Kennedy gave a barn-burner at the immigration rally yesterday

[Rose Siding]

As a huge added bonus, hooking McCain into this plan will enrage the Republican base, piling onto
their growing discord. Teddy still has it going on.



Some excerpts-

Let me ask you some questions. Are you ready? (Estas listo?)

Do you have a job? (Tienes trabajo?)

Do you love your family? (Amas a su familia?)

Do you love your community? (Amas a su comunidad?)

Do you love America? (Amas a America?)
....
They say you should report to deport. I say report to become American citizens.

More than four decades ago, near this place, Martin Luther King called on the nation to let freedom ring. Freedom did ring -- and freedom can ring again.

It is time for Americans to lift their voices now -- in pride for our immigrant past and in pride for our immigrant future.

We stand for the future. (Nosotros apoyamos el futuro.)

We stand for our families. (Nosotros apoyamos nuestras familias.)

We stand for our faith. (Nosotros apoyamos nuestra fe.)

I stand with you. And you and you and you and you.

Are you with me? (Estan conmigo?)

John McCain and I have a plan. It is a strong plan. It is a fair plan. It is a plan for America's future.

And today we are making that future happen.

Will you support us? (Me apoyan?)

Will you support us? (Me apoyan?)

Will you support us? (Me apoyan?)

Well, I'm here today to say that we will support you, too. (Nosotros vamos a apoyar a ustedes tambien.)

We will never give up. We will never give in.

Hasta la Victoria!

Si se puede!

via Atrios

[babylonsister]

1. Gracias, Rose Siding! nt

[goclark]

2. Now THAT was perfect and right from the heart

Go get um Kennedy, you were magnificent yesterday!

[Sequoia]

3. I heard it this morning on Democracy Now.

The crowd seemed very happy and joyful.

[jrw14125]

4. I saw and heard him speak, and let me just say

the crowd was going nuts! All I could think when I heard his speech and the crowd's reaction was "wow, the GOP just lost the latino vote for decades to come."

[Rose Siding]

5. He quoted his brother, too

A timeless message:

I look across this historic gathering and I see the future of America. As President Kennedy proclaimed a half century ago, we are a Nation of Immigrants. And today, we stand together as brothers and sisters to shape America's destiny -- old Americans, new Americans, future Americans -- all joined together for the common good.

[dailykoff]

7. you're way ahead of me!

:)

[rodeodance]

8. good for him --a rally--he does good with them.

[dailykoff]

6. Yes it sounds like the lion roared.

I heard the first part on Pacifica:

I look across this historic gathering and I see the future of America. As President Kennedy proclaimed a half century ago, we are a Nation of Immigrants. And today, we stand together as brothers and sisters to shape America's destiny -- old Americans, new Americans, future Americans -- all joined together for the common good.

Impressive!

[radio4progressives]

21. The Lion Roared, When the Sleeping Giant Woke!

¡Si, se Puede! ¡Viva la Revolución! ¡Viva la Libertad!

[blm]

11. Kennedy still gives the best speeches - bar none.

.

[BlueIris]

9. Sigh. I love him.

[Gregorian]

15. A beautiful man.

I shed a tear.

[Rose Siding]

10. kickin' it

:kick:

[doc03]

12. So, what's the plan?

[Rose Siding]

13. links-

Quick Guide to Kennedy- McCain Immigration Bill
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/5/13/112653/285

McCain-Kennedy Bill Could Work, Says Immigration Reformer
http://news.pacificnews.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=4ea42d41b615116dacccdde2aee4df97

[saracat]

14. Except the plan is ridiculous! How are they going to force anyone

to sign up? These immigrants are not going to line up and get visas and I see relatively little to encourage employers to get them to. There is vague talk of enhanced sanctions or fines. Big whoop. I love Kennedy but this is all empty rhetoric!

[doc03]

19. I agree, why would anyone sign up for a visa

and pay a $2000 plus fine to stay 6 more years when they are already here? All I see here is a door for 400,000 more illegals to enter the country each year favoring Mexico and why a $500 fee, I thought these people were already destitute. How about giving American citizens some money to relocate from a jobless area to where we supposedly have these labor shortages? I don't see any penalties for the employers just BS about substantial penalties. What about the unemployed person in Appalachia that doesn't have the money to move his family to California for these jobs?

[radio4progressives]

20. waa waaa waa waaa waaaaaaaa

oh waaaa.

[doc03]

22. Well, where am I wrong about this?

[styersc]

23. Illegals will line up in droves to gain legitimacy.

Status gives exploited workers an opportunity to address grievances. I predict that immigrants with legitimacy will flood the ranks of labor unions in no time and re-invigorate the labor movement. Wages and conditions will ameliorate.

Immigrants come to this country, for opportunity, not a quick buck and a bunch of Walmart stuff. Opportunity means upward mobility, no stagnation of go nowhere jobs. Immigrants will give this country the boost that large scale immigration has throughout the history of this country.

[doc03]

24. Ok, you give illegals legitimacy

and then they can address their grievances and flood the ranks of labor unions. If I am a an employer what the f--- do I want them for, I'm going to bring in new illegal workers and exploit them, what's the downside for me?

