Sand Bagging Romney
By Erick Posted in 2008 — Comments (64) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
I put something in RedHot about my disagreement with how the Romney campaign handled a matter today, but I want to put up something here that will get more attention. And this point is definitely not opposed to the Romney perspective.
The Boston Globe has decided to stake out the Romney house and harass contract workers on their citizenship status. I find it highly ironic that a media company opposed to restrictive immigration policies and racial profiling would stand outside someone's house and harass hispanic looking workers to find out if they are illegal aliens.
I actually give Governor Romney credit for giving the company involved a second chance. To be sure, I would not have publicly released the address and name of the company today as it just sets Romney up for a vendetta by the guy.
But it is deplorable that a newspaper would stand outside the man's private home and harass people working at his home to score a partisan shot against him. That's really pitiful. Made more so because you and I both know they were harassing the workers who looked hispanic solely because of their appearance.
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Sand Bagging Romney 64 Comments (0 topical, 64 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
But they do eat their own. Remember Gary Hart ?
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"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
-Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4, 1777
Where they camped outside his house to see if the company he contracted to replace his roof employed anyone who looked suspiciously Hispanic.
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Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. - Milton Friedman
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"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
-Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4, 1777
Entering the race is sufficient invitation to the press.
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"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
-Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4, 1777
What about those two wannabe Clinton attorney generals with the illegal nannies? They got busted by the press. And they were Dems. I wish we'd had one of them instead of Nazi Reno
It's all for the good of The Cause™ after all.
What's a few brown people getting tossed under the bus if they get to jab a Pointy Stick™ at an EvilCon in the process?
BTW, I'm totally with you on releasing the name and address of the company - bad, bad form.
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Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock.
This is really ugly. I can't believe that The Boston Globe would lurk outside of Mitt Romney's private home, in order to harass Hispanic appearing workers--a little racist to say the least. Makes me not want to read their paper again.
I try not to buy into the whole MSM fears, but the Boston Globe is convincing me that its all true. I have never seen a paper target someone the way the Globe has targeted Romney. Its just ridiculous. At least pretend to be objective.
The MSM operates in an echo chamber anyway. They will never call each other out for their bias, so why pretend to be objective. Further, in their mind, they are being objective. They think any objective person should loath and detest Republicans.
Nothing new to that. But as none of them ever ran for President (actually, didn't Big Red for like 5-minutes?) they didn't have the opportunity to take their SOPs to the next level.
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Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock.
I have never seen a paper target someone the way the Globe has targeted Romney.
How about the Washington Post who turned the macaca comment into a deciding factor in the George Allen re-election campaign?
He couldn't either stop apologizing or just actually run a campaign in the first place. Him and Santorum. I have Never seen such pathetic reelection attempts...
"Hillary is a blonde. But what she's got is a testicle lockbox."
-Rush Limbaugh
While I don't think that Macacca was George Allen's finest moment (and I'm sure that the poor guy will regret it for the rest of his life), I definitely thing that The Washington Post blew it way out of proportion. I mean, I must have counted over fifteen front page stories on Maccaca throughout that campaign. I realize that Allen said a stupid thing (we all make mistakes and say stupid things), but that still doesn't change the fact that The Washington Post was waging a jihad against him.
It seems like liberal papers dont' hate anyone quite like they hate the conservative who succeeds in the papers' own backyard. But the Globe has been particularly shameless.
They that are with us are more than they that are against us.
So it's probably just the little sister immitating the big brother.
Aside, no one hates quite like liberals.
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Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock.
Romney didn't toss anyone under the bus. Both the owner and the company's name were revealed by the Boston Globe in their article exposing the situation last year (see here: http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/12/01/illegal_immigrants_...)
I also highly doubt we'll see the owner come after Romney. The guy was given another chance after burning the Governor the first time. I think he knows he's the one at fault here, not Mitt Romney.
