McCain's Immigration Double Talk in the Spotlight

Taking a not-so-indirect shot at his Republican opponent Mitt Romney's hypocrisy and flip-flops on immigration reform yesterday, John McCain said he "would hope that any candidate for President...wouldn't play politics for their own interests" with the issue. Oddly enough the jab came in a speech while McCain campaigned in Florida, putting his presidential ambitions ahead of the debate on immigration in the Senate where 14 amendments remain up for consideration, and where he could have helped court his fellow Republican Senators to actually get the bill passed. [johnmccain.com, John McCain - Address on Immigration, 6/4/07; politico.com, 6/04/07]

McCain went so far as to ask, "is any office worth sacrificing the progress we can make now to solve this crisis?" But never addressed whether he'd show up to vote on the 14 amendments throughout the week. That's the kind of double talk that's taking its toll on McCain's struggling campaign, according to a new poll out today that shows McCain at just 14 percent nationally, dropping to fourth place. The same poll three weeks earlier showed McCain had a six point advantage over Romney before he re-engaged immigration reform in the Senate after having abandoned it earlier this year. Even in his home state of Arizona, a majority now has an unfavorable view of McCain and just 15% have a Very Favorable view of their home state presidential hopeful. [Rasmussen Reports, 6/05/07; johnmccain.com, John McCain - Address on Immigration, 6/4/07]

"If John McCain is serious about 'not sacrificing the progress' on immigration reform for a presidential campaign, he should commit to actually showing up in the Senate and voting on all the amendments to the bill," said Democratic National Committee spokesman Luis Miranda. "As we saw on the Iraq votes, McCain talked tough, but didn't show up for his day job to actually cast the votes. That's the double talk the American people are tired of, and the do-anything-to-win approach that has McCain in trouble in the polls. After having run away from the immigration bill he sponsored last year, he should at least show up to vote on the bill now."

Below is a new DNC Research fact sheet on McCain's Double Talk on immigration:

Opportunity Knocks and John McCain Is At The Door

Once Deal is Reached, McCain Jumps on the Immigration Bandwagon. After a deal on immigration reform was reached in the Senate, McCain, "who has distanced himself from the negotiating table as he prepares to stress a borders-first approach for his presidential run," reemerged to participate in the press conference with Sens. Kennedy, Kyl, and others. McCain noted, "I'm proud to have been a small part," of the deal. [The Hill, 5/18/07; New York Times Political Blog, 5/17/07]

Republican Blasted McCain For Parachuting In at the Last Minute. Republican Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) called out McCain for being "out of line" by choosing to "parachute in" at the last minute to take credit for the current immigration bill in the Senate despite not sitting in on negotiations all year. McCain exploded under the pressure of his failed balancing act by accusing Cornyn of "making a 'chickens-t' argument" and shouting to Cornyn, "[Expletive] you!" [Washingtonpost.com, 5/18/07; Roll Call, 5/21/07]

But McCain Had Tried To Slip Away From His Previous Immigration Legislation Because Of Conservative Opposition During His Presidential Campaign.

McCain Backed Out of Leadership Role on Immigration Reform. "Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona, who until recently joined Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts, in pushing for a compromise in overhauling immigration, has moved away from a lead role on the issue in the Senate." [New York Times, 4/22/07]

McCain Said He Would Reconsider Position on Immigration. "As he left Iowa, Mr. McCain said he was reconsidering his views on how the immigration law might be changed. He said he was open to legislation that would require people who came to the United States illegally to return home before applying for citizenship, a measure proposed by Representative Mike Pence, Republican of Indiana. Mr. McCain has previously favored legislation that would allow most illegal immigrants to become citizens without leaving the country." [New York Times, 3/20/07]

McCain Abandoning Immigration Reform with Ted Kennedy Because of Conservative Pressure. "McCain's hesitancy about joining [Senator] Kennedy on the same issue they worked together on in the previous Congress," the Boston Globe reported, "speaks to an emerging dynamic in the Republican presidential race. McCain has encountered anger from hard-line immigration foes on the campaign trail, particularly over an aspect in last year's bill that would have allowed most undocumented immigrants to work toward citizenship." [Boston Globe, 3/22/07; New York Times, 3/20/07]

