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Manhattan Diary by Cahir O'Doherty

Immigration hopes and dreams crushed by Republican Party

Posted on Sunday, February 17, 2013 at 09:40 AM

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The fondest hopes of millions, still hidden in the nations shadows, have just met the Republican Party.

Message: your hopes and dreams are 'dead on arrival.'

Fresh from his still not-ready-for-prime-time performance after the State of the Union, the GOP's latest used car salesman Senator Marco Rubio has a message for the particularly hard working men and women who run America's service economy: go to the back of the bus - and be thankful if we don't send you packing back to whatever God forsaken nation you spring from.

Just hours after President Obama's immigration reform plan was leaked to the press this week Rubio sent out a press release of his own:

'It’s a mistake for the White House to draft immigration legislation without seeking input from Republican members of Congress,' the statement begins, before going on to call the bill 'half-baked and seriously flawed' and declaring that 'if actually proposed, the President’s bill would be dead on arrival in Congress.'

What this means is what every reactionary GOP position statement means: if the president is for it we're against it. It doesn't matter what the issue is, who it impacts or how it helps. If it's bad for the GOP that takes precedence over the nation, obviously.

Until the last few months Rubio has never shown interest in immigration reform. Suddenly he and the so-called gang of eight are the nation's authorities on a path to citizenship? Really?

The president's plan is a sensible and far from automatic path that would allow undocumented immigrants to obtain legal permanent residency within eight years, among other provisions. The extended wait time is far from a reward for what Rubio calls 'those who broke our immigration laws' over 'those who chose to do things the right way and come here legally.' They have to wait eight years, they have to pay their taxes and demonstrate their fitness. By that yard stick there are millions of born and bred American citizens who would probably fail the test. But don't tell that to the GOP.

This tactic should be seen and lamented for what it is: an old fashioned spanner in the works.

Will the GOP's reflexive need to stymie every bill the President proposes override even their own political interests when it comes to their disastrous performance with Latino voters in 2012?

Why yes, it will. The GOP base is a narrow and rapidly shrinking island of increasing ideological purity that is creating an angry reactionary armed compound within the wider nation. Its base is shrinking along with its effectiveness, only its resentment is still growing.

At the State of the Union Rubio showed that he's trafficking in the same old ideological dead ends that led to the party's wipe-out in 2012: big tax cuts for billionaires, bad science for big business, bash minorities and stand with bigots, boom times for the old boy networks and yah-boo to the rest of you.

So Rubio has decided to turn his back on the Latino voters his party desperately needs, because that's the price of staying on the ideologically pure GOP reservation, where ideas (alongside the hopes and dreams of millions, as well as the bills that can help them) go to die.

If you have a dream, you best make it your business to tell and his party him loud and clear. He can't hear you over the shouts of 'amnesty' and other less printable comments coming from his base.

See more: Irish immigration , Irish GOP , Irish Republicans , Irish in US Politics

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seanomelb | Feb 19, 2013, 06:21 PM EST

Seanmor is peed of because he has to pay $50 everytime he enters a va hospital. What would you do with the 11 million illegals Sean?? Maybe you should ponder on that issue rather than feeling sorry for yourself.

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Seanmor | Feb 19, 2013, 09:28 AM EST

The U.S.A. has always been a land of immigrants and estimates but Irish natives who served in Washington's army over 30%. Many immigrants from Europe spokeke little or no English when they LEGALLY entered the country but they soon learned the language and made valuable contributions to th U.S. Prior to about the 1970s there was NO subsidized housing, NO clothing allowance, NO food stamps, NO free health care for LEGAL immigrants. A great many of today's non-English speaking ILLEGALS help themselves of many benefits at taxpayers that were NEVER available to those of us who arrived with permnent visas and HONORABLY serverd in the military. As a Marine Corps veteran of 4 years, nearly all of it duriny the Vietnam War era, I have to pay $50 each time I visit the Albaby V.A. Hospital.

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Eschetic | Feb 18, 2013, 10:06 PM EST

O'Doherty's style may be over-the-top, as is his wont, but his point is both fair and pertinent. Senator Rubio is one of the few relatively "fresh" faces currently coming to the fore who have a chance of rescuing the my Republican Party from the cringing dead policies so soundly rejected by the voters in the last two presidential elections, but if he insists on pandering to a xenophobic anti-immigrant agenda which will cut him off from his own natural base of support, he may pick up a few cheap points in his quest for the 2016 nomination, but he'll make the nomination itself just as futile and the regeneration of our party just as hobbled as it was in 2008 and 2012. It isn't too late for Republicans to speak out for common sense and what the changing voter demographic reasonably wants - and have a chance to be serious contenders in 2016...but if the "leaders" insist on remaining "the Party of 'No'", we will indeed be nothing more than the new Whigs, and relegated rightly to the dustbin of history..

