Everywhere I turn lately, I’m reading about how “split” Americans are on the immigration reform issues.
The Democrats, of course, have their “open borders” radical wing, and the more moderate “compromise” group.
The Republicans have their “criminalize and deport” radical wing, and the more moderate “compromise” group.
Hmmm…. so, I wonder what a Presidential candidate who ran on a “criminalize and deport” platform would do to the Republican vote in 2008? (from WorldnetDaily)
Jim Gilchrist, founder of the Minuteman Project, is considering a run for president in 2008 representing the Constitution Party.
Gilchrist has just returned from Florida where he met with the party’s national committee.
Chairman James Clymer told WorldNetDaily the party was excited about the possibility of Gilchrist as its marquis candidate.
Frankly, I have trouble believing that even the most rabid of the “criminalize and deport” crowd would vote for this guy…. but then, they’re not particularly rational. Maybe they would split the vote.
Asked whether he felt President Bush’s “guest worker” program or the administration’s “pathway to citizenship” were reasonable compromises, Gilchrist reacted sharply: “The Republican Party is going to pay a huge price for pandering to what they think is going to be an illegal-alien vote and for their reckless disregard for the rule of law. The Republican Party has sold out our sovereignty.”
Gilchrist told WND that he thought his third-party candidacy could be viable, noting “the country is ready for a third-party candidate, just like the country was ready for Ross Perot in 1992.”
Ah yes, Ross Perot. That worked out well as I recall. (ahem…)
* * * * *
Update: I wrote about the Minutemen last week at the Chronicle, here: On the fringes of the immigration debate
Some folks on the right think Gilchrist declaring for President is a great idea (here), while some others see the risks (here).
TBogg sees things pretty much the same way as I do, though I doubt he’d be as happy as I would to see a moderate candidate step in and split both parties! Never know, though.
[…] I’ve written about Gilchrist and the Minutemen before, (here and here.) For purposes of this post, though, I’m going to give Gilchrist the benefit of the doubt and assume that he truly wants his organization to be non-racist… because what he wants, or maybe even truly believes, is completely beside the point. […]