When Joel Kaplan, Bush's Deputy Chief of Staff, offered a comprehensive briefing on the Immigration Bill before its demise earlier today, he made a lot of sense:
"Look, this is a complicated bill. It's taken some time for people to understand what's in there. Obviously, it's a compromise and it's in the nature of compromise that everyone doesn't get everything they want."
But here's the problem: We're not conditioned to hear complicated proposals from this White House. They've been more committed than any White House in memory to turning us into simpletons. The President has been proud of framing everything in black-and-white. (If "nuance" weren't a French word, would he hate it as much?)
From the beginning, keeping things as simple as possible has been a guiding principle of the Bush White House. Remember Bush naming Jesus Christ as his favorite philosopher at a 2000 New Hampshire debate? A bold answer, shared of course by millions. But what was Bush's reason? "Because he changed my heart." That's it? That's your reason for naming the central figure in Western religion? You've still got 30 seconds, Mr. President. How about something from the Sermon on the Mount? Anything?
His answer ranked with Paris Hilton's answer to Larry King when he asked for her favorite Bible passage. (Answer: She smiled and looked away.)
But until now it's been hard to argue with the simpleton strategy. He got us into Iraq with three letters (a record in crystallization): WMD. And it got him re-elected with three numbers (with a slash through the first and second): 9/11. The 2004 Republican Convention was a master class in messaging: Each night had a smartly named theme but the whole thing was really 9/11, 9/11, 9/11. Ironic that the Democrats, the party in bed with Hollywood, can't produce its way out of the electoral toilet. Their convention was a total snooze.
I'd give Trent Lott points for courage (madness?) in criticizing talk radio for branding a complicated Immigration bill as nothing more than mass amnesty - except that talk radio's not to blame. The right-wing hosts didn't like the amnesty part of the bill so naturally they were going to highlight that part of it and ignore the tightened border security, guest-worker program, and fines. That's their prerogative and they'd be stupid not to exercise it.
(Meanwhile poor sad John Kerry once again misses the point and wants to resurrect the Fairness Doctrine so that talk radio will be more diverse. Classic loser issue for the Democrats. What's next? A bill to affirm the rights of Americans to burn the flag? I'm shocked that the normally sensible Dianne Feinstein would even flirt with the idea of bringing back the Fairness Doctrine.)
President Bush, you probably won't have another shot at Immigration legislation. But if you do, make sure you make it easier to understand.
Start with "immigration": That thar werdz got fore big sillables! Ow my hed hertz!!
Mo Rocca has appeared on a bunch of shows, including 'The Daily Show,' 'I Love the 80s,'...
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Dumbocracy in Action: The Immigration Bill Goes Down
Posted Jun 28th 2007 1:30PM by Mo Rocca
Filed under: George Bush, Democrats, Republicans, 9/11, Illegal Immigration, Mo Rocca
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Reader Comments ( Page 2 of 15)
16. Thanks, everyone, most of all Dee Dee:
I will quickly correct my misspelling of "its." Teachers ARE miserably underpaid. If we ever meet, I'll pick up the bar tab.
As for those accusing me of calling Americans dumb, give me a break. My point is that political discourse has been so simplified that we're no longer conditioned to listen to any political proposition that can't be summed up in 30 seconds.
The White House has mastered the simple pitch - now it's come back to bite them in the ass - but they're certainly not wholly to blame for our short attention spans. Hell, I'm one of the guys who blathered on for 30 hours of "I Love the 80s." I've done my fair share in contributing to the national ADD ... though I stand by my love for Chicken McNuggets.
Mo Rocca at 3:35PM on Jun 28th 2007
17. Daniel K., you work in the Oval Office?
Liz at 3:38PM on Jun 28th 2007
18. BTW, PAMiss 45 (above), tens of thousands of illegal immigrants work for employers who deduct the usual payroll taxes.
Of course, without a SS number, the workers cannot file a tax return so their taxes go unclaimed and remain in the US Treasury.
So many actually do pay taxes.
Liz at 3:43PM on Jun 28th 2007
19. Glorious Chicken McNuggets. The holy grail of poultry. Better keep your love for those things down Mo, there could be some Peta eco-nutjob in here just waiting to erupt a whole new arguement on why chickens are people too.
