by David Safier
Here's a photo of Vic Williams (R-LD26) hanging around with a few of his closest friends: Russell Pearce, J.D. Hayworth and Sheriff Joe Arpaio (Present but out of the shot: Andrew Thomas). That's Vic looking stern and resolute behind the big three.
The issue is immigration. With those folks sharing the microphone, you know the tone is harsh.
How harsh? The Republic, not known as a Republican-bashing publication or a bastion of liberalism, had this to say under the headline, "Pearce and crew fill leadership vacuum with bunk."
Because Congress has abdicated its responsibility to resolve illegal immigration, powers have stepped into their leadership vacuum. And the powers calling the shots in place of the federal government constitute the most radical and single-minded among all would-be reformers.
The inmates of the immigration-reform asylum now are in charge.
[snip]
The group is a "who's who" of us-against-them absolutists.
Radio personality and ousted Congressman J.D. Hayworth, who has made a latter-day career of characterizing illegal immigrants as bloodthirsty criminals, was there. So were Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and County Attorney Andrew Thomas, whose commitment to ridding the county of dishwashers, landscapers and broken-tail-light scofflaws is beyond question. Leading the affair was state Sen. Russell Pearce, nationally renowned illegal-immigrant basher, who proposes the group's plan for either the state Legislature or the 2010 ballot.
So what is avowed sensible middle-of-the-roader (when he's not a conservative, that is) Vic Williams doing with this crew of immigrant bashers? If I was of a mind to photoshop the pic, I would have inserted a finger in the wind next to Vic ("The election, my friend, is blowin' in the wind . . ."). He's in perpetual motion, shuttling back and forth from moderate to right wing positions. And when it's time for a vote where he has to choose one way or the other, Vic can often be found making a potty call.
A new face has entered the LD-26 Republican Rep race, the very conservative Terri Proud. Trent Humphries is likely to be there as well. Seeing two Rs assaulting him from the right, Vic may be trying to establish his conservative cred on a favorite Tea Party issue.
Tedski had his ear to the ground on this one, and he says Vic was the only Southern Arizonan there. Think of the folks we have down here, from Melvin to Stevens to Gowan to Antenori. For Vic to be the only one choosing to participate in the photo op is saying a whole lot.
OK, I’m putting this in my diary with a big gold star.
Friday, October 23
Dear Diary,
What a day! I agreed with the Goldwater Institute once and Thane Eichenauer twice! And I went and saw “A Serious Man,” a genuinely original film. A day filled with happy surprises!
I often listen to Mr. Hayworth on the radio on the way home from work. He manages to offer up a polite and respectful facade until the issue comes to immigrants. More emotional Glenn Beck also comes down against immigration in his recent book: Arguing with Idiots (I hate the title but someone has to research the guy).
The fault I find with Hayworth, Beck and Pearce is that they all claim to want more security via immigration law enforcement but until you legalize immigration for the people nobody worries about (hard working and otherwise law abiding Mexican immigrants) you are extremely unlikely to catch those you really should be worrying about (habitual criminals and international terrorists).
I’ve read Let Them In: The Case for Open Borders by Jason L. Riley and it does a fantastic case demolishing the six reasons people oppose immigrants and immigration. I recommend those who want to deflate anti-immigration hysteria to pick up (and *read*) a copy of it.
http://www.google.com/search?q=Let+Them+In+by+Jason+L.+Riley