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seanomelb | Feb 18, 2013, 06:02 PM EST

Seanmor lauding the fact that he spoke english when arriving in the states. maybe he should remember what historical facts forced his ancestors to speak english. 11 million undocumented residents live in the U.S. and sendiong them back would be economical suicide fot the U.S.. Giving them a "Pathway" to citizenship is humane and economical commonsense which the racist seanmor is devoid of. Again sean me boy it is not all about you. Have some dignity and cease been a racist.BTW what about the english speaking "Illegals" seanny they seem to get a leave pass in your racist scenario.

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Scrivner | Feb 18, 2013, 05:20 PM EST

Cahir, you are mistaken. O'Bama leaked this "plan" BECAUSE Congress was getting its act together and was abouit to unveil a bipartisan plan. His purpose was to take control of the story by pissing off both Repubs & Demos in Congress so that they looked even more disoriented than usual. The Prez doesn't give a rat's patootie for immigrants, whether Mexican, Irish, or Nigerian, he learned from the Daley Machine that control is everything, enemies are to be co-opted or utterly destroyed and never admit a mistake. As others have pointed out, immigration reform was a non-issue for him until late in the last election, then his handlers guided him into making promises for votes.

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Seanmor | Feb 18, 2013, 04:53 PM EST

Is the writer suggesting that no distinction be made between those who entered the U.S. illegally and those of us who came here in full complience with all the innigation law? If so, why does he expect that millions who are now UNLAWFULLY residing here, refuse to learn English and show no interest in assimilating be handsomely REWARDED with full amnesty and easy citizenship while we who LAWFULLY came here from Ireland, Speak fluent English and HONORABLY served in the nation's military never received any such rewards.

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anglo-norman | Feb 18, 2013, 02:37 PM EST

I never read such stupidity in all my life.. Cahir stay away from the grog while writing son.

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Dompedro | Feb 18, 2013, 02:15 PM EST

I think O'Doherty finally is ready for MSNBC

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Gaelicpiper | Feb 18, 2013, 02:11 PM EST

The marginally witted O'Dohery is a fool. With millions of citizens out of work, those being mostly low skilled and no skilled workers, he whines about amnesty for the illegal, criminal, aliens whom are working illegally. They, the criminal aliens, commit identity thieft and document fraud in order to work- which are felonies. O'Dummy, get your head out of that place where the sun does not shine and think about the law abiding citizens and legal immigrant Irish who are out of work.

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FastEddy | Feb 18, 2013, 12:57 PM EST

You are full of it: The Administration is still not intending to secure the borders and keep bad guys out. The Administration is still trying to pay off political campaign donations in the form of H1 visas for the demo corporate sponsors. The Administration is still trying to get free rides for freeloaders, free health services, free room and board, et al ... Oh Bummer.

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MegK311 | Feb 18, 2013, 12:26 PM EST

Obama needs to spend his time getting the unemployed back to work. With millions of people out of work in this country why do we need more immigrants who will also be looking for work. I am not against people legally immigrating to the US but now is not the time.

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PhlutiePhan | Feb 18, 2013, 11:45 AM EST

@olovely: You have a point. However, BHO is standing so far to the left that holding up a mirror only offers a distored image. How many nations through history have been run by gay marriage? It is all a smokescree. It is the gay women like his own mother who want control. You can see in Ireland how the Catholic Church has been compromised. The "devil" has gone after the very religion that Christ founded and according to Our Lady of Fatima, the corruption has reached the very top.

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olovely | Feb 18, 2013, 11:23 AM EST

He's right. He's holding the mirror up to the extremist GOP. They stand against every forward looking piece of legislation that the administration introduces because their frothing base like katieherk find their heads exploding. They forgo the nations business and put the GOP first. Whether it's budgets, immigration, deficits, industry or banking reform, they're there to throw spanners and that is all.

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Pittsburghkid | Feb 18, 2013, 11:19 AM EST

America is under invasion. We must protect ourselvies. La Rasa has already claimed that they are the rightful owners of the Southwest.

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rose528 | Feb 18, 2013, 11:00 AM EST

all I see here is old white men acting as nazi/fascist party of NO (repugs} spreading lies, fear and hate

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