Immigration and Social Issues, Not Iraq, Dominate Among Iowa Republican Voters
This story is a collaborative effort between Iowa Independent and Huffington Post's OffTheBus. As part of our investigation, OffTheBus members spoke with more than a third of Iowa's Republican county chairs. The team was coordinated by Theresa Weathers and Steven Greenberg, and interviews were conducted by Kirsten Anderson, Mariangela Anzalone, Robin Carpenter, Adam Dancy, Kim Farris, Mayhill Fowler, Melissa Hapke, Saba Kennedy-Washington, Chris Nelson, P.S. Peete, Heidi Pickman, Constance Sere, Randall Tigue, John Tomasic.
While the war in Iraq might loom large in the minds of Democratic caucus-goers, Iowa Republicans are much more focused on immigration and cultural issues, according to a new survey of state GOP chairs. The local Republican officials, like the leading GOP presidential candidates with the exception of Ron Paul, mostly agree that a stable Iraq is key to U.S. national security and the war on terror. But the Iraq war itself is not playing out as a stand-alone voting issue.
"The war is certainly an issue, but I don't think it carries the same impact the media says it does," said John Markham, chair of the Dubuque County Republican Party in eastern Iowa.
The war is "probably not [hitting home] as much as it was two years ago," said Rev. Harold Miller, who served as chair of the Grundy County Republican Party until recently.
In a series of phone interviews conducted by Huffington Post's OffTheBus project, 37 of Iowa's Republican county chairs were asked to name the issues most important to GOP caucus-goers this year. Almost universally, immigration and social issues were mentioned. Asked about the Iraq War, many county chairs downplayed its significance.
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Immigration and what? Only in the Republicans' dreams is Bush's Misbegotten War and all its collateral damage -- economic, cultural, political, etc. -- not THE issue in 2008. The candidates can attempt to create a Rovian alternative reality, but it ain't gonna happen. You can fool some of the people . . .
I think we are all sick of paying BILLIONS to educate and provide health care for people who don't belong here. We need to secure our borders, deport all ILLEGAL ALIENS, heavily fine those who hire ILLEGALS, and return to the original intent of the 14th amendment and do away with anchor babies.
If an economic recession comes to pass, and I think it will, then look out. As jobs become more scarce, resentment for Illegals will grow.
The election is still 11 months away. I predict a Democratic attitude change by next October.
Iowans and others need to get it straigh that it's the business community that has allowed for this hike in people coming across the border illegally. The country needs to crack down on business which would be a whole lot easier to enforce.
"We won't talk a lot about issues like Iraq." -- Carolyn Washburn, moderating the presidential debates in Iowa, as reported by Dana Milbank of the Washington Post, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/13/AR2007121301717.html
No, we Iowans don't want to talk about Iraq, it doesn't have anything to do with us. That would make sense for Red state Iowa to dismiss the war in Iraq as irrelevant to the presidential campaign. After all, according to the latest figures of U.S. military who have died in Iraq, broken down by state, Red state Iowa has had only 45 casualties. http://icasualties.org/oif/Statecity.aspx
However, Blue states that went Democratic in 2004 have had a far higher casualty rate. California, 416 deaths; New York, 170 deaths; Michigan, 147 deaths; Pennsylvania, 177 deaths; Illinois, 139 deaths; Washington state, 81 deaths; Wisconsin, 79 deaths; New Jersey, 68 deaths; Oregon, 64 deaths; Massachusetts, 64 deaths.
So no wonder Iowa doesn't think that Iraq is an issue that concerns them. Even though Iowa voted for Bush in 2000 and 2004, and supported this president's war, it has only had a paltry 45 Iowans who have died in this war, compared to the much higher numbers from states that voted against this president and his war.
So, if the war is not an issue, where are we going to get the money to pay for the other programs?Everything else is a moot point, even if war coverage is not in our faces. We've mortgaged the farm to China to fund this debacle, harmed our international reputation and created more enemies in the process. How are we going to take care of ourselves if our treasury is bled dry?
And what are we going to do when some other hot spot erupts because of the damage we have done in the Middle East?
The Dems should take a stand against illegal immigration, but they should stand UP for LEGAL immigration, and they should support a path to citizenship for undocumented workers that have been employed in America for a certain amount of time. Make sure their employers pay them at least minimum wage and withhold taxes.
They should oppose a border fence, moat, force field, or other such proposal. The problem isn't so much that the border is broken so much as our businesses are corrupt. It costs much less to conduct widespread audits of payroll records and to collect stiff fines than to invest a untold billions in securing a massive border. If employers can't risk giving them jobs, then they won't come over the border.
Immigration? kind of like the war on drugs, looks good on paper but, won't work. We are a country under siege by our own congress, there health care plan covers everything,no copays, And we pay for it! What about us? ours goes up 15% every year,copays for me just went from 5$ to 20$ and,prescription costs are a joke.Has anyone else noticed that congress has a plan for retirement and they are not using Social Security? We should take their money out as they do to us. Congress needs to answer to the people! but, who am i kidding? Change won't come until everybody gets together and demands it. GOOD luck.
Maybe we could build that border wall around Iowa instead. That way they could be sure nobody illegal would get in, and we could be sure none of them could get out!
Good. Let the fools in Iowa and the other red states foam at the mouth about God, Gays, Guns and abortion. In a few more years they are going to have to struggle to put food in their mouths period. Hey, but at least you stopped Gay marriage.
I'd be interested in seeing if anybody has compared the frequency and breadth of National Guard unit deployments in the early primary states to the deployments of units based in other states.
That could be one factor under the administration's control that would knock Iraq off the the top of the list.
The demos need to address the immigration issue by supporting legal immmigration and standing against illegal immigration.
Those who gain from illegal immigration are the corporations and small - large businessmen and women who make profits from paying illegal workers dirt wages.
The losers are working American citizens and legal immigrants who will be forced to work for the same dirt wages.
This issue has NOTHING to do with racism - it has everything to do with fair wages for working people.
If the demos decide to back illegal to gain the hispanic vote, they are not only morons but bat-shit crazy.
And I have voted demo since 1972.
Are you listening, Dems?
And, oh, Chase, it's Illegal immigration not immigration that is the issue. Please honor the distiction.
You have to face the fact that our southern border is seriously broken. There are millions of illegal aliens in the US who have alliance to the Mexican Government, the Mexican flag, Mexican laws, the Spanish language and to all things Hispanic and Latino. They are not Americans.
These people need to obey ALL laws, speak ENGLISH 100 percent of the time. No person speaking any other language will be allowed ANY government services.
All the illegals need to be fined, deported and imprisoned in Mexico or any other country of origin.
All the candidates need to come to grips with the fact that the US has been invaded by the Mexican illegals who serve only their own foreign interests.
And this state is suppose to be a reflection of our other 49 states.
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