Gingrich channels open-borders SEIU; Rubio rebukes; Update:Newt retreats
Photoshop: Reader Jimmy D.
Yesterday, the SEIU and left-wing USA Action launched Spanish-language radio attacks on Mitt Romney for his support of immigration enforcement measures. One of Romney’s advisers is Kris Kobach — a constitutional law professor, Kansas Secretary of State, and staunch leader in the fight against illegal alien amnesty and ACORN-style voter fraud.
Eliseo Medina, the secretary-treasurer of Service Employees International Union, blasted Romney on Monday during a conference call announcing a Spanish-language radio ad the union is launching in partnership with Priorities USA Action, a super-PAC supporting President Obama.
Medina, the No. 2 official at the influential union, was reacting to an answer Romney gave at a debate Monday night where he said “self-deportation” was the answer to ridding the country of illegal immigrants.
“It’s basically to say, ‘Make their life miserable’” by refusing to rent to them or to provide access to heat and water,” Medina said. “Make it difficult for their kids and their schools.”
Asked by The Hill how Romney’s comments could be construed to imply that illegal immigrants should be denied basic necessities, Medina pointed to Romney’s close relationship with Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, who has endorsed Romney. Kobach has been credit with writing most of Alabama’s harsh anti-illegal immigration law, which has been challenged in the courts.
“Mr. Romney has said he wants to support and he joins in supporting Kris Kobach,” Medina said. “When he says he supports those kinds of policies, he has to own all of it.”
“This is a dishonest smear from President Obama’s liberal allies and a desperate attempt to distract from his abysmal record,” said Romney adviser Albert Martinez. “It will do nothing to help the millions of Hispanics who have been hit especially hard as a result of the Obama economy.”
Martinez said Hispanics, like all Floridians, believe Romney is the best person to rebuild the economy and to replace Obama.
Well, look now, who’s mimicking the open-borders SEIU and blurring the lines between illegal and legal immigration.
Yep. Newt Gingrich:
Sen. Marco Rubio scolded Newt Gingrich’s presidential campaign over a Spanish-language radio ad that accuses rival Mitt Romney of being “anti-immigrant”
“This kind of language is more than just unfortunate. It’s inaccurate, inflammatory, and doesn’t belong in this campaign,” Rubio told The Miami Herald when asked about the ad.
“The truth is that neither of these two men is anti-immigrant,” Rubio said. “Both are pro-legal immigration and both have positive messages that play well in the Hispanic community.”
Rubio’s sharp rebuke comes a day after he subtly corrected Gingrich for comparing Romney to former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, branded by conservatives as a turncoat who left the party before Rubio beat him in 2010.
The criticisms from someone of Rubio’s stature in the Republican Party comes as polls show a near-even race, albeit with Gingrich surging.
Rubio plans to stay neutral in the race. He’s a potential running mate whom both candidates would love to have on the ballot.
The truth is that neither Gingrich nor Romney has a strong, consistent overall record on border security and enforcement. But at least Romney’s been traveling in the right direction…while Gingrich once again echoes left-wing language and plays the race card to get ahead.
Nose plugs. Get out yer nose plugs.
***
Newt and his supporters have been deriding the notion of self-deportation as some sort of alien, offensive concept. Long-time readers of this blog and of my investigative work on immigration have been familiar with it for years. It’s attrition through enforcement, it’s humane, and it works.
***
Can you be more two-faced? Newt has been winning massive adoration and applause for claiming he’ll stand up for states like South Carolina and Alabama, which have been sued by the Obama DOJ over tough immigration laws. Then he joins the likes of the SEIU and slams the very “anti-immigrant” policies authored by Kris Kobach that the Obama DOJ wants to overturn.
Emetic of the day.
***
Update: Newt retreats. From GOP Hispanic leaders calling him out, via the Miami Herald:
While we may have differences of opinion with regard to some of Governor Romney’s policies on immigration, we nonetheless stand firmly behind him because we know he is the most qualified conservative candidate to defeat President Obama and to lift up all Americans, including Hispanics.
Like your attacks on the free market, attacking Mitt Romney as “anti-immigrant” only serves President Obama and his liberal allies.
Mr. Speaker, our party deserves better.
