RNC to start radio misinformation campaign about immigration legislation

A week after hundreds of thousands took to the streets to protest Republican legislation that would criminalize 12 million undocumented immigrants and those who aid them in any way, the Republican National Committee is set to start an advertising campaign that tries to shift the blame to the Democratic leadership.

Republicans on Thursday disclosed a Spanish-language radio advertising campaign that blames Democrats for thwarting progress on immigration reform.

The 60-second spots will play early next week, a Republican official said, on Univision's KOMR-FM (106.3) and KKMR-FM (106.5), KQMR-FM (100.3) in Phoenix, and Arizona Lotus Corp.'s KCMT-FM (102.1) in Tucson.

They also are scheduled to air in the heavily Hispanic states of New Mexico and Nevada

The ads are paid for the Republican National Committee and are meant to point out that "Democrats are not serving as honest brokers in the debate. . . . They are manipulating the issue for political benefit," said Danny Diaz, spokesman for the RNC.

The ads, in part, say: "Terrorists coming across our borders. Drugs smuggled to America's shores. But just last week, there was hope. Congress was working on immigration reform . . . to secure our borders and protect American families. But Democrat Leader Harry Reid let us down. Harry Reid played politics and blocked our leaders from working together. Reid's Democrat allies voted to treat millions of hard-working immigrants ... as felons."

The Arizona Republic

I guess the Republicans forgot that all votes in the House of Representatives are easily accessed. Here’s the numbers on the vote for Sensenbrenner HR4437, the bill that calls for reclassifying the crime of "illegal presence" into an "aggravated felony".

(more below the fold)

tags: immigration, Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006, Kennedy McCain bill, Kennedy, S. 2454

Vote On Sensenbrenner HR 4437

For:
Rep 203
Dem 36

Against
Rep 17
Dem 164 +1 (ind)

US House of Representatives

Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi today released the following statement on Speaker Hastert and Leader Frist's support of the Sensenbrenner amendment, which would criminalize an entire population of immigrants:

"Speaker Hastert and Leader Frist's statement on immigration this week is a clear reflection that Republicans now feel the heat from the American people on the mean-spirited approach of the House Republican immigration bill, H.R. 4437, authored by Congressman James Sensenbrenner.

"The statement serves to underline a key fact: that the Republican Leaders of both the House and Senate support the criminalization of an entire population of immigrants by expressing support of an amendment that would have authorized 6- month jail sentences.

"No amount of spin by the Republican leadership can change the fact that the Sensenbrenner bill -- including the felony provision -- was authored by Republicans and ultimately passed by Republicans."

"The fact is that Congressman Sensenbrenner's amendment, if adopted, would have still criminalized an entire population for the first time in our history, rather than charging presence violations as civil offenses as provided under current law. 11 million men, women, and children, with no exceptions, would still go to jail for up to six months under the revised Sensenbrenner amendment. That is why many Democrats voted against the Sensenbrenner amendment.

"As we consider immigration reform, Democrats believe that we must protect and defend the American people by protecting our borders. As we do so, we must also protect and defend our values as Americans with comprehensive, humane, and realistic immigration reform. It is imperative to our national security, and it is the right thing to do.

"In contrast to these goals, we regret that Speaker Hastert and Leader Frist's statement indicates that the Republican leadership and your Republican allies support authorizing 6-month jail sentences for an entire population and that turns 11 million men, women, and children-among the poorest and hardest working people in our country -- into criminals.

"We are a better country than that. We must work together for real, bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform that protects our borders, honors our values, and that we can all be proud of. The Sensenbrenner bill fails miserably and is antithetical to our basic values as a country. We will continue to vigorously oppose it."

US Newswire

You can contact the radio companies that will be running the Republican smear ads and let them know that you don't support that kind of advertising.

Univision Radio San Antonio
Location:
1777 NE Loop 410, Suite 400
San Antonio, TX 78217
Phone: (210) 829-1075
Fax: (210) 822-2372
Univision Radio

Lotus Communications Corp.
Location:
Lotus Communications Corp.
3301 Barham Blvd, Ste. 200
Los Angeles, CA 90068
Phone: 323/512-2225
FAX: 323/512-2224
Lotus Communications Corp

AND/OR:

Contact the Arizona, New Mexico, and Nevada Democratic state parties to see what you can do to help them respond.