Tom Tancredo

“We Are Taking Mexico’s Problems”: The History Of American Immigration!

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Donald Trump has become infamous for his racist, nativist statements about Mexican immigration and Mexico.

He tells us that “We are taking Mexico’s problems”!

The history of American immigration is that the United States has ALWAYS taken on the “problems” of other nations’ oppressed populations, with the image of America being the Statue of Liberty, that we welcome those who are denied economic opportunity, civil rights and civil liberties, and are trying to escape war in their homelands.

America is a land of immigrants, and not all of them have been “legal” or “documented”.

People have fled to the Unites States in desperation, to escape deprivation, crime, war, discrimination, prejudice, and hatred.

And each group that has come, there has been fear that some of those arriving might bring in crime, and a small percentage have done so.

But that does not mean that we should hold 98 percent of immigrants who are good people and just want a better life from coming in to America, as the land of opportunity.

If we had done that, our nation would not have been blessed with the major contributions made by millions of immigrants.

And for those who did not get special notice for their contributions, they were still law abiding citizens, bringing up their children to be Americans, and helping the economic growth of the American republic.

We had Irish gangs; Italian Mafia; Jewish gangsters; Chinese opium dealers; and bad elements from every ethnic and nationality group that has become part of the American fabric.

But the overwhelming positive accomplishments of America’s immigrants far outweigh the few cases of criminal elements, and we should not allow stereotyping of any immigrant group to be spread by hateful propaganda.

We have seen the discrimination and prejudice seen in the immigration laws in the 1920s against Jews, Italians, and others from post World War I Europe. We have seen the anti Oriental immigration laws against the Chinese in the 1880s and the Japanese in the 1920s; we have seen the riots and bloodshed against many different immigrant groups over time. We have seen the nativist movements that led to the Know Nothing Party in the 1850s, the anti Semitism of the 1930s and 1940s, and now the Islamophobia of the past decade.

The fact that we have Congressman Steve King of Iowa; former Congressman Tom Tancredo of Colorado; past Presidential contender Pat Buchanan; Islamophobe Pamela Geller; and a whole slew of right wing talk radio and Fox News Channel commentators who are nativists and racists, does not mean we should take it lying down.

We need to fight back vigorously against such hatemongers, and while we need to work on ending illegal immigration, we should welcome those who are here, and only deport those shown to be engaged in criminal conspiracies.

Rick Santorum Not Well Loved Among His Former Senate Colleagues, But Backed By “Lunatic Fringe”!

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Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum served in the US Senate for 12 years, and had a leadership position as the third ranking Republican, serving as the Republican Conference Chairman.

And yet, not one sitting Senator or former Senator who worked alongside him has endorsed him, while 12 of them have endorsed Mitt Romney!

And Santorum served four years in the House of Representatives, and yet only three Congressmen have endorsed him, all three from his home state.

On the other hand, Santorum has the backing of such “luminaries” as former Colorado Congressman and anti immigrant advocate Tom Tancredo of Colorado; former Nevada Senate candidate Sharron Angle; social conservatives Gary Bauer, James Dobson, and Tony Perkins; conservative commentators and activists David Limbaugh, Michelle Malkin, Mark Levin, and Richard Viguerie; Fox News owner Rupert Murdoch; and singer Pat Boone! The list is one of people way out of the mainstream of American life, many of them seen as loony and lacking credibility!

So Rick Santorum has not impressed those he has worked with, and instead has the backing of the “lunatic fringe”, another sign that he is unacceptable to be our Commander in Chief!

Political Leaders Who Lost In The Midterm Elections: A Blessing For The Nation! :)

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While there are those political leaders and candidates that can be mourned because they lost, there are also a list of candidates who were defeated, and this fact can be considered a blessing for the nation! All of them were either Tea Party supported or invested their own fortunes or were just simply incompetent and loony in various ways!

