Anti-Immigrant McCain Candidate Loses in Special Election
March 10, 2008
Jim Oberweis, the favorite candidate of the anti-immigrant right lost a special election to fill the seat of retired former Republican House Speaker Dennis Hastert Saturday despite John McCain's support and help raising money. It was just three weeks ago that McCain campaigned for Oberweis, standing by as the congressional candidate told a crowd that on border security and other issues, "John McCain and I stand united...And on each of these issues, and others, our opponents -- mine and his -- have taken the wrong side." [The Beacon News, 2/21/08]
On his website Oberweis calls for eliminating "incentives to illegal immigration, including so-called 'birthright citizenship,'" which would deny citizenship to the children of undocumented immigrants born in the United States, and compares immigration to "when a burglar breaks into your home at night." [jimoberweis.com, 2008] Oberweis was also widely criticized for an immigration ad he later "apologized for...featuring him in a helicopter flying over Soldier Field" in which he exaggerated the number of undocumented immigrants coming into the country. [WLS-ABC-7, 3/1/06; Chicago Tribune, 3/10/08; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nst-aXvdrR4] Oberweis, who has run for other offices before on an anti-immigrant platform, was also accused of hypocrisy after his family dairy business was alleged to have benefitted from and exploited undocumented workers. [WLS-ABC-7, 3/7/08]
"Anti-Immigrant candidate Jim Oberweis' loss is bad news for John McCain, and bad news for the Republican Party," said DNC Hispanic Caucus Chair Ramona Martinez. "John McCain won't be able to separate himself from anti-immigrant far right candidates in November, since he will no doubt continue to campaign for them as their Party's leader, just as he did with Oberweis. Hispanics will remember that betrayal at the polls."
Last week the McCain campaign approved a package of Republican bills in the Senate described by the LA Times as "the hardest-hitting package of immigration enforcement measures seen yet -- one that would require jail time for illegal immigrants caught crossing the border, make it harder for them to open bank accounts and compel them to communicate in English when dealing with federal agencies." [LA Times, 3/4/08; washingtontimes.com, 3/6/08]
