a barrier along the Mexican border and positive attitudes towards citizen patrols along the border. Another survey found that most Americans consider current immigration laws a threat to both national security and the economy. Three-fourths of all Americans believe it is too easy for people from other countries to enter the United States.

Attitudes towards immigration do not fall neatly along typical partisan, demographic, or ideological lines. For this reason, among others, the immigration issue ultimately has the potential to shake up the current partisan alignment in the nation.

It’s time Republicans table all this talk about amnesty (aka “bananas”) and first solve the problem Americans are really concerned about: border security.

(For fun, see also: Undocumented Music Owners Protest Crackdown Against Illegal Downloading  And: Protesters Oppose Plan to Put More Ushers at Movie Theater Exits)