Immigration Update

Here is a quick update on the immigration debate occurring in the Senate, brought to you by the office of Republican Leader McConnell. Also read this great article on Immigration and Welfare published in the Wall Street Journal (http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110010116.)

In the News:

• - Immigration Bill Survives Challenges
• - Immigration Bill Would Favor Democrats
• - Republican Mired By Immigration Debate: “
• - Hispanics Overlooked in the Republican Primary
• - The McCain Romney Battle Continues
• - The Ys and Zs on Immigration

Senate Debate:

As you may know yesterday was a full day of debate and votes on the Today the Immigration Bill. Today the Senate will again discuss the legislation. There will be no roll call votes on Friday, but it will be possible for amendments to be offered to the bill. Keep in mind the bill will be on the floor the week of June 4th after the Memorial Day recess.

Below is a breakdown of Thursday’s action on amendments.

Roll Call Votes (5)

• Akaka #1186 (exempt children of certain Filipino WW II Vets) passed 86-10
• Coleman #1158 (sanctuary cities) defeated 48-49
• Dorgan #1181 (sun setting Title IV) defeated 48-49
• Sanders #1223 (scholarship program) passed 59-35
• Vitter #1157 (strike Title VI) defeated 29-56

Amendments adopted by voice vote (1)

• McCain #1190 (back taxes)

Amendments currently pending to the bill (10)

• * Grassley #1166 (visa revocation)
• * Cornyn #1184 (bar criminals, terrorist, and other criminals)
• * McConnell #1170 (voter ID)
• * Feingold #1176 (study on treatment of WW II refugees)
• * Sessions #1234 (limitation on claiming earned income tax credit)
• * Sessions #1235 (5 yr limitation on claiming earned income tax credit)
• * Durbin #1231 (ensure employers make efforts to recruit American workers)
• * Dodd #1199 (green cards for parents of US citizens)
• * Menendez #1194 (family backlog deadlines)
• * Lieberman #1191 (asylum and detention standards)’

To review, on Wednesday the Senate approved the following amendments
Roll Call votes on amendments

• Bingaman #1169 (reducing the guest worker program) was agreed to by a vote of 74-24

Amendments adopted by a voice vote

• Feinstein #1146 – protection of unaccompanied alien children
• Graham #1173 – mandatory minimums on aliens who re-enter after removal
• Gregg #1172 – enhanced triggers
• Leahy #1165 – dairy workers
• Hutchison #1168 – location of border fencing

And the Campaigns Continue..

The Politico.com Breaking News:
---------------------------------------------------------

Republicans launch ad blitz aimed at vulnerable freshman Democrats, dipping into their own pockets because of campaign committee debt. NRCC aims to tie opponents to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, depicting her as an out-of-touch liberal. Campaign is modest in scope but ambitious in targeting Pelosi to try to knock out her supporters.

Full story: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0507/4162.html

Elisabeth Blast Rosie on "The View"

Today on "The View" Rosie O'Donnell and Elisabeth Hasselbeck got in aVERY intense battle of words over the issue of the Iraq War and Rosie's past statements.

Rosie, as usual, was talking and not letting anyone else speak, attacking Elizabeth and her views. But Elizabeth quickly spoke up and didn't let Rosie make her out to be "poor little Elizabeth."

Read the full story on TMZ.

Immigration a Piece of Sh#@?

According to our friends at The Hotline On Call, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH), speaking to a private gathering of the Republican Rapid Responders last night on Capitol Hill called the Senate's immigration compromise bill a "piece of shit" even though he promised President Bush he would not publicly oppose the bill.

"I promised the President today that I wouldn't say anything bad about ... this piece of shit bill," said Boehner.

On the same day as the small outburst Boehner released a statement with no foul language saying:

"The Senate agreement appears to recognize that additional border security measures and more effective immigration law enforcement must come before any other issues are addressed, but I have significant concerns about parts of the Senate proposal -- particularly provisions that would reward illegal immigrants who have consistently broken our laws."

According to Hotline: A senior Republican official said yesterday that while the chances of the bill are "50/50" in the House. The White House will probably spend its resources lobbying Democrats to achieve a majority of votes needed to pass the bill.