What a Long Strange Trip It's Been From "Amnesty” To “Shamnesty”

2003: McCain Said "Amnesty Has To Be A Component" Of Immigration Reform. The Politico reported that "McCain himself embraced the term ["amnesty"] during a news conference a few years ago in his office in Tucson, Arizona. "McCain Pushes Amnesty, Guest-Worker Program," reported the Tucson Citizen of May 29, 2003. The senator is quoted as saying: 'Amnesty has to be an important part because there are people who have lived in this country for 20, 30 or 40 years, who have raised children here and pay taxes here and are not citizens. That has to be a component of it.' The newspaper also quoted McCain as saying: 'I think we can set up a program where amnesty is extended to a certain number of people who are eligible and at the same time make sure that we have some control over people who come in and out of this country.'" [The Politico, 6/4/07]

McCain Championed The McCain-Kennedy Earned Legalization Immigration Bill On A Nationwide Tour And Urged Immigrants To Take To The Streets In Support Of It. Alongside Ted Kennedy, McCain pushed their immigration bill which focused on "earned legalization" for illegal immigrants. The bill allowed for all illegal immigrants passing a background check and paying fines and fees to register as guest workers to obtain a visa "which could be renewed once, would be valid for three years. Then the immigrant would have to return to his home country or be in the process of getting legal residency status[.]" McCain championed his bill in New York city at "a boisterous multiethnic rally in support of his legislation" and "at a packed town hall meeting" in Miami with "more than 1,000 cheering and chanting supporters." In Miami, McCain "urg[ed] all to garner grass-roots support for the bill" and said to the supporters, "You've got to work not only here in Miami-Dade and around Florida but around the country" for the McCain-Kennedy bill to prevail. [Houston Chronicle, 5/27/05; Associated Press, 2/28/06; Miami Herald, 2/24/06]

• 2007: While Pushing The Immigration Reform Bill, McCain Argued That Amnesty "Didn't Work" in The 1980's. Defending new immigration reform legislation, McCain argued, "It requires six years of working, and then eligibility for a green card and five years after that. That doesn't fit any definition of amnesty. In fact, it's very, very tough and that's a major provision of it. That's not amnesty. We tried amnesty in the 1980's and it didn't work.This is fine, penalty, working, passing background checks. It's not amnesty, it's earned citizenship. That's what it is." [ABC, Good Morning America, 3/29/06]

Conservatives Derided McCain-Kennedy Immigration Plan as "Shamnesty". Conservative political writer Tom Bevan wrote that McCain's stance on immigration reform made no sense if he was trying to win conservative votes. Bevan wrote, "Many conservatives have long since deemed McCain's immigration proposal 'shamnesty,' a derisive term meant to conjure up unfavorable comparisons with the dreaded Simpson-Mazzoli bill of 1986." Bevan added that "if McCain is really concerned about conservatives staying home in November, how can he think that passing a comprehensive immigration bill, opposed by large numbers of conservative activists in districts all over the country, is something that will help improve Republican prospects? It makes little sense." [foxnews.com, 7/30/06]

McBorder: What's on Mccain's Back Burner?

McCain Criticized Federal Funding For Border Security Earmarks In Arizona. In 2001 and 2002, Senator McCain criticized federal funding for projects that would be used by border and law enforcement agencies to increase security measures. McCain listed opposition to earmarks for several projects in Arizona that included a detainee facility in Prescott, a border guard service processing center in Florence, a sector headquarters in Tucson, and border patrol stations in Yuma and Douglas. [McCain Release, 9/13/01; 2001 & 2002 Congressional Pig Book]

