Michele Bachmann Pounces On Rick Perry's You Don't 'Have A Heart' Charge On Immigration Issue

Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann is pouncing on comments made by rival contender Rick Perry during last week's GOP primary debate in Florida on the issue of immigration.

The Texas governor reiterated his support for a bill that provided in-state tuition to some undocumented students while speaking at the Sunshine State forum.

"If you say that we should not educate children who have come into our state for no reason than they've been brought there, by no fault of their own, I don't think you have a heart," Perry asserted. "I still support it greatly."

HuffPost's Elise Foley reported on reaction to the Lone Star State Republican's remarks from his opponents at the debate:

The other candidates piled on Perry, criticizing him for his support for the in-state tuition bill. The bill allows some undocumented students, who went to high school in Texas and are working toward legal status, to qualify for in-state tuition at Texas state colleges.

"You're sort of making this leap that unless the taxpayers subsidize it they won't be able to go," Rick Santorum said. "The point is, why are we subsidizing this? … Why should they be given preferential treatment as an illegal in this country?"

"Yes, I would say that he is soft on illegal immigration," he added.

Bachmann addressed what Perry had to say on the issue in a campaign email to supporters over the weekend.

"Perry was the first governor in America to give in-state tuition benefits to illegal immigrants and said to America that if you disagree... You don't have a heart," said the conservative congresswoman. "Immigration is one of the most important issues facing the United States, and we need a president who will enforce our laws and our borders. For too long, Washington has turned a blind eye to immigration and as President I will put an end to that."

She continued, "It’s time to make the tough choices and make the spending cuts necessary to balance our budget. Every four years, conservatives are told that we have to settle, and anybody would be better than Obama. That's what we're hearing this year, and it isn't true."

Below, video of what Perry had to say during last week's debate. Scroll down for full text of Bachmann's fundraising letter.

WATCH:

Dear ________,

If you oppose illegal immigration and don't believe illegal immigrants should be given taxpayer subsidized tuition benefits over American's children... than according to Rick Perry you don't have a heart.

You see, Rick Perry was the first governor in America to give in-state tuition benefits to illegal immigrants and said to America that if you disagree... You don't have a heart.

________, our nation is trillions of dollars in debt, millions of Americans are without a job, yet Rick Perry sees it fit to offer in-state tuition benefits to people who are not here legally…It just doesn’t add up.

Immigration is one of the most important issues facing the United States, and we need a president who will enforce our laws and our borders. For too long, Washington has turned a blind eye to immigration and as President I will put an end to that.

It’s time to make the tough choices and make the spending cuts necessary to balance our budget. Every four years, conservatives are told that we have to settle, and anybody would be better than Obama. That's what we're hearing this year, and it isn't true.

The time for settling is over. I am running for President of the United States to restore our constitutional conservative values to government and put our nation back on a path towards prosperity.

I am proud of the United States of America and firmly believe that our best days remain ahead of us, which is why I will not simply sit back and allow the Obama Administration and Washington Democrats to hold our nation back.

Below, I've included some informative articles about the past week, and some great ways for you to get involved with our campaign. After reading them, I hope that you will consider making a contribution of $25, $50, $100, or any amount up to the legal limit to help spread us our conservative message.

Sincerely,

Michele Bachmann

 

 

Comments

[Kaphen DePriest]

12:16 PM on 10/01/2011

The new Rick Perry ad.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caNY2F3hUfs

[JLud]

12:04 PM on 09/29/2011

I need to see some numbers and hard facts to support this "over our own American children" statement. I mean, there is still an admission process that makes decisions based on GPA, test scores, application etc. right? Or is Texas also using some revolutionary application process to admit students based soley on citizenship status, as Bachman makes it seem? Getting into a college is a process. Some accept you, some don't. And if the state you live in accepts you, why not be able to go and pay state tuition like every other student who was accepted from your high school. These kids did nothing wrong. They did not choose to be born "illegals", but they ARE making the choice to educate themselves and be thoughtful, useful members of society. Lets not forget our ancestors were ALL illegal when they came over here from Europe, right? And lastly, wh would Jesus do Repubs?

[larrytpsnm]

09:51 AM on 09/29/2011

I had hopes for Michelle B, how ever she is showing signs of loosing it. She is so ready to fight anybody and is no longer stating her vision for us in the future. Michelle has changed her purpose in this election cycle to promoting other names for election. Her attacks seem to be her only message. Her or anyone saying they will repeal Obamacare is a no brainer. What else is she offering us? Message is lost in her fights.

[grenouille0204]

01:51 PM on 09/26/2011

I have noticed that only the libs use name calling and hatred on here

[Sue Starr Dech]

03:16 PM on 09/26/2011

Yeah, right!

