There have actually many immigration questions posed. They are just not in the form that the median voter can recognize because if they were asked and answered directly, they would be politically incorrect. Every time the topic of declining income, increasing poverty, increasing ranks of the uninsured, and unemployment are discussed, a major component of each of these metrics is the significant contribution that immigrants are making to them. You'll notice that Kerry very carefully and deliberately refers to MEDIANS, MEANS (averages) and RATES of these metrics. Of course the median income of the population is declining, and the proportion of households living in poverty is increasing, and the number of unemployed is increasing, and the number of uninsured patients showing up in hospital emergency rooms is increasing, when the immigrant population is included in the calculation as it is for the Census tabulations that Kerry keeps quoting. Kerry can bleat on these disturbing trends with impunity because he knows that the president can never publicly admit that the immigration of millions of aliens with not much more than a 4th grade education and with little or no english speaking ability are cascading over the border and are thereby diluting household income, employment rates, insured patient rates, and increasing poverty rates.

That's an incredibly astute observation, Hulegu. I'm embarassed that I've never made it before. Thank you.

I struggled with Bush's position on the border issue
for a long time last year until it finally hit me that after
the stab in the back from Fox across the border, he
was essentially hog tied until after the election. I mean,
come on people, just what do you think would happen
to the vote in the Hispanic community if Bush tightened
up the borders pre-election? Of course, I could very well be wrong, I'm just saying this issue of the Southern open borders did not make any sense to me given Bush's policy on terrorism for a long time until I factored
the possibility that the answer was striclty political
pragmatism and resides in fear of losing the Hispanic vote.

Show me sam-
You are totally correct in your assessment. I have commented on this before, but to reiterate, I live in Arizona and there is a huge problem with illegal immigration. I have personally witnessed Hispanics being caught, processed and sent back to Mexico only to have them back here in under a week. During our last state elections, two of the candidates stressed the point that there were too many illegal aliens jumping the Mexican boarder and that they supported a bill to totally stop this flow. There was a fit thrown by both the Hispanic contingent and some business owners. They threatened to “blackball” any candidate who supported this bill. So in fear of loosing the election, both candidates backed down. The Hispanics didn’t want the government to restrict their relatives from traveling to the states, and the business owners didn’t want to loose their cheap labor. I believe you are correct that Bush will not do anything until after the election because of the uproar it would cause. He doesn’t need any more controversy at this juncture.
Of course, if he is elected again, it remains to be seen if he will do anthing about it then.

I struggled with Bush’s position on the border issue
for a long time last year until it finally hit me that after
the stab in the back from Fox across the border, he
was essentially hog tied until after the election. I mean,
come on people, just what do you think would happen
to the vote in the Hispanic community if Bush tightened
up the borders pre-election?

I'm almost certain that if there's a second Bush term, his stance on immigration will get even worse.

See, for just one small example, this: [White House spokesman Trent Duffy] said the president delivered a passionate defense of his immigration plan, telling the Republican caucus that his policy is not a political ploy. "He said he didn't do it for politics [but] because that's what he believes is good for the country," Mr. Duffy said, adding that Mr. Bush drove his point home by saying, "I'm from Texas and I know this issue."

Even when no Hispanic voter would know what Bush is doing, he does the wrong thing. The Bush administration worked - secretly - to remove immigration provisions from the 9/11 House Bill. Bear in mind, the Bush administration attempt to remove immigration provisions was supposed to be secret until it was leaked out.

Or, consider this quote from the O'Reilly interview: "Now look. People are comin’ ‘cause they wanna work ya’ know. Family values don’t stop at the border... If you can make fifty cents in the interior of Mexico and five dollars in the interior of the United States, you’re comin’ for the five bucks and, therefore ... and so long as moms and dads feel the necessity to feed their children, they’re gonna come and try to make a livin’."

He sounds more like an AILA apologist than the president of the United States.

See also GOP Miscalculation: Immigration Promises Not Moving Latino Voters

As a Hispanic & first generation immigrant, I can give you my opinion: I prefer Bush's immigration policy than Kerry's. In the debate, Bush spoke about guest worker visas, which would not only cut down on illegal immigration, but would protect migrant workers (since, I assume their registry would go along w/ making sure they had proper pay, safety, etc). Kerry's response seemed to focus, instead, on cracking down on illegal immigration as a focus on the war on terror. Also, Kerry's "anti-outsourcing" rhetoric is actually a thinly-veiled nationalist screed against foreign workers & manufacterers.

I have family members who came to this country illegally. Kerry, essentially, has promised to track them down & deport them. Bush has offered some sort of guest worker visas. Who do you think I'd rather vote for?

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