March 08, 2008

Saturday Forum

A New York Lawyer Says Duncan Hunter And Tom Tancredo Lacked The “Political And Rhetorical Skills” To Win; etc.

From: Steven M. Warshawsky (e-mail him)

Re: Joe Guzzardi’s Column: “He Can’t Win!” How Immigration Reform Patriots Betrayed Duncan Hunter (And Tom Tancredo)

I respectfully disagree with Guzzardi’s piece criticizing “patriotic immigration reformers” for not supporting Tom Tancredo and Duncan Hunter in the GOP presidential primaries.

I have enormous respect for Tancredo and Hunter—albeit somewhat tempered by their decisions to leave Congress. We need their leadership (and votes) in Congress.

But Guzzardi failed to acknowledge that neither man possessed the political and rhetorical skills needed to win the general election, let alone be an effective president.

The fact of the matter is that they were not capable of being elected president. They plainly could not inspire Republicans, let alone attract support from committed independents or the few conservative Democrats that still exist.

Rather than criticizing voters like myself who share Tancredo’s ideological views but did not vote for him during the primaries because he could not win against Hillary or Obama, Guzzardi should ask the more important question: “Why were Tancredo and Hunter the “best” candidates that National Question conservatives could offer in a year in which immigration reform clearly was an important issue?”

Anyone can recognize that they are not serious presidential material. Nor are they even compelling national spokesmen for the immigration reform movement.

In a democracy, policy cannot be made without winning elections.

That requires being good at national politics, something neither Hunter nor Tancredo is.

Warshawsky, who lives in Manhattan, is a frequent contributor to American Thinker. His archive is here

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A Hunter Media Volunteer Says His Defeat Had “Many Names” Written On It—Including VDARE.COM?

From: Bill McIntosh (e-mail him)

As Hunter’s media volunteer, I tried to get him to think outside the box.

For example, I urged him to appear on the steps of the Mexican Consulate and announce that as his first official act he would pull out of NAFTA or let my graphic designer wife scrawl on Mitt Romney ads (for media distribution) in which Romney appears in front of the border fence as a backdrop "I was here first, Mitt”

Hunter could have collected endorsements from Ann Coulter and others to put them on YouTube. Or Tom Tancredo, when he withdrew, should have endorsed Hunter instead of Romney.

Nothing came of any of it.

And where was VDARE.COM? A site search by candidates first and last names produced these results: Tancredo, 220 articles; Paul, 138; Romney, 115 but Hunter only 32.

Hunter is no great communicator but is a solid man for the job with his vast experience and deep patriotism.

We’ll all learn from the 2008 campaign and will live to fight again another day as collecting supporters who put principles first.

It took Ronald Reagan 12 years to make it to the White House. Maybe Hunter can do it in only eight.

McIntosh, who is based in Florida, interviewed me for Univision. Read it here.

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A Texas Reader Says None Of The Immigration Reform Candidates Have Charisma

From: Jay Longview (e-mail him)

A major problem that Guzzardi did not mention is that we had four candidates (counting Ron Paul and Mitt Romney) this year competing for the same patriotic vote.

None of the four is blessed with charisma, with the favor of the mainstream media, or with the clear endorsement of patriotic opinion leaders. Even Ann Coulter alternately endorsed Romney and Hunter.

But, as Guzzardi wrote, excuses are meaningless now.

Curiously, Guzzardi praised admirable discipline with which the pro-life movement votes for candidates who embrace its issue.

But truly, the pro-life movement despite years of a Republican dominated Congress is still as far away from its goal as ever. Nearly 1.5 million abortions a year occur in America.

Congress, under Article III, section 2 of the U.S. Constitution could strip the federal courts of its jurisdiction over reproductive rights cases with a simple majority of both chambers. The Republicans never seriously considered it.

The anti-democratic forces are so strong that our vote is but a feeble, awkward tool that rarely amends public policy.

Longview, a teacher, adds, “VDARE.COM is America’s most valuable register of news, social science, analysis, and opinion. Long live VDARE .COM and its heroic editors!”

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A Tennessee Reader Blames “Blowhard” Lou Dobbs

From: Kit Brewer (e-mail him)

Amen to Guzzardi’s column!

I gave Tancredo $500 and was on the verge of writing a check to Hunter when he dropped out.

I blame blowhard Lou Dobbs. Before Hunter and Tancredo started their candidacies, they were frequent guests on Dobbs' show. As soon as they actually started to run, Dobbs treated them like lepers—he never had them on and never talked about them.

Dobbs, like all the other media talking heads, covered everyone except but Hunter and Tancredo.

This is doubly puzzling because Hunter and Tancredo had platforms that read as if Dobbs had written them.

Dobbs sold them out because he plans to run as an Independent.

Right now I’m mad enough to vote for the Democrat just to see if we can turn the cold culture war into a hot culture war more quickly.

That way I can fight before I'm too old to be useful.

Brewer’s previous letter about Tyson Foods is here.

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A Georgia Reader Says McCain Backers Are In For A “Big Surprise”

From: Diane Alden (e-mail her)

Tell Guzzardi not to get discouraged.

I supported Hunter on various radio shows several years ago. The hosts would always say “but he can't win” or “he has no name recognition” followed by “we have to beat the Democrats.”

In the end, Republicans who voted for Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush, Bush II, and Bob Dole are the same ones who would vote for any Republican.

Republicans who endorse McCain are in for a big surprise because the conservatives will vote third party or skip over the presidential choice on the ballot.

McCain’s nomination could signal the end of the two-party system. The late Lyn Nofziger, Ronald Reagan's advisor, predicted there would be a third or even fourth party by 2008; maybe he’s right.

It’s appalling that Hunter and Tancredo are leaving Congress but I can understand it. Their own party has driven them away.

So please—no more whining from conservatives about the “dearth of good men”.

Alden is a graduate of the University of Minnesota with a degree in political science. She is a frequent contributor to NewsMax. Alden’s columns are archived here.

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A Pennsylvania M.B.A. Says The White Male Vote Is Still Key

From: D. F. Cannon (e-mail him)

Re: Peter Brimelow’s Blog: SC Democratic Primary = Webb More Than Ever?

Thanks to Brimelow for hammering home the point that the key swing vote is the white male.

I've been looking at the Democrat primary returns and the subject of white male voters is becoming more prominently mentioned even in the mainstream media.

Obama has won a significant percentage of white male votes and he's carrying the red states. He’s also made inroads with predominantly white Republicans.

For Clinton to win super delegates, she must make the case that if nominated white males and red states will support her in the general election on the crucial issue of national security of which immigration is a big component.

Immigration, of course, is where McCain is most vulnerable.

With Pat Buchanan, Ann Coulter and other conservatives leaning toward Clinton (and Brimelow’s comments indicate that Virginia Senator Jim Webb as Vice President would enhance her appeal), there's a case to be made that immigration can help propel Clinton to the White House.

If that’s the case, our immigration reform movement will be far from marginalized despite predictions in some quarters of our demise.

I don't buy into the doom and gloom we often hear about the status of immigration reform.

Like Clinton, we need to keep fighting.

Cannon is a former Wall Street executive with a B.A. from Washington and Lee University and a M.A and M.B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.

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