Immigration Update

Update from Lanier Swann, Policy Advisor from the Office of the Republican Leader, Senator Mitch McConnell

Senate Immigration Update:

On Tuesday the Senate continued consideration of the Immigration Reform Bill. Following up on emails from previous days, the Leaders have extended the debate on the measure, so debate will continue this week and the week following Memorial Day Recess.

This evening the Senate voted 31-64 to defeat the Dorgan Amendment (#1153 – to strike the Y nonimmigrant guestworker program). Roll Call vote: http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=1&vote=00174

We will reconvene tomorrow morning at 9:30 am and get on the bill at 10:30 am. Expected amendments tomorrow are:

• Graham amendment on creating mandatory minimum sentences for illegal re-entry (those who re-enter after being deported once)
• Grassley amendment on visa revocations (denying judicial review if your visa is revoked after you’ve entered the country – making it the same as if your visa is denied by a consular officer overseas).
• Bingaman amendment cutting the temporary guest worker program from 400,000 to 200,000
• Other amendments could be offered and voted on as well.

Immigraiton Headlines

Here are some interesting topics giving you both sides of the story:

• Gingrich on Immigration deal: 'A sellout of every conservative principle'...
• Homeland Security Sec. Chertoff on Kennedy: 'He's awesome'...
• McCain: 'Important step in moving forward'...
• Pelosi: 'I have serious concern'...
• Tancredo: 'President so desperate for legacy,s willing to sell out American people'...
• Romney 'strongly opposes'...
• Mexicans Fear Immigration Plan...

Deal Struck on Immigration

Update from the office of the majority leader……..

We have reached an immigration deal. In just a few moments, the Senators involved in the negotiations will host a press conference. By all accounts, most major networks will cover the presser, so I would encourage you to tune in for more details.

We will be providing more updates as they become available.

Pelosi Plays Dirty (updated)

According to Drudge Report Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is set on silencing the minority (Republicans) and is going to change the House Rules. These rules have not been changed since 1822!

PELOSI LOWERS THE BOOM
Wed May 16 2007 14:43:59 ET

After losing a string of embarrassing votes on the House floor because of procedural maneuvering, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has decided to change the current House Rules to completely shut down the floor to the minority.

The Democratic Leadership is threatening to change the current House Rules regarding the Republican right to the Motion to Recommit or the test of germaneness on the motion to recommit. This would be the first change to the germaneness rule since 1822.

In protest, the House Republicans are going to call procedural motions every half hour.

Developing..

Here is an email being circulated by Republican Study Committee Staff. on what Pelosi and the Dems are trying to do to the House Rules.

Attention RSC Staff: The rule providing consideration for the FY 2008 budget conference report (on the floor tomorrow) is expected to modify current House rules to prevent PAYGO offsets from expanding the scope of germaneness to further what Republicans may offer in their Motions to Recommit (MTR). This rules change is a historic infringement on the rights of the Minority-it is the first change in the germaneness rule since 1822. The RSC Floor Action Team, under the leadership of Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, have requested a series of procedural votes every 30 minutes in response to this power grab by the Majority. More details are likely to follow as the situation unfolds.

Fred Vs. Moore on Castro

The virtual swords have come out and Fred Thompson and Micheal Moore are engaged in a full battle over CUBA. Moore is currently being investigated by the Treasury Department for his trip to Cuba, which violates U.S. trade embargo restrictions.

Recently the presidential hopeful, former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson, attacked Micheal Moore for "gushing" over dictator Fidel Castro. In response the liberal film maker challenged Thompson to a debate.

According to the NY Daily News:

Filmmaker Michael Moore is calling out White House hopeful Fred Thompson for refusing to debate him. The director and the former senator have been trading shots since May 2, when Thompson weighed in on the Treasury Department's investigation into whether Moore violated the U.S. trade embargo against Cuba by seeking free treatment on the Communist isle for sick 9/11 responders....

Moore, who filmed the trip for "Sicko," his forthcoming cinematic indictment of America's health care, yesterday returned fire in an open letter that pointed to Thompson's fondness for Cuban-made Montecristo cigars.

"While I will leave it up to the conservatives to debate your hypocrisy and the Treasury Department to determine whether the 'box upon box of cigars' violates the trade embargo, I hereby challenge you to a health care debate," Moore wrote in a letter posted on the Drudge Report.....

