GOP VP Choice—And Immigration
08/28/2008
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Reportedly, McCain has picked his running mate—and will announce his choice tomorrow. The leading candidates according to Intrade.com are Mitt Romney and Tim Pawlenty(odds are over 90% one of them will get the nomination). Tom Ridge, Joe Lieberman and Mike Huckabee have some chance of being chosen-and there is also speculation than female VP candidate like Meg Whitman, Kay Bailey Hutchinson or Sarah Palin may be chosen.

The major choices in the GOP VP race have a lot to do with immigration. Tim Pawlenty has been a vocal opponent of illegal immigration despite some questionable actions and overt support for expansion of H-1b visas. Romney has been a dedicated cheerleader for H-1b expansion and there are real reasons to doubt his sincerity of his criticism of illegal immigration that came when criticism of illegal immigration was the only way he might hope to get the GOP nomination.

Sadly whatever way this choice goes, many American workers are destined for further exposure to world markets—and leaders intent on bringing the enormous economic inequality that exists in the world to America. Most likely, the most we can hope for from a McCain victory is that he dies before he does much damage on the immigration front. However his major VP choices are only marginally better than he is. The most we can hope for from them is that we get some containment of illegal immigration at the expense of expansion of H-1b visas and similar guest worker policies.

It seems like promoting H-1b expansion is becoming as much a litmus test for getting national prominence in the GOP as endorsing repeal of Roe vs. Wade. Eventually the GOP will have to decide whether they want to be a failed fund raising organization or a real political party. If Obama had added the credibility of a realistic immigration policy into his platform, McCain would be in big trouble.

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