“The Real Rudy” – David Brooks 11/23/07

I watched a brief portion of the Republican YouTube debate on CNN last night. The issue of immigration came up (I understand it continued to do so throughout) and I was reminded of this David Brooks editorial from last week. The editorial focuses on Rudy G., and his apparent flip-flop from vigilant pro-immigrant NYC mayor to xenophobic authoritarian candidate. This transition has really manifested itself mostly in the past year, and to any serious follower of politics appears to be rooted in pandering to the perceived GOP base. Brooks selects numerous quotes from Giuliani’s past to highlight this change.

I am normally not a big fan of “gotcha” politics or journalism, but I am enthralled by the amount of backpedaling going on from several GOP candidates on the issue of immigration. Romney and Giuliani are the leaders in this reversal in direction from their earlier executive actions to the new “get’em out” mentality.

“At the moment, Giuliani and fellow moderate Mitt Romney are attacking each other for being insufficiently Tancredo-esque. They are not renouncing the policies they championed as city and state officials, but the emphasis as they run for federal office is all in the other direction. In effect, they are competing to drive away Hispanic votes and make the party unelectable in New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, Florida and the nation at large.”

I do believe that this ideological stance on an issue so personal to so many citizens is not in the long-term best interest of the GOP or the nation as a whole. The growing Hispanic population is an important part of America and to treat them as the “unwanted other” is to give way to xenophobic fear mongering at its worst. I do not proclaim to know the answer to the immigration issues that are facing America today, but I am confident that the vitriol being put into the “political debate” by the GOP candidates does not have a place in true political discourse. I should point out that I thought Huckabee and McCain were much more political in their responses that I heard on this issue. I never thought I would say that Huckabee seems more desirable and moderate at this point than Romney or Giuliani...