ARIZONA - DEMAND IT IN WRITING! STOP ALL RINOs!

Submitted by: Myke

Ariz. Voters Persuade Flake (running for Senate) To Turn Against Amnesty -- At Least For Now

By Roy Beck, Wednesday, March 23, 2011, 2:06 PM EDT - posted on NumbersUSA

Much to the misery of the open-borders lobby, Arizona voters have transformed yet another pro-amnesty champion into a secure-borders-only candidate.
Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) stunned his national pro-amnesty allies today in an Arizona Republic interview by saying that he has changed his mind about wanting "comprehensive immigration reform."
After just a few weeks as an announced candidate to replace Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) when he retires next year, Flake found that being the best known pro-amnesty Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives was going to be a problem with Arizona voters.
He apparently decided that John McCain would be his model instead of Chris Cannon (more on that below).

Mr. Flake told the Republic:

In the past I have supported a broad approach to immigration reform -- increased border security coupled with a temporary worker program. I no longer do.

By the way, that "temporary worker program" was to give nearly all illegal aliens temporary work permits just before giving them permanent green cards and an invitation to U.S. citizenship.
But everybody knows that what Flake no longer supports is not a "temporary worker program" but a full-scale amnesty.
This is a really big deal in Congress.  It adds further evidence that Republicans who aspire to higher office or who could be vulnerable to Primary opposition can't be leaders in the pro-amnesty movement. 
On the day of his candidacy announcement, I wrote a blog that noted:

When it comes to immigration, Flake is the best Republican friend of Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), the leader of the nation's most radical open-borders activists.
During his six terms in the U.S. House, Rep. Flake has co-sponsored five amnesties, including being the chief original sponsor with Rep. Gutierrez for the infamous STRIVE amnesty. 

Flake wasn't always the lead House Republican for the amnesty lobby.  For years, he was the open-borders assistant to Rep. Chris Cannon (R-Utah).  But Utah's Republican delegates finally threw Cannon out of his office and replaced him with a pro-enforcement, anti-amnesty congressman, moving Flake into the No. 1 GOP Amnesty Champion role in the House. 

For a short time, the top GOP pro-amnesty champion in both the House and the Senate were from Arizona.

But Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) had to run for re-election last year.  Because of his pro-amnesty work, he faced fierce Primary opposition. So for the last two years, McCain did everything he could to persuade Arizona voters that his evil open-borders ways were in the past.
Not surprisingly, Flake didn't want to follow Chris Cannon's example into involuntary retirement.  Flake chose McCain's model, almost to the word.  He told the Republic:

(The) political realities in Washington (make a comprehensive approach to immigration) . . . a dead end. . . . Border security must be addressed before other reforms are tackled.

What the pro-amnesty folks know is that it could be decades before amnesty could be considered if the promise of border security first is serious and means that the flow of illegal human traffickers, illegal drug smugglers, illegal crime syndicates and illegal workers is cut to, say, 5% of the peak level.

On the other hand, we also have to be aware that politicians like Rep. Flake  who just talk about "border security" are not really our allies.

The border is a big problem.  But it is only a small part of our overall immigration problems.  When it comes to illegal immigration numbers, the refusal to bar illegal aliens from jobs is the biggest issue.  Notice that you don't hear Rep. Flake and Sen. McCain promising to resolve that issue.
When it comes to unemployed Americans facing unfair competition from foreign workers, Congress has to stop Chain Migration, the Visa Lottery and unnecessary employment-based visas.  You definitely don't hear Rep. Flake and Sen. McCain promising anything like that.
But for now, we give praise to all of you in Arizona who on your own and in response to our years-long requests have made it clear that you won't countenance providing pro-amnesty champions to Congress.
Mr. Flake is still leaving room to be challenged in the Primary by a candidate who not only refuses to be a champion for the pro-amnesty forces but is willing to be a champion on immigration policies that are best for American workers and taxpayers. 
ROY BECK is Founder & CEO of NumbersUSA

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