Thompson responded to Moore's attack with a video message, where he is seen holding a cigar. Click here to watch Fred Thompson's video response to Moore. (posted on breitbart.tv) In the video Thompson says:

"I've been looking at my schedule, Michael, and I don't think I have time for you," the GOP candidate said. "But I may be the least of your problems. You know, the next time you're down in Cuba visiting your buddy Castro, you might ask them about another documentary filmmaker. His name was Nicolas Guillen [Landrian]. He did something Castro didn't like, and they put him in a mental institution for several years, giving him devastating electroshock treatments. A mental institution, Michael, might be something you ought to think about."

In a written response to Moore, Thompson also pointed out that the Communist dictator, Fidel Castro, is worth $900 million. And stated "So when he desperately needed medical treatment recently, he could afford to fly a Spanish surgeon, with equipment, on a chartered jet to Cuba. What does that say about free Cuban health care?"

Read the full article at Daily News read more on Fox News

On a personal note I can't help but LOVE this debate. It brings to light the 48 years of tragedy occurring in Cuba and liberal idiots who "adore" the Cuban dictator. It brings great joy that Thompson spoke about Cuban political prisoners. I hope more people read about these victims of the communist revolution.

GOP Presidential Candidates - round 2

10 candidates, 90 minutes, 3 questioners... a recipe for some exciting television and that it was...

Eight months before the first ballot is cast, the GOP hopefuls battled it out on the second republican debate. This time around the tone harder and the attacks were flying.

Rudy Giuliani was the nights big winner showing all his strengths on national security and trying to prove his conservative credentials, not on social issues, but fiscal and security issues. His biggest shinning moment of the night came after a statement from Ron Paul insinuating that America invited the attacks of 9/11. Giuliani rose quickly to call out Ron Paul in a "no you didn't" moment, asking Congressman Paul how he dared make that sort of statement. Giuliani said, he had heard some extraordinary statements in his time but that was one of the most extraordinary thing he has ever heard. The viewers in the audience and those at home could see the resolve in Giuliani's face and how personal he took the issue. Giuliani received roaring applause from the audience and asked Ron Paul to apologize for his statement.

Giuliani also won by switching the debate in his favor, he tried to deflect his position on abortion as ask the public to see the big picture, if the Republicans loose, we get Hillary, and that is truly a scary America.

Senator John McCain did amazing will as well, proving himself as a constant leaders and American patriot. The Senator showed to be a proven national leader, someone who worked with both sides of the aisle to get results and even came off funny with his drunken sailor joke. (though he has given it a few times, much of America hadn't seen it yet.) McCain was able to attack his fellow top tier candidates, including Mitt Rommney for being a flip flopper on issues, saying he did not change his "position on even-numbered years" or "because of the different offices that I may be running for." McCain tried to strengthen the publics view of his conservative credentials talking about immigration, taxes and the war. The Senator started the night saying he would be the last man standing supporting the war.

This was not Gov. Mitt Rommney's debate. He won the first but fell flat this time around. He did get quite a few hard questions (5 I think). He had to defend his abortion position throughout the night and his conservative credentials. Rommney did give a few jabs himself, attacking McCain saying "McCain-Kennedy would do to immigration what McCain-Fiengold did to campaigns," yet McCain came back strong. Romney did win with his comments on keeping Gitmo open, which got huge applause from the crowd.

The debate was truly a battle of the big three with the rest of the field trying to show America they were the "real conservative" candidate. Tom Tancredo missed some opportunities. Gov. Jim Gilmore personally attacked some candidates, after the prodding of questioner Mike Wallace, but it was "ehh". Mike Huckabee came off funny, likable and defiantly stood out from the lower tier candidates, but wasn't the overall winner. (He had a very funny line about Edwards.) Ron Paul clearly was remembered by the end of the debate, but less for his positions, and more on his situation with Rudy Giuliani during the debate.

Early in the night Fox News was showing Ron Paul as the debates winner, which is ludicrous. Maybe it was joke, as Rudy was the nights real winner.

Read more about the debate:
- Politico's Jonathan Martin's Republican Blog
- Washington Post: Analysis of Second GOP Debate
- Giuliani Scores Big Debate Moment

Immigration: Ever Changing

We recently go an update from the office of the Senate Republican Leader, Senator Mitch McConnell on immigration.

