More on the "New Civil Rights Movement"
Blacks, Latinos and the New Civil Rights Movement:
"We have a huge problem. This immigration problem is a crisis and we can't get around it anymore. It has got to be dealt with. We have not done what we should have done to secure the borders. We have the resources to secure the border if we really have the will to do so there is going to be more border security to stop the influx of immigrants from coming in."This is an interesting article that looks at immigration reform as the "new civil rights movement" and how the African-American community has just as much at stake as Latinos. As for why Democrats and civil rights leaders aren't getting on board, the author cites three reasons:
"Let me say at the outset that a strong border security policy is an absolute necessity for this nation."
"They [immigrants] have to acknowledge that breaking our immigration laws was wrong. They must pay a penalty and abide by all of our laws going forward."
Who made these comments? Was it a right-wing Republican congressman? Was it a hate-monger from the racist Minutemen Project?
No, these statements came from the liberal darlings of the Democratic Party-Maxine Waters, John Conyers and Barack Obama, respectively-during various interviews on how to deal with the so-called immigration "problem". In fact, these comments reflect what has been a generally cool reception to this new civil rights movement for immigrant rights, by the old guard of the last civil rights movement for African Americans.
From the NAACP to the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC)-the self-anointed "conscience of the Congress-a number of Black political leaders have been notably lukewarm to the new movement. In fact, Black Democrat and CBC member Harold Ford of Tennessee actually voted affirmatively to the racist HR4437 anti-immigrant bill. When the NAACP finally came out with a statement, at the end of March, in support of the rights of immigrants, they firmly planted themselves on the right wing of the movement by supporting the vague "earned path to legal permanent residency and citizenship for college age students."
First, the Democratic Party as a whole has radically shifted to the right over the last twenty years. In a move toward "electability" the Democrats have pandered and acquiesced to the right-all the while abandoning their base-on the key political and social issues of the day: abortion, the death penalty and the criminal justice system, gay marriage, health care and education and now immigrant rights.The article goes on to describe how politicians are pitting Black and Latino communities against each other to divert attention from real poverty and class issues, and how all working people regardless of ethnicity have a stake in the outcome. Whether you agree with the author's point of view or some of her conclusions, it's an interesting read.
Black Democrats are no different. Moreover, they have an additional role to play-helping to patch up the reputation of the party in the Black community and within the broad left when the Democrats line up with Republicans on important political issues.
Second, a number of Black elected officials feel politically threatened by the rising number of Latinos moving into their districts. As Latinos have displaced African Americans as the largest racial minority in the United States, there is a competitive fear amongst Black politicians that the rising political clout of Latinos could erode into their electoral base of support.
[..]
Lastly, there is another side to the Black Democrats conservative approach to the immigration question. Many of the Black elected officials are tailing the genuine anxiety that a number of ordinary Blacks have expressed about low wages and job loss that they attribute to the presence of undocumented workers who accept low wages.
2 Comments:
This is important. These are natural Democratic voters. This is a natural constituency. Maybe they're not citizens now, but their kids are. And they themselves may be voters in the future. Realistically, are you going to ship 12 million people home? 12 million people? Without their kids?
This is one to pick up and run with. Why are they here? Why won't citizens take these jobs? Living wage, anyone? Why aren't there jobs in Mexico? NAFTA? Who's gettin' rich and who ain't? Either here or Mexico?
They are here to stay. Let's gather them into the nation and NC and into the Democratic Party. Best thing that's happened to NC in a ... long time.
Democratic Party is supposed to be about working people. What's good for working people doesn't care what they look like.
The Republicans are flat-footed on this, other than the standard appeals to legal niceties and xenophobia. Let's hold out a hand.
An illegal immigrant has very limited civil rights. Obviously some, like the writer of the article, think we should give our country away to illegal immigrants. Some think we should sell out in order to get votes, like anonymous. If Democrats, like anonymous, are so concerned about who's rich and who's not why do they keep electing Kennedy and Kerry?
Democratic Party moved to the right in the last 20 years? Not hardly. The issue of gay marriage was unheard of 20 years ago. Abortion rights were more limited then than now.
The parallels between the black civil rights movement and the insistence of some illegal immigrants that they should be allowed free and easy access to our country is minimal. Some can't even admit that there is such a thing as an illegal immigrant. Trying to call this a "civil rights movement" is completely bogus.
This is all driven by pathological ideology such as white guilt. The left (and some of the right) have lost the moral clarity and conviction to do what is best for their own country.
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