Wednesday, August 08, 2007
|
|
Is the Harmony Over?
|
|
Posted by:
Matt Lewis at
4:57 PM
|
After months of relative harmony between the GOP frontrunners, It looks like Mitt and Rudy are getting a bit jealous of all the attention Hillary and Obama are getting for their recent spats ...
From ABC News:
In one of the strongest conflicts yet between Republican presidential front-runners, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney attacked rival Rudy Giuliani Wednesday, implying that Giuliani supported illegal immigration when he was mayor of New York.
"If you look at lists compiled on Web sites of sanctuary cities, New York is at the top of the list when Mayor Giuliani was mayor," Romney said at the Abbey Hotel here. "He instructed city workers not to provide information to the federal government that would allow them to enforce the law. New York City was the poster child for sanctuary cities in the country."
The Giuliani campaign issued a statement rejecting the charge. Campaign communications director Katie Levinson said, "I am not even sure we should weigh in on this, given Mitt Romney may change his mind later today about it. Mitt Romney is as wrong about Mayor Giuliani's position on illegal immigration as he was when he last mischaracterized the mayor's record and later had to apologize. New York is the safest large city in America since Mayor Giuliani turned it around -- it is not a haven for illegality of any kind. The mayor's record speaks for itself." This seems to be the first time that GOP frontrunners have really gone after each other. Sure there have been dust-ups from second-tier candidates (such as Brownback's attacks on Romney). But in Sunday's debate, Romney had a golden opportunity to go after Rudy on the abortion issue -- and he declined to do so. The only thing that may have changed since then is that Rudy did say he would support McCain (if he, himself, were not running).
So what's going on between these two camps?
|
|
I've heard that NY was indeed a sanctuary city under Guilliani. If true, Rudy is either a flip-flopper or is still on the wrong side of a very important issue to conservatives.
Attacking Romney does not answer the question. |
|
Rudy actually INVITED illegal immigrants to work in NYC. Rudy actually INSTRUCTED city workers not to provide information to the federal government that would allow them to enforce the law.
At a June 1994 press conference, Giuliani decried anti-illegal immigration policies as unfair and hostile.
"Some of the hardest-working and most productive people in this city are undocumented aliens," Giuliani said at the time. "If you come here and you work hard and you happen to be in an undocumented status, you're one of the people who we want in this city. You're somebody that we want to protect, and we want you to get out from under what is often a life of being like a fugitive, which is really unfair."
At a speech in Minneapolis in 1996, Giuliani defended the "sanctuary city" executive order, that in his words "protects undocumented immigrants in New York City from being reported to the INS while they are using city services."
|
|
Matt Lewis wrote;
-------------------
"So what's going on between these two camps?"
-------------------
Matt, you sound confused.
What's 'going on' is a competition to be the GOP nominee !
And this is a legitimate issue being raised by Romney, and it was raised in a legitimate fashion.
On the other hand, a lot of the ad hominem attacks by OTHER PARTIES on Romney's theology, Giuliani's wife, et al, are illegitimate points of debate.
I think there's a lot of personal respect between Romney and Giuliani, and I expect to see them each illuminate the ideological differences between their camps, as opposed to resorting to cheap ad hominems as practiced by your hero Chris Matthews, or the moonbats at Daily Kos, Keith Olbermann, and others.
|
|
At the end of the piece the author tries to attack Romney too, but without much success. They use his hiring of a landscaping firm that uses illegal labor without inquiring about the illegal status of the employees as evidence that he has flip flopped. That's just stupid.
Then they try to say that since Massachusetts was one of the six states with the largest growth in illegal immigrant population as evidence against him. hmmmm, six seems like an odd number to choose, I bet that it was the sixth largest, and considering that MA is the 13th most populated state and during his tenure the economy of MA was on the rise, making MA look like a good place for immigrants to go, which is why he authorized state officers to help the feds. |
|
|
while riding elephants is comical. Not only did Guiliani Mayor a sanctuary city, but his law firm, "Bracewell & Guiliani"(Houston based)is the sole law firm representing the Spainish Consortium "CINTRA" that is building the NAFTA super highway! His security company "Guiliani Partners Consulting" made over 20 trips to Mexico City, trying to get the contract for security in the city. He has always supported amnesty and the plight of the illegal allien!..........Mitt, and his "Log Cabin Republicans" back in Massa2shits had their own liberalism in "TEDDY KENNEDY WORLD".(See MASSRESISTANCE.ORG)............Neither are conservatives, by any true conservatives standards. |
|
Rudy’s retort is not just disingenuous, it is an outright lie.
The very definition of a Sanctuary City.
“New York City's policy toward undocumented immigrants is called "Executive Order 124."
“This order was issued seven years by Mayor Ed Koch and reissued by my predecessor, Mayor Dinkins, and by me.” (emphasis mine)
"Executive Order 124" protects undocumented immigrants in New York City from being reported to the I.N.S. while they are using city services that are critical for their health and safety, and for the health and safety of the entire City.
There are times when undocumented immigrants must have a substantial degree of protection.”
Monday, September 30, 1996
Archives of Rudy Giuliani
http://www.nyc.gov/html/records/rwg/html/96/immig.html
"If you come here and you work hard and you happen to be in an undocumented status, you're one of the people who we want in this city. You're somebody that we want to protect, and we want you to get out from under what is often a life of being like a fugitive, which is really unfair."
ABC News August 8, 2007
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=3459498&page=1
Whether or not you think illegal immigration is an important issue, whether or not you agree with Giuliani’s reasons for keeping NYC a Sanctuary City, it is clear:
Rudy’s retort to Romney’s assertion is not just disingenuous, it is an outright lie. Have you not been lied to enough by politicians? I have.
|
|
|
|