Mission Accomplished
Tom "Nuke Mecca" Tancredo dropped out of the Republican presidential campaign yesterday, and his parting shot was in keeping with the theme of his unlikely run, according to this AP article.
Tancredo, who has consistently polled at the bottom of the nine-man Republican field, said he decided to drop out in part because of concern that his presence could split the vote for other candidates who have taken a hard line on immigration, helping those who would take a less restrictive approach.
"I fear remaining in this race, one which I cannot win, would contribute to the nomination of one of these candidates," he said.
Tancredo identified Mike Huckabee and John McCain as two Republican candidates whose records indicate they would not be tough enough on immigration.
He said Romney had a proven record of opposing illegal immigration while governor of Massachusetts, ending driver's licenses and in-state tuition for illegal immigrants.
The man claimed that he would make immigration the central issue of this election, and he did a pretty good job of keeping that promise. To accomplish this, he ran ads that linked "lax border control" to terrorism and rape, ads which would have been darkly funny in their illogical leaps if they hadn't been so vicious and xenophobic. Tancredo's out-front racism left its mark by forcing the other GOP candidates to acknowledge the issue, but not one of them stepped forward to denounce the demagoguery. Instead, they each stepped up and tried to outdo each other in slamming those who come to this country to find work and support their families, just as they all tried to outdo each other on "security issues" by suggesting that waterboarding and other "intense interrogation" methods are acceptable ways to keep America safe.
Having accomplished the only item on his agenda, Mr. Tancredo rode off into the sunset before anyone really looked too closely at his claims and his methods.
Heckuva job, Tom.
Tancredo, who has consistently polled at the bottom of the nine-man Republican field, said he decided to drop out in part because of concern that his presence could split the vote for other candidates who have taken a hard line on immigration, helping those who would take a less restrictive approach.
"I fear remaining in this race, one which I cannot win, would contribute to the nomination of one of these candidates," he said.
Tancredo identified Mike Huckabee and John McCain as two Republican candidates whose records indicate they would not be tough enough on immigration.
He said Romney had a proven record of opposing illegal immigration while governor of Massachusetts, ending driver's licenses and in-state tuition for illegal immigrants.
The man claimed that he would make immigration the central issue of this election, and he did a pretty good job of keeping that promise. To accomplish this, he ran ads that linked "lax border control" to terrorism and rape, ads which would have been darkly funny in their illogical leaps if they hadn't been so vicious and xenophobic. Tancredo's out-front racism left its mark by forcing the other GOP candidates to acknowledge the issue, but not one of them stepped forward to denounce the demagoguery. Instead, they each stepped up and tried to outdo each other in slamming those who come to this country to find work and support their families, just as they all tried to outdo each other on "security issues" by suggesting that waterboarding and other "intense interrogation" methods are acceptable ways to keep America safe.
Having accomplished the only item on his agenda, Mr. Tancredo rode off into the sunset before anyone really looked too closely at his claims and his methods.
Heckuva job, Tom.
Labels: Election 2008, Immigration
posted by Diane at 4:14 AM
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