Bruning calls Hagel's (R-Ne) citizenship proposal 'amnesty'

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Omaha World Herald

Published Friday | May 4, 2007
Bruning calls Hagel's citizenship proposal 'amnesty'
BY ROBYNN TYSVER
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

Attorney General Jon Bruning turned up the heat against fellow Republican Chuck Hagel, accusing the senator Thursday of supporting "amnesty" for illegal immigrants.

Bruning, who is considering challenging Hagel in the GOP Senate primary, said the senator's plan to allow illegal immigrants to earn citizenship in a merit-based point system amounts to amnesty.

"It rewards illegal immigrants for breaking the law," Bruning said.

A Hagel spokesman said Bruning's criticism was a "baseless attack," noting that Hagel's plan requires illegal immigrants to accomplish certain things to earn U.S. citizenship.

Read more: http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2835&u_sid=2377431

[acmavm]

1. I always wonder why one of the requirements is that they go back to their

native land and apply for entry like all the people who got in here legally did.

[silverojo]

2. Because that's what everybody else has to do

Giving one country special treatment is unfair to immigrants from other countries who come here legally and play by the rules.

It's all BS, anyway...any Republican elected will just let illegal immigration remain out of control, the way Dubya is doing, because they LOVE all that cheap labor. It breaks the back of the middle class AND allows them to treat their illegal-immigrant employees worse than slaves. What more could greedy, sadistic bastards want in life?

[eagler]

3. Spot on

[pampango]

5. If anything, most Democratic proposals seem to be quite

"compassionate" towards immigrants opposing the "harsh" approach of Bush involving border fences and immigration raids.

The Repubs are split between the nativists and the corporatists, while we are split between those who fear the effect of immigrants on the wages of the working class and those who support the rights of the immigrants.

I don't see any possible legislation that would satisfy DU much less mainstream America.

[TwilightGardener]

6. Very good summary! I don't think there's an illegal-immigration

solution that is going to satisfy everybody. Hagel's approach seems common-sense--what the heck are we going to do, round up and deport 12 million people, and their American-born children? They need to come out into the light and become accounted for, and stop living in a shadow world--that serves nobody. On the other hand, they should be fined or punished, and then given a pathway to prove themselves worthy of being here. I suspect, though, that Hagel, being the pro-business kinda guy he is, is thinking more about the effects on construction, agriculture, meat-processing, etc. more than concern for illegals.

[TwilightGardener]

4. Bruning's an asshole--'nuff said.

[LeftishBrit]

7. Does this actually mean...

that Hagel's in danger of being defeated for re-election from the RIGHT?

Ye gods!

[TwilightGardener]

8. LOL! Who is to the right of Hagel--besides Hitler?

[LeftishBrit]

9. That's more or less what I was thinking...

This Bruning character must be DANGEROUS!!!

[TwilightGardener]

10. He is a pure political opportunist--he used to think Hillary was the

greatest thing since sliced bread when he was younger, and that Reagan was a jackass--but, when you go into politics in Nebraska, that won't fly. So he flipped his entire political orientation to start his elected career. And now he's just trying to capitalize on the anger folks have here for Hagel taking a stand on Iraq against the Chimp, and it seems to be working--shows you that doing the right thing doesn't always pay, I guess. I suspect Karl Rove is also behind this to some extent--the neocons want Hagel OUT.