McCain, amnesty, and death threats
August 17th 2007 08:25
John McCain (R - AZ) revealed this week that he received death threats over the position he took on "comprehensive immigration reform". McCain helped author (with Democratic Senator Ted Kennedy) the Senate's recent immigration bill. Despite multiple efforts to pass the bill, the Senate ultimately rejected it. Regarding the immigration issue:
McCain, who is competing for the Republican nomination for President, realizes the impact his position on immigration has had on his candidacy:
I greatly respect Sen. McCain for his service to this country. It's unfortunate that some crazies would threaten him because of his position on immigration. However, the fact that passions are so high with regard to this issue should tell him something. Not everyone who is angered over this is a bigot or racist or nativist (as some claim) -- not by a long shot. There's a reason that people are angry. And there's a reason that the Senate's phone system crashed on the day that the Senate voted for cloture on the immigration bill.
This palpable anger is the response from a public who is understandably frustrated over our government's inaction on this issue. Local governments around the country are drowning under the burden of the burgeoning illegal alien population. The impact can be felt in public education costs and health care costs. Jobs that were well-paying, skilled positions just ten years ago are now shut off from American workers. And keep in mind that we are now in post-9/11 world. There are plenty of folks around the world who would love to do us harm. The fact that our government seems uninterested in keeping track of who comes into our country is maddening, to say the least.
Sen. McCain may be doing what he thinks is right, but he is still a servant of the people. He should do a little more listening and little less pontificating. The country is drowning under the weight of our government's hands-off immigration policy, and Sen. McCain seems to be throwing us an anchor instead of a life preserver. He shoudn't let the rancorous insults from some overshadow the myriad of desperate pleas for help.
"It is unbelievable how this has inflamed the passions of the American people," the Arizona senator said in remarks at The Aspen Institute, a public policy forum. In an interview, he declined to elaborate on the threats he had received.
McCain, who is competing for the Republican nomination for President, realizes the impact his position on immigration has had on his candidacy:
McCain acknowledged that the immigration issue, along with his support for the war in Iraq, had cost him politically.
"Look, I've got to do what I know is right for this country. These issues I have to take head-on," he said.
"Look, I've got to do what I know is right for this country. These issues I have to take head-on," he said.
I greatly respect Sen. McCain for his service to this country. It's unfortunate that some crazies would threaten him because of his position on immigration. However, the fact that passions are so high with regard to this issue should tell him something. Not everyone who is angered over this is a bigot or racist or nativist (as some claim) -- not by a long shot. There's a reason that people are angry. And there's a reason that the Senate's phone system crashed on the day that the Senate voted for cloture on the immigration bill.
This palpable anger is the response from a public who is understandably frustrated over our government's inaction on this issue. Local governments around the country are drowning under the burden of the burgeoning illegal alien population. The impact can be felt in public education costs and health care costs. Jobs that were well-paying, skilled positions just ten years ago are now shut off from American workers. And keep in mind that we are now in post-9/11 world. There are plenty of folks around the world who would love to do us harm. The fact that our government seems uninterested in keeping track of who comes into our country is maddening, to say the least.
Sen. McCain may be doing what he thinks is right, but he is still a servant of the people. He should do a little more listening and little less pontificating. The country is drowning under the weight of our government's hands-off immigration policy, and Sen. McCain seems to be throwing us an anchor instead of a life preserver. He shoudn't let the rancorous insults from some overshadow the myriad of desperate pleas for help.
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