Tancredo for President -- Official Blog

Today's IQ: Mitt Romney

Campaigning in northern Michigan, where many employers have struggled to fill jobs in hotels and restaurants during the summer tourist rush, Romney said more temporary workers should be allowed where there are labor shortages.

"The answer to that is simple, which is issue more visas," Romney told reporters. "If our employment sector needs additional immigrant laborers, then issue the visas necessary to provide that work force."

Cont'd:

"I'm not going to leave America's employers without the capacity to meet the needs of our consuming public," he said.

Quoted from The Associated Press

By JOHN FLESHER
Saturday, October 13, 2007

Today's IQ: Ann Coulter

HeOn illegal immigration, Huckabee makes George Bush sound like Tom Tancredo. He has compared illegal aliens to slaves brought here in chains from Africa, saying, "I think frankly the Lord is giving us a second chance to do better than we did before."

Toward that end, when an Arkansas legislator introduced a bill that would prevent illegal aliens from voting and receiving state benefits, Huckabee denounced the bill, saying it would rile up "those who are racist and bigots."

He also made the insane point that companies like Toyota would not invest in Arkansas if the state didn't allow non-citizens to vote because it would "send the message that, essentially, 'If you don't look like us, talk like us and speak like us, we don't want you.'"

-"Fred Sawyer and Huckabe Finn" By Ann Coulter

Today's IQ: Nancy Pelosi

"I have been against the fence, I thought it's a bad idea even when it was just a matter of discussion."

-"Representative Pelosi criticizes the border fence," http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-09-28-pelosi-fence_N.htm

Today's IQ: Howard Fineman

"Immigration: A Roadside IED on the Trail"

-Newsweek

"The flow of the presidential campaign has taken me to Iowa a good bit lately, and here is the chief thing I learned: the immigration issue is a roadside IED there, and all politicians, Republicans in particular, had better up-armor—fast."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20894636/site/newsweek/

Today's IQ: Mitt Romney

Sidenote: What race is Mitt Romney running in?

"This incident underscores the pressing need to strengthen the enforcement of our current immigration laws. I strongly disagree with the other candidates in this race who are dismissive of increased enforcement efforts and continue to defend sanctuary city policies that weaken our border security efforts and create zones of protection for illegal immigration. Those policies are wrong and the defense of such policies highlights how a 3 million illegal immigrant problem became a 12 million illegal immigrant problem."

Today's IQ: Herb Kohl

"We need to have an immigration policy that is tough with respect to enforcement but also fair in creating a path to legalization for hardworking, law-abiding immigrants."

-- Wisconsin Senator Herb Kohl, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 3 March 2006

Today's High IQ: Richard Burr

"I cannot as a U.S. senator vote to grant blanket amnesty to those who have broken the law to live in our country."

-- North Carolina Senator Richard Burr, The News & Observer, 29 May 2006

Today's HIGH IQ: Lou Barletta

"Illegal immigrants are destroying the city."

-- Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta, Associated Press, 19 June 2006

Today's LOW IQ: Evan Bayh

"America is a nation of immigrants, and it is true that we must bring the 12 million undocumented immigrants living in this country out of the shadows so they can be put on a lawful path to citizenship."

-- Indiana Senator Evan Bayh, http://bayh.senate.gov, 28 June 2007

Today's LOW IQ: John Kerry

"[W]e need an earned-legalization program for people who have been here for a long time, stayed out of trouble, got a job, paid their taxes, and their kids are American. We got to start moving them toward full citizenship, out of the shadows."

-- Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, Third Bush-Kerry Debate, 13 October 2004

(note: thanks to blog reader James for recommending that I write it as HIGH IQ or LOW IQ so people know the amnesty politicians from the against amnesty ones.)

Today's LOW IQ: Tom Harkin

"Only when we bring the 12 million illegal workers out of the shadows and into the legal system will both industry and employees benefit."

-- Iowa Senator Tom Harkin, http://harkin.senate.gov, 19 December 2006

Today's LOW IQ: Daniel Akaka

"I want to make sure this legislation supports our strongly held belief in the value of ohana (family) by ensuring that, whenever possible, families are not separated by borders."

-- Hawaii Senator Daniel Akaka, The Honolulu Advertiser, 23 May 2007

Today's GENIUS IQ: Tom Tancredo

"We are becoming a bilingual nation and that is not good."

-- Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo, Des Moines Register, 20 July 2007

Today's IQ: Robert Byrd

"Immigration enforcement in the United States remains decidedly, half-hearted. We are pulling our punches. Tougher border security mandates are signed into law, but then not fully funded. Statutory deadlines are set, but then indefinitely postponed. Undocumented aliens are denied Social Security cards, but then issued drivers licenses and taxpayer identification numbers. Employers are warned not to hire illegal labor, but then allowed to sponsor, without penalty, their illegal workforce for legal status. Funds are not requested to perform even the barest level of work site enforcement. We send troops abroad ostensibly so that we don’t have to fight terrorists on American streets, but then we turn a blind-eye to millions of unauthorized, undocumented, unchecked aliens – any one of whom could be a potential terrorist."

