GOP Trots Out Old Extremist, J.D. Hayworth, as Spokesman against Immigration Reform

Yesterday, the Senate Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Immigration held a hearing about border policy. Its chairman, Chuck Schumer (D-NY), has declared 'game on' for immigration reform. This is the same Schumer who was architect of the Democratic takeover of the Senate, who always has his eye on what the party needs to do in order to win. As such, it takes a sledge hammer to the tired conventional wisdom that immigration reform is "too hot to handle," and instead confirms that the time is most certainly now.

President Obama gets it, too, despite some troubling moves that the Administration has been roundly criticized for this week.

The President announced just yesterday that he will host a White House strategy session with Members of Congress during the second week of June and has consistently pledged to get started on immigration reform this year.

Besides being the right thing to do, moving forward on reform is smart politics, plain and simple. Real immigration reform is the key to earning the trust of our nation's fastest growing block of voters - Latinos-- and also to showing moderate and swing voters who are sick of demagoguery on the issue that Washington is stepping up to the plate to solve tough problems.

But while the President and Senator Schumer look to the future, the panel's ranking member, Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), was caught facing squarely in the other direction.

Cornyn called talk show host, defeated Congressman, and notorious blowhard J.D. Hayworth to testify as an expert on the border. Until his 2006 defeat, Hayworth was one of the most outspoken immigrant bashers in Congress, whose screeds were parroted on David Duke's blog and cheered by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) - labeled an anti-immigrant hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Hayworth is indeed the poster child for a politics that has driven Latinos away from the GOP- and that has failed to scare up the support of key swing voters.  Even conservatives blame the immigration issue for Hayworth's 2006 loss, according to a study promoted by Linda Chavez:

In Arizona's 5th district, six-term GOP incumbent Rep. J.D. Hayworth actually switched positions on immigration from being a sponsor of guest worker legislation to becoming one of the most outspoken opponents of immigration, even advocating a moratorium on legal immigration from Mexico. In 2004, Hayworth received almost as many Hispanic votes as his Democrat opponent, with each receiving about 48 percent; but in 2006, Hayworth lost 59-36 percent in Hispanic precincts.

This is consistent with what we saw in the 2008 election. As I've consistently chronicled, in 20 out of 22 competitive races during the 2008 cycle, the pro-reform candidate defeated the anti-immigrant hardliner.

What's more, new polling of Hispanic voters in 13 states conducted by Bendixen & Associates found  that, by a 71 percent to 11 percent margin, respondents believed that the Democratic Party best represented the opinion of the Hispanic community on immigration issues vs. the Republican Party.  Additionally, only 23 percent of respondents in the Bendixen poll thought that Republicans "will do the right thing" on immigration issues, while a whopping 60 percent thought Republicans "will not do the right thing" (17 percent don't know).  

This, with Gallup reporting that self-identified Republicans have dropped to a near-historic low of 21% and that the GOP's share of nearly every major demographic subgroup had shrunk since 2001.

Note to Senator Cornyn: step away from the extremist - he is dangerous to your party.

How? In Congress, Rep. Hayworth's extreme views on immigration were so bad that he was the only Member of Congress to object to the draconian "Sensenbrenner" bill in 2006 - a wide-ranging crackdown infamous for its intent to make felons out of both unauthorized immigrants and the religious and service workers who assist them - for not being harsh enough!  The "too-soft-for-Hayworth" Sensenbrenner bill is widely seen as the catalyst that spurred millions of people across the nation to pour out in the streets in protest, a tradition that has evolved into the May 1st immigration and workers' rights rallies that we know today.

In fact the momentum created by these events was certainly one force that drove such a high percentage of first-time latino voters to the ballot box last November, flipping four states from red to blue.

Hayworth even published a book during his last Congressional election (did we mention that he lost) entitled, ""Whatever It Takes: Illegal Immigration, Border Security, and the War on Terror."   In the notorious manifesto, Hayworth praised the cultural views of notorious anti-Semite, Henry Ford.   He also proposed a three-year ban on legal immigration from Mexico.   After the book was published, The Forward  noted that in his book," Hayworth wrote, 'Talk like that today and our liberal elites will brand you a cultural imperialist, or worse. But if you ask me, Ford had a better idea.'" If you ask just about anyone else, Ford's ideas were extreme for his era, but, in the 21st century, it's hard to find anyone, beside Hayworth and his ilk, who agree them.

