McCain Re-Thinking immigration after visiting Iowa

[puffthemagicdragon]

DES MOINES, March 17 — Immigration, an issue that has divided Republicans in Washington, is reverberating across the party’s presidential campaign field, causing particular complications for Senator John McCain of Arizona.

“Immigration is probably a more powerful issue here than almost anyplace that I’ve been,” Mr. McCain said after a stop in Cedar Falls.

As he left Iowa, Mr. McCain said he was reconsidering his views on how the immigration law might be changed. He said he was open to legislation that would require people who came to the United States illegally to return home before applying for citizenship, a measure proposed by Representative Mike Pence, Republican of Indiana. Mr. McCain has previously favored legislation that would allow most illegal immigrants to become citizens without leaving the country.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/20/us/politics/20immig.html?ex=1332043200&en=730f0c6bce9eeb6f&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss


Looks like Iowa is pretty upset. Haven't lived there for 5 years but as I was leaving Iowa for the west coast the current governor was creating programs to encourage immigrants to move to Iowa as all of us being educated in Iowa were leaving. Everyone I know from the University of Iowa left after graduation. Now that the family farms are vanishing in Iowa what is left? Thinking about my fellow Iowans :)

[trotsky]

1. If you're a Republicker, it's called "re-thinking."

If you're a Democrat, you're flip-flopping and/or pandering.

Everyone got that by now?

[jobycom]

2. Used to be that someone had to do something before they could "re" do it.

If you see what I'm saying.

[jobycom]

3. Maybe we just don't understand immigration issues in Texas, but

what the hell does illegal immigration and Iowa have to do with each other? I mean, other than that the overwhelmingly white majority in Iowa were once illegal immigrants into Native American territories... I read the article about the meat packing industry hiring more immigrants, but that sounded more like legal immigration to me.

[puffthemagicdragon]

5. have you visited Iowa recently?

Illegal immigrants have been working in the meat packing plants in Columbus Junction Iowa and many other places since 1988. Iowa is not all white and many times turns Blue in election time.

[jobycom]

12. I guess I don't understand the problem

Seems like if meat packing plants are hiring that many illegal immigrants, Iowa would just use existing laws to shut the plants down. In Texas, you have undocumented workers working for undocumented workers being paid as contracters, thus avoiding the paperwork. Many have lived here for generations, and are more productive residents than most white guys I know. Often they are more law-abiding, too, not wanting to draw attention to themselves.

I guess I don't understand how a factory with a written payroll can get away with it for long, unless written laws are just not being enforced. So I don't see how it can be as big an issue as in, say, Texas, California, Arizona, etc. To hear McCain speak, it's all Iowans think about. That's the part I don't understand.

[acmavm]

6. Apparently you haven't read the right articles. You apparently

missed the ones about the raids in the meat packing house that were rounding up illegals. Illegal immigration is a big problem here in the 'heartland'.

And I think there's a whole shitload of stuff some of you Texans don't understand. Some of the worst people and crap have come out of your state. For example, the bush** family (I know they're from back east but Texas has provided them with a nice home base to operate their rackets from for a long time now). And NCLB. And for too damn long Tom DeLay. And Dick Cheney has Texas connections.

Not really meaning to be offensive, at least not as offensive as the tone of your post was.

[jobycom]

11. Sorry you found my tone offensive

Wasn't meant to be, but what the hell, just blast away at shit you know nothing about to tell me I know nothing about your shit. That's the Democratic way, ain't it? Circular firing squad and all? Much better than trying to inform someone who admitted he didn't know anything in the first place.

[Bridget Burke]

8. Corn Fed Iowans get upset by all those "different" people....

For all the crap that goes down in Texas, we've been "multicultural" from the beginning.

[Fridays Child]

4. Oh, that adorable maverick.

What a pathetic idiot.

[Ron Green]

7. It's good for those white folks to stretch their cultural experience.

Xenophobia doesn't look good on anybody, but time and education can do wonders.

[zbdent]

9. McCain quote: "Hello, CLEVELAND!"

aide (whispering): "Uh, sir? We're in Cedar Falls ..."

Repukes are like the watermelon-smashing comedian Gallagher - he starts off with the statement that the people gathering around him are the very top of the intellectuals in the world ... those willing to shell out big bucks to go to his show ...

Repukes are good at TELLING people they're the main focus of the Repukes' "saving" ... but not following through ...

[WI_DEM]

10. flip-flopper or are only dems flip-floppers and Reps are "re-thinkers"???

[Pyrzqxgl]

13. Maybe McCain should immigrate to Iowa

Arizona would probably be glad to get rid of him, but would Iowa want him?

[Bluebear]

14. Wow, sounds wishy-washy. nt