DfDeportation's Blog

McCain Launches Immigration Ad Targeted at Hispanics

Susan Davis reports on the presidential race.

Expected Republican nominee John McCain’s campaign released a new ad, “God’s Children,” today, tailored to Hispanic audiences that will run in the three Western swing states of Colorado, Nevada, and New Mexico.

The ad features McCain from a June 2007 Republican primary debate performance in New Hampshire during which he extols the contributions Hispanic immigrants have made in the U.S., particularly through military service.

“My friends, I want you the next time you’re down in Washington, D.C., to go to the Vietnam War Memorial and look at the names engraved in black granite. You’ll find a whole lot of Hispanic names,” McCain says in the ad, “When you go to Iraq or Afghanistan today, you’re going to see a whole lot of people who are of Hispanic background. You’re even going to meet some of the few thousand that are still green card holders who are not even citizens of this country, who love this country so much that they’re willing to risk their lives in its service in order to accelerate their path to citizenship and enjoy the bountiful, blessed nation.”

McCain has broken with many in his party on the issue of immigration reform through his earlier advocacy of a path to citizenship for the estimated 12 million illegal residents—many Hispanic—currently in the U.S. Efforts to approve such an overhaul of immigration laws last year failed in the Senate—where McCain was a lead author of the bill.

The Arizona senator, acknowledging the divisiveness within his party as well as the push-back he received from angry voters during the primary season, has since conceded that comprehensive reform can only be achieved after the U.S. secures its borders first—a position he emphasizes on the campaign trail. (For more on McCain and immigration, read THIS recent Wall Street Journal story.)

Hard-line Republicans, such as former primary rival Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado—advocate for the deportation of those here illegally, as well as a halt to legal immigration. The latest ad also notably features a clip of Tancredo sitting on the debate stage while McCain speaks.

“So let’s from time to time remember that these are God’s children. They must come into country legally, but they have enriched our culture and our nation as every generation of immigrants before them,” McCain says in the ad.

On Monday, McCain will speak at a gathering of the National Council of La Raza, a nonpartisan Hispanic advocacy group. It is his third address to a Latino group in 15 days.

omment by Nobama - July 11, 2008 at 10:13 am

The suggestion that the American economy with its 300 million citizens needs immigrants is a lie. Read “The Economic Fallacies of Desperate Foreign Labor” @ theclearsky.blogspot.com/#70709516354357493 .
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Allow me to explain in detail.
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Consider the United States. It has about 300 million citizens. Its gross domestic product (GDP) is about $12 trillion. The GDP per capita is about $40,000.
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Suppose that we inject 300 million desperate Indians (from India) into the USA. Its population suddenly doubles to 600 million people. The GDP remains the same at $12 trillion. The GDP per capita falls to $20,000.
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In this scenario, we assume a constant level of technology. Over time, the GDP grows rapidly as the economy absorbs the 300 million Indians. Eventually, the GDP reaches $24 trillion, and the GDP per capita returns to $40,000. (Actually, the GDP per capita will exceed $40,000 slightly due to the comparative advantage of the larger population.) Once GDP per capita reaches $40,000, the growth spurt ends.
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The propaganda game that pro-immigation bigots play is the following. They shout, “Look at the tremendous wealth that 300 million Indians added to the American nation. The GDP increased by $12 trillion to $24 trillion! Wow! Awesome!”
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What is the error in the reasoning of the pro-immigration bigots? Well, the total GDP is not the correct measure of your wealth. The correct measure is GDP per capita. Adding 300 million Indians did not increase your wealth or my wealth at all.
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There is no economic necessity, whatsoever, for H-1B workers, illegal aliens, or an open border.
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When a nation, like the United States, has a sufficiently large population (on the order of hundreds of millions of people), dumping hordes of immigrants into the nation offers almost no economic benefit. Indeed, in the short term and the medium term, a large number of immigrants actually suppresses wages and diminishes working conditions — in both high-tech jobs and low-tech jobs.
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A study by Harvard University demonstrated that illegal aliens from Mexico actually suppressed the wages of unskilled American labor by about 8%.
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There is no economic justification for immigrants. Immigration can be justified on only ethical grounds. For example, the United States regularly offers political asylum to anyone who is fleeing dire political persecution.
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How should we Americans deal with the flood of people from India, Mexico, and elsewhere? Washington should intervene aggressively in foreign countries that flood their people into the USA. A larger flood means a larger degree of intervention by us.
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Consider Mexico. Its society is a total and utter failure because Mexican culture is a failure. To deal with this failure, we give the Mexican government a plan to Westernize Mexico. We order the Mexican government to implement this plan. If a Mexican politician obstructs this Westernization plan, then we aggressively punish the offending Mexican politician. We (1) freeze his assets (and the assets of his relatives) in the West, (2) declare him (and his relatives) persona non grata thoughout the West, and (3) deny him (and his relatives) any access to Western medical facilities even if such denial results in his death (or his relative’s death). Further, we Americans will fund and promote Mexican politicians who are committed to Westernization. We will run Mexico like a colony. Of course, if Mexican drug smugglers enter American territory, the American military will pursue them — even into Mexican territory. If the Mexican military interferes in our pursuit of Mexican criminals, then we kill the Mexican soldiers.
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P.S.
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Most Americans have never taken a course in economics. As a result, they are easily manipulated by (1) lying, deceptive bigots in the pro-immigration groups, (2) lying, deceptive lobbyists for American companies, or (3) lying, deceptive American politicians who have been purchased by American companies or pro-immigration groups. Bigots, lobbyists, and politicians deliberately state economic lies in order to fool the ignorant American voter.