Tuesday’s Update on Immigration

• This evening the Majority Leader and Republican Leader agreed to delay the cloture vote on the motion to proceed to S.1348, last years Senate passed immigration bill, until the evening of Monday, May 21^st (no earlier than 5:30 p.m.).
• This will allow negotiators more time to reach an agreement and to allow time for an agreement to be drafted. It will also allow Senators time to review the text of the agreement before the cloture vote on the motion to proceed on Monday occurs.
• Negotiations will continue tomorrow.

The White House and Republican Senators are excited about these developments as they continue to work on the details of the legislation.

Florida Senator Mel Martinez, the RNC Chairman, has been playing a vital role in the debate. He has been bringing both sides to the table to find a middle ground to make immigration reform happen this year. The Senate is the only real hope for the country to get reform. The Senator knows the GOP can not afford to stand in the way of passing immigration reform.

Immigration analyst Tamar Jacoby of the Manhattan Institute calls Martinez the "center of gravity" in the bipartisan talks.

"He exemplifies the dilemma of the party," said Jacoby. His "instinct -- not just because he's an immigrant, but because he knows what's good for the economy and what's good for the country -- is to say, 'Lets figure out a rational way to do this.' But like the party, he's got these yahoos riding his coattails -- a loud, vocal 25 percent of the party that doesn't want to do anything -- and he has to deal with them."

"Bloomberg is H. Ross Perot on steroids,"

The political saints looking over the state of New York must be having a field day as another of the state's politicians is considering of throwing in his hat for the race to the White House.

New York City Mayor, Micheal Bloomberg, is getting ready to run as a third-party presidential candidate and is prepared to spend $1 BILLION of his own personal fortune of $5.5 billion.

"Bloomberg is H. Ross Perot on steroids," said former Federal Election Commission Chairman Michael Toner. "He could turn the political landscape of this election upside down, spend as much money as he wanted and proceed directly to the general election. He would have resources to hire an army of petition-gatherers in those states where thousands of petitions are required to qualify a third-party presidential candidate to be on the ballot."

Bloomberg is a social liberal and fiscal conservative, who has recently topped polls in New York with high numbers then Giuliani.

The Virginia Democratic Party Chair, Paul Gold Man, said:

"If the Republicans nominate someone the press can tag as a pro-war social conservative and the Democrats pick an anti-war liberal, Bloomberg will run up the center," Mr. Goldman said. "If conservatives don't rally to stop Giuliani they will get a third party socially conservative candidate who will only help elect the Democrat."

Congress Approval lower then Bush

According to a new Gallup poll only 29% of American approve of the job being done by Congress. This is down from earlier this year. Bush's approval rating, though still low at 33%, has stayed steady.

There is no surprise that the Gallup poll results indicated that those support for fell on party lines.

"Approval ratings of Congress are higher among Democrats than Republicans, while Bush's ratings are much higher among Republicans."

Immigration Reform Push in the Senate

Senate Majority Leader Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) is pushing last years immigration bill forward debate is set to begin on Monday.

Earlier this afternoon Sen. Reid announced that on Monday he will file cloture on the motion to precede to S.1348 (an identical version of last year's Senate passed immigration bill - S. 2611). If cloture vote is agreed to, it initiates a three day process, so on Wednesday sparks can fly. This is a constantly changing debate and various things can change the situation. Senators and staff will probably be working through the Mother's Day weekend and into the next week to reach a bi-partisan compromise.

Reid has offered last year immigration bill as a placeholder "to buy time for further talks if a full agreement does not appear by next week."

Senator Mel Martinez (and Chairman of the GOP) stated that "Last year's bill is not the solution for this year."

Reports from The Hill newspaper say Reid is asking for President Bush's personal involvement in the debate and states that Bushes personal involvement can make the difference to a compromise. The immigration debate has already involved two cabinet secretaries (Chertoff and Gutierrez) and countless Senators and negotiators.

Senate Minority Whip Trent Lott (R-Miss.) called the proceedings a“delicate
dance” and stated:

"What do they want him to do, come over here and start writing out the bill into
law? Get real,” Lott said.