Here's the good news: after years of an increasingly acerbic tussle over which politician could be more obnoxious on immigration, the vast majority of voters want a real solution. And Latino voters are sick of being slapped around by the pundit profiteers in Congress and on the airwaves.

The pressure is on the Democrats to deliver progressive and comprehensive immigration reform - and on Republicans to stop the bleeding.

It is time for Congressional Republicans to re-open diplomatic relations with Latino voters and show America that they are interested in real solutions to the very real problems we face.

It can be done and the time is right - let's get on with it.

Note: Cross-posted at www.AmericasVoiceOnline.org/Blog.

Comments

[RedGlobe1]

This is very close to the mark, Frank. The Vernon K. Krieble Foundation has been sounding the alarm among conservatives for several years about a better way to handle this issue. Our borders need secured, and our economy needs the workers, and you cannot do one without the other. A huge majority of Americans understand that, though a number of politicians apparently still don't. A simple approach to a practical worker program that is market based would provide the needed workers in a way that protects American interests, solves the dilemma of millions of illegals, and would make border security easier and cheaper. Details are at www.redcardsolution.com.

[DelawareBob]

I can't say the ILLEGAL ALIENS are completely to blame for the shape of our economy, but they are a BIG part of the problem. The ILLEGAL ALIENS send BILLIONS upon BILLIONS out of this Country every year, money we will NEVER see again. Does this help our economy?

How about the BILLIONS the American taxpayers fork out for the ILLEGAL ALIEN BABIES, the schooling of them, the medical care and the list goes on, and on, and on.

How about the MILLIONS upon MILLIONS paid to jail ILLEGAL ALIENS for the crimes, then the cost to deport them. Does this help our economy?

Then you have these activist groups, the Catholic Church and the ACLU that want AMNESTY for these ILLEGAL ALIENS. It would be absolute suicide for this Country if AMNESTY were granted to the 20 million or so ILLEGAL ALIENS. We have more and more people out of work everyday and they want to add another 20 million to this Country? I say, "NO"!

If AMNESTY were ever granted to these 20 million ILLEGAL ALIENS, you can bet big money that 3 years from now, there would be ANOTHER 3-5 million ILLEGAL ALIENS demonstrating on our soil for AMNESTY.

I believe it is time for all 50 States to pass a State law, like Arizona, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Missouri, South Carolina and a few others. It is time for these ILLEGAL ALIENS to go back to their home Country and get out of this Country.

[wandagb]

Should amnesty aka "earned legalization", aka "immigration reform" succeed the legal fees would be on the order of 10 million people times some thousands of dollars per client. That is tens of BILLIONS of dollars. So, the aliens win (green cards and the opportunity to petition for millions of their relatives); the lawyers win (legal fees); the housing industry wins (million of new homes need to be built); the financial sector wins (new mortgage loans.) Alas, the Middle Class loses and so does the environment and any hope of achieving a sustainable future for this country.
The stakes are high, and that is why the Sharry brings out the Big Gun - the McCarhyite tactic of smearing your opponent, here with the charge of racism.

[superscalar]

'by a 71 percent to 11 percent margin, respondents believed that the Democratic Party best represented the opinion of the Hispanic community on immigration issues vs. the Republican Party'

Well ... duuuuuhh ... uuuuuuh. I wonder why they didn't ask which party best the opinion of the Hispanic community when it comes to same sex marriage ... or abortion ... or misogyny ... or the role of the Catholic church in everyday life.

Gosh, I could just go on and on ... but I think I make my point.

[Norski]

There are many who know the discussion of what to do about Illegal Immigration into the USA is one of lawlessness versus abiding by the law. And yet there are those like the author of this piece who insist on making it a discussion of race. They say that if you are against lawless behavior you must be racist because the majority of those who break the law come from one specific group or race. It does not matter that this majority exists for no other reason than proximity.

There are definitely aspects about our immigration system that should be improved. But to hold these improvements hostage so that lawlessness can be made permissible is not a good thing. Lawless discrimination in hiring and promotion was widespread in many parts of the USA before the rule of law put an end to it. Yet today, racial preference is the tool by which we are now supposed to forgive lawlessness. This article can be paraphrased down to one sentence. You had better let Hispanic People break immigration laws or you will never get their votes.

Those who use the tools of racism to accomplish their goals create fertile ground for other racists and bigots to thrive. Those who promote based on race are the mirror image of those who demote based on race. By using racist tactics to try to force reasonable, law based discussion out of the debate you create the very racist atmosphere you claim to be avoiding.