Richardson: Two Languages Better, Hispanics On Iraq: Yanqui Go Home
CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) -Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton insisted Sunday night that it’s time to start pulling U.S. troops out of Iraq as she and her rivals for the Democratic prresidential nomination debated the war anew on the eve of a much-awaited asssessment by U.S. commanding Gen. David Petraeus.
Immigration was a leading topic. The candidates were asked why they supported a wall along the Mexican border—and not a similar fence along the U.S.-Canadian border—a question that seemed to catch them slightly off-guard.
Most avoided answering directly, saying simply that they believed security was a key part of comprehensive immigration reform.
“I do favor more security on the border and in some cases a physical border because that has to be part of securing our borders,” Clinton said.
Illinois Sen. Barack Obama spoke of his father’s experience as an immigrant and noted that he supported the comprehensive immigration bill that passed the U.S. Senate last year.
Richardson, who has opposed the wall, said he would commit to comprehensive reform in the first year.
“If you’re going to build a 12 foot wall. You know what’s going to happen? A lot of 13-foot ladders.”
But most Hispanics in America demand an immediate U.S. pullout from Iraq, so that topic lead the debate, with the moderators noting that two-thirds of Hispanics want such a withdrawal f Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich was loudly applauded for saying he would pull troops out.
Obama aligned himself with Kucinich.
“I was a strong opponent of the war, as Dennis was,” Obama said, adding that President Bush is trying to make it appear that the 35,000 troop surge earlier this year has had an impact.
Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards said he’s concerned the Petraeus report “will basically be a sales job by the White House.”
Delaware Sen. Joe Biden, recently returned from a trip to Iraq, skipped the debate to prepare for a Foreign Relations Committee hearing that he is scheduled to chair Tuesday on the Petraeus report.
Univision invited the Republican candidates for a similar forum, but only Arizona Sen. John McCain has accepted.
In the first presidential debate ever broadcast in Spanish, Clinton primary campaign rival Bill Richardson challenged her to get each and every U.S. soldier out—not just some of them.
“I’d bring them all home within six to eight months,” Richardson said in the debate which took place in south Florida and was broadcast on Univision, the nation’s largest Spanish-language network. “There is a basic difference between all of us here … This is a fundamental issue.”
Richardson, one of two candidate who speak fluent Spanish, objected to the debate rules that required all candidates to answer in English. The rule was designed to make sure that no candidate had an advantage in appealing to the Spanish-speaking audience.
“I’m disappointed today that 43 million Latinos in this country, for them not to hear one of their own speak Spanish, is unfortunate,” said Richardson, the governor of New Mexico. “In other words, Univision is promoting English-only in this debate.”
Clinton said that a report being presented in Washington by Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker this week won’t change the basic problem that there is no military solution in Iraq.
“I believe we should start bringing our troops home,” she said. “We need to quit refereeing their civil war and bring our troops home as soon as possible.”
That the Democratic Party held the debate here is clearest sign yet of the growing influence of Hispanic voters. Candidates in both parties are reaching out to Hispanics with an intensity that speaks to the importance of the nation’s largest and fastest-growing minority group in the campaign.
In the debate, held at the University of Miami, the candidates’ responses were simultaneously translated into Spanish for the broadcast.
Univision’s late entry to the field of networks hosting such high- profile political events was evident Sunday night. Reporters from around the world who came to Florida to cover the debate were left, for example, with no audio feed in the room where they were placed outside the debate hall.
Hispanics have a new voice in the Democratic primary process with Nevada holding an early contest. Florida also has moved up its primary to Jan. 29, violating party rules. Democratic candidates have pledged not to campaign in Florida unless the date is changed by the end of the month.
In 2004, President Bush won about 40 percent of the Hispanic vote nationally, the most ever for a GOP presidential candidate. His Democratic rival, Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, won 53 percent, down from the 62 percent former Vice President Al Gore garnered in 2000.
Democratic hopeful Sen. Christopher Dodd, who served in the Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic, also speaks Spanish fluently and had objected to the rules requiring responses in English. Before the debate even began, Dodd and Richardson were quick to trot out their Spanish for the audience.
