Claire McCaskill's trip to Springfield to talk immigration was her chance to fire back at Senator Talent on a issue he has been relentlessly hammering her on.
For weeks, the Talent camp has been saying McCaskill supports amnesty for illegal immigrants, citing a March 30th, 2006 Columbia Daily Tribune article.
"The Democrat said priority for legalization should be given to those who return to their own countries and apply legally, but she added, "I think that we need to look at ways that the people who are here illegally can pay for the crime they've committed without being a further burden on taxpayers."
Today, McCaskill talked tough and admitted part of the reason she came to Springfield was because she's been upset by the way Talent's campaign has mischaracterized her statements.
"I have been frustrated the way my record has been misrepresented, by Senator Talent's campaign. They have consistently misstated my position on amnesty. I am not for amnesty for (illegal) immigrants. I never have been and never said I was," McCaskill said.
Talent's camp says McCaskill is trying very hard to agree with Talent, but that you shouldn't believe her.
So how do you define amnesty exactly?
Webster's says amnesty is a general pardon for offenses, especially political offenses against a government, a forgetting or overlooking of any past offense, to grant a pardon.
Many U.S. House conservatives contend amnesty is allowing people who are here illegally -- to have a path to citizenship, even if they have to wait for years and pay penalties. In other words, any reward for an illegal act equals amnesty. Other Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. Senate believe if you make the illegal immigrants pass a bunch of requirements, clear background checks, pay fines and wait for years . . . it can't be amnesty, because it is not "overlooking a past offense." In other words, it's not a free ride, they are paying a price.
You may have to decide what exactly amnesty means to you and how you define it, before you can decide whether you support it.
2 comments:
Talent keeps mistating McCaskill's position on this issue. He did it in his campaign kickoff. It is like he is repeating a line the National Republican Party gave him to say over and over again. When is he going to figure out that his memorized Republican line doesn't apply here. McCaskill's position isn't the same as many of the east coast Democrats on this issue. For that matter it isn't on most issues. Senator Talent --- You are supposed to be campaigning against McCaskill not Hillary.
Amnesty is a loaded term that has taken on a political meaning. In order for the immigration debate to move forward, people need to come up for a new term. It is impossible for the U.S. to pursue all of these immigrants as criminals. The U.S. obviously won't be deporting eleven million illegal immigrants, it would be impossible to jail that many people, and most of these low income immigrants wouldn't have enough money to pay a fine.
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