Lott acknowledged that unless new legislation is available to call up before Reid moves to proceed to last year’s Senate-passed immigration bill, Republicans will probably object. The time for that final showdown remains unclear, but senators were eyeing a late vote on Tuesday. Reid admitted that even he “wasn’t really wild about” last year’s immigration bill, which never reached a conference with the more conservative House under GOP control.

This year’s framework is viewed as more hard-line than the previous version, and Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) said he has at times questioned Democrats’ willingness to move rightward in search of a consensus."

Many Members of Congress understand the politics behind the debate. Speaker of the House Pelosi has constantly stated that she needs 70 Republicans before she moves on legislation. Which means that any immigration bill will be written in the House.

Pressure To Fire Gonzales Fizzles Out

Calls to fire Attorney General Alberto Gonzales have all but disappeared. The pressure by democrats to force his resignation or removal by Bush have fizzled out. Republican Congressman have come out in support and it looks like the " The Judge" (Gonzales) is now safe.

According to Financial Times:

“The list of accusations has mushroomed, but the evidence has not,” said
Lamar Smith, the senior Republican committee member. “If there are no fish in
this lake, we should reel in our lines of questions, dock our empty boat and
turn to more pressing issues.”

"The Prince of Darkness" talks Presidential

According to an article on AP writer and political pundit Bob Novak made at appearance at Grover Norquest's "Wednesday Meetings" at Americans For Tax Reform. Norquist stated that “All the stars are aligned against the Republicans in 2008.”

The Wednesday Meetings is an weekly gathering of DC and the nation's most influential conservatives. Novak weighed in on several Presidential Hopefuls:

In the Examiner's Nay and Yeas it states:

Al Gore: “He likes being rich ... he likes being an Oscar-winner and I think he likes being fat, too.”

John McCain, at the recent GOP debate in California: “He didn’t look like a
winner.”

Mitt Romney: In response to Romney’s performance at the recent GOP debate,
Novak said some people told him that Romney “almost looked too
perfect.”

Fred Thompson: Novak said that, apparently, people believe that Thompson
“did such a good job as the district attorney of New York City that he deserves
a chance to be president.”

Novack's new book entitled "The Prince of Darkness: 50 Years of Reporting in Washington" is scheduled for release in July.

Univision Gets in the Business of Citizenhsip

According to to the Wall Street Journal, Univision has recently launched a citizenship campaign in key electoral states across the nation. The goal is to booster Hispanic participation in the upcoming 2008 elections. In 2004 47% of eligible Hispanic voters voted, compared to 67% of non-Hispanic white and 60% of African-Americans.

More than eight million green-card holders -- that is, legal permanent residents -- are eligible to become U.S. citizens, and the majority are immigrants of Latin American origin, according to U.S. government data. Now, Univision Communications Inc. is using its considerable clout with the Spanish-speaking community in the U.S. to turn this latent voting bloc into an active and potentially potent force.

The campaign could significantly effect the outcomes of many states and the political parties.

For instance, in the 2006 congressional contest, Republican candidates who take a harder line on illegal immigrants than their rivals garnered only 31% of the Latino vote.

The Roaring West

The Hispanic vote is one of the most talked about issues in this election cycle. Especially as politicos finally grasp the power of the growing Hispanic population and the effects of immigration reform on the group.

In Nevada Hispanics make up nearly 25 % of state's population, yet they accounted for 13 % of the vote.

"Galvanizing the Hispanic vote may be more difficult than political leaders realize, some Hispanic community leaders said.

"You have about 21 different cultures within the Hispanic community with different priorities and agendas," said Jesse Gutierrez, executive director of Nevada Hispanic Services and a registered Republican. "You have conservatives as well as extremely liberal.

"It is not a voting bloc unless it is a family-orientated issue."

In Colorado, the local RNHA Chair, Gil Cisneros, is making waves by some of his statements. In an editorial by the Rocky Mountain News they ask: Why won't Gil Cisneros just keep quiet?

Candidates Spend To Get Hispanic Voter Attention

Several Candidates are spending as much as $300,000 a month in hopes of courting certain groups such as Hispanics and Blacks. Many firms and consultants organize a range of items for candidates from creating a grass-roots organization to developing campaign strategy. Read More.

