Ignoring polls, Matthews claimed only "irregular Republicans" support Minuteman patrols
SUMMARY: On MSNBC's Hardball, Chris Matthews suggested that only "irregular Republicans" support patrols of the U.S.-Mexico border by the Minuteman Project, a group determined to stop what it calls "[t]he human flood breaching our Homeland Defense." But public-opinion polls suggest significant Republican support for the Minutemen and their activities.
On the June 6 edition of MSNBC's Hardball, host Chris Matthews suggested that only "irregular Republicans" support patrols of the U.S.-Mexico border by the Minuteman Project, a group determined to stop what it calls "[t]he human flood breaching our Homeland Defense." But public-opinion polls suggest significant Republican support for the Minutemen and their activities.
In a Fox News/Opinion Dynamics poll conducted May 16-18 -- the only recent national poll on the subject -- 57 percent of Republicans said that they viewed the Minutemen as "concerned citizens doing what the government is not doing," while 28 percent said the Minutemen were "vigilantes who should leave patrolling to professional law enforcement." (Seven percent said they "haven't heard" of the Minutemen, and another 7 percent said they "don't know.")
Older polls on the issue showed a similar trend. An October 2005 CBS News poll showed Republicans split on the issue, and a contemporaneous poll conducted by a Republican polling firm and a September 2005 poll conducted by Rasmussen Reports showed majority support for the Minutemen. The questions in those polls were worded differently, but each poll showed significant support among Republicans for the Minutemen.
In the CBS News survey, conducted October 3-5, 2005, respondents were asked whether "citizen volunteers" such as the Minutemen should be allowed to patrol the border or whether border patrols should be left to government law enforcement. Fifty percent of Republicans said volunteers should be allowed to patrol the border, while 48 percent said they should not.
However, the survey administered by the GOP polling firm, the Tarrance Group, found majority support for the Minutemen among Republicans. That poll, which was commissioned by the conservative Manhattan Institute and conducted among "likely Republican voters" from October 2-5, 2005, found that 59 percent of respondents said they "approve" of the Minuteman Project and its "efforts," while 21 percent said they disapproved, and 20 percent said they were "unsure" or refused to answer.
Similarly, the Rasmussen Reports poll, conducted September 20-21, 2005, found that "[t]he Minutemen volunteers are viewed favorably by 65% of Republicans," and that "Republicans, by a 59% to 29% margin, say that the federal government should encourage citizen patrols along the entire [U.S.-Mexico] border."
Matthews made his comments during a conversation with MSNBC political analyst Ron Reagan and Republican strategist and former Rep. Vin Weber (R-MN). When Reagan suggested that President Bush's "conservative base" disagreed with him on the issue of illegal immigration, because they support the Minutemen's patrols of the U.S.-Mexico border, Weber responded that the Minutemen are "not the Republican base." Matthews then asserted: "OK, the irregular Republicans want to send Minutemen [to the border]."
From the June 6 edition of MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews:
MATTHEWS: Ron, is there a middle on this one?
REAGAN: There doesn't seem to be. Or you could argue that the president has actually struck the middle path here in this. He seems to be trying to do some version of the right thing. Unfortunately, his conservative base doesn't seem to agree with him on this. They want to build walls. They want to put, you know, vigilantes on the border and all that sort of thing. And he's trying to court his conservative base.
MATTHEWS: Who wants to put vigilantes on the border?
REAGAN: Well, you know, the -- those guys that go down there, not the National Guard, of course --
MATTHEWS: The Minutemen.
REAGAN: The Minutemen, exactly, the Minutemen people.
WEBER: Ron, excuse me, could I just -- those are not the Republican base. I mean, they may be vigilantes --
REAGAN: Well, they're somebody's base.
WEBER: They're not the Republican base.
REAGAN: I'm not so sure about that, Vin.
MATTHEWS: OK, the irregular Republicans want to send Minutemen.
Just what in the Hell is an "irregular Republican", anyway?
Could the answer be that they're the ones full of sh.t?
These people have to believe whoever does not agree with them is a cancer that must be amputated, hence, never having to examine the whole. What happens when all the parts are amputated?