[styersc]

25. First- All legislation currently being considered includes

tighter border security. Any plan has to accomplish this task.

Then, should employers try to rely on new illegals, the re-established weight of the labor union will protect its membership by keeping an eye out for exploitive employers. Unions will have a stake in keeping employers honest so they will turn in those who hire illegals or even strike these companies.

[doc03]

26. I don't think you actually live in modern day America ,

this may have been true 50 years ago. Most southern states are right-to-work states. Even in states that have a closed shop like in Ohio for instance, AK Steel just up and locked out the Union workers and are running the mill with scabs. The Union has no teeth to fight this, you can't stop them from entering the plant the Company will get a Court Order or even State Troopers to escort them in to work, if you do eventually settle with the Company the scabs can remain on the job and the company can call the Union workers back if and when it decides to, if ever.

on edit: What is that map on your post South Carolina, a right-to-work state? And you actually think you can organize a Union there? Isn't that where you lost thousands and thousands of textile jobs to outsourcing and Union busting?

[styersc]

30. Unions have declined due to lack of participation and the

false belief that they cannot be effective. You mention employers hiring scabs- from where? The nation is currently suffering a labor shortage. When the "recent arrivals" are in a position to fight against exploitation they will no longer be a source of cheap labor anbd the union will have power once again.

Your assertion that my thinnking is 50 years old is actually short, I'm actuall thinking about 75-90 years ago when immigrat labor started the labor union.

Brass tacks is- lead or get out of the way. Time for whining is over.

[doc03]

33. I actually agree with you on the theory, "if" workers

organized into Unions we could fight for better conditions for all workers and stop the exploitation of illegal workers. If people would organize into Unions like they did in the early 1900's it would be great. Someday it may happen when the pendulum swings too far and people finally get fed up. I have doubts though, those workers had to fight for years and sacrifice lots of blood back then and the American people just seem to take whatever hand they are dealt today.
About the scabs I mentioned they are at AK Steel in Ohio, the company locked out the workers about a month ago. They have run adds in this area for "replacement workers" paying $25 per hour. Here we have thousands of steelworkers that have lost their jobs over the last several years and I wouldn't be surprised if some of them go there to work. This area is not suffering from any labor shortage and the average wage is probably less than half that.

[wicket]

16. Give 'em hell Teddy!

:kick:

[Olney Blue]

17. Reminds me of why I'm glad to be a Democrat!

[wicket]

18. Amen to that!

:kick:

[silverojo]

27. This post illustrates the exact problem

These immigrants don't want to assimilate with US. They want us to assimilate with THEM. There's no reason any candidate should be going around speaking Spanish. Do they speak Irish to me? German to the Germans? Polish to the Poles? No, because all our ancestors came here (gasp!) legally and put some effort into learning the language and becoming Americans.

So long as they keep trying to force Mexico down our throats, the majority of Americans will continue to be against them.

I welcome legal immigrants from any country. But when you come here illegally and forge documents to stay here--sorry, but those are two pretty big crimes, and your butts oughta be shipped back to where you came from (whether it's Mexico or anywhere else).

[dailykoff]

28. That's baloney

and what difference does it make what language they speak? They're a huge part of the economy and the idea of shipping anybody back to where they came from is ludicrous. We'd go broke and drown in our own #### .

[Lexingtonian]

29. uh, do you personally know even a single one?

Would you deport Irish Americans to Ireland for what they say and do and the flag they wave during a St. Patrick's Day parade? I'm learning some Gaelic at the moment- would you expel me for speaking some on St Patrick's Day? Or for doing so in an Irish pub?

The hypocrisy is astonishing.

You've obviously never deal with INS to be such a moronic pious Believer in the sanctity and lawfulness and decency of what INS does. I've had many years of dealings with them, and the corruptions and indecency and sacrileges the unfortunate lower tier employees are forced to conform to under Republican administrations is nauseating. You have no idea what kind of a two tier system exists- a nice conservative-looking Caucasian immigree from Europe like myself gets welcomed, almost cheered, by the racist asshole upper tier INS sorts I've had to deal with, and no mistake I make in the paperwork ever disqualifies me. I get replies in the affirmative in record time. My Guatemalan neighbors get the run arounds, always get replies too late to respond to before deadlines, are always being flagged for paperwork mistakes, it's worse than pulling teeth.

All the immigration lawyers I know consider the whole system one big morass of racist enforcement of laws that are corrupt and corruptly enforced. If you have the money you can buy your way around any obstacle INS puts in your way. (The one exception to that is being an SS officer or concentration camp guard.)

Laws can be, and are, immorally interpreted and enforced. Every fucking day.

English only chauvinism is always amusing. And always chauvinism.

[cap]

31. you do not live in a major American city with large number of

ethnic groups.... NYC is the second largest Polish city after Warsaw. There are areas like Greenpoint where it is possible never to learn English and to live in a Polish speaking environment. The same is true for Germans --- at one point people thought that German was going to be America's second language. Chinatown is likewise. Go to South Philly during election season and you will hear all candidates woofing out Italian phrases and trying to sing O Sole Mio (never mind opera!)

[saracat]

32. Amen

[saltpoint]

34. Hurray for Ted Kennedy. Hurray and Hurray and Hurray.