As the Florida Republican presidential primary approaches this Tuesday, the candidates are doing all they can to appeal to the Hispanic vote, with some even going as far as softening their prior views. As Huffington Post reporter Elise Foley recently noted, even Mitt Romney, who while campaigning in South Carolina promised to veto the DREAM Act if it came before his desk during his term as president, a few days later, softened his stance and stated he would pass a version of the DREAM Act if applied to those in the military. Shortly thereafter, as I recently addressed in my own HuffPost essay, U.S. Senator and GOP golden boy Marco Rubio called for an ending of hateful rhetoric against immigrants when addressing the issue of immigration. Despite what appears to be promising, I questioned whether anything would change, both in terms of the tenor of immigration discourse and in terms of the passage of anything resembling the DREAM Act.
Within moments of posing my doubts, I watch your latest episode and I witness a clear answer to my question: more anti-immigrant/anti-Latino baseless and racist bashing. In yet another unchecked attack, this time the baseless and race-baiting assault was levied by Republican Representative from California, Dana Rohrabacher. It is amazing a congressman was able to assert the following statement in response to your assertion that undocumented immigration rates are at a "net zero":
"Baloney, baloney, baloney... anybody who believes that, please vote for them. If you go to your local schools and find 25% being illegal aliens and bringing down the education levels of everybody else, having our healthcare, having our healthcare being drained of resources when
we can't take care of our own, eh [sic] go ahead and vote for liberals. Go ahead and vote for liberals. Go ahead and vote for liberals if you want to give education, healthcare and ahhh [sic] money to people who come here illegally."
Sadly, Congressman Rohrabacher's baseless imagery of our schools being overthrown by the undocumented was either an amazing display of ignorance or was undoubtedly made to frighten the American people. The reality is that there are no statistics or studies to support the congressman's comment. Yet, the display of an utter lack of knowledge or demagoguery went unchallenged. Why?
A few simple questions Mr. Maher: Why is it that in this era, is it appropriate to make false statements, often geared to promote hate and scorn, merely because one is referring to undocumented individuals? Could it be that this occurs because the undocumented have no one to speak up for them when they are attacked? It certainly could not hurt Congressman Rohrabacher's political future. The undocumented are part of no politician's constituency. They are defenseless. Yet, they are welcomed by industries such as those in the congressman's state -- agriculture, construction, and the service sectors, and it is those industries that create the demand for the undocumented. We all too often have opportunistic politicians taking cheap shots at the silent members of our society. We all benefit from the homes the undocumented build, the care they give to our children, and the food they may even prepare for us. Yet, they are like shooting ducks in a barrel for any irresponsible politico seeking to appear tough on law and order.
Of course my comments are not limited to the offhanded remarks by an older politician appearing on television, these types of attacks have occurred regularly on FOX News or even CNN, particularly when Lou Dobbs Tonight aired. Indeed, Bill O'Reilly, Pat Buchanan, Rush Limbaugh, Rich Minaya, and Lou Dobbs (along with a host of pseudo-intellectuals) have effectively made their careers with such attacks. Even presidential hopeful Herman Cain took from this page and recently asserted that electrified fences and moats filled with alligators should be used to curb immigration. Imagine anything similar levied against any other group? We all can recall the reaction to Don Imus' awful comments concerning the Rutgers' women's basketball team, or the reaction to Michael Richards' racist rant, or even the unseemly jokes of Gilbert Gottfried concerning Japanese earthquake victims. Yet no mass outrage when attacks are made against the undocumented, despite the fact most Latinos and Latinas realize such attacks have their affects on all members of that community.
Mr. Maher, I happen to be a fan of your show, though I have been disappointed with the utter lack of Latino voices on any episode I have ever seen. Can it be that the country's largest ethnic/racial minority group has no public intellectuals, or even persons of some ability that are interested in national events? In any event Mr. Maher, I hope in the future you will speak up on this and other important issues I know you have championed in the past. Please do not let race-baiting go unchecked. And it wouldn't hurt to have some Latinos and Latinas on your show to be able to be able to follow that old Caribbean saying... to be "Presente," or present, when it is time for us to speak out.
| Romney | Santorum | Gingrich | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delegates | 1.09 Thousand | 253 | 131 | |
| Fundraising | $76 M | $16 M | $21 M | |
| Intrade | $9.63 | $0.05 | $0.01 | |
| 520 K | 200 K | 1.5 M |
I never knew that Mexican Americans were part of the group of illegal immigrants. I always thought that they were full AMERICANS. It is false to state that Hispanics are the same as those who illegally enter the US. Think that Mexican citizens are the same as US citizens who speak Spanish? How about Hondurans, Costa Ricans, etc..?
The pro-illegals are the ones who refuse to see any difference between illegal immigrants and LEGAL immigrants. The rest of rational folks have no problem with being all in favor of legal immigrants and against those who become criminals for breaking our laws on immigration. If you read any posts you will see pro-illegals asserting that the illegals have a RIGHT to be here because they speak Spanish since part of the US was part of Mexico. They go so far as to think that Hondurans, Nicaraguans, etc.. ALL have a right to be here along with Mexicans. It is you who is the irrational hate filled person.
Sometimes, you cannot slow the show to address every issue.
Sorry.
"I'm sorry, thank you, you've been a wonderful panel, but we are out of time, and we have to go to--New Rules, everybody!"
Please cite links or other proof to your allegations.
Otherwise- shut up.
Check out page 27. “For example more than 1 out of every 4 (or 27% of) drywall/ceiling tile installers in the U.S. is an unauthorized migrant.â€
No need to thank me.
We know for fact that our school system is under pressure to provide for those that have parents that are illegal... hence the bilingual classes we have to offer.. but by law we are not allowed to actively inquire about status.. only residence.
we are overrun by the anchor baby populations.
now you all can feel squishy and good.. but each year our school taxes are jacking up our property taxes to the highest in the nation.
why should I have to provide education to these kids at the expense of losing my house?
I pay over 6 grand a year to the school district alone... not counting county and town taxes. ... the last two years I have seen an increase of 500 and 600 dollars in each year... these are not one time, one shot increases.. once they put them through they are forever...
Why should I have to pay for these children? Why is it my responsibility to put the child of an illegal immigrant through school?
Rohrabacher's presence on the panel was to simply assert the GOP's 1970s/80s caricatures/stereotypes of Democrats and assert that the current President and Democratic Party have "made it very clear" that they intend to do whatever those imaginary caricatures intended to do, like "gut the military" and "allow more illegal immigrants into our country," with an attitude and tone of voice that said, "Aww, come on, we all know how -those- -people- are, what -those- people -really- want."
The idea that the presence of foreign-born students in a classroom "bring[s] down the education level of everybody else" is absurd and offensive.
having watched Bill Maher since his days at ABC .
Bill doesn't pull punches , weather the hypocrite
be from the left or from the right .
the boot & the ax he also got from ABC is proof
of that .
with a republican congressman at his table , asking
who doesn't believe him ?
Bill replied , any one who is a FACT believer !
and then Bill drove a nail in the congressman's
twisted facts .
Bill replied , republicans as a whole , profess that
they are not a racist organization .
but many find this claim hard to believe , when some
republicans can spout out 9 racist slurs a week .
i clicked the link in this article , and watched the
video clip that the author , Mr Roman , claims to
have been so disappointed with .
i suggest that Mr Roman can listen to 3 hours of
Rush Limbaugh .
and then he can really be disappointed .