I just read our Editor-in-Chief’s “McCain In Danger Of Losing Hispanic Vote By Landslide,” where he quoted The Politico, which points out that:
McCain seems to have wound up with the worst of both worlds: He appears to be getting no credit from Latino voters for his past support for immigration reform, while carrying the baggage of other Republicans’ hostility to illegal immigration.
In addition to my respect for John McCain’s service to his country and, especially, for his suffering as a prisoner of war, about the only other aspect of McCain’s philosophy and politics that I found somewhat respectable was his compassionate position on illegal immigration.
Thus, it is kind of sad that McCain, as The Politico says “seems to have wound up with the worst of both worlds: He appears to be getting no credit from Latino voters for his past support for immigration reform, while carrying the baggage of other Republicans’ hostility to illegal immigration.”
However, I can not shed tears for McCain for many reasons, and because, if he was the maverick he claims to be, he would have held his ground against the extreme right of his party on this important issue. McCain’s silence on this issue is deafening.
As the Austin American Statesman said this morning:
While the presidential candidates don’t say a word about immigration in English, they continue to fight over it in Spanish.
This week, Sen. Barack Obama’s campaign launched a new Spanish-language ad which says that Sen. John McCain “surrendered to anti-immigrant forces” and “betrayed” the Latino community.
The ad refers to McCain saying during a presidential debate that he would not vote for his own immigration bill.
The legislation — popular in the Latino community — would have provided a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants and created a guest worker program.
During the presidential campaign, McCain backed away from the bill saying that border security must come first, before any legalization plan.
Since McCain did not have the courage to tell Barack Obama to his face, during the most recent debate, the guilt by association slurs Sarah Palin has been uttering, I don’t think he’ll have the courage to confront the base of his party on this issue either.
The author is a retired U.S. Air Force officer and a writer.