A Democrat Ponders CIS Poll On Candidates` Immigration Views

Oops! I think I am so well informed on
issues. But, sadly, probably

only the issues which I know about and have studied
for some time.

Hey, we`re all that way. Focused on our

professions and staying up on fast-moving changes in
every one of them, we tend to eschew a general knowledge
of the big issues except as we glean them from our

mass media. The welter of TV daily offerings is
generally such gibberish that Americans who get their
main information from TV are often out of the loop on
really key matters. When crises like the
sub-prime mortgage fiasco hit, we are

shocked.

One very depressing example of this TV
induced disconnect: Americans are now considering
who they will pick for President. Failure to read any
harder news than some
errant bimbo or

baseball steroid user is an American tragedy.
Sitting dumbly before the tube, many never really get
any reality check on what politicians really stand for.

Happily, the

Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), a respected
think tank, has commissioned a survey on this topic,
conducted by Pulse Opinion Research.

CIS` poll "using neutral language,
finds that primary and caucus voters have little
knowledge of candidates` immigration positions. The
results also show that voters often do not share their
candidate`s position." (For specifics on the
questions and tables, see

here, or

download the  PDF here.)

You may find these results
distressing—particularly if you have been regularly
reading VDARE.COM`s

horror stories on what is not happening with
immigration reform, huge

legal and

illegal flows across our borders, constant efforts
to give illegal aliens American tax-payer benefits, the
constant

business push for the importation of special visa
employees such as

H1-B personnel to take

higher-paying American jobs. These open border
trends are well supported by

lobbying at the Federal level to prevent real
patriotic immigration reform.

But the issue is still off the radar
screen for many voters.

Frankly, this did not surprise me. I
have personally found widespread ignorance as I go
around the country talking to people, many of whom share
my Democratic views on

family planning, health care, education, etc. but
seem to have really lost their way when it comes to
analyzing America`s future if we keep importing
unnecessary workers, both legal and illegal—let`s call
them the

"new slaves".

Daily, I run into Americans who simply
ignore and/or disregard the obvious and overwhelming
number of these newcomers. In
Los Angeles and

San Francisco, California ,where I spent a week last
month, the presence of large numbers of immigrants is of
course more evident than in

Maine, where I have spent time in the summer for
years. But proof of the ill effects of these numbers on
American citizens are clear and continuously flowing.

The CIS survey showed: "Only 34
percent of McCain voters, 42 percent of Clinton voters,
and 52 percent of Obama voters correctly identified
their candidate as favoring eventual citizenship for
illegal immigrants who meet certain requirements."

It disclosed: "Of McCain voters, 35
percent mistakenly thought he favored enforcement that
would cause illegals to return home, another 10 percent
thought he wanted mass deportations, and 21 percent
didn`t know his position."

To reiterate: "Voters often held
different positions from the candidate they supported.
Only 31 percent of McCain voters had the same
immigration position as he does. For Clinton voters, 45
percent shared her position; 61 percent of Obama voters
shared his position."

Look at this horrible disconnect on
McCain. This guy favors

defending America by

staying in Iraq—using the word "victory"
without giving us a definition that makes any sense.
Given his

long military record, voters apparently see him as
protecting the country—when in fact he is undermining it
with his immigration stance. How many more billions do
we divert from educating our kids better or keeping our

infrastructure in proper repair, instead of shooting
Muslims?

The CIS finds "that

all three remaining candidates favor legalization
for illegal immigrants".

The only (slightly) bright spot in this
poll: "Whoever wins the presidency will face
significant opposition to giving eventual citizenship to
illegal immigrants. Just 25 percent of Republican and 50
percent of Democratic primary/caucus voters said they
would support such an effort."

Perhaps American voters should assess
the candidates from the most cynical perspective. Let`s
pick the one most likely to bend to political winds for
patriotic immigration reform.

I`d pick Hillary first, with Obama not
far behind. But certainly not McCain, whose

"Straight Talk Express" on immigration reform
seems far less likely to waver, despite the stronger
positions of his Republican colleagues.

Perhaps America will be saved by a
massive grass roots citizen uprising! Significantly,
according to the CIS survey:

"Pro-enforcement voters
have a greater intensity of views than supporters of
legalization. Among Republicans, almost nine out ten who
favored

causing illegals to return home said they strongly
supported that view; on the other hand, fewer than half
of Republicans who backed legalization strongly
supported that view."

Moreover,

"This greater intensity
also exists among Democrats. Of Democrats

who favored causing illegals to return home, more
than seven out of ten strongly supported that view; on
the other hand, fewer than six out of ten who favored
legalization strongly supported that view."

Stay tuned.

Donald A. Collins [email
him], is a freelance writer living in Washington DC and a former long time member of the board of FAIR, the Federation for American Immigration Reform. His views are his own.