McCain Criticized Federal Funding For Border Patrol And Border Fence Earmarks In Arizona. In 2003, Senator McCain criticized $25.6 million for construction of a U.S. Border Patrol station in Tucson, Arizona. A Republican congressman from Tucson said White House officials requested money for it in their budget, but McCain deemed the project as wasteful spending because it didn't go through proper legislative channels. In addition, McCain's 2005 Congressional Pig Book criticized $500,000 in federal funding for the construction of a border fence in Nogales, Arizona. [Gannett, 4/10/03; 2003 & 2005 Congressional Pig Book]

McCain Said Border Couldn't Be Fully Protected Because Good Jobs Would Continue To Drive Illegal Immigration. "We're not going to have a secure border as long as there's this kind of attraction of jobs into the United States of America. Our border between Arizona and Mexico is long, it's desolate and it cannot be fully protected 24 hours a day." [McCain Press Conference, 7/25/03]

John McCain Voted Opposite 35 Republicans To Force The United States To Consult With Mexico Before Securing The Border. John McCain voted for Arlen Specter's amendment to force consultation with Mexican officials before acting to protect the U.S. border with Mexico. The amendment required that the U.S. Secretary of State, and federal, state and local law enforcement "shall work with the appropriate officials from the Government of Mexico" on "improved border security." Additionally, "federal, state and local representatives in the United States shall consult with their counterparts in Mexico concerning the construction of additional fencing and related border security structures along the international border . before the commencement of any such construction[.]" The amendment passed by a vote of 56-41; McCain voted "yea" in support of the amendment and against 35 of his Republican colleagues who voted against the amendment. [S.Amdt. 4188, Vote #156, 5/25/06; CR S5259, 5/25/06]

McCain Missed Vote Key To Republican Base On Border Security. John McCain missed a vote on an amendment that would have required the DHS to certify that the border was secure before the implementation of a guest-worker program. This amendment, which was supported by a majority of the Republican caucus and "would have bent the bill toward the enforcement emphasis favored by the House," failed. [Senate vote #121, S.Amdt. 3961, senate.gov, 5/16/06; Los Angeles Times, 5/17/06]

McCain Downplayed The Importance Of His Guest Worker Proposal To Appease Border Security Hawks In His Party. When faced with increased criticism about his guest worker proposal from Republicans, McCain acknowledged that security was the priority and reasoned that the other provisions of his reforms could come later. "We all know that border enforcement is the first and foremost requirement because it's a national security issue. As long as we agree that it's a comprehensive approach that should be taken, I mean, after all, are you just going to leave 11 million people here illegally washing around in our society? I don't think so. Then I think it's negotiable as to when those programs could kick in. They do take time to set up." [ABC News, 7/2/06]

Mccain Flip-Flopped On "Report To Deport"

McCain Called Implementing Deportation Of Illegal Immigrants A "Fantasy," And Said Supporting "Report To Deport" Policy Was "Insane." In reasoning the need to document illegal immigrants, McCain said it was unrealistic to expect undocumented immigrants to voluntarily surface leave the country. "The reality is 11 million people are not going to voluntarily come out of the shadows just to be shipped home. 'Report to deport' is not a reality and isn't workable" McCain said, and noted that the idea "borders on fantasy." McCain reasoned that the administration would be "insane" to support a 'report to deport' policy, and called such a policy "a not too appealing opportunity" for immigrants. [Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, 7/26/05; Roll Call, 10/6/05; NPR, 3/31/06]

McCain Voted Against McCain-Kennedy And In Support Of A "Report To Deport" Provision. McCain voted against cloture on the Specter Amendment to the Immigration and Nationality Act which had "embraced the thrust of" the McCain-Kennedy bill. Instead, McCain threw his support behind a Republican sponsored compromise that "requires illegal immigrants who have been in the United States between two years and five years to return to their home country briefly, then re-enter," but "those in the country less than two years would be required to leave without assurances of returning, and take their place in line[.]" Such a policy has been labeled as "report to deport." McCain claimed his vote was driven by politics, reasoning his vote saying "he would not bow to the Democrats' tactics and vote to end debate" on his own bill. [109th Congress, S. Amdt. 3192, Vote #88, 4/6/06; San Francisco Chronicle, 3/17/06; AP, 4/6/06; Washington Post, 10/18/05, 4/6/06]