Asked if he could hear during a sound check Dodd responded in Spanish: “Perfectly well.”
Not to be outdone, Richardson added in Spanish: “I also hear you well.” He began his first answer
Former Alaska Sen. Mike Gravel boasted that he’s also bilingual—in French. “I honor everyone who comes to this country as an immigrant because we are all immigrants.
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Can you believe these living shit stains are actually candidates for the President of the United States?
September 9th, 2007 at 5:47 pmYanqui go home? I wonder when the Mexicans are going to give back the land that the Conquistadores stole from the Yanquis and other native tribes. Is there a “la Raza” in Mexico? A reconquista movement?
I don’t fucking care what “illegals” want. I want them gone. And they better not be voting. If they do, I’d challenge every one of their ballots.
All of these Dhimi candidates ought to go where all Dhimis go…into the goat-fucking pens of their Islamofacist puppetmasters. Although in Her Thighness’s case I don’t think any Shiek will want her ugly ass. Maybe for a maid or something. On the other hand said shiek might be like Arafat was and like to pound the poop shoot…so Osama Youmama Obama might have a problem; as might the Breck-girl.
September 9th, 2007 at 6:06 pmThe gay Talibastards would love another girlie-man like the Breck girl for their midnight chai party. Really thuper therial…
Bill Richardson is an idiot. Maybe we should send him a letter with this quote in it. If it is too long, just read the last two sentences:
“There is no room in this country for hyphenated Americanism. When I refer to hyphenated Americans, I do not refer to naturalized Americans. Some of the very best Americans I have ever known were naturalized Americans, Americans born abroad. But a hyphenated American is not an American at all.
This is just as true of the man who puts “native” before the hyphen as of the man who puts German or Irish or English or French before the hyphen. Americanism is a matter of the spirit and of the soul. Our allegiance must be purely to the United States. We must unsparingly condemn any man who holds any other allegiance.
But if he is heartily and singly loyal to this Republic, then no matter where he was born, he is just as good an American as any one else.
The one absolutely certain way of bringing this nation to ruin, of preventing all possibility of its continuing to be a nation at all, would be to permit it to become a tangle of squabbling nationalities, an intricate knot of German-Americans, Irish-Americans, English- Americans, French-Americans, Scandinavian- Americans, or Italian-Americans, each preserving its separate nationality, each at heart feeling more sympathy with Europeans of that nationality than with the other citizens of the American Republic.
The men who do not become Americans and nothing else are hyphenated Americans; and there ought to be no room for them in this country. The man who calls himself an American citizen and who yet shows by his actions that he is primarily the citizen of a foreign land, plays a thoroughly mischievous part in the life of our body politic. He has no place here; and the sooner he returns to the land to which he feels his real heart-allegiance, the better it will be for every good American. ”
TR Addressing the Knights of Columbus in New York City
September 9th, 2007 at 6:32 pm12 October 1915
I don’t remember who here posted up the comment about having a Mexico withdrawal from the U.S. That was hilarious! True as well.
I don’t have a problem with immigration as long as it is done legally and those that come here must ASSIMILATE to American culture. My grandparents did this, why is it so hard for those coming here now to do the same. They learned English and became Americans through and through. I’m tired of going to the local restaurants where I live and have the host greet me in Spanish.
I say we must have English as the official language among other things.
September 9th, 2007 at 6:46 pmBack in the late 1770s Congress in Philadelphia debated what will be the language of the land. They debated whether it should be German or English. How come Chinese immigrants don’t have problems with this? What makes Spainish speakers think they’re so special. But luck of birth my Irish ancestors came here in the 1840s already speaking English. My Polish ancestors that arrived in the 1890s learned English. What is it with these descendents of the Aztecs and Mayans? Maybe the Senecas of Western New York can teach them English.
September 9th, 2007 at 7:30 pmThis isn’t rocket science: a single language creates unity, multiple languages create division.
I thought liberals wanted unity amongst Americans, not division. Their ideas are so mindless that they contradict one another. “Let’s all get along but let’s all break down into different cultural camps and speak different languages.”