Many campaigns hire Coalitions Directors to deal with the dozens of specialized groups such as Catholics, Latinos, Gun Owners, Evangelicals, and much more.

In the Giuliani camp they recently hired Bob Holste to lead Team Rudy's Coalition efforts. Holste was the Chief of Staff job with Rep. Phil English (R-PA)

What to Watch For Tonight

Tonight the Republican candidates for President are going to battle it out for who is the "RIGHT-ful" hire to Regan's Republican Party.... or something like that....

With the first GOP Presidential debate properly taking place at the Ronald Regan Library in California and Nancy Regan sitting front and center, as if overseeing the events in place of her husband, it should prove to be an interesting first glimpse of the candidates.

As we try to guess who will do what, here are some personal analysis: ALL of them are going to try to establish themselves as the ONLY person to continue the Regan legacy. (We wonder how many times will the candidates evoke Ronald Regan's name?) There will be little prise for Bush. Between the 10 candidates we have a huge diversifications of opinion from far right to right of center.

The Leaders: We are expecting the front runners -McCain, Giuliani, Romney - are going to keep it simple, try not to mess up and look VERY presidential. This philosophy was best stated by Mitt Romney last night on the "Tonight Show" with Jay Leno saying, "It's going to be very short. Get on, get off. Keep your hair from getting messed up." Romney has the most to gain from this debate. He has an opportunity to show the public why so many Washington insiders love him. McCain can win here by reminding people why they supported him in the past. (He is up in Iowa, NH and SC). Giuliani has the most to loose as he is up in the numbers and he can't messed up.

Stuck In The Middle/Underdogs: They are going to try to stand out and provide a few zingers to get a moment in the spotlight. Some of these candidates are gaining less then 1% of the vote in many national polls. In reality, many of these candidates won't be contenders in a few months, with the primaries moving earlier each day, this might be the only time these candidates will have a time to shine and try to garner support from the public.

One-Issue Candidates: These guys are not only underdogs but known for their "passion" on a one particular issue, we expect them to continue their platform while trying to spread their wings a little. Rep. Ron Paul is known for his ideology and feels the party has lost its way on its libertarian traditions. Rep. Tom Tancredo has gained national recognition for his strict position on immigration and his anti-immigration stands.

Looking for a "Gravel" Moment: Tancredo, Duncan Hunter or maybe Huckabee?

Missing In Action: Newt Gingrich hasn't declared and we don't know when he will. Senator Hagel had a press conference to confirm he was thinking about it, but we haven't the foggiest when we will decide. Former Senator and current actor Fred Thompson is expected to have a "roll out" in July. Fred Thompson has been coming high in the polls, sometimes as high as 3rd or 4th, amazing for a person who hasn't even announced.

A bigger question for us is, will the Hispanic Vote and Immigration reform come up in a debate in California? Will the example of Pete Wilson and his negative effects of the GOP in California come up? We hope so...

From the Hotline On Call they listed some things everyone should be looking for:

1. Comparisons between anti-communism and the war on terror (or the "war of terror").
2. Mitt Romney's mentions of "McCain-Kennedy" and "McCain-Feingold"
3. Mike Huckabee's attempt to distinguish himself as the "authentic conservative" in the field.
4. A debate about climate change, starring John McCain and Mitt Romney
5. Tepid praise for Pres. Bush
6. Standard Reaganesque themes: lower taxes, stronger national defense
7. Implicit criticism of the 109th Congress and its leaders
8. Denial: those Republicans who assert that '06 had little to do with the war
9. Praise for -- and criticism of -- Hillary Clinton. (a Chris Matthews obsession).
10. An unusual focus on religious conservatives in South Carolina
11. Let's make a prediction: no Mormon question. That'd be refreshing.
12. "Battlefield Earth" jokes.
13. Lots of Pelosi/Reid bashing.
14. Sentences beginning with "Ronald Reagan thought..." or "Ronald Reagan knew..."
15. Assertions that America is fundamentally conservative and wants its leaders to be fundamentally conservative.
16. Questions about Fred Thompson and his significance to the GOP field
17. Reminders about the "11th commandment" -- Reagan's suggestion that Republicans shalt not attack one another.