They include the following:

Linda McMahon, Senate nominee in Connecticut
Carl Paladino, Gubernatorial nominee in New York
Christine O’Donnell, Senate nominee in Delaware
Alvin Greene, Senate nominee in South Carolina
Carly Fiorina, Senate nominee in California
Meg Whitman, Gubernatorial nominee in California
Ken Buck, Senate nominee in Colorado
Tom Tancredo, Gubernatorial nominee in Colorado
Sharron Angle, Senate nominee in Nevada
Joe Miller, Senate nominee in Alaska, at this point a likely loser to Senator Lisa Murkowski, substantially ahead as a Write In candidate!

The losses of these ten listed above can be seen as the “silver lining” of an election that was not a wonderful moment for President Obama and his party!

The Role Of Independents In Key Races!

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Three former Republicans, running as Independents, could tip the balance in a Senatorial race in Florida, and gubernatorial races in Rhode Island and Colorado!

In Florida, Governor Charlie Crist is running against Democrat Kendrick Meek and Republican Marco Rubio, and at the moment, is running well behind Rubio and only a point or two ahead of Meek in most polls!

In Rhode Island, former Senator Lincoln Chafee is running ahead in some polls past Democratic nominee Frank Caprio, with Republican John Robitaille in third place!

In Colorado, former Congressman and presidential candidate Tom Tancredo is running ahead of Republican Dan Maes, who is Tea Party supported, but clearly behind Democratic nominee and Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper!

At this point, it seems as if Lincoln Chafee has the best chance to win, while Crist is faltering, and Tancredo’s only accomplishment is possibly to make the Republican Party a minor party in Colorado, if its nominee ends up with less than 20 percent of the vote, which now seems likely, a true electoral disaster for the GOP in Colorado!

Independent Candidacies A Long Shot This Election Year, As Always!

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This year, there are at least four and possibly five Independent candidacies that might affect election results!

The most likely to succeed is Independent Senate candidate Charlie Crist, Governor of Florida, who broke with the GOP and is running against Republican Marco Rubio and Democrat Kendrick Meek!

A second strong possibility is Independent Lincoln Chafee, former Republican Senator from Rhode Island, running for Governor!

Additionally, Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska is running a write in campaign for her seat after losing the primary to Tea Party backed Joe Miller!

Congressman Mike Castle of Delaware is considering a similar write in campaign against the person who defeated him in the GOP primary, Christine O’Donnell!

Finally, former GOP Congressman Tom Tancredo is mounting an independent bid for Governor in Colorado!

The most recent prominent Independents in office have been Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut!

Further back, Jesse Ventura was Independent Governor of Minnesota; Senator Lowell Weicker was Independent Governor of Connecticut; and Angus King was Independent Governor of Maine!

These cases of Independents running for, and some winning, office are fascinating, but the odds this year, as always, are daunting!

IF both Charlie Crist and Lincoln Chafee win, it will be considered a major coup for the movement toward independent candidacies, but it is also very possible NO Independent will win, as the two party system is well entrenched!

Nativism Gone Viral: Tom Tancredo, Louie Gohmert, And Illegal Immigration!

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The issue of illegal immigration is one that will be an embarrassment when we look back at it historically, as the assertions and viewpoints of those who are exploiting the issue bring out the worst in our nation! 🙁

The latest outrages have been expressed by former Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo, and Texas Congressman Louie Gohmert, both Republicans!

Both are further evidence that the GOP is painting itself into a corner for the future, as with the growing Latino and Hispanic vote, it will make many say what Senator Harry Reid of Nevada said yesterday–that he could not understand why any Hispanic or Latino would vote Republican! 🙁

Tancredo, long a nativist, sought the GOP Presidential nomination in 2008, and is now seeking the Governorship of Colorado as an Independent. He has stated that if he is elected Governor, he will make sure that the children of illegal immigrants are not educated in the public schools of the state!

