John McCain, after months of appealing to conservative Republicans in Arizona with increasingly conservative economic positions, is now doubling down on the issue of border security.
In a recent letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, the former Democratic governor of Arizona, McCain wrote,
I am asking you and the administration to immediately reconsider your position and send National Guard troops to our southern border region.
McCain hopes to gain credibility on border security issues with conservative Arizona Republicans – key voters in the August Republican primary.
Illegal immigration, among the most important issues in Arizona politics, is among McCain’s weakest political positions and JD Hayworth’s strongest.
Senator McCain’s weakness stems from his co-sponsorship with Ted Kennedy of the 2007 “comprehensive” immigration reform bill – a bill that JD Hayworth, then a congressman from Arizona, strongly opposed.
The bill was wildly unpopular among conservative Arizona Republicans and has left its mark on Arizona politics ever since. Conservatives criticized the bill for not focusing enough on border security and promising citizenship to illegal immigrants already in America. This latter provision was dubbed “amnesty” by critics and has been at the heart of conservative attacks on McCain ever since.
While non-border state conservatives see illegal immigration mainly as a social and economic stressor, Arizona Republicans also see it as a straightforward law-and-order issue. Illegal immigration flows moved from Southern California and Texas into Arizona in the 1990s after the Clinton Administration reorganized its border security plan.
As a result, 15 years of unfettered illegal immigration into Arizona has seen increased environmental damage, kidnappings, drug trafficking and thousands of immigrant deaths from exposure and dehydration.
Indeed, the murder of an Arizona rancher on his own border-adjacent ranch inspired McCain’s letter to Napolitano.
Such border security problems have bred an aggressively anti-immigration bloc within the Arizona Republican Party, a bloc best personified by Sheriff Joe Arpaio. The sheriff has made a point of using county law enforcement resources to enforce Federal immigration laws, patrolling largely Hispanic neighborhoods, arresting suspected illegal immigrants and detaining or deporting them.
Similarly, the Minuteman Coalition has organized a civilian effort to catch illegal immigrants in the Arizona desert.
The border situation became so unmanageable in recent years that even Democratic Governor Napolitano declared a state of emergency and requested that National Guardsmen be stationed along the Arizona-Mexico border.
Are McCain’s efforts too little, too late? Though McCain has often balanced his support for immigration reform with calls for border security, his reputation on the topic is mostly settled in Arizona conservatives’ eyes. It will be nearly impossible for McCain to win hardcore border hawks away from Hayworth.
But, by taking a tougher stance on border enforcement and mostly staying out of upcoming immigration reform efforts, McCain will likely retain enough Republican votes to make it out of the primary alive.
JonF // Apr 1, 2010 at 6:45 am
It’s entirely understandable that Arizonans are up in arms about this. I have a very leftwing cousin in Tucson and even she wants a wall on the border. So yes, send in the Guard.
But a more comprehensive answer is needed, and this is where cooler heads and zero tolerance for xenophobia are needed. The Graham-Wyden proposal is a good place to start. It will be interesting to see how this progresses in the whirlwin of an election year.
TobyTucker // Apr 1, 2010 at 7:56 am
McCain certainly acts like a “good” conservative now that he has a strong challenger on the right, but should he get re-elected there’s absolutely NO guarantee he won’t go all “Maverick” again somewhere down the road. I’m sure he enjoyed ALL the attention he received in that role. Arizona voters need to keep this in mind.
franco 2 // Apr 1, 2010 at 8:27 am
Time to put McCain out to pasture.
People need to ask themselves these questions about aging Senators running for reelection:
What is so great about being a US Senator?
Does it pay well? Is it an easy job?
Why would someone who is nearly 80, wealthy and has grandchildren prefer being a Senator to retirement?
ottovbvs // Apr 1, 2010 at 8:39 am
…….this is just a bit of tacking to the right to keep the nativists happy and then it’s back to Washington to resume “maverick” status which almost certainly involves working to pass immigration reform basically because I think he really believes in it either from personal sentiment or because it’s what his business constituency wants (probably a bit of both)
DFL // Apr 1, 2010 at 8:49 am
McCain has as much credibility on the issue on illegal immigration as Tiger Woods has on the issue of marital fidelity. Most likely, due to his massive campaign chest, McCain will defeat Hayworth in the August primary by five to eight points and then, in a characteristic act of spite, try to push Schumer-Graham over the finish line before the Fall campaign begins in earnest.
franco 2 // Apr 1, 2010 at 9:34 am
Wow. Are the picture here getting even racier? Tiger Mistress looks pretty good from a disatnce…nice ass!
Pole dancers seem to be another sideline here at FF. What’s the matter are the interns too young, or cheap, to visit these clubs themselves?
Independent // Apr 1, 2010 at 9:39 am
One of the greatest fallacies in the 05 Immigration Debate, waged mainly in the rare air of talk radio, was that it was “weak” on border security.
It wasn’t.
That it was an amnesty program for lazy Mexicans –who were here to suck our welfare programs dry, breed kids in abandoned trailers up on cement (that’s pronounced ceee-mint in AZland, Yankee) blocks, and run our schools into the ground by demanding the schools teach in Spanish Only.
They weren’t, of course.
Senator McCain’s call for the deployment of Natl Guard troops to command the border is perfectly consistent with the provisions in the 05 Immigration proposal. The border needs improving and more security. Afterall, the Obami haven’t been keeping up with even the modest efforts of the lame-duck Bush Administration on border security… I’d think the rednecked bigots behind JD Hayworth would focus their ire on the right target. Washington and the Democrats who are a’courting the hispanic vote.
Palin, Brown, Romney, Dick Armey… $6.7m in the campaign coffer, tireless campaigner, war hero and functioning senior… yeah, McCain doesn’t stand a chance in AZland. LOL! Against a guy who still has his North Carolina accent? LOL!