To do some research on the executives at the Boston Globe. But I'm sure they all mow their own lawns, shovel their own driveways, and perform all the maintenance on their own homes, right?
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Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. - Milton Friedman
These are liberals we're talking about - well-to-do liberals, for the most part, in fact.
The rules just don't apply to them.
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Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock.
for them, it's not hypocrisy.... they want the illegals here so they don't have to do any manual labor.
Just one question, where are you going to publish it ?
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"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
-Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4, 1777
Limbaugh. Hannity. Savage...
"Hillary is a blonde. But what she's got is a testicle lockbox."
-Rush Limbaugh
It's a tough call, Erick, but basically I support the Governor in this. As an entrepreneur in Massachusetts, I wish more entrepreneurs had the guts to speak out against businesses with shady hiring practices. They're getting a freeload off the rest of us.
But it is deplorable that a newspaper would stand outside the man's private home and harass people working at his home to score a partisan shot against him.
Romney had it coming. He has been running around with this holier than thou attitude. Except for Tancredo and Hunter, nobody is perfect on this issue. Romney's move to deputize the state police to enforce illegal immigration laws a few weeks before he left office has to be on of the most cynical act in recent political history. When he first came on the scene, I really liked him but the more I see him, the more I think he is a fraud. Sanctuary mansion, indeed.
I ate dinner at Applebee's once and some guy in the kitchen washing dishes was an illegal alien. I guess in order to avoid being accused of hypocrisy by the MSM, I have to be in favor of amnesty for illegal immigrants.
Just want to make sure I know the rules before I announce my candidacy for public office.
That illegal immigrants would tell a reporter "Heck yea, I'm here illegally! Let me tell you exactly how I illegally entered your country! Is this gonna be in the paper? Awesome!" Maybe illegal immigrants are that unconcerned about losing their job or getting deported, but it just doesn't sound right.
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Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. - Milton Friedman
ask, "Excuse me are you a U.S. citizen?" through an interpreter.
Anyone who shook their head was counted as an "illegal".
For shame.
Romney/Barbour 2008
Will the Boston Globe go to restaurants where he's eaten to see if there are any illegals on the chef line?
For shame.
And why do Giuliani and Huckabee get a pass (and Hilary Clinton for that matter)? This is obviously a vendetta by the Boston Globe.
Romney/Barbour 2008
You could taste the seething hatred for Mitt and everything he stood for oozing from every page.
Seriously though, you just get immune to reading it after a while. Mitt could have personally found the cure for Cancer and the Globe would complain that he was just doing to to help his Presidential aspirations.
It becomes self-parody, or self-beclowning, after a while.
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Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock.
I think it was the Denver Post that reported that Congressman Tom Tancredo's landscaping company hired illegal aliens.
The purpose of the story was the same as with the Romney lawncare company. To demonstrate that opposing amnesty for illegal immigrants or supporting enforcement of our immigration laws is hypocritical.
And it sends a message to all politicians: Be quiet about illegal immigration or we will investigate and embarrass you.
The difference I am sure is that Tancredo personally rented a bus, put on his ICE costume, rounded up all them waskly illegal illegals and personally deported them to back where they came from....
Or not!
I also heard that Duncan Hunter wanted to get Tancredo to bring them illegals that he had rounded up down to San Diego to work on Ducan's personal construction crew that was part of the fence "he personally built"...
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Proud member of the Barry Goldwater wing of the party ! Pastafarianism anyone?
You right he makes it sound like he was out there with hammer and nail putting the fence up. Just another politician talking.
You are right that the MSM intends to embarass any politician who opposes amnesty. However, it is bad form to rant about companies ignoring immigration laws and then have illegals work for you. You kinds have to lead by example.
I think the "lead by example" argument would make sense if Mitt Romney or Tom Tancredo knowingly hired illegal aliens. But hiring a company to do work on your house shouldn't be considered hypocritical just because the company hires illegal aliens and you know nothing about the immigration status of the employees hired by the company. That's just playing "Gotcha."