America has spent two centuries building a new and united culture: American culture. Why should it be despised instead of celebrated? Why do liberals insist on destroying it and replacing it with a disjointed and disfunctional patchwork of everyone’s ancestor’s cultures? We’ve assimilated and created something new, “progressed” into the future. Why turn back the clock? Why build a tower of Babel?
September 9th, 2007 at 7:38 pmNot German American, not African American, and not even Hispanic American… I AM A AMERICAN!!!
September 9th, 2007 at 8:33 pmI think SSgt. Dean would be appropriate here. He was right on the money.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBflQLa75C8
September 9th, 2007 at 11:50 pmWell said all:
My ancestrors came to this country from France in 1558. They like others from Europe, built this country, fought, bled and dies for this country…to make it what it has been for two centuries.
We have grafted into our family tree Canadian French and Germans from the early 20th Century. All came through Ellis Island; all became American citizens, all assimilated and all pledged allegiance to one flag; one nation…and they all press one for English.
WTF is wrong with the newest immigrants. They think they have “special rights”. Like someone owes them a fucking living. That’s bullshit. I know a ton of Koreans, and they don’t stand there with their hands out saying “Give me…you owe me”. They speak English…albeit poorly…but you won’t find too many of them on welfare or swearing allegiance to some other flag other than the stars and stripes.
Perhaps the reason is indicitive as to why Mexico is such an abject failure. Too many cry babies wanting handouts. Too many criminals. Too few worker bees.
There’s afew bad apples in every country…but it seems that Mexico has more of them than all the rest.
The like to shout “La Raza” and “Reconquista”. They think that they are going to “take what they want from us”. That’s probably the same shitty attitude that they Spaniards had when they stole all of Mexico from the native peoples.
The reason why you hear nothing from the “natives” in Mexico, is because when they demand their rights, the Mexican government suppresses them.
If you want an example of illegal immigration laws that work, adopt the Mexican ones. In Mexico, illegals have no rights. We should adopt their illegal laws. The UN doesn’t cry out when a third world piece of shit like Mexico suppresses the illegals in their country. Shouldn’t we in the First world do likewise and give Mexico and the UN our middle finger? Damn straight!!
September 10th, 2007 at 12:22 amOne of the bigger things that kills me about this whole immigration movement bullshit is the bullshit argument that Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, etc. were somehow “stolen” from Mexico by the big, bad, evil USA. Oh, because, that’s right, Mexico was such a peace loving utopia with the most magnanimous leaders this world has ever seen until we provoked them into finally taking up arms (and, they would have us believe, they did so begrudgingly). GIVE ME A FUCKING BREAK. Ever heard of the Constitution of 1824??? Where was your fucking peace-loving Mexican Utopia when Santa Anna decided to wipe that Constitution with his ass??? If any nation was ever a war-mongering, land-grabbing nation it was Mexico, and Spain before it. We stole the southwestern states??? Go cry me a river. Apparently history began when Mexico lost their land. Bullshit.
The only thing someone who professes this bullshit can say, while still being honest, is that we won, they lost, and they are bitter about it. And it’s not as if their culture made such a huge impact at the time to even claim that it was a de facto Mexican state. This isn’t the Rhineland. This isn’t Alsace-Lorraine. The culture(s) in these regions, be they American, German, Scandinavian, Irish, American Indian, or anything else, not only rivaled but overpowered the “overwhelming” Mexican influence they claim they had. These regions were more Americanized than angry Mexicans today could ever hope to believe (why do you think Santa Anna rescinded the Constitution of 1824??? Texas was becoming too American and too hard to control under Mexican rule.). Most Mexican culture that is now commonplace in these regions is because of the gracious, freedom-loving culture of the US that embraces other cultures and allows outsiders to practice their customs freely, not because these regions are just “so obviously Mexican”. If Mexico wants to claim these regions as their own, then I suggest they order their “army” to gather both their rifles, get on their squadron of mules, and just try to “take it back”. Otherwise, shut the fuck up, stop taking advantage of a putrid welfare system, and, hey, here’s an idea, maybe try to improve your own damn country instead of holding the US responsible for it being the shithole that it is.
September 23rd, 2007 at 9:38 am