This is certainly a statement that can arouse those who want to send millions of immigrants back to their home countries! But the reality is that there is no possibility of returning millions of people, and meanwhile, if we are going to ban public education for these children, what are we to do with them? Shall we keep them out of school and on the streets lacking education? Will this promote civil order to have them idle and ignorant? How preposterous and ridiculous a campaign pledge this is, and certainly, it would be lost in court if Tancredo somehow became Governor and tried to enforce such a ridiculous idea! 🙁

Congressman Louie Gohmert, infamous for some really outrageous and loony ideas, has now come up with the idea that many illegal immigrants come to this country to have their children, then go home and breed them over the next 20-30 years as “terrorists”, with the plan to send them back to overthrow America! If this is not paranoia and hysteria and craziness, what is it? So we are to be afraid of babies and see them as vicious terrorists for the years between 2030 and 2040!

If this does not make Louie Gohmert delusional and needing of psychological counseling, and Tom Tancredo needing the same, then our country is in deep trouble with such political leaders sowing hate and fear, and making unstable people go over the edge to violence! 🙁

Both should be roundly condemned as having no purpose but to divide and stir up a tempest for their own political aggrandizement! 🙁

The United Nations And The “Bike Riding Conspiracy”: Tea Party-GOP Lunacy In Colorado Governor’s Race! :(

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You would think that the Tea Party Movement has reached the high point of craziness, what with Rand Paul running for the Senate in Kentucky, and Sharron Angle running for the Senate in Nevada! But if you thought that was as loony as things could get, you have not heard of Dan Meas!

Dan Meas is competing for the GOP nomination for Governor in Colorado, and seems to be ahead of his opponent, Scott McInnis, a former Congressman who has been accused of plagiarism!

But Maes is a Tea Party favorite who claims that the Denver mayor, John Hickenlooper, who will be the Democratic nominee for Governor and is heavily favored, has been promoting bringing the city under United Nations control by promoting BIKERIDING! 🙁

This is also the state where Tom Tancredo, former Congressman and GOP Presidential candidate in 2008, and a loony nativist, is running as an Independent for Governor!

Under the circumstances, the Republican Party of Colorado is going off the deep end, with the best choice for them being to select the “plagiarist”, and hope that Tancredo flops on his face politically as an Independent!

So the Tea Party Movement further undermines the Republican Party, and makes them look more and more whacko, loony, and outside of the political mainstream! 🙁

More Crazy, Whacky Behavior By Republican Politicians! :(

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Crazy, whacky behavior by Republicans in government continue, making it that almost daily there is some outrageous statement or action to report! 🙁

Congressman Zach Wamp of Tennessee, running for the GOP nomination for Governor of his state, suggested that if the elections of 2010 and 2012 did not lead to a change of attitude on the part of the national government, then it would be necessary for Tennessee to promote secession from the Union! 🙁

So, in other words, 150 years after the Civil War began, we might face a Southern state again trying to break its bonds with the Union, even though that was supposedly settled by the blood of two thirds of a million American soldiers from 1861-1865! How irresponsible and divisive a statement for Congressman Wamp to make, and one he should be ashamed of! 🙁

Meanwhile, former Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo, a leading nativist and extremist firebrand, is complicating the Governorship primary in the Republican Party by suggesting he will run as an independent. But beyond that, he has suggested that Barack Obama should be impeached! 🙁 Mr. Tancredo, on what basis do you utter such a ridiculous statement? 🙁

Tancredo is a lunatic, and Wamp is not far behind! When, oh when, will the GOP decide that remaining silent, and being connected to whacko statements such as these two characters have uttered, is hurting the long term future of the party of Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Eisenhower, and yes, even Ronald Reagan? 🙁

Add to the above conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly who has condemned single women for voting Democratic in large percentages, and refusing to keep their marriage vows in large numbers! Of course, Schlafly fails to understand that many women do not wish to tolerate abuse by their husbands in unhappy marriages, and many women are less willing to give up their careers and futures and tie themselves to men who they feel are not worthy! But remember that Schlafly still enunciates the views of the Christian Coalition which helped to bring Ronald Reagan to power in 1980! Thank goodness that Reagan passed her by and selected Sandra Day O’Connor as the first female on the Supreme Court! 🙁

Continued involvement by Wamp, Tancredo , and Schlafly only undermines the future of the GOP, and is a godsend to the Democratic Party!

