Houston Democrats

First he keeps using their favorite code word - "illegal aliens". On the other hand he speaks of "hard working people." "vast majority of illegal immigrants are decent people who work hard, support their families, practice their faith, and lead responsible lives."Link

Trapped by his Party's rhetoric, Bush begins by throwing red meat to the base. He continues to "market the [Republican] word that kills" "illegal" . ( a nod to XicanoPwr on this analysis) . As Toni Medillian poignantly pointed at the Democratic Workshop I hosted in April, "No Human Being is illegal ". To make them illegal is to make them less then "Us" and to make them criminals is to make them vulnerable.

"To some, using the term "Illegal" vs. "Undocumented" is just a matter of semantics and to others it means a lot more. When one talks about a group of people who are referred to as "illegals" it never includes people who have committed a crime such as murder, corruption or theft. Nor does it include people who speed or play loud music at a party in the middle of the night. The use of the word "illegal" is only meant for one purpose - the "undocumented." The word itself dehumanizes immigrants and brands them as criminals" LINK

After this Bush does he try to rally public compassion for the immigrants. Well , if he was serious about the second purpose he would not use the rhetoric of fear and division inherent in his initial wording. But then , he can't help himself. He has governed by means of fear and division from the start and when your polls are at 29%, what else can you now do?It goes back to the points in made in my previous post, immigrants as scary criminals is an image needed to rally the base in November, but the business constituency of the party needs the cheap labor. What's a demagogue to do when 2 of key groups supporting his tyranny are at odds with each other? The answer is the speech last night.I owe everybody a thread on how we Progressives can successfully talk about the issue and I will deliver, but for now I give you a link to a Framing Document used at the Democratic Fighting Back Workshop on Immigration back in Houston Texas in April.