Sincerely,
Secretary Carlos Gutierrez
Senator Mel Martinez
Raquel A. Rodriguez
Zoraida Fonalledas
Jorge Arrizurieta
R. Alexander Acosta
Remedios Diaz Oliver
Rudy Fernandez
Jeanette Prenger
Jerry Natividad
Sal Gomez
Allen Gutierrez
Hector Barreto
Jose Fuentes
Bertica Cabrera Morris
Rafael Elias-Linero
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Categories: 2012 Campaign,GOP,Immigration,Mitt Romney,Newt Gingrich,SEIU
Sister Toldjah
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All here from AZ, it seems Governor Brewer gave bho a finger in the face on a heated meeting? You have a great Governor!
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2012/01/25/20120125brewer-obama-exchange-tense-words-immigration.html
L
Happyscrapper: I don’t get it either. What if the Koch Brothers are going to make money off the deal? I know they are a target for the leftist, but as the Chairman of the committee said why not bring in the guys that screwed the tax payers from Solyndra?
Waxman made no sense unless you take in consideration his dislike for anyone that backs the Tea Party. I think that’s what the Koch Brothers have spent money funding.
Here is a history lesson on Gingrich presented by Eliot Abrams. For a former history professor who claims that Fannie and Freddie hired him for his grasp of history, he sure doesn’t have a very firm grasp of his own.
Maybe he hire a history professor who earned his PHD studying the Gingrich Era for a quick review. He sure needs one.
BTW, that report reveals Gingrich to be a reliable McCain-style maverick every time a Republican president has found himself under siege by Democrats at critical times in history.
Can I just say…Gingrich’s political strategists are really good spokespeople. Every time I see them talking to the media, they are sharp and on point. I’m always impressed.
Newt is promising AMNESTY to foreign nationals in our country ILLEGALLY!
I will never vote for ANYONE who puts illegal aliens ahead of immigrants and citizens.
I’d sooner hold my nose for Romney. At least he’s telling me he’ll enforce the laws. (yeah I know, he’s lying)
sheesh, can’t believe it’s come to this.
Rubio is not eligible for the same reason OweBowMao is ineligible, foreign national parent(s)
That is the one thing that everyone needs to get over. Romney refuses to be dishonorable. Those who know him best have declared him to have immaculate personal character. Even his opponents in both business or politics who have worked with him say the same. Nobody with ANY credibility can attack his personal character.
Disagree all that you want with his actions or policies. Do not play into the hands of those who are bullet-proof in their ignorance of the facts. I have been searching for three years for reasons to not support Mitt.
His policy positions don’t fully line up with mine, yet he IS mostly conservative now. He is a convert to conservatism, but has never gone backwards to the left again. Flipping without the flopping one might say.
Amen!
I’ve had similar thoughts, he is moving right with his rhetoric. I’d still prefer Santorum. I’m voting Paul in the primary.
Newt has lost any potential for even a nose-holding drunken vote with this……
In Va there will be two candidates on the ballot. Paul and Romney, lesser evil is clearly Paul.
Lesser evil between Newt and Romney? Clearly it’s Romney.
Newt’s nuts
I feel sorry for all of those people that hate Newt so much that they want to make sure that Obama gets re-elected.
Romney is McCain redux.
The former Speaker, Newt Gingrich, still captures a good amount of attention because of his rhetoric and undisciplined comments. He is an instinctive fighter and many of us who espouse a conservative ideology are ignited by his combativeness. He refuses to answer questions if the premise could be turned around on the questioner. He strikes sparks off of media types which the base seems to enjoy.
Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney and Ron Paul are all men of good character and have experience and policy positions that we can examine. Mitt and Rick would both make honorable Presidents. Ron would be also in a very different way. His foreign policy positions do give me pause. For all of that, ANY of those three would be a vast improvement to our nation.
If we have a brokered convention, could Herm Cain get back in? He only “suspended” his campaign! Is that possible? Then, they could drag out the bimbos again and show what a farce that was! I would so love to see that! Herm Cain was the best candidate of the whole bunch and should never have allowed those a-holes to scare him off. I know his wife doesn’t want him to be POTUS, but this is our County we are talking about! The rest doesn’t matter!!
The bottom line…I would vote for my dearly departed dog before I would vote for Obama. Yes, Peter, I went there!