And in my personal opinion, I don't think Americans are dumb. They're just really uptight, snobbish, and overall greedy. If it doesn't work, doesn't look nice, or isn't done in 10 minutes, it's clearly not up to snuff with American standards. So we complain and ramble and listen to Bill O'Reilly who does more of the same.
bobrien at 3:57PM on Jun 28th 2007
20. This just in! Kerry-think influences Republican Senator!
Brownback on the Immigration Bill:
He voted for it before he voted against it.
Liz at 4:08PM on Jun 28th 2007
21. OK thanks MO. It looks better already. And I'll be at the bar, drinking, waiting....
It's hard work. Yep.
DeeDee at 4:10PM on Jun 28th 2007
22. Well, as an American married to an immigrant I do not agree w/ some of the bloggers on here. You guys honestly do not know what your speaking about.Many people I know who are immagrants pay taxes,and have tax id cards.My best friend is also from South America,her and her family came here for an education to better theirselves.Many of the immigrants I know do not commit crimes,do not do drugs, do not brake the law in any way. Most of the immigrants here are not bad people.They have good hearts and stay out of trouble. They are people just like us.They want to become citizens but our government does not give them a fair brake.Our American education system is not very good.This education system does not ever educate correctly, or doesn't even educate at all about undeveloped countries.People here in America have such an uneducated view of the immigrants.You don't know their story you don't know anything. And they work hard for their money unlike many lazy Americans.And don't complain about them taking our jobs, they don't take any jobs from us.They work their asses of in jobs most Americans just do not wish to work in.They have to eat too. They breathe,eat,shit, and sleep just like us. They're humans. Some people need to start having a heart and open mind.B/c if this law becomes a law it will mess w/ alot of things and create more world problems. For a living full time, What American is going to clean houses, put in wood floors, carpet,do construction,do meat packaging, or pick food from the feilds? All those jobs contain almost all immigrants. Its really sick to see people speak out against immigrants, when you speak about these people as if you really know whats going on.Most of them want to do the right thing.What would you do if you came from a shity enviorment back home or a government who took all the money? And what would you do if you had three degrees and you were not making enough money to support yourself or family b/c you were not getting paid correctly and the only way out was to come to America?
unenochedepasion at 4:13PM on Jun 28th 2007
23. Unable to handle or comprehend complicated matters.
Mo, your joking right? Of course you are.
Might you not have mentioned that our boarders have been left unsecured since 09/110/01 despite the consistent din of geoWge and his junta repeatedly invoking the fear tactic for crowd control.
Laws exist regarding those who enter our boarders illegally. Our boarders require and demand full security congressional bills not-with-standing.
MO, with your talent it and bully pulpit it is surprising not to mention disappointing that you missed an opportunity-you could have suggested that trained dogs be used to patrol our boarders and halt all attempted crossings-the first Bitch that comes to mind, Ann Coulter-----> with all the hate embodied in that titless skeletal frame no matter how desperate those illegals would turn tail and run in the opposite direction.
Steve at 4:16PM on Jun 28th 2007
24. What year was it that the illegal's worked for cheap wages? Pick up one of them in front of a Home Depot or other type business where they line up in front of, for odd jobs & see what they want to charge you for their time. My friend paid one man $20.00 for 15 min. work only to have the money thrown in her face & called a cheap so & so. Also why is it everywhere you go they refuse to speak english? Does anyone realize how much money is spent & how many tree's die in order to have everything written in Spanish. Why do the Mexican's demand we change our language for them, next thing you know it will be another nationally. Try going to any other country in the world & most speak english, but in the good old U.S.of A. at the current rate if you don't learn Spanish you may not have a job in a couple of years. Hear about the fireman in Washington who lost their jobs because they couldn't speak English? Anyone know how that's going? Am I one of the few that finds it not ok to have to pay higher medical costs to cover an illegal's medical expenses, lose my Social Security to give an illegal free benifits & S.S. when they havn't paid into it. And why is it that everytime you watch the news of late about a hit & run or abduction, rape, etc, 9 out of 10 times it turns out to be an illegal?? Washing D.C. lives in another world & needs to get out into the real world to see what is really going on out their with the illegal's & what they are not doing for our country.
Ann Yank at 4:19PM on Jun 28th 2007
25. Where to begin? Once and for all, the 1986 Immigration Reform Act was championed by then-President Ronald Reagan while he conducted the destabilzation of Latin America, most significantly reintroducing military aid to Guatemala despite human rights abuses, which ulitimately led to the largest genocide in the Western Hemisphere in the second hald of the 20th century.
Genocide has consequences. One of them was the destabilization of Mexico's border with Honduras, leading to the Chiapas Uprising.