[Gene T Candelario]

12:59 PM on 09/26/2011

Bachmann's campaign is collapsing, after getting only 1.51% of the vote in the Florida Straw pole her campaign is on life support and she'll say anything inorder to get people to believe that she is still a good canidate, sorry Bachmann but people are seeing how insane your are.

[askandtell]

11:07 PM on 09/26/2011

She's not on life support; her prosperity high-flying Mac is working his magic.

[Marisa Stein]

12:34 PM on 09/26/2011

damn it, now I want vote for her

[rpatlanjr]

01:29 PM on 09/26/2011

-50 points from Griffindor!!

[mr e vader]

11:38 AM on 09/26/2011

Hmmm...Bachmann doesn't have a heart, Perry doesn't have a brain, and Romney likes to talk about military service but never served himself...where have I seen these three before?

[L Mandrake]

11:04 AM on 09/26/2011

This is the only thing I agree with Perry on and it's one of the biggest thing his rivals harp on about! I'm sorry, but providing in-state tuition for people who have lived in this state, attended high school in this state and are working toward becoming legal is a very good idea. It's never a bad idea to make it easier for someone to get a college education, no matter their immigration status. The likelihood is that they'll end up becoming American citizens one day, and isn't it important to have a well-educated populous? If these kids have the drive to go to college, let 'em!

[celtcalgal]

11:51 AM on 09/26/2011

L, and feel free to foot the bill, over our own kids???????

[L Mandrake]

12:36 PM on 09/26/2011

Not at all. Unless I missed the part where Texas students were being denied in-state tuition rates because of Perry's policy. In-state tuition rates + our taxes + estimated number of out-of-state students pays for our colleges.

[DoctorDoctor]

04:53 PM on 09/26/2011

you're absolutely right. The present system with land grant colleges started with reagan, who decided that the fed should pay for everything but undergrad education. so, the "ticket" to the professions became a path determined more by the kid's ability to pay than the kid's ability. For a 20 year-old to be able to come up with the money to pay for (a real) college, he/she has to be someone's special friend, or the beneficiary of someone's trust fund. In either case, compliant is a necessary pre-requisite for attendance at, say University of Virginia. These are not the "best and brightest" by a long shot. What's worse, they tend to be born on third, wake up and presume they hit a triple --- like W. And these are the ones who become the uber-managers, CEOs and other genius types who make lots of money and haven't a clue how the lesser 98% lives. And that's exactly how the upper class wants it.

[Viper1st]

10:58 AM on 09/26/2011

Illegal workers in the USA ~ illegally, should use their $4.2 billion received in IRS Tax REFUNDS to pay post-secondary tuition of their illegal children

They received it FREE anyway

"Individuals Who Are Not Authorized to Work in the United States Were Paid $4.2 Billion in Refundable Credits"

http://www.treasury.gov/tigta/auditreports/2011reports/201141061fr.html

Instead of taking this ill-gotten money ~ earned by illegal means to the Western Union Office and sending $30 billion annually back to their homelands of origin ~ ANNUALLY

[Danish5666]

11:16 AM on 09/26/2011

The tax system collects its due, even from a class of workers with little likelihood of claiming a refund and no hope of drawing a Social Security check.
Illegal immigrants are paying taxes to Uncle Sam, experts agree. Just how much they pay is hard to determine because the federal government doesn't fully tally it. But the latest figures available indicate it will amount to billions of dollars in federal income, Social Security and Medicare taxes this year. One rough estimate puts the amount of Social Security taxes alone at around $9 billion per year
The impact on Social Security is significant, though, because most of that money is never claimed by the people who pay it but instead helps cover retirement checks to legal workers.
Federal law prohibits paying Social Security to illegal immigrants, but the administration factors in both legal and illegal immigration when projecting the trust fund's long-term solvency.
That adds up to roughly $90 billion in federal taxes during they eight-year period. He calculates that illegal immigrants contributed $428 billion dollars to the nation's $13.6 trillion gross domestic product.

[rubbercow]

12:16 PM on 09/26/2011

Who is "he"? Where are "his" numbers coming from? Who are these "experts"?

[JLud]

09:01 PM on 10/22/2011

Illegals workers also do many of the jobs that make this country run. Sadly, I don't see any white people doing dishes, bussing tables, hauling trash, slaughtering the animals we eat, picking the food we buy...they take these jobs for low wages and that is the truth. I'd love to see our streets, restaurants, grocery aisles, farmers without these "illegals".

[Tom Kistler]

10:41 AM on 09/26/2011

I think that this "you don't have a heart" comment synopsizes the difference between conservatives and progressives. Conservatives are willing, similar to a good parent, to make tough decisions (while still remaining humane) for the betterment of our country as a whole. Progressives (and apparently Perry, although his motivations are suspect) just can't seem to make decisions based on rationality and historical results without taking their emotion out of the issue.

