Levin falsely accused Obama of lying about McCain's position on immigration reform

During the July 8 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, Mark Levin aired an audio clip from Sen. Barack Obama's July 8 speech at the League of United Latin American Citizens convention, in which Obama said of Sen. John McCain's position on immigration reform, "[W]hen he started running for his party's nomination, he abandoned his courageous stance and said that he wouldn't even support his own legislation if it came up for a vote." Levin responded to Obama's remark by saying, "Actually, that's a lie, and Obama's full of lies. He would support his legislation if it came up for a vote." In fact, Obama's statement is true; McCain has said that he wouldn't support his own legislation.

Media Matters for America has repeatedly documented that during the January 30 Republican presidential debate, Los Angeles Times staff writer Janet Hook asked McCain, "At this point, if your original proposal came to a vote on the Senate floor, would you vote for it?" McCain responded, "No, I would not, because we know what the situation is today. The people want the borders secured first."

From the January 30 Republican presidential debate:

HOOK: Yes. Senator McCain, let me just take the issue to you, because you obviously have been very involved in it. During this campaign, you, like your rivals, have been putting the first priority, heaviest emphasis on border security. But your original immigration proposal back in 2006 was much broader and included a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants who are already here.

What I'm wondering is -- and you seem to be downplaying that part. At this point, if your original proposal came to a vote on the Senate floor, would you vote for it?

McCAIN: It won't. It won't. That's why we went through the debate --

HOOK: I know, but what if it did?

McCAIN: No, I would not, because we know what the situation is today. The people want the borders secured first. And so to say that that would come to the floor of the Senate -- it won't. We went through various amendments which prevented that ever -- that proposal.

But, look, we're all in agreement as to what we need to do. Everybody knows it. We can fight some more about it, about who wanted this or who wanted that. But the fact is, we all know the American people want the borders secured first.

From the July 8 broadcast of ABC Radio Networks' The Mark Levin Show:

LEVIN: This is why it is absolutely critical that we have some controls over who comes to this country and what their responsibilities are, well beyond picking lettuce, cutting lawns, or what have you. That should not be the basis for people entering this country. It may be their basis, but it ought not be ours.

And this, of course, Barack Obama and John McCain do not understand or do not give a damn about. I am concerned about this society and its survival. And it cannot survive if you're importing tens of millions of people over a short period of time -- a relatively short period of time -- who are encouraged by diversity rules, multiculturalism, bilingualism, to hold onto their culture, to hold onto their ways, and then to demand that the rest of the people in this country adopt them as well, whatever those ways are. And some of them are religious, as a matter of fact. That's not how you build a healthy society, that's how you tear one down.

I want you to listen to Barack Obama today to the national council of LULAC, or the League of LULAC, whatever the hell they call themselves. League of United Latin American Citizens. This is a radical left-wing group that throws its muscle around, and you often see its representatives on TV the way you see the representatives of CAIR and others. It's a media favorite, and the politicians kowtow to this group.

Here's Obama today, in Washington D.C. -- the LULAC convention. Cut 4, go.

OBAMA [audio clip]: I know Senator McCain had a chance to speak to you earlier. And I want to give Senator McCain credit because he used to buck his party on immigration. He fought for comprehensive immigration reform. One of the bills that I co-sponsored, he was the lead. I admired him for it. But when he started running for his party's nomination, he abandoned his courageous stance and said that he wouldn't even support his own legislation if it came up for a vote.

LEVIN: Actually, that's a lie, and Obama's full of lies. He would support his legislation if it came up for a vote. And I cited that -- what -- a couple weeks ago, Rich? Wasn't that long ago.

So, Obama should be very happy that both leaders of both parties have basically the same position, which is one of endorsing lawlessness and endorsing the destruction of the culture because, again, I just want to make clear, we have institutions in this country -- special interests, ethnic groups, the public schools, colleges and universities, a legal system -- that discourages assimilation and promotes balkanization.

It's that simple. I hear people say, "We're a nation of immigrants." Yes, but at the turn of the prior century, none of these groups existed. The law wasn't what it is today. And people insisted that you become an American, capital A, an American, and learn the American cultural ways. Today, you're accused of all kinds of nasty things if you insist on that.