Republican Debate Tonight

Tonight the Republicans get their turn to shine at the first Republican Presidential debate of the election 2008 season. With 10 Republicans and only 90 minutes, this is sure to be very interesting television. The debate is scheduled to begin at 8 PM Eastern at the Ronald Regan Presidential Library norht of Los Angeles co-sponsored by MSNBC and Politico.com.

Over the last few days many of the Republican front runners have kept their schedules light and stayed in California. The continuously met with aides and practiced every imaginable scenario as the candidates prepare for America's first glimpse of the possible future GOP candidate....

For a full list on the candidates on deck visit politico.com. Those who are missing from the top 10 are actor/former Senator Fred Thompson, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and Senator Chuck Hagel, all who have not officially announced.

Nancy Regan is scheduled to be at the debate.

read more

Giuliani Wins Latino Straw Poll

Former New York Mayor, Rudy Giuliani won the Latino Coalition Summit's straw poll on Wednesday earning over 64% of the vote.

Arizona Senator John McCain came in second with 15% of the vote followed by the not yet declared Presidential Candidate Fred Thompson with 8% of the vote.

Of the total 415 ballots casted over 58% were for Republicans. The Latino Coalition is a conservative Hispanic advocacy group.

Giuliani was the Latino Coalition's key note speaker.

Hispanics & the Internet

According to Latino Loop:

"The topic of Hispanics online proved to be one of the top issues at last week’s AHAA (Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies) Spring conference. Last year the number of Hispanics online with broadband at home grew from 40% to 61% and social networking site use grew 200%."

LA Immigraiton Marches End in Chaos

The May Day marches were mostly conducted quietly and peacefully all over the country. Thousands of people took to the streets to demand an overhaul of immigration laws. Some called for amnesty, some called for a path to citizenship, but all were asking for more immigrant rights.

The rallies were much smaller then last years events, were over one million protesters participated. Organizers in many cities circulated post cards addressed to President Bush and Members of Congress calling for immediate Congressional action to pass comprehensive immigration reform. Many were supporting the STRIVE act.

In Miami several thousands came out with American flags and dressed in red, white and blue. One of the young participants called Florida Senator Mel Martinez, and had him on the loud speaker so everyone in the crowd could here the conversation. The participants were questioning what he would say but he then spoke up and thanked the Senator for his vote and his leadership on immigration reform. The entire crowd screamed "Thank You." The young man then said he was calling with thousands of others to remind the Senator to continue to support the issue and they were counting on his vote.

In Chicago over 200,000 people came to the May Day March. Many felt compelled to come to the rally in protest to the high profile raids taking place all around the city were heavily-armed FBI agents have been storming large Mexican neighborhoods focusing on law-breaking business employing illegal immigrants and illegal immigrant sanctuaries. The marches in Chicago were generally quite.

In L.A. the marches did not have a positive ending. According to published reports:

"Officers fired 240 "nonlethal" rounds to clear MacArthur Park late Tuesday. News images showed police hitting a television cameraman to the ground, shoving people who were walking away from officers and injuries from the rubber bullets, including a Hispanic man with welts on his abdomen and back. Lines of officers moved through the park firing the rubber rounds."

The altercation occurred 45 minutes after the rally started winding down and was a reaction to some people in the crowd throwing items that struck 15 police officers. Their are now investigations on what truly occurred.

read more about the May Day Rallies

Hispanic outreach crucial to GOP

Ken Melhman highlighted the importance of the Hispanic vote and the need to expand the party. Read the whole thing at Politico.com in his OpEd: Hispanic Outreach Crucial to the GOP

Melhman, who served as the RNC's Chairman and Bush-Cheney 2004 Campaign manager, is now a partner at the law firm of Akin Gump Strauss Gaure & Feld, LLP, made the following statements

"In 1980, as he was preparing to run for president, Ronald Reagan asked Lionel Sosa, an advertising executive from San Antonio, to lead his outreach to the Hispanic community. Reagan told Sosa his job would be easy: "Latinos are Republican. They just don't know it yet."

On this, as in so many other areas, Reagan was a man who saw the future. In 1984, he made history, receiving 32 percent of the Hispanic vote. President George W. Bush achieved similar results in 2000, and in 2004 won a record 44 percent of the Hispanic vote.