If I were running for President and decide to make this an issue in my campaign, I would ask the company to provide proof of status. It shows a lack of judgement on Mitt's part.
I think it's just an example of how the media likes to take down politicians they disagree with, substituting personal attack for an honest discussion of the issues.
It's known as an "Ad Hominem" attack I think
And that would be a serious violation of their workers' privacy to go handing that information over. I can't imagine my employer giving out my private information to anybody who asks. There's probably even a Federal or state law that prohibits that.
He'd also have to do it all the time, since these kinds of businesses have a lot of turnover and you don't see the same guys from week to week.
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Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. - Milton Friedman
At least he should have gotten a letter from the company confirming that they had checked the status of all employee and/or contractors. I mean, if Romney is shy about asking the people he contracts what makes you think he'll enforce employment laws once President? He had it coming. Pontificating about Giuliani's sanctuary cities. I was actually upset when Rudy used the "sanctuary mansion" line. But he turns out to be right on this one.
He demanded they not employ illegals and the business owner agreed. The business owner went back on his word (maybe... that assumes he knew these guys were illegal). That's why Romney wrote that open letter and outed him in the process. I'm not sure what more you want the guy to do.
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Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. - Milton Friedman
I think they want him to quit the race.
Romney is getting hit pretty hard on both sides, from Huckabee on the one and Rudy on the other.
I am sorry but can I ask what led you to infer that these workers were harassed?
How did it exactly occur?
Asking proof of status is a form of harassment./sarcam off.
This is no different than the media parking outside someone's home or sticking a camera in someone face. I really don't see that they have done anything out of the ordinary.
Let's say it was the police instead of the Globe who asked these employees about their status. Then would it be harassment?
Only if you're a Democrat/Liberal.
...when will these journalists be accused of "stalking" illegal immigrants? And since when is it politically correct to ask for someone's papers regarding their immigration status? When will the drive-by media call them out on that?
“.....women and minorities hardest hit”
and inquire as to immigration status of all rape victims leaving any Kennedy compounds.
If we had, as a party, a leader who had shown a modicum of interest in enforcement and penalties, this wouldn't have come around to haunt Romney. As it is, in the post-Bush GOP there will be much more of this type of journalism--and it is very warranted. Sorry, Erick, but this was not a "gotcha." It is not even close given that the Rudybots were given the heads up.
This shows precisely why a candidate must be clean on illegal immigration.
There isn't a "clean" person living in the United States today. We have all patronized businesses that use illegal labor. Many times. Illegal immigrants are everywhere. It is impossible to avoid doing business with their employers. Anyone who says they do is either uninformed or lying.
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Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. - Milton Friedman
If I have been busted once for the offense and was in competition for public office, I would do everything possible to avoid a second offense. This would be especially true if my opponents were weak on this issue and had decided to use one lame offense against me.
You don't agree? Apparently not. And therein lies defeat.
He didn't do anything wrong the first time. After the embarrassing (and totally unfair) episode, he asked for assurances from the business that it wouldn't happen again. He was given those assurances. It happened again, again totally outside his control and knowledge.
He could've hired a different company and it would have made no difference. I'd be surprised if there's a landscaper around there that didn't at least occasionally, either knowingly or unknowingly, have illegal aliens on its payroll. And even if there was such a company, there would be no way to find it, or verify that fact that they have never in the past and will never in the future have even a single illegal alien on the payroll.
The whole thing is just ridiculous. I'll admit to buying Tyson and Swift products. Should I be excommunicated because I like to eat meat and pretty much all meat processing involves illegal labor? Do I have to go vegan and eat only stuff I grow in my own garden to be clean on immigration?
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Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. - Milton Friedman
But what follows comes from someone not prone to attack Romney: he is a tad different from a typical consumer of Tyson chicken. Let us be honest here--this was deja vu, all avoidable again.
Inexcusable. And think this through in a general election context.