This is a hoot!! Obama doesn’t like something Gov. Brewer put in her book about him. You can bet it was the TRUTH if she put it in a book. Obama is so think skinned, he just cannot handle criticism. He is not going to get a lot of support in AZ. He may as well just skip that campaign stop and head out to the next one. He blew it. What a bozo. He is President of the United States. He needs to suck that stuff up and shut his yap. And by the way, respect works both ways. Governor Brewer is the Governor of Arizona and deserves respect. She didn’t get it from Obama, nor has she EVER gotten it from him. He disagrees with her so he is rude.
I so long for a classy President!! We haven’t had that for a long long time! Bush was o.k., but before that was Clinton. Not what you would call “classy”. Sigh.
Anyway, Good for you, Governor Brewer! I wish we had one like you up here in Minnesota instead of Mark (extremely STRANGE) Dayton.
It’s a sweet dream, wish it could come true. All we have to do is make sure no one candidate gets 1150 delegates.
Malkin is currently IN THE BLDG….HANNITY. RIGHT NOW.
That is both misleading and weak.
Newt has acknowledged his faults and past indiscretions. He did sit down with Pelosi at a pivotal time during the climate change debate. He did call the Ryan budgetary plan, “Right-wing social engineering.” His marital infidelity is a real knock against him. He did and has done many other things detrimental to conservative people and the cause of conservatism in general. These defects are real. If his many other strong positives out-weigh those and other negatives, please support him.
Rick Santorum has both positions and votes that are difficult to swallow. He is a good man and has lots of good ideas and the honesty to work for them.
Mitt, governing in a liberal state, got in front of some issues to put some market principles into otherwise forgone conclusions. Romneycare as a state level program is unpleasant to me. His adamant opposition to national level Obamacare is only a slight salve there. Furthermore, the establishment Republicans are not ramming Mitt’s candidacy out as a forgone conclusion. His own self-discipline, organizational skills and hard work are making that case. Establishment types are simply observing those facts.
Ron Paul is himself. I like him and yet he makes me nervous.
Newt is the one promoting amnesty, that is a McCain position
Santorum is my choice, but, say what you want, who else is doing this ?
Source
Depends on what you consider classy I guess. Didn’t personally find either Bush particularly so. Reagan and Kennedy would be the only ones in my lifetime. That Kennedy was further right than the present front runners apeaks volumes.
I expect classy people avoid politics as a rule – and you could make a case that simply by virtue of being a politicritter, they have no class.
Latest Michelle Tweet: Ugh. Getting so tired of national GOP politics. My inspiration/passion is DOWN BALLOT.
Aint that the truth. Second that sigh.
If this ends in a brokered convention, it means the GOP establishment has failed and is severely diminished. Anything could happen. It all depends on how much traction we Tea Partiers bring to the convention.
The threat of going 3rd party would have to be credible which is why it is such a mistake to be pledging our votes to whatever Republican wins the nomination. There is a strong position and a weak position for conservatives and those fed up with one-party government going into a brokered convention:
1) Strong position: (a) We have a strong conservative candidate (Cain?) and (b) we have demonstrated we are a serious 3rd party threat. Possible result: We could actually get to decide who wins the nomination and it could be one of ours who is not now in the race.
2) Weak position: (a) We don’t have a strong conservative candidate and (b) too many people have pledged to hold their noses or stay home. Possible result: the best we could do is get more promises from whatever candidate the establishment gets to select (which isn’t much different than where we are now). Ron Paul coming in with 15-20% of the delegates would be our best hope in that situation for any hope for a better deal, particularly if polled well and continued to refuse to rule out a 3rd party run.
The right 3rd party candidate who harnesses the energy of the Tea Party and the frustration of the most voters in general could win in either scenario, particularly in the first. That is why the establishments of “both” parties are so shrill. They are desperately afraid as they keep pressing those expensive buttons that don’t work anymore.
Our biggest handicap is the great number of people who have already declared that they will hold their noses and vote. Those people have already voted and so are not a threat to the establishment. They really doesn’t care what we want and what we think or that we are angry. They want our money and our votes. They don’t want us. If they have your vote, all of the whining, protesting and expressions of anger are going to waste. They don’t care once they know they have your vote.
