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Newt Gingrich took a fairly significant risk on Tuesday night, talking about his “red card” approach to immigration during a debate. “The party that says it’s the party of the family is going to adopt an immigration policy which destroys families that have been here a quarter century?” he said. “I’m prepared to take the heat for saying, ‘Let’s be humane in enforcing the law.’”
Try to imagine Mitt Romney telling Republicans what they don’t want to hear — on literally any subject — and saying, “I’m prepared to take the heat.” It’s hard to fathom, isn’t it?
In any case, as expected, Gingrich has been the target of significant pushback on this, and campaigning in Florida yesterday, the disgraced former House Speaker fleshed out what a “humane” policy might look like in a Gingrich administration.
“I am not for amnesty for anyone. I am not for a path to citizenship for anybody who got here illegally,” Gingrich told the crowd of roughly 750 people, many of whom were forced to stand in the hallway. “But I am for a path to legality for those people whose ties are so deeply into America that it would truly be tragic to try and rip their family apart.” […]
Gingrich wants to model his immigration plan for illegals already in the country on the WWII model of the Selective Service System program, which allowed local communities to decide who would be drafted for war. He noted that the program “really tried to take general policy and give it a human face.”
“I think the vast majority [of illegal immigrants] will go home and should go home and then should reapply. I do not think anybody should be eligible for citizenship,” the former speaker said to loud applause in Southwest Florida with his wife, Callista, sitting in the front row of the audience. “I am suggesting a certification of legality with no right to vote and no right to become an American citizen unless they go home and apply through the regular procedures back home and get in line behind everybody else who has obeyed the law and stayed back there.”
Gingrich hasn’t walked back his position from Tuesday night, but these finer details clarify his position in ways that matter a great deal. In this case, a “humane” immigration policy would establish local community boards — who would sit on the panels is unclear — who would apparently scrutinize the lives of undocumented immigrants and their families, and determine who would and wouldn’t be allowed to legally stay in the country.
To put it mildly, this isn’t a good plan, and it’s not even close to “amnesty.”
On a related note, Romney’s team has been using this against Gingrich since Tuesday night, but Gingrich has been quick to remind folks of a 2007 interview in which Romney said undocumented immigrants currently in the United States should “be able to stay, sign up for permanent residency or citizenship.”
Of course, Romney has been through some metamorphoses since 2007.
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Hedda Peraz on November 26, 2011 8:11 AM:
" local community boards"
Death Panels, by another name. . .
c u n d gulag on November 26, 2011 8:12 AM:
I know this isn't nearly cruel enough for the rabid morons in the base, but Newt has actually come up with something every one of those idiots should love:
A permanent brown underclass of wage slaves, with no voice, and none of the protections of being a citizen.
This is a WIN/WIN for Conservatives!
Oh, and something tells me that in the future, if one of these women gets pregnant, rather than have her give birth to an "Anchor Baby," these same Conservatives would be ALL FOR abortion - early, mid, and late term.
They'd probably pepper spray each other to be the one who gets to yank that brown fetus out of the womb.
These are, after all, some really, really, sick people.
berttheclock on November 26, 2011 8:26 AM:
Hmmm, so all they would have to do is go to Emory University for a BA in history, then, onwards to Tulane for a PhD in European History and they were get their deferments?
berttheclock on November 26, 2011 8:29 AM:
PLEASE, Steve, add the edit function.
To above, "they would get their deferments"
Stumptown has not kicked in, as of yet.
hells littlest angel on November 26, 2011 8:36 AM:
I wonder how Romney feels about lacking Newt Gingrich's integrity. That's got to sting, if you have any feelings at all.
SYSPROG on November 26, 2011 8:54 AM:
shorter GOP - we want smaller government except for all the things WE don't like. Then we will have panels, laws, regulations to nail the young and nasty brown people.
berttheclock on November 26, 2011 9:09 AM:
Yeah, SYSPROG, like "Butterball" turkies (See the Religious thread) Then, Big Government can step in and stop those Muslim turkies.
The CAPTCHA read ephopte 20-3, but, did ephopte beat the spread?
Mac on November 26, 2011 9:17 AM:
Until buisinesses that hire illegals are seriously fined / punished it doesn't matter what other rules are put in place.
James M on November 26, 2011 9:40 AM:
One of my favorite lines from Highlander 3 (admittedly not a great movie) is "You have already lost". I really think that the Republicans, collectively, have already jumped the shark. All of the leading candidates have taken such crazy, radical positions that it will be impossible for them to tack to the center for the general election.
Also, I have enough faith left in Americans to believe that they simply will not vote for a total weasel like Romney. I am sure they would never admit, but I am guessing that the Obama camp is feeling pretty good about its chances these days.
DisgustedWithItAll on November 26, 2011 9:57 AM:
@James M: What percentage of Americans do you think will actually know Romney is a "total weasel." My guess is not many. My estimation of Americans is much lower than yours. Most are not civically responsible; they do not take the time or interest in informing themselves, and those that do try run into a wall of intentional obfuscation and determined confusion-ists. And what is there to say about the Fox-educated?
ManOutOfTime on November 26, 2011 11:14 AM:
That's why they are called "anchor babies." Mr. Smart Conservative is actually the biggest idiot of them all. He can't even confirm his lies to the lying liar party line.
Kordo on November 26, 2011 11:37 AM:
hell's littlest angel: Ouch! That hurts! s'ok tho he doesn't have any feelings... James M: It's a lovely thought. When I see some evidence, I'll let you know. Well, the OWS kids are pretty good evidence...
Texas Aggie on November 26, 2011 12:54 PM:
Gingrich blathers about going home and reapplying through regular procedures. What he is hiding is that there is no way that "regular procedures" are going to allow someone without significant skills to enter the US. An agriculture worker has absolutely zero chance of being given a visa. Even a general construction worker doesn't have a prayer unless he has some sort of special skill such as welding or being able to operate a crane.
So what Gingrich is really saying is that he wants to maintain the status quo.
thebewilderness on November 26, 2011 3:55 PM:
Bit of a mash up between the guest worker program and the foreign student program, maybe.
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