Sen. Menendez Rips McCain on Immigration

Senator Robert Menendez (D-New Jersey) ripped John McCain on the presumptive GOP nominee's evolved (read: pander to the right-wing) position on immigration.

In an interview with The Huffington Post, Sen. Robert Menendez offered a scathing rebuke of McCain, painting him as a candidate who sold his political soul to secure his party's presidential nomination.

"In my mind, he has dramatically shifted. He has really taken a Republican tact," said the New Jersey Democrat. "It seems to me, and it is out there in the community, that he walked away at a critical time. And when you take that view, which shows that he is not the person of principle that he would like to show himself being, and you wear the Republican mantle that is so negative and anti-immigrant... I think it is very hard for John McCain to make hay with Latinos at the end of the day."

In 2005, drawing the ire of anti-immigrant conservatives, John McCain co-sponsored legislation with Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-Massachusetts) that, after a series of fines, back taxes and other stipulations, would put undocumented immigrants on a path towards citizenship. The legislation was defeated.

In April 2007, John McCain answered a question about "borders first" immigration reform:

WALLACE: So let's talk about some of the conservative gripes. First of all, immigration. Last year, you sponsored a bill with Ted Kennedy that included a guest worker program and a path to earned citizenship. Do you still support McCain-Kennedy?

J. MCCAIN: I support many of the concepts in it. It didn't pass. The legislation didn't pass. So we've been sitting down and doing intensive negotiations with the president, with other conservative Republicans and Senator Kennedy to come up with something that will.

I think that it certainly is going to be a comprehensive proposal. And it certainly will be border enforcement as the first and foremost priority.

WALLACE: Border enforcement before the other parts of the package.

J. MCCAIN: Not before, but certainly there has to be the assurance that all necessary measures are being taken in order to secure our border. Americans deserve that.

So much for "securing the borders first." That summer, support for John McCain's campaign plummeted and the future presumptive GOP nominee was written off by pundits.

In order to keep up with the other GOP hopefuls who were trying to "out-Tancredo Tancredo," John McCain claims he "got the message" on immigration and takes a "borders first" approach to immigration reform.

In a January 2008 presidential debate at the Reagan Library in California, John McCain said he would not vote for the immigration reform he previously co-sponsored, reasserting his commitment to "borders first" reform that would "move onto the other aspects of this issue" at a later time.

Just last month, John McCain told business leaders that comprehensive immigration reform should be a "top priority" for the 44th President of the United States. Right-wing bloggers went ballistic and within 24 hours of the comments, the McCain campaign immediately set out to sooth the base, stating: "there's been no change in his stance on immigration - secure the border first, deal with other aspects of illegal immigration once the border is secure."

Straight talk? Hardly.

Comments (1) «

A bit off topic but we also need to RIP Terry McAuliffe who has agreed to speak at a San Francisco conference sponsored by the (un) health care industry, funded entirely by Assurance, recently fined 3 million by Connecticut for denying doverage to hundreds. Also in Attendence will be Bill Frist. Do we really want to associate with these sleazeballs? Check out the "Courage Campaign" for petitioning detail.

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deaniacforever on June 12, 2008 at 06:48 PM

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