I've got mixed feelings about the Minutemen. On ONE hand I BELIEVE if it weren't for them bringing ATTENTION to the border situation, the politicians would have CONTINUED to IGNORE the problem. So for that I applaud the Minutemen. On the OTHER hand I think securing the border should be left to the PROS.
AND though they could certainly be defined as "vigilantes", I don't recall hearing of ANY violence associated with their movement.
I'm all for letting them peacefully patrol as a "hands-off" citizens group as long as they don't get in the way of the Border Patrol, or ATTEMPT to take the law into their OWN hands.
Jeter2
If you support volunteer "hands-off" patrolling of the borders, then you support the Minutemen. If you read on our website where it says SOP (these are our rules strictly enforced) then you will see we have a hands-off policy. At no time is any minutemen allowed to arrest or detain and illegal border crossers. We are not even allowed to have verbal contact with them. Even when the illegals decide to sit and wait for border patrol to show up, if they ask us for water we don't even hand it to them but place it on the ground 10 feet away so there is no chance of physical contact. We have aclu types watching us on the southern border and they have not come across 1 instance of any minuteman harassing or detaining ANY illegals. This is why you have not heard of any violence on the border. The aclu types only make accusations because they do not want to see the U.S. get control of our borders (both south and north) because they and groups like the rcp and plp (communist agenda organizations) have an open border policy.
Pete L state director MCDC NY
Thanks for the info and clarification.
Again, I APPLAUD your organization for bringing THIS ISSUE to the forefront and getting the politicians to FINALLY deal with the ILLEGAL Immigration problem.
Keep up the good work. You've got my backing.
You say, "The aclu types only make accusations because they do not want to see the U.S. get control of our borders (both south and north) because they and groups like the rcp and plp (communist agenda organizations) have an open border policy."
RESPONSE: An interesting accusation, based on an easily provable MOTIVE (and then a TIE to those dirty Commies).
The ACLU does not file papers saying they have a "policy" of anything at all EXCEPT defending the Constitution. Therefore, if an "ACLU type" has made an accusation against the Minutemen, then there is a CONSTITUTIONAL BASIS.
So, HAS there been such an accusation, as you suggest?
"We will be there to make sure they're not abusing anybody's rights," the ACLU's Ray Ybarra told the paper. He says a team of attorneys will be ready to file civil cases against project participants should any abuses occur.
[link to www.worldnetdaily.com]
So, just to be clear: Defending the RIGHTS spelled out in our Constitution represents "communism" to you?
Oh, and taking individual action to "monitor" our laws, checking for violations, is HONORABLE when the Minutemen do it, but represents an evil motive when done by the ACLU?
When your knee jerks to accuse a perceived "ENEMY", the favorite Rightwing boogieman ACLU, make sure you're not talking out your butt. It makes you look really foolish (not to mention paranoid).
For the record, the ACLU has NO affiliation with any "communist group" -- as you FALSELY suggested. The ACLU is affiliated ONLY with defending rights established by the Constitution. If you can't deal with that, you may not be a Commie, but you definitely are NOT an American. Get it?
'Irregular'? I love that. Does the GOP get a discount for those?
about those that forget their fiber periodically.
Your comment that the supporter's of the minutemen are "irregular Republicans" is so far off reality. The supporter's (and their growing stronger) are average Amercian's who are fed up with the out of touch gov't who are a disgrace for the lack of importance they have shown for the safety of their own people, especially after 911. Both Democrats and republicans and Liberals care only about their own political agenda. Talk is cheap and since we can no longer trust the gov't to protect us so we have to do it our- selves. I am tired of hearing sound bites like racist and Radicals. Shame on you and all the other media who are trying to make this a party issue. It's this simple, it is American's protecting America. Some one has to do it !
Yes, it was terrible when those Mexicans bombed us on 9/11.
Since when did enforcing the laws on the books mean we are attacking Mexicans?
is that if we can't stop illegals from our neighbor to the South, how do we know we can stop terrorists? The other is, on one hand, a lot of people on this site decry the slow growth in wages, etc, and at the same time, seem to welcome with open arms those that are in part responsible for lower wages, etc. (I said "in part" because I'm not absolving the employers in the US who knowing hire illegals/undocumented from blame).