DREAM Act Portal Forum - Fall 2008 action

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Fall 2008 action

I know that 2008 is basically a dead year for the Dream act or any type of CIR, however i think that we should start planning our next step once the elections are done and Obama is elected.

The anti immigrant groups credit themselves with the defeat of 2006 CIR, the DREAM act ect, so i know theyll be foaming at the mouth once the new legislative session starts and any pro immigrant legislation is presented.

this is what im talking about:

Quote:

Radio Talk Jocks To Tackle Immigration On Sept. 11
By Samuel Loewenberg

Aug 13, 2008

(The Politico) Groups opposed to what they call “amnesty” for undocumented immigrants announced plans today to bring some 50 talk radio hosts from around the country to broadcast from Capitol Hill on the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

The “Hold Their Feet to the Fire” event is a reprise of a similar event last year when the populist broadcasters rallied opposition to the immigration reform legislation that ultimately collapsed in the Senate.

Organizers said they were staging their on-air demonstration as a reaction to the immigration reform movement, which has received a sympathetic ear from the presidential campaigns of both Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain.

“Powerful special interests are now in full force pushing for amnesty and foreign guest workers with no regard to the plight of the American worker, wages, or a deteriorating economy,” said the chief organizer, Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform’s Congressional Task Force." http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/...n4349115.shtml

We should beat them to the punch and get word out, plan and unite.

any ideas?

Re: Fall 2008 action

We have our own plan, getting our friends and family members who are citizens registered to vote.

If you really want ot help, volunteer at an adult ESL class. A lot of people are eligible for citizenship but the only thing holding them back is the language barrier.

They have to rely on phone calls because they can't deliver votes like our side can.

They are all bark, no bite. The 2006, and even the 2008 election prove that we have more in terms of numbers than them. Their people keep losing. They like to point to Chris Cannon, when immigration alone was brought up in 2006, he still own, when his conservative credentials on other issues were brought up he lost along with the main anti-immigraiton Utah legislator (I think it was Donnelson), voters were clearly not voting against Cannon based on the immigration issue. On their side, let's see, Tancredo, Hunter, Romney, Paul, J.D. Hayworth, The republican that ran for Jim Kolbe's old seat, Oberweiss, and so much more.

An Anti-immigration stance usually hurts, not helps. We have more people on our side but their people are just retired or getting handouts from the government so they have all the time in the world. Our people work and have families. They each call hundreds of times pretending to be someone new, they wish they had our numbers. Even in the republican primary, we all know what helped out McCain clinch the nomination, Florida. Thanks to the Florida immigrant community.

People on our side are normal and for the most part younger (as in under 70 years old). They have jobs and families and don't spend all day online like the opposition. So don't be fooled. Only a small segment of the population listens to these guys.

We should get our message out though, that's been our problem, politicians get fooled into thinking our side doesn't care because we don't call and write. Hopefully, the elections are teaching them a lesson but you never know.

Re: Fall 2008 action

Lets be realistic. Incumbents rarely lose their party primaries and when it does happen, its a big shock. One of the main reasons Chris Cannon (Republican from Utah) lost his primary was because his opponent relentlessly criticized him over his immigration positions. Coupled with low primary turnout, loony die-hard conservative Repubs punished Cannon for his immigration positions.

I don't think it portends bad news for our side because the third district is one of the most conservative districts (not representative of the population at large) in the country, and Cannon was out of step with his anti-immigrant conservative base on immigration.

Did immigration kill Chris Cannon's career?

Chris Cannon Loses Party Primary

Quote:

In the congressional race, Mr. Chaffetz, 41, claimed Mr. Cannon was soft on immigration, saying his votes amounted to offering amnesty to people in the country illegally.

In 2003, Mr. Cannon sponsored a bill that would have allowed states to charge in-state tuition for children of illegal immigrants.

Rather than deporting all illegal immigrants, Mr. Cannon has called for a guest-worker program that doesn't punish businesses and allows immigrants to travel freely across the border.

Mr. Chaffetz said he wants America to deport all illegal immigrants and stop granting automatic citizenship to children born here if their parents aren't legal residents.

He also attracted support in the largely suburban district by saying he wants to abolish the U.S. Education Department and cut a slew of federal programs unless they can prove they're working.

Quote:

Mr. Cannon had hoped his name recognition, a large amount of campaign cash, and a pool of more moderate voters would propel him again to the Republican nomination. An endorsement from President Bush, who still remains popular here, was also expected to help, as it did in 2006.

But this year, the political climate was different.

In 2006, Mr. Cannon "had a president that was much more popular that came to his aid," a BYU political science professor, Quin Monson, said. "You had a Republican Party riding high, controlling Congress and so on, and you had an economy doing better.

"He had all these factors working against him this time," Mr. Monson said.