Yes it is heartfelt to extend college grants to illegal students, and I personally feel that these hardworking albeit illegal students deserve a shot at some educational assistance - preferably from privately funded college grant monies. Yes, like most other controversial funding, anyone who feels strongly on this matter is encouraged to contribute to/set up their own voluntary college loans/grants for these kids. However, in the end it is only one more lure that will encourage illegals to come here - and the masses that are already here cost us billions, at a time when our economy is reeling. And yes, the vast majority of illegals just want to work hard to have a shot at the American dream, but the result of letting millions of largely unskilled, uneducated people stream across the border is pretty much what your own common sense would lead you to beleive. If you tend to disagree, you need to read the wealth of information out there (largely gathered by our own government agencies) concerning the detrimental affects of unchecked immigration into our country.

[winslowsdad]

12:55 PM on 09/26/2011

You are so right! Agree 100%!

[kika1996]

10:37 AM on 09/26/2011

Yhey get a better price than an american from another state?

[swimmer1957]

10:28 AM on 09/26/2011

I like Michele, but it is time for her to start talking up her good qualifications instead of worrying about others.she needs to get back on track with what her here this far..so has alot going for her, but the pettiness is getting in the way of her good work

[MtnGeek]

10:55 AM on 09/26/2011

Sorry, try again. What has Michele got going for her? She has never drafted a piece of legislation that has been passed into law, so she is not successful as a member of congress. Did you have some other skill set she should highlight? Perhaps her ability to condemn people for accepting government money while she and her family accept farm subsidies?

[Pamski]

11:26 AM on 09/26/2011

She could tout her hair color magic, "praying away the gray".

[grnmtnkate]

07:06 PM on 09/26/2011

No, really? Where is the punch line? I'm waiting for the punch line? Waiting....still...

[vlynnieg]

09:59 AM on 09/26/2011

Let me just throw this idea out there: wouldn't it benefit us in general if they are 1.) working on their status, and 2.) going to college to better themselves and make themselves more self-sufficient? How many illegals are here that aren't making any effort to do either and are a tremendous burden on our system on a ongoing basis? They grew up here and know no other country as their home. They aren't responsible for the decisions of their parents, but they are trying to make responsible decisions for their own lives by trying to become legal and trying to become educated. If they graduated from in state high schools, then they should qualify for in state tuition. I have no problem with that. They will be an asset to our country, as opposed to the ones that we are overburdened with.

[Elwise1]

09:58 AM on 09/26/2011

Has anyone noticed tha Perry's "heart" is selective? Or at least he "has one?" Or does it have to due with state politics to get elected to another office later if his presidential bid doen't fly? Was he risking loosing a large voting block if he didn't say what he said?

Bigger issue for the tea party is his injectiong a conversation about the lack of heart generally in the Tea Party? And does Perry have the stomach, oops I should say "heart", to be heartless in a hundred and one other ways needed to uphold the conservative agenda?

Gee, where is the line between worth having an heart, and needing to be heartless? It seems to be at everyone share equally in the pain. Not at one man's perceived special interest. But conservatives don't support that either.

Its funny that we've come so far in not helping our neighbors that we can't even think to rely on our neighbors in Texas to home school their illegal immigrant children, or simply take them into apprenticeships for learning trade skills. But that would eventually take away more US jobs from legal Americans! Hummmmm.

Perry is in an impossible catch-22, a conundrum of his own making shall we say.

As horrible as our economic mess is, we need to start thinking about directly helping each other far more and far more regularly.

God help all the children caught in our adult mess, not just the illegal ones in Texas.

[Viper1st]

11:06 AM on 09/26/2011

The state of Texas is in an impossible catch-22 ~ of aiding & abeting illegals

It is illegal to offer post-secondary incentives or inducements to illegals in the USA ~ illegally

Without offering the same incentives or inducements of state subsidized tuition to ALL LEGAL students residing in ALL 49 other States

Case in Point

U.S.C. 8 § 1623 : US Code - Section 1623: Limitation on eligibility for preferential treatment of aliens not lawfully present on basis of residence for higher education benefits

(a) In general
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, an alien who is not
lawfully present in the United States shall not be eligible on the
basis of residence within a State (or a political subdivision) for
any postsecondary education benefit unless a citizen or national of
the United States is eligible for such a benefit (in no less an
amount, duration, and scope) without regard to whether the citizen
or national is such a resident.
(b) Effective date
This section shall apply to benefits provided on or after July 1,
1998.

[lengvarskyr]

09:45 AM on 09/26/2011

www.natall.com/who-rules-america