Tea Party and Militia Right Wing Extremism On Display! :(

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Today was the anniversary of Oklahoma City, and right wing gun toting militias and Tea Party activists were demonstrating in Arlington, Virginia, fully armed, and in the District of Columbia without arms because of DC restrictions. There were also demonstrations all over the country by people seeing conspiracy, and concerned about “internment camps”, and spouting racism in many cases, unwilling to accept the Obama Presidency as legitimate.

All kinds of wacky statements were made by so called “preachers” and right wing radicals across the country, including former Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo stating that we needed to send Barack Obama back to his “homeland”, Kenya; and Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann referring to the Obama Administration as the “gangster” government in a weekend speech. Recently, Sarah Palin spoke about “reloading” to promote and protect basic constitutional rights.

The failure of these politicians to realize that they are helping to create and light the fuse of potential violence, and to create a toxic political atmosphere is extremely disturbing. Talk radio and Fox News Channel also continue to encourage propaganda and lies to further their agenda of making it impossible to unify the nation around anything the Obama Administration proposes, or attempts to accomplish.

And when Rush Limbaugh asserts that the Iceland volcanic ash is God’s way of punishing America and the world for the passage of the Health Care Reform legislation, what can one say except that rhetoric is becoming more ridiculous and loony! There is absolutely no sense of responsibility or culpability in Limbaugh or other talk show hosts realizing the deleterious effect they have on millions of easily manipulated listeners and watchers who could be provoked to disastrous actions that we would all mourn, if god forbid they were to happen! 🙁

The Tea Party Convention, Tom Tancredo, And Fox “News” Channel: Right Wing Extremism On Display!

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The Tea Party Convention opened in Nashville last night, with the major speaker being Tom Tancredo, former Republican Congressman from Colorado, and one of the declared Presidential candidates in 2008. No one was unhappy when Tancredo did poorly and withdrew from the race, as he was the wackiest of all ten GOP candidates running for the White House!

Tancredo is totally nuts, a moron and lunatic of major proportions! How he can spew forth his racism, nativism, and other demagogic rants and raves, and not be ashamed and embarrassed by the image he presents, indicates just how crazy and mentally ill he really is! 🙁 Some see him as the new Joseph McCarthy!

Even some of the people listening to him speak expressed the thought that he was hurting the movement, which looks more and more like a group of ignorant, hateful, losers who sound more and more fascist oriented, and a threat to our nation’s stability and security!

Any sane Republican or principled conservative should be able to recognize that associating with this radical right wing movement will not benefit them or the party in the future. If you play with a wild animal, you end up the victim, and the GOP is in dangerous territory trying to appeal to these loonies!

And the fact that Fox News Channel thinks it is professional and legitimate to have their talk show hosts get directly involved in this movement and in other conservative and Republican activities, in the form of delivering speeches, shows how bankrupt a station they are in an ethical sense! Should a news channel openly allow people who work for them to become politically involved, and still have the right to call themselves a “news” channel? I am referring to the planned activities of Bill O’Reilly and Sean Hannity, and the fact that Sarah Palin, who now works for Fox News Channel, will be paid a six figure amount to speak before this Tea Party Convention on Saturday night.

And to top it off, the fee to be involved in this Tea Party Convention is a steep $549, which makes one wonder if this is not just a method to profit from people’s discontents. Is the Tea Party movement a legitimate expression of anger and unhappiness, or is it another example of extremists similar to past Nazi and Ku Klux Klan movements? Any sane person knows it is the latter! 🙁