The news cycle in the 2012 presidential race seems down to about 2-3 hours. Indeed, harmful as it was to his broader effort, Mitt Romney might have been relieved to issue his tax returns this morning if for no other reason than this: It took the focus off what I thought was a major blunder in the Monday night debate that was televised on NBC.
I'm talking about this:
ROMNEY: Well, the answer is self-deportation, which is people decide they can do better by going home because they can`t find work here because they don`t have legal documentation to allow them to work here. And so we`re not going to round people up.
The way that we have in this society is to say, look, people who have come here legally would, under my plan, be given a transition period and the opportunity during that transition period to work here, but when that transition period was over, they would no longer have the documentation to allow them to work in this country. At that point, they can decide whether to remain or whether to return home and to apply for legal residency in the United States, get in line with everybody else. And I know people think but that`s not fair to those that have come here illegally.
It's a fascinating idea -- the modern GOP's obsession with the sanctity of free markets leading inevitably to "a free-market solution" to immigration. Since he'll make it impossible for undocumented immigrants to get jobs, Romney argues, the marketplace will make them go back to Ecuador or Thailand or wherever. The biggest problem with Romney's idea is that there is nothing in the history of American immigration over the last two centuries to make anyone think this would happen, even if President Romney pulls off his Orwellian coup of a step towards a national ID card.
But in the short term, "self-deportation" is a bigger political problem for Romney.
Why? I think it makes him look weak in the eyes of Tea Party voters, who must be influential in Florida politics or they would not now have a governor as horrific as Rick Scott. The real base of the GOP doesn't want a tidy "free market" solution to immigration issues, even if such a solution actually existed. No, it wants blood. OK, maybe not blood, but pink underwear. That's the tough-guy approach to immigration adopted by the right's hero on this matter, Phoenix-area sheriff Joe Arpaio, who also goes out regularly on raids and wants power to racially profile and make lots and lots of arrests, which isn't "self-deportation" in any sense of the word. So I think Romney's stance makes him look weak going into Tuesday's primary.
And it probably doesn't help him much with a huge bloc of Cuban-Americans in South Florida who tend to vote Republican -- this notion that the only way to deal with people in the United States without papers is simply to drive them away. I could be wrong. We'll see.
The New York Times has a good piece up this afternoon about the immigration issue in the Florida primary. I thought this sums up why "self-deportation" won't work:
But, Ms. Pestana, who owns an assisted living center, said she viewed Mr. Gingrich’s position on immigration — an issue she considers secondary — as more realistic. Her son recently tried to hire American citizens for his roofing company, she said, and found no takers.
“Who will fix our roofs and pick our tomatoes?” asked Ms. Pestana.
Will your brain not only looks like Swiss cheese, it is Swiss cheese.— RufusG- Obama's charitable giving???? 1%
Joe "brain dead" Biden- $369.00
Mitt Romney's? $4,000,000.00— Keep The Change - "Bunch of B.S."-I'm not really sure what you Libs want. My father-in-law came here in the 40s from Hermosillo Mexico. He worked in a factory for a few years and then applied for citizenship. He took courses in American history and passed the test. My daughter even once told me: "Wito knows a lot about the Constitution"? So..what's the problem??? I know the Libs want to populate the country with folks they think will vote for them but that is changing year by year. Many immigrants have strong "family-values" and are really neocons at heart. Hell, minority voters were the reason Prop 8 passed in Cali.!!! So, really the solution is to have everyone who wants to legally apply for citizenship and go through the process, all the while ignoring the Libby ranting and hate speech!— sarah89
- Funny how the would-be free market lovers of the Right so desperately need a government solution to regulate the inalienable right to pursue happiness - the very essence of the marketplace. Not true conservatism, just bigotry disguised as such.— montani semper liberi
- So, MSL - you consider secured borders bigotry?? — IggleFan68
Comment removed.- Oh, Bile,atkins! I'm sure Obama will follow in the footsteps of his predecessors, Carter and Clinton, and use the power of the presidency to help the less fortunate. Unlike Reagan, Bush 43, Nixon and the other Republican ex-presidents who retire with their fortunes and help themselves. — wokmaster
- The first 3 posters miss the point. Romney's position on "self-deportation" is further proof that he has no core. It reinforces what many voters already thought - Romney will say anything to win an election. By the way, why would a man with that kind of wealth want a job that pays about 250 grand? The most stressful job in the world. Makes you wonder how much the Presidency is actually worth...— wokmaster
- "Funny how the would-be free market lovers of the Right so desperately need a government solution to regulate the inalienable right to pursue happiness"
Of course, this can always be turned around. The regulatory lovers on the left somehow turn a blind eye to the externalities created by unchecked immigration.
Some of your welfare state utopias, such as Finland have much stricter enforcement.— RG - Will and Obama want all the illegals that they can get in order for the Democrats to run this country. Without those illegals voting for Obama he will fade into the future along with Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi.— RufusG
- Keep the change, get your facts straight. The Obamas and Romneys each donated about 14% in 2010, never mind that the Obamas had one-tenth the income and two more mouths to feed and clothe.
Why can't you wanks ever honestly attack Obama on the merits? Jeez, can't be that hard, can it?— montani semper liberi - "The Obamas and Romneys each donated about 14% in 2010, never mind that the Obamas had one-tenth the income and two more mouths to feed and clothe."
LOL. Thats why they use percentages, counselor. To compensate for differing levels of income. And Obama had two additional tax deductions in his daughters as well. Don't forget to consider Romney's tithing, which is often used toward charity.— RG 
"Some of your welfare state utopias, such as Finland have much stricter enforcement." . . . . In utopia, there's no need for borders, RG. Anyway, it's essentially a labor issue for me, given that corporate employers profit mightily from the necessarily cheap, obedient and disposable illegal immigrant. They'll contiue to turn a blind eye as long as that cheap labor can't legally bargain, collectively or otherwise. I'd prefer they had the democratic empowerment to return home and reform their own nations and economies, which are still sad legacies of the corporate colonialism of the last century.- When did you move to Utopia, MSL?? So your dream is actually a world united by a single government??? You do realize that the fanatical muslims will only accept that if it's a Muslim government, and everyone converts to Islam, right? Is Utopia a place where women have to cover up completely??? — IggleFan68
- "I'd prefer they had the democratic empowerment to return home and reform their own nations and economies,"
They prefer to come here and work. And they whine a whole lot less than you.— RG
Will Bunch, a senior writer at the Philadelphia Daily News, blogs about his obsessions, including national and local politics and world affairs, the media, pop music, the Philadelphia Phillies, soccer and other sports, not necessarily in that order.
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