Hazleton, PA Needs a Straight Talk Whistle Stop
By Uma Richie Posted in Immigration — Comments (0) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
Closing his April 15 economy speech, John McCain said:
“As I have always done, I will make my case to every American who will listen. I will not confine myself to the comfort of speaking only to those who agree with me. I will make my case to all the people. I will listen to those who disagree. I will try to persuade them. I will debate. And I will learn from them.”
If McCain is sincere, he should take the Straight Talk Express to Hazleton, Pennsylvania.
Hazleton, a small city whose fortunes rose and fell with the anthracite coal industry, is the kind of place the Barak Obama displayed disdain for and ignorance of in his Bittergate comments. Over the past few years Hazleton has gained national attention in the illegal immigration debate. The town is appealing its loss to the ACLU in lawsuits regarding municipal enforcement of federal anti-illegal immigration legislation. Local opinion would probably position against McCain’s amnesty plan.
During the April primary election campaign Hazleton’s mayor Republican Lou Barletta, who is challenging 12-term House incumbent Paul Kanjorski (PA-11), invited Senators Clinton, McCain, and Obama to visit. As the Hazleton Standard Speaker laments, none accepted.
Incidentally, the paper endorsed Senator Rick Santorum in his unsuccessful 2006 reelection bid against Bob Casey, Jr. for the simple reason that Santorum was the only candidate who had the guts to set foot in the town. (I am sorry, this editorial is no longer available on line.)
Hazleton is in many ways representative of small town America. Its difficulties are complex and can’t be smoothed over with a drive-by speech in front of a limping factory. It is tired of being ignored in favor of big city politics only to be hauled into court when it tries to solve its own problems within the context of the law.
All in all, a whistle stop in Hazleton would show that John McCain is a leader who cares about fly-over country, who is willing to listen to both sides of a debate, and who has the courage to venture into uncertain territory.