-- West Virginia Senator Robert Byrd, http://byrd.senate.gov, 4 April 2006

Today's HIGH IQ: John T. Stirrup

"The problem of illegal immigrants in Prince William is exacerbated by their general disregard for the rule of law, abuse of taxpayer-funded services and obvious lack of interest in seeking citizenship or ever embracing American ideals. Rather, it seems their sole motivation is economic. Last year, illegal immigrants sent an estimated $45 billion out of the U.S. economy to their home countries."

-- Prince William County supervisor John T. Stirrup, Washington Post, 15 July 2007

Today's GENIUS IQ: Tom Tancredo

"The American people are dead-set against amnesty."

-- Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo, Des Moines Register, 16 July 2007

The Goal

Unless a presidential candidate or another elected official just made the press somehow on immigration, the daily Immigration Quote will focus on a U.S. Senator until I've posted a quote on each. Then the spotlight will move to the House.

Today's LOW IQ: George Voinovich

"I want an immigration bill that secures our borders, revises and updates our current laws to respond to our economic needs and brings the 12 million illegal aliens in our country out of the shadows."

-- Ohio Senator George Voinovich, The Cincinnati Enquirer, 29 June 2007

Today's HIGH IQ: Mike Crapo

"Above all, the primary reason I voted against this bill was because it granted immediate permanent legal residency to everyone who has illegally entered the country since the last amnesty program in 1986."

-- Idaho Senator Mike Crapo, The Hill, 7 July 2007

Today's AVERAGE IQ: Pete Domenici

"I don't know that a Minutemen organization is the best solution to the rampant illegal immigration problems on our border, but I can clearly understand the mounting frustration in the region."

-- New Mexico Senator Pete Domenici, Associated Press, 9 June 2005

Today's LOW IQ: Jeff Bingaman

"I strongly support comprehensive immigration reform."

-- New Mexico Senator Jeff Bingaman, Albuquerque Tribune, 8 June 2007

Today's IQ: Janet Napolitano

"[I]t is now abundantly clear that Congress finds itself incapable of coping with the comprehensive immigration reforms our country needs."

-- Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano, Associated Press, 2 July 2007

----------

(harbinger of states taking control of the immigration law):

The governor of Arizona — the busiest illegal gateway into the United States — signed into law Monday a proposal that prohibits people from hiring illegal immigrants and requires all businesses to verify the employment eligibility of workers through a federal database.

Today's IQ: Ted Kennedy

"We will be back. This issue is not going away. And we will ultimately be successful."

-- Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy, Houston Chronicle, 29 June 2007

Today's IQ: John Ensign

"The intensity level and the passions on this bill, we've never seen anything like it. Not even close."

-- Nevada Senator John Ensign, USA TODAY, 28 June 2007

Today's IQ: Bill Nelson

"We have a situation where the 1986 law has never been obeyed by employers and never been enforced by the U.S. government. And as a result, we have amnesty now – because there’s 12 million people here illegally and nobody’s doing anything about it. People say they don’t like amnesty. What we HAVE is amnesty."

-- Florida Senator Bill Nelson, TBO.com, 26 June 2007

Today's GENIUS IQ: Tom Tancredo

"If you build an illegal alien entitlement program, they will come."

-- Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo, 2003

Today's IQ: Ted Kennedy

"This amnesty will give citizenship to only 1.1 to 1.3 million illegal aliens. We will secure the borders henceforth. We will never again bring forward another amnesty bill like this."

-- Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy on the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986

Today's HIGH IQ: Charles Grassley

"I was fooled once, and history has taught me a valuable lesson. Amnesties just don't work."

-- Iowa Senator Charles Grassley, Washington Times, 22 June 2007

Today's IQ: Michael Bloomberg

(note: I didn't do one yesterday, so here's another for today)

"We're not going to deport 12 million people, so let's stop this fiction. Let's give them permanent status."

-- New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Daily News (New York), 31 March 2006

Today's IQ: Mel Martinez

"It's going to take a commitment to comprehensive immigration, something more than border enforcement. We can't deport 12-million people. We have to find a way to deal with people."

-- Florida Senator Mel Martinez, St. Petersburg Times, 2 June 2006

Today's IQ: Fred Thompson

"Look, it's just not realistic that we're going to round up 12 million people and ship them all out of the country."

-- Former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson, FOX News Sunday With Chris Wallace (Cited from Wallace), 11 March 2007

Today's IQ: Al Gore

"As for immigration, solving that came at a heavy cost, and I personally regret the loss of California. However, the new Mexifornian economy is strong and El Presidente Schwarzenegger is doing a great job."

-- Former Vice President Al Gore, Saturday Night Live, 13 May 2006

Here's a bonus quote, since it's from today. Gore is thinking global warming and environment, but replace those issues with immigration.

"The planet is in distress and all of the attention is on Paris Hilton. We have to ask ourselves what is going on here?"

-- Former Vice President Al Gore, The Sun Online, 18 June 2007

Today's IQ: Mitt Romney

"I don't believe in rounding up 11 million people [illegal aliens] and forcing them at gunpoint from our country."

-- Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, Associated Press, 29 March 2006

Today's HIGH IQ: Byron Dorgan

"It is just a fiction that these are jobs Americans aren't willing to do. The main reason that big corporations want a guest worker program is that it will drive down U.S. wages."

-- North Dakota Senator Byron Dorgan, Associated Press, 22 May 2007

(note: i'll do this daily on the blog. featuring a variety of politicians and figureheads on the immigration issue.)