Jun 20 2007
Path To Citizenship For Illegal Immigrants Is Popular
Seems that the American people are pretty clear on one thing – they approve of a path to citizenship for illegal aliens now in the US who have a clean record on violent crime, are going to pay a fine and are going to pay back taxes.
The survey by Bloomberg and the Los Angeles Times showed 63 per cent of respondents favour the “path to citizenship” for undocumented immigrants, provided they register, pay a fine, get fingerprinted, and learn English.
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When the Pew asked Americans about providing a way for illegal immigrants currently in the country to gain legal citizenship if they pass background checks, pay fines and have jobs, 63 per cent agreed. When the word “amnesty” was used to describe the “path to citizenship”, support fell to 54 per cent—still a majority.
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Two-thirds of Americans support giving illegal immigrants who pay taxes and obey the law a “second chance.”
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In the survey by TNS for the Washington Post and ABC News, a majority of respondents came out in favour of giving illegal immigrants the right to live in the U.S. legally if they pay a fine and meet other requirements…
That is a lot of polls folks. In science we call that ‘a trend’ because so many indepedent samples are showing basically the same thing: roughly 63% support the concept. The article notes Rassmussen’s outlier poll and how it uses the charged words ‘the grand bargain’ to divert from the core issue. Rasmussen also lays out the false choice of one element or another, as if there are two bills. Finally Rassmussen is focused on the bill being discussed, not the concept of a documenting the undocumented workers. So he is an outlier – big deal. All samples have outliers.
The point is the GOP is tearing itself apart for nothing – it is not changing the basic dynamics of this issue. It may have created a transient opposition for ‘this bill’, but it has not changed the minds of America on what to do with the 12+ million illegal aliens now in the country. And so all the damage it is taking is for naught. The amnesty hypochondriacs have not infected America with their paranoia and they won’t be able to. Whether in this bill or not, the path to legal status, and then the longer path to eventual citizenship (getting in line after those already in the system), is popular. It is not the best answer – we all know that. But it is the best realistic answer. The GOP needs to get this behind them before they do more useless damage to themselves.
It’s like they are sitting there with a gun against their head telling everyone this is a bad thing to do while beating themselves with a bat. Slick, eh? Like I said the GOP needs let it go before they wander in the minority for another decade.
AJ,
According to PollingReport, the majority of Americans favor either an immediate or a very short timetable to withdrawl from Iraq. Does this mean you will soon be supporting a withdrawl timetable for the same reasons you support amnesty? After all, its the trendy thing to do. If you support staying in Iraq until the job is done, you’re just another one of those terror hypochondriacs.
source=http://www.pollingreport.com/iraq.htm
“Do you support or oppose setting a timetable for withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq?”
Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg Poll. June 7-10, 2007
Withdraw = 57%
USA Today/Gallup Poll. June 1-3, 2007
Withdraw = 56%
ABC News/Washington Post Poll. May 29-June 1, 2007
Not Worth Fighting = 61%
CBS News/New York Times Poll. May 18-23, 2007
set a timetable = 63%
Ah, but the devil is in the details, or more accurately what isn’t in the details…
An analysis of recent surveys suggests that, for the most part, Americans would welcome guidelines to allow undocumented workers to seek legal status.
Since when did ‘legal status’ come to mean citizenship?
The survey by Bloomberg and the Los Angeles Times showed 63 per cent of respondents favour the “path to citizenship” for undocumented immigrants, provided they register, pay a fine, get fingerprinted, and learn English.
But does this mean illegals should get immediate legalization if they only promise to do those things? What happens if they don’t pay the fine? Does this change the results of the survey? What happens if they can’t ‘in fact’ pass a background check? What happens if they are in fact required to ‘pass’ a background check, not just avoid getting found out within 24 hours? Are they actually required to learn to speak and write English or just sign up for a course?
Support for a “guest worker” program is at 49 per cent,
What happens if the people being surveyed understand that the guest worker program is only a path to amnesty and citizenship? What happens if it is known that the guest worker program is only that, a guest worker program that never allows a path to citizenship or amnesty?
When the Pew asked Americans about providing a way for illegal immigrants currently in the country to gain legal citizenship if they pass background checks, pay fines and have jobs, 63 per cent agreed.
Unfortunately not enough attention is paid to the word “if” in that question. Or the conditions. What “IF” they don’t pass the background check “OR” pay the fines “OR” have jobs?
When the word “amnesty” was used to describe the “path to citizenship”, support fell to 54 per cent
Sure it fell, and if any/and/or all of those conditions were removed it would fall even further.
So let’s take this hypothetical, since that’s all opinion surveys anyhow:
“Would you favor ‘amnesty’ for all undocumented illegal aliens if they do not pass background checks, do not register, do not pay fines, no not have a job or if they do not learn English?
Okay, so that is 100% negative, so just how many plums do I have to offer before it tilts the scale to a positive.
What about if they learn English? how many points for that? okay and have a job? okay, now they pay a fine? how much fine? $1000? $5000? okay now they pass a background check? does this qualify them for amnesty or just a path to citizenship?
The poll by Opinion Dynamics released by Fox News framed the issue within the context of a pardon. Two-thirds of Americans support giving illegal immigrants who pay taxes and obey the law a “second chance.”
But, what is a “second chance”? Does it entitle them to go back to where they came from without going to jail first? Does it mean they now have a second chance to come in ‘legally’?
Does it mean they get to steal a second persons Social Security number? Without defining “second chance” that question doesn’t mean a damn thing.
Ugly in LA – No. I do not support surrendering to al-Qaeda.
I wish we could end the war sooner rather than later – but surrender would only prolong the war. And yes, that is an issue worth losing elections over!
So, we shouldn’t decide all the countries immediate issues by public opinion polls, only the illegal alien problem.
FE,
I pointed to the polls to show who the GOP was screaming their crazy mouths off too. Not to show polls show correctness. I have said many times they do not convey correctness.
But if the GOP wants to continue down this path, it should go in eyes open (instead of mouths open, which is their current plan). As I posted, the insults from the far right are having an effect. They are galvanizing opposition to them on this issue, which could bleed over to other issues.
Just showing the hypochondriacs what they are up against. Nothing more. But it is classic for the hypochondriacs to misread what people are saying, Seems that is what they do best.
I pointed to the polls to show who the GOP was screaming their crazy mouths off too.
And I pointed to your pointing to the Polls to show you how silly it is. As you know, they never ask the right question, and then even when they finally do get around to asking the question exactly as you want them to (as happened with you and Rasmussen recently) you usually don’t get the answer you were hoping for.
But it is classic for the hypochondriacs to misread what people are saying, Seems that is what they do best.
Only hypochondriacs do that? What about people using polls to prove a point while pointing out that polls are usually not correct
“Not to show polls show correctness. I have said many times they do not convey correctness “