The Newer and Improved Colossus
Fred's upset with the "Paleocons." I guess he'd count me as one of them. He waxes quasi-romantic about the GOP needing to have the Hispanic vote, perpetually, to lock up a long-term GOP majority. He contends that Republicans "need" the 44 percent of that voting contingent, as opposed to the usual 35 percent or less, that Bush squeezed out in 2004. Well, that's a tall order considering that economic status is a far better indicator, from an historic perspective, of just what sort of folks tend to consistently - and consistency is crucial - Republican. He suggests that actually controlling the influx of unskilled and undereducated foreigners will be the death-knell for the GOP. But nearly all of our recent imports, especially the illegal alien type, are not going to be anything other than perpetually ignorant, fawning leftists. Too many Hispanics do not graduate from high school and their domestic-born children are not improving their lot in life, even into the third generation, for the GOP to actually gain from having more of them here.
In fact, this reality, and voting statistics, do more than strongly hint that if we don't stop the flow of Mexicans in particular, there won't be a political place for social conservatives in America at all in 20 years.
I think Fred sees the absurdity of his claimed belief, but is willing to do anything possible to assure that big business and globalist interests do not have their cheap labor stream interrupted by a running-scared Congress. Why does he fail to mention that traditional conservatives, and many of those less conservative but who live in Red States and Red Counties, are far more likely to not stick with the GOP if it continues its full-bore-ass-kiss of foreigners? Will they vote for Democrats? Few. But recent history has shown that they will walk away from the process entirely, at least for a cycle or two, if they are not engergized. The GOP listens to Barnes at a far greater peril than if it listens to people like me, Pat Buchanan and Michelle Malkin.
Fred's tome is especially misleading, even for him. Unfortunately, I don't think there are many in possession of adequate brains in the Senate or the Administration to see through the silliness of it:
Once the wall is complete, maybe we can have a poetry contest for the plaque that can adorn it. I have a title for it already:
It would be sweet to see Fred Barnes' romantic swoon for the third-world and its intellect-challenged, cheap labor turned into drooling apoplexy over America actually acting, for all the world to witness, as if "sovereignty" has meaning.
Technorati tags: Fred Barnes, We Need a Wall, hispanic vote, immigration reform
In fact, this reality, and voting statistics, do more than strongly hint that if we don't stop the flow of Mexicans in particular, there won't be a political place for social conservatives in America at all in 20 years.
I think Fred sees the absurdity of his claimed belief, but is willing to do anything possible to assure that big business and globalist interests do not have their cheap labor stream interrupted by a running-scared Congress. Why does he fail to mention that traditional conservatives, and many of those less conservative but who live in Red States and Red Counties, are far more likely to not stick with the GOP if it continues its full-bore-ass-kiss of foreigners? Will they vote for Democrats? Few. But recent history has shown that they will walk away from the process entirely, at least for a cycle or two, if they are not engergized. The GOP listens to Barnes at a far greater peril than if it listens to people like me, Pat Buchanan and Michelle Malkin.
Fred's tome is especially misleading, even for him. Unfortunately, I don't think there are many in possession of adequate brains in the Senate or the Administration to see through the silliness of it:
Cantankerous Conservatism
"In the immigration bill passed by the House last December, there was a distinct nativist streak. It calls for the raising of a 700-mile fence along America's southwest border with Mexico and for stepped-up border security in general. It was Buchanan who popularized the fence idea, and now a Republican senator intends to propose a fence along the entire border, from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico.Before seeing the juxtaposition provided by Barnes, I hadn't seen the wall for anything more than what it is: a means to impede illegal aliens from coming here. But he's on to something. It is beyond high-time for there to be a symbol to neutralize the insidious one that the Statue of Liberty has become.
How would such a fence play politically? Well, it's a horrible symbol, one that clashes with the welcome mat laid out by the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor. More important, it says to Mexican-Americans: We don't want any more people like you coming into our country."
Once the wall is complete, maybe we can have a poetry contest for the plaque that can adorn it. I have a title for it already:
"The Better Colossus."
It would be sweet to see Fred Barnes' romantic swoon for the third-world and its intellect-challenged, cheap labor turned into drooling apoplexy over America actually acting, for all the world to witness, as if "sovereignty" has meaning.
Technorati tags: Fred Barnes, We Need a Wall, hispanic vote, immigration reform
