Thom Tillis was just elected to the United States Senate in 2014.
It was an epic year for Republicans across the country, even in California, where the epic low turnout worked in our favor, and brought four Republicans into the state assembly.
Thom Tillis had served as the Speaker of the North Carolina State House. He faced a pretty tough battle to win, even though North Carolina has traditionally been a red state, or at least a conservative one. Now the Tar Heel State has appeared more recently as a battleground.
Trump made numerous visits there. The previous governor, Pat McCrory, had served as the mayor of the urban Charlotte. He also tried to stay away from the contentious cultural issues. He voted legislation which would allow judges the freedom of conscience not to officiate a same-sex wedding. The supermajority Republican legislature overrode his veto.
When it came to protecting women and children, and not accommodating the transgender insanity in public bathrooms and restrooms, McCrory chose to sign.
The whole point about bringing this information is to show how North Carolina is turning into the contentious battleground for all issues. Illegal immigration has featured prominently in this state, but at least McCrory signed off on legislation banning sanctuary cities in North Carolina.
It seems like Tillis needs to read that memo.
Check out what he released
on his US Senate page today:
A Republican senator is trying to break years of congressional gridlock
over immigration with a new plan that would pair changes sought by Democrats
with those pushed by his own party.
At a time when President Donald Trump’s promise to build a wall along
the southern border is dominating the immigration discussion, Sen. Thom Tillis
(R., N.C.) has been talking with a handful of Democrats and Republicans to
build support for a broader overhaul. His plan would aim to tighten border
security and toughen enforcement of immigration laws—goals often cited by
Republicans—while addressing the fate of the roughly 11 million immigrants
currently in the U.S. illegally, a Democratic priority.
For Democrats, “this may be one issue where they’re as tired as I am of
seeing the parades and not getting to the game,” said Mr. Tillis, who was
elected to the Senate in 2014, after the last big Senate immigration debate.
The basic elements of immigration legislation have been known for many
years, but the parties haven’t been able to agree on how to enact legislation.
Democrats and some Senate Republicans have favored comprehensive legislation
that incorporates a wide range of ideas, each appealing to different
constituencies. House Republicans have wanted to pass enforcement legislation
first and then, at some point in the future, overhaul the legal immigration
system and then deal with the people in the U.S. illegally.
What is different about the Tillis approach is that it tackles the
issue incrementally—but at every step gives each party something that it wants.
Tillis insists on trying to pass something that will get votes from Democrats.
Don't these people understand that Democratic party leaders and elected officials want amnesty because they want the votes. Even Chris Matthews gets that. Once in a while, the MSNBC screwball speaks some truth, especially about the needs and concerns of working class people in the United States.
Illegal immigration hurts Middle America. Even STEM students and professionals should worry about illegal immigration, since more imported workers--legally or illegally--or cutting into their wages and cutting them out of jobs.
What is going on with this guy and others like him? Why are they so determined to pass some kind of amnesty?
Mr. Tillis is in the early stages of developing his framework, and it
isn’t yet clear how much support it would garner from either side of the aisle.
It also is unclear whether the White House would go along, as Mr. Trump ran for
office with a hard-line message of tougher enforcement and protection for
American workers. Previous efforts to enact sweeping immigration changes with
bipartisan support have fizzled, most recently in 2013.
The 2013 program fizzled in large part because they were based on false premises. More on that later.
Donald Trump ran on a program, a platform of enforcement. We don't need more misplaced compassion in this country. We had a grand amnesty in 1986. We got shot in the foot, stabbed in the back by the DC two-step. No more.
This "framework" that Tillis is poring over. He might as well scrap the whole program. There are more conservative Republican lawmakers, at least five.
Not only that, but the Democratic Party caucus, which failed to secure the Senate Majority when they had the chance, has now tilted even more to the left. They are not interested in compromise. They want amnesty for 11 million illegal aliens. What will it take for Republicans to develop
Mr. Tillis would enact a comprehensive overhaul of immigration law in
increments—but at every step giving each party something it wants. He said his
plan is aimed at jump-starting discussions over the order in which to introduce
changes to immigration policy so that proponents could secure the 60 votes most
bills need to clear the Senate, where Republicans hold a 52-48 majority.
Once again, who cares what the Democratic Party wants? Or even what the Republican Party wants?
We the People are crying out for enforcement. It could not be more simple than that. This country has an enforcement problem, because the previous President has routinely ignored the rule of law and preferred illegal aliens over the needs of the citizens.
For instance, the first steps under Mr. Tillis’s proposal would tighten
border security and deport any illegal immigrants engaged in criminal
activities, while also providing some temporary legal status for people brought
to the country illegally at a young age by their parents.
NO! Nothing about this legal status nonsense. No!
Once those two elements were in place, lawmakers could strengthen the
enforcement of immigration laws through programs such as e-Verify, an online
system companies use to check whether applicants are in the country legally. At
the same time, lawmakers could address how to deal with the adult members of
the illegal immigrant population.
At a later stage, lawmakers could focus on preventing people from
overstaying their visa limits while overhauling some popular work-visa
programs, including those for high-skilled foreign workers and low-skilled
seasonal workers.
Why are US Senators obsessed with this incrementalism?
The argument from Republican lawmakers at this time is that they need Democratic votes to pass key legislation. True. But that should not be a carte blanche invitation to capitulate to Democratic demands on key concerns.
How about putting more pressure on the red state Democrats, of which there are at least 5.
Those US Senators are going to have to do everything in their power to stay in the good graces of the conservative base from which they were elected. Let's not forget that in 2012, when they were elected or re-elected, the Democratic turnout overshadowed the Republican turnout in large part because Romney was not a stellar candidate.
Republicans keep wanting to "work with" Democrats by embracing some of their talking points. Their first point of departure needs to focus on doing what is best for the country.
Tillis and his fellow GOP-Establishment leaning colleagues don't want to fight. They want to go along with the flow and make nice. They don't seem to understand that on key issues like immigration,, there is no middle ground anymore. We need border security and enforcement, and these issues should not rest on pitiful compromise.
It's time for heated pressure against the very Democrats who claim that they care about everyone. If Democrats continue to be exposed as the obstructions, they can prepare for a very bad 2018, where they lose as many as 10 more US Senate seats.
Contact US Senator Thom Tillis, and tell him:
No amnesty!
Enforce our laws.
Build the wall!
Secure the borders!
Washington, D.C.
185 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: (202) 224-6342
Fax: (202) 228-2563
Charlotte
9300 Harris Corners Pkwy
Suite 170
Charlotte, NC 28269
Phone: 704-509-9087
Fax: 704-509-9162
Greenville
1694 E. Arlington Blvd.
Suite B
Greenville, NC 27858
Phone: (252) 329-0371
Fax: (252) 329-0290
Hendersonville
1 Historic Courthouse Square
Suite 112
Hendersonville, NC 28792
Phone: (828) 693-8750
Fax: (828) 693-9724
High Point
1840 Eastchester Dr.
Suite 200
High Point, NC 27265
Phone: (336) 885-0685
Fax: (336) 885-0692
Raleigh
310 New Bern Avenue
Suite 122
Raleigh, NC 27601
Phone: (919) 856-4630
Fax: (919) 856-4053