Since it was the same hit job done by the same paper. Avoidable? I don't see how. And nobody has described to me exactly how you are supposed to find a business you are certain has not and will not, either knowingly or unknowingly use any illegal labor. If there was an easy answer to the question, the attack might have merit. There isn't.
Even if Romney decided to go to extreme lengths and start his own lawn care company so he could be absolutely sure he had legal labor, he couldn't be positive he was in the clear. Most illegals have false papers. If they are good enough there's no way he is going to know they are illegal.
The system sucks right now. There's no way to be "clean" on this issue until they fix it. It's the governments fault more than anybodys.
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Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. - Milton Friedman
This isn't some guy with limited resources. He could have hired Olympic athletes to tend his lawn until next November. I don't really have a bone to pick here other than it shows a callous disregard for the reality of a hostile press--something a Republican can't have.
This hurt Romney, and he could have avoided it. And this comes from someone appalled by the attacks from the Huckbots re the man's religion.
You seem to think (as others do) that expensive places don't use illegal labor and he just got busted because he used a cut-rate landscaper. That is not the case. No amount of money is going to make a difference here. I could go to the fanciest 5 star restaurant in Manhattan and order a $1000 meal, and there would be a very good chance there would be illegals working in the back. The same goes for landscapers.
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Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. - Milton Friedman
I was on a constrution site not long ago and 80% of the carpenters were illegal. When you look at their documents in their I9 files they had better paperwork than the locals.
Drivers license, SS cards, birth certificates all look legit.
If Romney had asked and they had paper like these carpenters he wouldn't have been able to tell. I find no fault with Romney for taking a mans word for it.
Before I criticize Mitt I want to say that I think he’s a very nice man. I admire him and many different things about him. The problem I have with him is when he goes after other Republicans on issues he does not own. First he said Rudy reminds us of Hillary Clinton because she’s pro choice. Actually, you can say Hillary reminds us of you, Mitt, and the pro choice position you held for many years. Do I expect an apology for his conversion to the pro life movement? No, I’m happy and would never criticize his conversion. If we’re going to hope for more conversions the last thing we should do is criticize them once they do convert. Having said this, I do have a problem with Mitt going after Rudy on this very issue. I’m sorry; you’re allowed to convert, but to compare Rudy to Hillary because they’re both pro-choice seems to be an opportunistic move n Mitt’s part. Also, I just do not think he has as much of a vested interest in the pro life movement to where his words carry much weight. I’m sorry, but he has not earned the right to criticize Rudy on this subject. Secondly, I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again. I can not believe Rudy let Mitt get off so easy in the debate when he asked Rudy if he expected him to go out and ask the landscapers if they were US citizens. All Rudy had to say was he did not expect him to ask them; and he should have inquired if he still uses the same company, and if so, why. Again, does Mitt own this issue like Tancredo and Hunter? Why is he going after Rudy and Huckabee when he obviously has his own problems with immigration. I just seems like it would be smart to not go after other Republicans when you do not own the issue. Again, I like Mitt, but he’s just starting to look like the conservative version of John Kerry.
Seriously, what are you guys missing? Mitt flip flops on any issue if he thinks it can get him elected. What more do you need to see than this YouTube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9IJUkYUbvI
Change of heart? Come on - he only has a change of heart because he needs your vote. Mitt Romney getting slammed in 1994 on "multiple choices" shows a consistent pattern of changing his mind to get votes. Romney can't be trusted.
John McCain is the only Republican we can trust to do what is right.
IMWITHMCCAIN
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Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. - Milton Friedman
I'm sure this is only Stage One in a comprehensive examination of the hiring practices of political candidates by the Boston Globe.
Soon we will see their article about the illegal aliens working for Kerry's gardener, followed by a complete expose' on the domestic staff at the Kennedy compound in Hyannisport.
Now you tell one.
Drink Good Coffee. You can sleep when you're dead.