Of course it was Reagan who also established official ties with the Vatican and officially took a stand against international funding for family planning. Add to this mix historic machismo and the end of subsistence farming under NAFTA and we have an immigration problem with at least two decades of momentum.
As with Iraq, the problem with ignorantly rushing into an issue is that no matter how strictly you stay on a course you will remain lost because you've forgotten where the solid ground was.
Immigration reform will fail as long as people chant "I want my country back" without ever taking the time to find out where they left it (and if it was ever as idyllic as they hallucinate it was).
profebc at 4:19PM on Jun 28th 2007
26. solution to the immigration problems;
1st close the borders
2nd tell all illegal immigrants they have 2-4 months to get legal!!! the ones that don,t do this get sent back home. anyone else that wants in, has to learn english before they come in to our country.
3rd everyone that comes in or stays here has to immediately pay taxes no more free rides!!!!!
4th you commit a crime you will be prosecuted such as any american would be!!
5th all money stays in this country you do not get to send it back to your country!! unless you pay taxes like all americans have done and still do!!
6th if you are not legal, then get legal quit thinking america can take care of all of you when our own legal americans are still suffering.
7th fight back with your own country to change their laws so you can live well in your own country.
now that this has been said lets get to work people.
signed amen and god bless our precious america
6th
peggy at 12:50PM on Jul 8th 2007
27. Ann, deep breath, darlin'.
I'm going to guess you've never spent any time outside of this country. There are probably only 2 or 3 countries in this world where English is not the first or second language spoken. This is especially true in large foreign cities and tourist centers. Do you think people in those countries ever resent the American (English) language and loud, crass American culture that seeps into their cultures and corrupts traditions and social values they hold dear?
Like it or not, the world is a big global village. Change is inevitable. It cannot be stopped. Better to work to make whatever change is going to occur something constructive, controlled, palatable, workable, livable, whatever. Otherwise it won't take terrorist attacks to destroy this nation. It'll be Americans themselves.
Here's to reason and debate, not hostility and name calling.
Liz at 4:43PM on Jun 28th 2007
28. No one can deny the fact that this country was built on immigration. My maternal grandparents came over to this country from Europe; however, they did it legally. They went through the proper channels at the time. They became citizens. They denounced their allegiance to their former homeland. They learned to read and write English. They contributed, paid taxes. My grandfather fought in World War I.
To people who defend the immigration bill, I have but two questions to ask them, which part of illegal do they not understand? What country do they currently reside in? The United States of America should be taking care of its own first, instead of seeing how many jobs big business can outsource to foreign lands. When jobs are outsourced, the citizens of this country lose income. They don’t pay taxes, they don’t contribute to the growth of the economy, they don’t buy big ticket items, we all lose. Money that goes to other countries doesn’t come back in the form of taxes, they don’t buy big ticket items at our stores, we all lose.
We don’t need new laws to crack down on employers hiring illegal workers. They already exist. Enforce the ones we have.
Lastly, I wish someone could explain to me the concept of homeland security when we have companies such as banks, insurance companies, and so on, outsourcing work to places like India, when that work includes sensitive data such as social security numbers and credit card account information. I somehow doubt India is as strict on their screening of new hires as we may be here. A perfect entry point for someone to do some serious cyber terrorism. Also, I wish someone could explain to me, how people can become US citizens today, without being required to speak English, and who are also allowed dual citizenship?
Judge J at 4:55PM on Jun 28th 2007
29. unenochedepasion-
The problem doesn't lie with friends like yours. The folks you're speaking of are trying to do it all the right way, legally standing up and getting the tax i.d. cards and striving to become american citizens themselves. The problem is those that come across the border illegally, and don't seem to care that they stay that way, living on the fringes of legal society and laughing at our laws while at the same time complaining that we aren't helping them enough.
Unfortunately, it seems that people like your spouse and friends are in the minority.
captkahunah at 4:52PM on Jun 28th 2007
30. Liz, it's not the "employee" illegal aliens that everyone is fussing about not paying their taxes. It's the self employed illegals(like the yard man in Texas, or every painter here in Tennessee)who don't pay their taxes. Without a social security number the IRS has no idea who you are or how to find you. Sure there are some employee illegals around who have their taxes withheld from their check, but the self employed are expeected to pay the taxes themselves.BTW our tax office has never filed a tax return for an illegal alien. $0.02
taxman at 5:12PM on Jun 28th 2007