A Western Reader Says Grover Norquist Beat Steven Camarota At The Testifying Game—Wants Less Wonkish Advocates
04/26/2013
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From: Wilburn Sprayberry [Email him]

Watching some of the immigration hearings, I saw two dueling spokesmen—sitting next to each other at the witness table—for the contending sides in the debate over the Gang of 8 bill. On our side: Steven Camarota, the technical expert from the Center for Immigration Studies. [Camarota prepared testimony]On their side: Grover Norquist, open borders advocate uber alles.[Norquist prepared testimony] See Immigration Reform Could Sink Due To Differences Within GOP, Analysts Say, By Elizabeth Llorente, Fox News Latino, Published April 25, 2013 for a report.

The winner: Norquist. Despite Camarota's mastery of facts and statistics, Norquist simply brushed them, and him, aside—a seasoned pro slapping down a callow amateur—contemptuously sneering that all the "myths and canards" of the bill's opponents had been debunked by studies from pro-immigration scholars, then reciting the real canard that America cannot import enough Ph.Ds under the current law to compete.

Instead of pounding his fist on the table and calling Norquist what he is—a liar—or at least challenging him on his aggressive certitude, Camarota slunk back in his chair, offering no rebuttal at all, and then allowed Chuck Schumer to intimidate (or so it seemed to me) him into saying that CIS is OK with giving all the Ph.D holders in the world a green card! 

And these are the people whom we count on to present our side?

Of course, Camarota is hardly a tyro—he's a smart guy with strong arguments, and can be an effective spokesman. But against cocky, cocksure Norquist, he was mild-mannered wonk versus hyper-aggressive champion. And the champion won.

Which brings up the question: have any of our champions testified yet? People like John Derbyshire, Peter Brimelow, or—dare I say it?—Ann Coulter?

(She at least, would have left Grover twisting in the wind.)

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