You know that you’ve got Democrats on the run when their spokespeople talk about “Republican desparation.” According to this article, that’s what Harry Reid’s spokesman Jim Manley said about the border fence debate. Here’s Manley’s exact quote:

Jim Manley, a spokesman for Minority Leader Harry Reid, said the move “smacks of desperation” and was a “clear repudiation of President Bush’s call for comprehensive legislation.”

This issue must frighten Democrats immensely to draw that type of reaction. Democrats have treated the immigration issue as a vehicle to advance their open borders policy. The vast majority of American voters, though, are fed up with the federal government’s immigration enforcement. Democrats likely read the massive demonstrations of last spring as verification that they held the winning hand on immigration. That’s their mistake. Just because a bunch of liberals in LA joined with illegal immigrants and professional protesters doesn’t mean that that’s voters’ opinion on the issue. They’re finding that out the hard way now.

Here’s what’s happening on this issue this week:

The Senate, which has been the major obstacle to strict border-security legislation this year, will take up a bill this week that calls for constructing 700 more miles of fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border. “It’s time to secure the border with Mexico,” Majority Leader Bill Frist said last night before filing the parliamentary motions to force the House-passed bill onto the Senate floor in a final effort to get a major immigration bill on the president’s desk before the elections.

Senate moderates and liberals have a choice: They can obstruct this legislation and get run over this November or they can debate and pass this legislation, thereby guaranteeing their re-election.

“Mr. Frist was for comprehensive reform before he was against it,” Mr. Manley said.

Mr. Manley’s snappy retort notwithstanding, Democrats are on the wrong side of this issue and he knows it. His attempt to play coy with this issue won’t stop the trainwreck that’s heading the Democrats’ way if they don’t get serious about enforcing the borders. That, coupled with their unseriousness on CIA interrogation techniques and their bragging about killing the Patriot Act, all stick in Americans’ memories. Snappy replies can’t erase the memory of their serious mishandling of important policies.

Technorati Tags: Illegal Immigration, Border Fence, Election 2006

Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog

1. [...] Cross-posted at California Conservative Categories: GOP, Midterm Elections, Immigration, Harry Reid | [...]

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1. Even if the senate passes the legislation it won’t mean much. There are laws on the books already that can easily discourage illegal immigration without ringing up an enormous bill. However, these laws are not enforced. A fence will not be effective even if it is built which is unlikely. What will be effective is a combination of efficient law enforcement, penal system, and judicial system that will make any illegal shake with fear of being caught on this sacred soil.

   Comment by R V — September 20, 2006 @ 6:56 pm