http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=2938
Special to Western Voices
At a South http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=2981 press conference on Wednesday (Jan. 16), former Arkansas governor and GOP Presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee signed the NumbersUSA “No Amnesty Pledge,” promising he will veto any legislation meant to legalize the presence of millions of Third World aliens, primarily from Mexico and other parts of Latin America. The pledge also commits him as President to finally enforce the border protection measures which have long been ignored.
The pledge reads: “I pledge to oppose amnesty or any other special path to citizenship for the millions of foreign nationals unlawfully present in the United States. As President, I will fully implement enforcement measures that, over time, will lead to the attrition of our illegal immigrant population. I also pledge to make security of our borders a top priority of my administration.”
Mike http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=2585 and outspoken “moralist,” Huckabee at one point could have counted on “values voters” blindly supporting his campaign, despite his poor record on immigration. But the crushing weight of Third World immigration has changed the tone of the race across the board.Huckabee signed the pledge in the face of outcry from those who see America’s doom if Third World immigration is not dealt with. Peter Gadiel is president of 9/11 Families for a Secure America, an organization of patriots who lost loved ones on 9/11. “Huckabee is the guy who scares the heck out of me,” he said. Roy Beck, leader of the NumbersUSA group which designed the “No Amnesty Pledge,” was also concerned. “He was an absolute disaster on immigration as governor” of Arkansas, Beck said. Despite this, Huckabee’s signing of the pledge is just the latest in an attempt to gain a patriotic profile. His greatest coup came when he wooed and then inexplicably won the endorsement of none other than Jim Gilchrist, a founder of the Minutmen.
Huckabee’s former allies are miffed by his latest flips. As governor, Huckabee denounced immigration activists as “http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=2793), is angered that Huckabee has realized his pandering will cost him at the polls. “He’s trying to be tougher on immigration than we’ve ever seen him before,” Cervantes said. “That’s kind of worrisome now. He was willing to work with the communities. I don’t see that he’s willing to work with us now.”
Huckabee’s signing of the pledge is at best cynical, but goes to show the http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=758 of grassroots pressure. Various amnesty attempts in 2007 went down to defeat because of large scale protest, organized thanks to the internet.
The Huckabee signing also shows the effect of the Ron Paul juggernaut on the tone of the campaign across the board. The Paul campaign’s bottom up funding, massive popular appeal, impressive poll numbers and vote tallies, and attempts to censor his populist message show the “mainstream” politicians that they are not so “mainstream” after all, and in fact are largely out of step with America’s mood.