No more Republican fence sitting?

NumbersUSA reports that the House of Representatives voted to erect a border fence:

(September 14) By a vote of 283-138-1, the House today passed a stand-alone border fencing bill (H.R. 6061) sponsored by Homeland Security Committee Chairman Peter King (R-NY). The House is expected to vote on additional enforcement-only measures in the near future, including bills on: detention of dangerous aliens; fixing the court-created loophole that prohibits the expedited removal of Salvadorans; and clarifying the inherent authority of state/local law enforcement to enforce immigration laws during the normal course of their duties.
According to the email forwarded to me, Republicans were near-unanimous, while Democrats were split:
VOTING YES
GOP----219
DEM-----64
----------------------
Total----283

VOTING NO
GOP------6
DEM----131
IND------1
----------------------
Total----138

See how your own Representative voted at:

http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2006/roll446.xml

[...]

Republicans were virtually unanimous in our favor.
97.3% of Republicans voted with us
2.7% of Republicans voted against us

Democrats were badly split over this Border issue.
32.7% of Democrats voted with us
66.8% of Democrats voted against us

More here.

While I dislike draconian measures against employers (and the overt racism displayed by some immigration hardliners), I think we have a right to secure borders and this situation is way out of control. For some time I've supported building a fence. Unlike some of the angrier proposals, it's an idea that I think the vast majority of Americans could unite behind.

posted by Eric on 09.14.06 at 05:28 PM





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Comments

A good first step!

btw you got a typo:
Republicans were near-unanimous, while Republicans were split:

Harkonnendog   ·  September 14, 2006 09:21 PM

Thanks! I certainly did not mean to say that the Republicans can be nearly unanimous and split at the same time.

But now that I think about it....

Eric Scheie   ·  September 14, 2006 11:09 PM

There's nothing wrong with overt racism if it is in the defense of one's people. In fact, if these immigrants were of my people, I don't think I'd really care that much. But they aren't; they're a competing people of an alien culture that would like very much to take over this civilization. So as far as I'm concerned, the racist argument is the only compelling argument for border control, and that's plenty good enough for me. We have to get over this nonsense that thinking of yourself as a people with a common ethnicity that deserves to survive and flourish as a distinct people is wrong. Whites are the only group on earth who thinks that way, and it will lead to our extinction and our society's extinction if we don't wise up.

Mark   ·  September 15, 2006 01:45 AM

Mark, I disagree that whiteness constitutes "my own people." To the extent that I have a "people," my own people would be the American people, because I am a native born American. Being of Norwegian descent, does that mean that the Norwegians are "my own people"? I have little in common with them and don't speak the language; if they went to war against the US, should I side with them? It doesn't make sense. Likewise, Italians and Germans are white, but the US went to war against them. I've never much cared for the French; should I change my mind because of their "whiteness"? What about Jews? Are they white? Lebanese? Portuguese? Spanish? Americans with Indian blood?

But you have a right to advocate your position. Aside from the fact that I disagree, the problem with the whiteness argument is that it is political poison -- extremely unpopular with the vast majority of Americans -- including most whites. To the extent that it manages to be spun as characterizing the border control movement, I think any fallout is to the detriment of the latter.

Eric Scheie   ·  September 15, 2006 08:07 AM


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