Recently in U.S. Electoral Politics Category

Kety Esquivel did The Sanctuary proud yet again with her appearance on CNN.  The McCain campaign has yet to answer our questionnaire and it's unfortunate, because I've been doing my best to keep an open mind, and to defend McCain when he moves towards a more pro-migrant position.  Here's the video of Kety, and if you watch closely, you'll see how McCain responds to our questionnairre through Leslie Sanchez:

If you haven't heard it already from my blogmigos, the Obama campaign has gotten back to us with their answers to the questionnaire we've sent out to everyone.  The McCain campaign has not only been silent, they've shown a plain lack of courtesy. 

"The first phone call I placed was answered cordially.  I was told that someone would get back to me.  I never heard back from anyone," said  The Sanctuary editor Kety Esquivel of CrossLeft.org who has appeared on CNN to discuss the questionnaire.  "The second time I called, the person I was  speaking with hung up and the third time I called the line was disconnected."

The Sanctuary (4 August 2008)

It's the practical and moral thing to do.  David Neiwart has the reasoning over at Orcinus.

The AP carried this article over the weekend about what appears to be the racially-motivated killing of a Latino migrant by a group of teenagers in rural Pennsylvania:

MICHAEL RUBINKAM —
SHENANDOAH, Pa. (AP) —

Luis Ramirez came to the U.S. from Mexico six years ago to look for work, landing in this town in Pennsylvania's coal region. Here, he found steady employment, fathered two children and, his fiancee said, occasionally endured harassment by white residents.

Now he is headed back to Mexico in a coffin.

The 25-year-old illegal immigrant was beaten over the weekend after an argument with a group of youths, including at least some players on the town's beloved high school football team, police said. Despite witness reports that the attackers yelled ethnic slurs, authorities say the beating wasn't racially motivated.

[Continued over at the DMI blog.]

I just stepped outside to witness the craziness of the protestors again.  There was a much heavier police presence today as there were protesters and counter-protestors, but I'll have more on that later.  For now, below is a copy of McCain's remarks at the National Council of La Raza conference here in San Diego:

Note: Credit for this post should go to The Sanctuary.

There are a lot less people here to see McCain in San Diego, today.  Janet Murguia, President and CEO of the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), just introduced John McCain in a heap of praise over how John McCain has always kept the door open to NCLR.  If NCLR is so important to John McCain, then how come he doesn't list this speech in the Upcoming Events section of his website?  It lists the Coronado Campaign headquarters Grand Opening across the bay from here, but not the NCLR speech.

McCain's now mentioning his roll in trying to pass comprehensive immigration reform.  He's refuting Obama's complaint that McCain turned his back on comprehensive immigration reform.  He's tauting his efforts to pass comprehensive immigration reform in the past, saying that Obama tried to pass and vote for ammendments meant to kill comprehensive immigration reform.  McCain says he means it when he says he wants to pass comprehensive immigration reform, and that with all due respect, he's earned that trust.  Awkward smiles all around. 

I'm here in San Diego at the annual National Council of La Raza conference, where Obama just spoke.  I'm writing up a longer post on the experience right now, but in the meantime I thought I'd put up a copy of Obama's remarks:

"I think Obama would be a disaster, and there's a lot of reasons," said [Leroy] Pollard, explaining the rumors he had heard about the candidate from friends he goes camping with. "I understand he's from Africa, and that the first thing he's going to do if he gets into office is bring his family over here, illegally. He's got that racist [pastor] who practically raised him, and then there's the Muslim thing. He's just not presidential material, if you ask me."

Eli Saslow - Washington Post (30 June 2008)

Welcome to the Intolerant States of America.  Liberal elitists will read the words of Leroy Pollard, a resident of Flag City, U.S.A., and feign disgust.  This arrogance betrays the truth that we are all part of Leroy Pollard, and Leroy Pollard is part of us.  The first person I ran into who believed the myths about Barack Obama was not a resident of a small town like Flag City, U.S.A., but a wealthy investment banker, and the parent of a Harvard graduate. 

It can be stressful working in a field where my clients, and I by extension, feel constantly under siege from government agencies, the courts, and even members of the public.  So sitting at the opening session of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) annual conference with 3,000 or 4,000 other immigration attorneys yesterday was an empowering experience.  We are fed up!  Both the outgoing 2007 and incoming 2008 AILA presidents took a vocal and rousing stance against the egregious violations of constitutional rights and basic human rights we have seen recently from ICE and the other immigration agencies.

Marshall Fitz, advocacy director for AILA, said what most immigration attorneys have come to realize in recent years, that 9/11 changed the entire immigration landscape. 

(Picture from Flickr)

I hope everyone is having a good weekend.  Hillary Clinton just delivered her concession speech, and I thought I'd throw aside politics for a bit, and acknowledge the barriers she has courageously worked against in her run for the Presidency. 

Since the beginning of the campaign for the Democrat nomination, I tended to see Clinton as the establishment candidate.  But as the inevitability of Obama locking up the nomination grew more and more pronounced, and Clinton fought on, the discrimination she was working against really came into focus for me.  Despite the political connections she had as a Clinton, we all should have stood, and should continue to stand against the horrific sexism she was a victim of.