Carney // Apr 1, 2010 at 9:40 am
Calling McCain-Kennedy immigration “reform” is to take a positive stance on it; to frame the discussion in its favor and to make opponents “anti-reform”. The same trick the media played with Obamacare. The possibility, indeed the reality that these proposals involve a huge downgrade and worsening of the situation is utterly ignored by such games.
TerryF98 // Apr 1, 2010 at 11:35 am
McWalnuts should go spend some time cutting the grass at his 10 houses. To old, to long in congress, to cranky (get off my newly mown lawn), to flip floppy.
mjiroch // Apr 1, 2010 at 12:37 pm
Folks in Arizona, LISTEN UP, its really very simple. McCain can not be trusted. McCain Can NOT be Trusted to do the right thing for Arizona. McCain only does the right thing for McCain. Do not vote for him, he doesn’t have your best interest in mind. It is that simple.
LFC // Apr 1, 2010 at 1:57 pm
Unless he has some plan to find replacements, or illegal immigration magically stops being a problem at some point in the near future, John McCain has just called for a permanent deployment of the National Guard within the borders of the U.S.
DFL // Apr 1, 2010 at 2:28 pm
mjiroch is correct. When it comes to politics, John McCain is a sociopath.
Independent // Apr 1, 2010 at 2:48 pm
TeaBagger, mjiroch, LFC and DFL… with friends like that, why would McCain even need campaign advisors?
LOL.
StanLee // Apr 1, 2010 at 3:09 pm
I don’t think McCain will get the majority of the voters back on immigration, but I don’t think that’s the real issue. We all know that we need to solve the border security issues, and it is a fact that John McCain has been on the forefront of that. I think the disconnect comes when people forget the kind of politician John McCain is. He has always been for the greater good of America, which includes both those on the right and those on the left. And I think until recently he was very happy to find that common “middle” or “central” point where all Americans could be happy with a piece of legislation. But now that the Obama administration has put an end to all bi-partisan efforts by passing HC without any Republican support I think you’re seeing John McCain do what he’s always done, and that’s adjust to the political/social climate. In my book this is what any great leader does. If you always stay the same, you’re not growing. PERIOD. McCain’s got my vote.
ottovbvs // Apr 1, 2010 at 3:23 pm
StanLee // Apr 1, 2010 at 3:09 pm
“But now that the Obama administration has put an end to all bi-partisan efforts by passing HC without any Republican support”
…….You have to laugh don’t you…..I’m sure most Republican loyalists believe Obama made no effort at bipartisanshiip but as that WAPO poll last week showed about 65% of the country doesn’t see it that way
DFL // Apr 1, 2010 at 4:22 pm
Just to be seasonal, anyone who thinks McCain cares about border security must also think that the bunny rabbit brings us chocolate bunnies and Reese’s peanut butter eggs on Easter morning.
ottovbvs // Apr 1, 2010 at 7:15 pm
DFL // Apr 1, 2010 at 4:22 pm
“anyone who thinks McCain cares about border security”
…..be charitable…..we’re coming up to a christian festival after all…..he has to throw the rubes some bones to keep them happy until they elect him then he goes back to screwing them…..well that’s what rubes are for
Independent // Apr 1, 2010 at 7:49 pm
ootoBS gets another one wrong, again. Sigh.
What was said was “(John McCain) has always been for the greater good of America, which includes both those on the right and those on the left. And I think until recently he was very happy to find that common “middle” or “central” point where all Americans could be happy with a piece of legislation. But now that the Obama administration has put an end to all bi-partisan efforts by passing HC without any Republican support I think you’re seeing John McCain do what he’s always done, and that’s adjust to the political/social climate.”
Now, ottoBS, even someone as fact-challenged as you can appreciate that Obama’s words on bipartisanship “Elections have consequences. We won. We get to decide.”
You still think Obama was the font of bipartisan cooperation on HCR? Is this part of that whole democrat ditch digger nonsense about HCR had a million GOP ideas in it?
LOL. Yeah, that’s some Easter Bunny you’ve got typing at your ‘puter.
By the way, time to man-up on the bet. You said all the democrats here were universally opposed to Code Pink’s antics toward Karl Rove.
You were wrong. Time for that promised apology of yours… man-up. If you can.
Jenna Lewis // Apr 1, 2010 at 9:00 pm
McCain has been calling for troops for a long time now. It is sad that homeland security does not have the funds to place troops there. We cannot protect our Nation yet we will spend a trillion dollars on HC and we are not even sure what that will entail. It is time the government puts funding towards our borders and keep our citizens safe!
TerryF98 // Apr 1, 2010 at 9:53 pm
McCain has been calling for troops for a long time now. It is sad that homeland security does not have the funds to place troops there. We cannot protect our Nation yet we will spend a trillion dollars on HC and we are not even sure what that will entail. It is time the government puts funding towards our borders and keep our citizens safe!”
Well maybe if Bush had not sent all our available troops on a dumb ass war in Iraq maybe we would have some here to defend the border. Plus we would have a trillion dollars to do healthcare. WIN,WIN
austinrepub // Apr 1, 2010 at 11:40 pm
McCain needs to keep pushing Napolitano and Obama for troops for our border. It is sick and wrong that an innocent rancher had to be killed for this to become spotlight for Obama. They have turned their head against McCain on this issue yet he keeps fighting them. I believe now Obama and Napolitano cannot ignore the seriousness of this issue. Keep McCain fighting!
Go Dog Go! // Apr 2, 2010 at 11:50 pm
I think Obama is about to usurp this issue from the Republicans, neutralizing a motivating issue for them. It’s going to be the X-factor in this race, I think.
Just a hunch, but that’s what I think Axelrod is thinking.