BTW, Hannity hammered Michelle again tonight over her refusal to tip her hand over who she is leaning to while criticizing her for continually publishing scathing articles against ALL candidates. That has proven to be a very wise course of action so far.
I am still hoping that Michelle decides to not endorse anyone should any of these clowns the nomination and leave it up to us to make up our own minds. I don’t know what the professional risks would be for doing that but personal credibility would go through the roof.
Sorry, BigWolf, you miss my point on Newt. It’s easy to miss – especially if you are blinded by the Massachusetts Moderate. The establishment Republicans are ramming Romney on us – just like they did McCain in 2008.
If you want to support Romney, fine. But when it comes down to Gingrich vs Obama – are you going to vote Gingrich or support Obama????
A little alteration for clarity, hope you don’t mind…
I have always liked Newt’s fighting spirit and obvious intellect.
Can’t support Dede Scozzafava, Pelosi couch, “right-wing social engineering”, and amnesty for illegal aliens who are breaking multiple laws daily to continue their illegal presence.
Newt thinks they’re good citizens…..
Brilliantly stupid or stupidly brilliant?
Rather hold my nose for Romney than Newt, Paul rather than Romney, Santorum rather than Paul.
Can we get Herman Cain back in?
VP, you left out “stupidly stupid” as a choice.
I’m only familiar with the top two names, both backers of Bush’s amnesty. What about the rest? Do they place ethnicity above the rule of law as well?
There are a bunch of Romneys posting here. Gingrich said the first thing to do is secure the border… Period. Next he would find a way for people who had family ties here and had been here for 25 years or so to gain legal status. Not citizenship ever. Michelle is being a shill for Romney, she just will not admit it. She was on Sean’s show tonite. She claims Gingrich is using the talking points of the left to attack Romney but no mention of the out right lies Romney uses to attack Gingrich. I have lost all respect for Michelle.
copied from another post here
Why is everybody ignoring Santorum?? He won Iowa, by the way. He’s the only true Conservative still in the race. He doesn’t have the “baggage” of either Newt or Romney. He’s very comfortable in the debates because he knows what he believes.
I can live with Romney as the nominee, but Newt would be a disaster (just check out the latest Drudge headline).
Santorum is rock-solid. Go Rick!!
Are you new here? Michelle is a shill for Romney? Really? Feel free to explore the archives and let us know what you find. K?
I doubt he has qualified in enough states to make it worthwhile and besides, he has no money. But once you get to get to a brokered convention, anything is possible. The delegates are only committed in the first vote to cast their votes according to the primary/caucus results. Then it’s negotiations. But even then, Cain would have to be doing something big and effective between now and then. I don’t see him doing anything but the same old rambling interviews with his annoying style of talking.
I didn’t see the Hannity show so I can’t say anything about that, but she’s posted a lot of things she doesn’t like about Romney. No, she’s no shill for Romney.
Newt is a Republican. If he carries the nomination, I will NOT vote Obama. Gingrich’s firebrand antics might end up a blessing as the POTUS. Personally, my ideal would have more self-discipline.
Blinded by the “Massachusetts Moderate”?
I have extensively looked at Mitt Romney’s background and have done so suspecting that he would be the eventual Republican nominee since McCain’s failure of a candidacy. Three years of research have given me a number of areas of disagreements with him in both policy and stylistic areas. He has no personal skeletons. He is an admitted convert to many conservative positions. Churchill’s famous quote comes to mind here.
Where does that Moderate label hang in your mind? Where can you pin it to his policies?
My current preferences are Romney, Santorum, Paul and then Gingrich. I believe in stated and defended Positions, Policy and Self-Discipline over spoken Rhetoric.
Sad to see the Republicans eating their own as Obama sits back and enjoys the carnage.
Raider, a primary is the proper forum in which candidates make their case to party voters. During a contested primary with an unopposed, sitting incumbent, the opposition will attempt to paint the entire party with a broad filthy brush to turn off voters. This is the legitimate process playing out before us.
Elections have consequences. This is one of them. The Dems get to sit back and point scornfully until the Republican Party has formally chosen a nominee.
Any illegal alien here for 25 years would have qualified for the last ONE TIME ONLY amnesty that Newt voted for.
