Assessing "conventional wisdom," NY Times' Leibovich ignored Times reporting on McCain's immigration reversal
SUMMARY: The New York Times' Mark Leibovich asserted that the "conventional wisdom" that Sen. John McCain would be "done in by immigration in the Republican primaries" in 2008 "Proved to Be False." But Leibovich did not mention that McCain may have avoided being "done in" by the immigration issue by reversing his position to align himself with the Republican base.
In a March 9 New York Times Week in Review piece headlined "A Scorecard on Conventional Wisdom," reporter Mark Leibovich included the "conventional wisdom" that Sen. John McCain would be "done in by immigration in the Republican primaries" in the list of "What Proved to Be False" in the 2008 presidential campaign. But Leibovich did not explain a key reason -- recently noted by the Times -- that McCain may have avoided being "done in" by the immigration issue: He reversed his position on immigration to align himself with the Republican base. Rather than account for McCain's reversal, Leibovich attributed McCain's ability to survive the immigration issue only to "immigration reced[ing] somewhat as an issue late in 2007, and Mr. McCain's chief opponent -- Mike Huckabee ... also attracting suspicion on the issue from the right."
McCain's current immigration position -- that "we've got to secure the borders first" -- is at odds with his prior position that border security could not be disaggregated from other aspects of comprehensive immigration reform without being rendered ineffective. The Times itself reported on McCain's reversal on immigration in a March 3 article by reporter Elisabeth Bumiller, which stated that McCain has "meandered over the years from position to position on some topics, particularly as he has tried to court the conservatives who have long distrusted him." The article noted in particular that McCain "moved from his original position on immigration" and "went so far at a debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in January to say that if his original proposal came to a vote on the Senate floor, he would not vote for it."
From Leibovich's Times Week in Review piece:
What Proved to Be False
[...]
- John McCain will be done in by immigration in the Republican primaries. Mr. McCain's willingness to compromise with Senate Democrats on immigration reform infuriated many Republicans. But in the end, immigration receded somewhat as an issue late in 2007, and Mr. McCain's chief opponent -- Mike Huckabee -- was also attracting suspicion on the issue from the right.
For example, our current immigration process is inefficient, punative and arbitrary. To fix that will require a number of legislative mandates, better administrators and MONEY to hire more people to process applications.
Companies are now hooked on cheap migrant labor and receive almost no penalty for hiring illegals. This must change...the larger the company, the larger the fine, until it is NOT cost effective to hire illegals.
Mexico's corrupt government is not dealing with improving their economy for the masses. Pressure must be brought for them to stop using the U.S. as a safety valve instead of dealing with their own problems. The U.S. should use incentives to help the other central and south american countries improve their economies, which bring us to
all those trade policies which favor outsourcing jobs here and importing cheap goods from China. It's not just NAFTA and CAFTA, but they represent what is wrong with the U.S. approach.
The politically expedient (but totally wrong-headed) immigration approach is to rail against the desparately poor people who come here illegally. (Remember, it isn't a just or efficient process to become legal.)
Okay, Mary. I'm ready to vote for you as president.
My roofer the other day was telling me that a typical crew can build a house (laborwise) for about $3.00 per sq foot. But with the Mexican labor it was about $1.50 per sq foot. And you know these contractors aren't passing the savings on to the consumer. So they are loathe to give up their extra profit unless there are big penalties to dissuade them from the cheaper help.
Great post.
I'm thinking of small companies who WANT to do the right thing but are trapped somewhat by "all the other guys are hiring illegals so I can't compete unless I do." If the fines were stiff enough this would change.
What politician is willing to be honest about this issue? They just want to build a fence (not really, too expensive) and deport millions of people (not even possible.) McCain is just pandering once again to his base.