WashPost’s The Fix Comments on McCain and Immigration, Per the GOP Base
In his political new-media site The Fix, the Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza commented at length about Senator McCain’s handling of the volatile immigration issue, per the Republican base. Here’s the complete text:
“McCain Goes on Offense on Immigration
No issue animates the Republican base like immigration.And, in the days following the announcement of a bipartisan deal on the issue, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) found himself on the receiving end of a series of body blows from his presidential rivals — most notably former Gov. Mitt Romney (R-Mass.) — who attacked the agreement as nothing more than amnesty.Privately, the McCain campaign seethed at the characterization that he was backing amnesty; they argued that his work on the issue was a prototypical example of his willingness to tackle tough issues and try to find solutions to them.While President Bush has begun to make that same case, it’s clear the McCain people are now taking matters into their own hands.
Over the last week, McCain has made a flurry of appearances on conservative talk radio television to sell the plan. He’s been on “The Mike Gallagher Show,” Sean Hannity’s radio show,” The Michael Medved Show,” “Captain’s Quarters Blog Radio” as well as local radio programs in South Carolina, Iowa and Arizona. He also appeared last night on “The O’Reilly Factor”
McCain will continue the offensive through Monday when he has a major immigration address plan aimed at making his case to the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce in Coral Gables, Fla.
The argument? Doing nothing amounts to the very amnesty that conservatives are railing against. “Right now it’s de facto amnesty because we have 12 million people here illegally,” McCain said on “The O’Reilly Factor.” He added that the bill backed by him and Bush does “everything short of deportation,” pointing out that it includes fines, waiting periods and learning English in order to be a citizen.
This is a delicate issue for McCain as it has the potential to play into fears among the conservative base that he simply isn’t one of them. This idea, which was born during the 2000 presidential primary fight between McCain and Bush, continues to linger despite the fact that McCain has spent much of the intervening seven years playing the role of “good solider” for the Bush administration.
The problem for McCain is that it is a far simpler case to oppose the legislation than support it. Decrying amnesty is an easy-to-understand political position that can be conveyed in a matter of seconds to a potential voter. Explaining why this bill is not amnesty takes far longer. Campaigns often hinge not on which candidate has the more nuanced position on a controversial issue but rather who has the more easily explained stance.”
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