They're not alone. Smart Republicans who have listened to, and offered solutions to, concerns of Hispanic-Americans have done even better: Sixty percent for former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, 44 percent for former New York Gov. George E. Pataki and 46 percent for former Colorado Gov. Bill Owens in 2002.

Even in the tough year of 2006, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger collected 40 percent of the Hispanic vote, while Florida Gov. Charlie Crist pulled in 49 percent and Arizona Sen. John Kyl won 41 percent.

These numbers shouldn't be a surprise to anyone who has studied Hispanic voters. Hispanic-Americans tend to be conservative. Last year, pollster David Winston asked registered voters to rate themselves on a 1 to 9 scale from very liberal to very conservative. He found that, overall, the country was center-right and Hispanic-Americans viewed themselves slightly to the right of the country as a whole.

Hispanic outreach is not only natural for the GOP, it is crucial. The Hispanic community is the fastest growing segment of our country, and it is huge. There are 10 million more Hispanics in the U.S. than there are Canadians in Canada. If this population were a Latin American country, it would be the third largest. It would also be the richest. Salsa outsells ketchup and tacos outsell hot dogs. Univision is the channel where more Americans get their evening news than any other. In Nebraska, one out of every eight people under 35 is Hispanic.

.... President Bush appointed the most diverse administration in history, with the first Hispanic attorney general, Alberto R. Gonzales, a Hispanic commerce secretary, Carlos M. Gutierrez, and other top officials including former Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona, U.S. Treasurer Anna Escobedo Cabral and Israel Hernandez, one of the government's chief export promoters. The first Hispanic to lead one of the national parties is a Republican, Sen. Mel Martinez (Fla.), the GOP general chairman. We must work harder to identify and recruit future Hispanic leaders to run for office under the GOP banner.

Read the full article at Politico.com

Giuliani Oultines Immigration

Today RNHA members were on hand to hear former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani at the Latino Coalition's summit in Washington D.C.. The presidential candidate outlined his plan for immigration reform.

Giuliani discussed tamper-proof ID cards for new immigrants and workers, a border fence with both electronic and a physical elements, and a pathway to citizenship for undocumented workers calling for immigrants to pay penalties, back taxes, and learn English in order to gain legalized status.

From The Hill:

"...U.S. immigration policy demands a complex answer that should include “We have to look at illegal immigration from the point of view of what makes America more secure,” Giuliani said.

He also advocated establishing a database of all immigrants, saying the U.S. needs a “system that identifies people and why they’re coming here.”

Having 12 million undocumented immigrants in the country “makes it easier for
terrorists and drug-dealers to hide,” said

Giuliani, who is the frontrunner for the GOP presidential nomination. According
to the former mayor, lowering that number would make it easier to find
terrorists.

Giuliani wants undocumented workers to come forward and claim citizenship “if they’re making an honest contribution.” He added that adherence to American ideals is what makes an American citizen, and that those who have come to the U.S. to make an honest living should be afforded official citizenship. Giuliani stopped short of
calling this “amnesty,” however.

Read more about Latin Rudy.

Also at the Latino Coalition Summit was actress Maria Conchita Alonso who decried the action's of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Cuban dictator Fidel Castro. The actress/activist talked about some of her political work in the the Venezuelan elections and a movies ("Two Minutes of Hate") she has produced showcasing the political realities of the Venezuelan country that is moving in a socialist direction.

Giuliani, who followed Alonso, also denounced Chavez and Castro and called them a real threat.

May Day Marches

Today many pro-immigrant groups took to the streets to repeat last years marches. Hundreds of Hispanics marched in Texas, California, Illinois and dozens of more locations. Though the groups tried to flex their muscles on immigration, the numbers at the rallies were down.

While we support everyone's rights to assemble and use the amazing rights guarantee to anyone that touches foot in the country (citizen, guests or undocumented), we hope that these people contact their legislators and demand comprehensive reform. If even 1/4 of the 500,000 followed up the march with a letter to their Congressman, we would have a very different debate. Learn how you can make a difference at www.immigrationreformnow.org

No Castro, No problem

Cuban communist dictator, Fidel Castro, was a no show at the May Day march in Havana, Cuba. The 80 year old leader has been a no show on the island since his emergency intestinal surgery nine months ago which forced him to step down. read more