Just file this one in the You’ve Got To Be Kidding file:
A Republican-led legislative panel claims in a new report on illegal immigration that abortion is partly to blame because it is causing a shortage of American workers.
The report from the state House Special Committee on Immigration Reform also claims “liberal social welfare policies” have discouraged Americans from working and encouraged immigrants tocross the border illegally.
The statements about abortion, welfare policies and a recommendation to abolish income taxes in favor of sales taxes were inserted into the immigration report by the committee chairman, Rep. Ed Emery.
All six Democrats on the panel refused to sign the report. Some of them called the abortion assertion ridiculous and embarrassing.
“There’s a lot of editorial comment there that I couldn’t really stomach,” Rep. Trent Skaggs said Monday. “To be honest, I think it’s a little delusional.”
All 10 Republican committee members signed the report, though one of them, Rep. Billy Pat Wright, said Monday he didn’t recall it connecting abortion and illegal immigration.
This is the kind of rhetorical over-reaching that does nothing to gain the Republicans votes. Anyone who is a liberal can read this news report if they’re doing a standup comedy act for a liberal audience. Anyone who is a moderate or centrist is likely to be turned off because it’s an example of the kind of twisting of facts to try to somehow fit into an ideology.
Some hidden political statements are as smooth as ballet or the waltz. If this was a dance it would be the Macarena.
PS: If any Republicans nationally are getting ready to use this report’s theme as a new talking point on illegal immigration, here’s one bit of friendly advice: abort.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.