Not falling for that again…..
On January 25, 2012 at 11:10 am, Misscheryl said:
During the SC primary (I think it was), Fox had Geraldo droning on about the cruise ship. I had to watch another channel for the political news.
Amnesty
Never thought I would say this. I will stay home if it is Romney. I promise to God right now. (Just putting it in writing, to reinforce my vow, if I later try to rationalize to change my mind.)
So fund raisers stop calling. Although I donated the max allowed in 2008, yeah $2200.00, don’t call me. I don’t like the smear 24 hour negative campaign on Newt. He wasn’t even my candidate til you took every body else out, and if you take him out……
)
I have never seen this dirty of tactics since 2008 Romney dirty tactics.
Never have I seen on Drudge, 6-8 leading RED HEADLINES excoriating any candidate.(Newtis the first)(Oops, except Herman Cain and Newt) Seems the establishment is out in full force. They are destroying any candidate who is not Romney. I will not vote for Romney in the primary or the general.
Yikes !!
Don’t stay home. You want to screw the establishment?
Vote Ron Paul or none at all! You might even save the Republic.
So…you don’t care who gets elected to Congress? It is o.k. with you if we lose the House?
Get a grip and buy a clue. Stay home and help Obama get four more years. AND, help the dems re-take the House!
:double bonk:
There is absolutely no way I’ll support either Romney or Gingrich. If one of them is the GOP nominee I’ll probably vote for Gary Johnson (currently polling at around 9% nationally). Four years of gridlock will be the best possible outcome.
And I used to ask why would anyone name their kid the “turd”.
So, hey, everybody who hates Romney, or Newt, or Paul – what’s wrong with Santorum?
For starters…
Plus, I really don’t think he has the maturity for the job. Either way, I doubt he’ll get elected. Of the Republicans running, I think he’d be the least able to withstand the vicious media assault.
I think Santorum had a pretty good showing tonight in the debate.
He knocked it out of the park tonight when he talked about his wife and family. As a father and husband in a family that has lost a child, I’m not sure anyone, including the media, can give him any more grief than he has already lived. As stated before, he’s my choice right now, so ….
As a side note, I think Ron Paul did well tonight and him talking about repealing the 16th amendment got my attention and I will have to re-consider his placement on my list of 4 remaining candidates.
If Santorum can ease up on the pettiness, and in general act more statesmanlike, then he may have a better shot at it, but right now, I have serious concerns.
There’s another matter also. I don’t want to be misunderstood, because I don’t have any problem with social conservatives (they don’t “scare” me or anything like that), and I totally disagree with the suggestion of one Republican (was it Daniels) for some sort of “truce” on social issues.
But the problem I have with guys like Santorum is that though social conservatism is perfectly fine, you have to be persuasive. Otherwise, if you’re just going to state your positions but not offer convincing defenses of them, you’ll just make yourself a lightning rod for the nastiest, ugliest attacks and caricatures that the Left can muster up.
So if Santorum can’t figure out how to do that, and he wins the nomination, not only will he lose badly, he’ll cost seats in Congress, too.
I’ve always regarded Ron Paul as rock solid gold on domestic issues. We all know where his problem lies.
It was Santorum tonight that took it to Mitt, Newt & Wolf to give up the attacks towards one another and let’s get to the issues facing this country.
I’ll watch the latest debate before commenting further. I haven’t had a chance to yet.
I think while watching, I logged a 10 minute nap in there somewhere.
I hope I don’t lose my ability to post here, but most of you are so darn negative about the GOP candidates, just like Michelle. I thought Santorum kicked butt last night, and not by being “petty.”
We have 2 good candidates in Santorum and Romney, though Santorum really took it to Romney on his Mass. HealthCare plan, which is extremely similar to ObamaCare.
Gingrich is unelectable, and will likely self-implode (with his ideas like his moon-base), and Ron Paul is basically nuts on foreign policy.
Seriously, will any of you vote for Obama or not vote if your favorite candidate doesn’t win?
Though I could live with Romney, I think Santorum is the only real Conservative still in the race.
I could live with Santorum.
Romneycare and Amnesty Newt are both progressives and leave me cold. I’m voting Paul in the primary, because it him or Romney. And I don’t vote for liberals.