Of course, a presidential candidate debate in Arizona will trigger questions about immigration and the border.
But what about Gov. Jan Brewer wagging her finger at President Barack Obama or the explosive allegations levied against Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu?
"Oh, yeah," said Bruce Merrill, a pollster and senior research fellow at Arizona State University's Morrison Institute for Public Policy. "The media loves that kind of stuff, so you can absolutely be assured that you will see that."
In advance of Wednesday's Republican presidential primary debate at the Mesa Arts Center, several political observers offered questions they anticipate or would like candidates to address.
Mesa Mayor Scott Smith is looking for a clear vision of how each candidate would lead the nation. His top issue is rebuilding infrastructure to invest in the economy.
"We've fallen so far behind on that. There's a lot of people screaming, ‘You can't do that and balance the budget,'" Smith said. "Well, what's your plan?"
For some Republicans, immigration was top of mind.
State Sen. Steve Smith, R-Maricopa, held a media event Tuesday to call for border security questions in the debate. He's already generated national news coverage by establishing a fund for U.S. residents to donate funds for a border fence. Other debates haven't focused on the issue enough, he said.
"The talk has certainly slowed down and it's a shame because anybody looking to be president, their number one duty is to protect the United States," Smith said.
Arizona Republican Party Chairman Tom Morrissey had another take.
"What are they going to do to help fix the challenges of our neighbor, Mexico, to get to the root cause of all this illegal immigration?" Morrissey said. "I honestly believe that that's the answer to this problem, to help stabilize that government."
Richard Herrera, an associate professor of politics at ASU, said he wants candidates to tell voters more detail about their economic plan, and how they envision a safety net working until things turn around.
"What exactly would you do to create jobs?" Herrera said. "And it's not enough to say, ‘Once I'm elected, there's going to be an outpouring of corporations that say we have a Republican, so let's start hiring.'"
Herrera expects CNN moderator John King will likely ask Romney uncomfortable questions about Babeu, who was co-chair of Romney's Arizona campaign. Babeu resigned last week amid allegations from an ex-lover.
"I wouldn't be terribly surprised if King uses the finger-wagging and Babeu as ways to ask questions. Whether it puts Arizona in a bad light, I don't think so. I think Arizona benefits more than it suffers by having a national debate here, by far."
Contact writer: (480) 898-6548 or ggroff@evtrib.com
mariapar posted at 3:37 am on Wed, Feb 22, 2012.
32 TRUE Entries of SHAMEFULLY opposite Political Posturing by Mitt Romney WILLIARD ROMNEY - SELF DESTRUCTING Remember that the Obama machine have THESE videos and will USE them to pulverize the bishop Romney = 4 more years of Obama doom
Paste in a new page- a must SEE for the love of USA !
http://tinyurl.com/6u643xb
and Jesus Said..... "Let your 'Yes' be 'Yes' and your 'No' be 'No': anything beyond this comes from the Evil One" - Jesus Christ, Matthew 5:37 - The Sermon on the Mount (NIV) SEE ALL ENTRIES - SIT DOWN FIRST. LOVE USA? E-mail links to all your contacts . We the people more powerful than money ! and for a little laugh: Mitt Romney pulls a Clinton
http://tinyurl.com/7mokeqb
http://tinyurl.com/87pells
Research the candidates for yourself !
soricobob posted at 4:35 am on Wed, Feb 22, 2012.
If they spent the night debating about Arizona it would run for hours!
phxvato1202 posted at 5:23 am on Wed, Feb 22, 2012.
Typical politicians whose only concern is how do i grasp and get more power, all of them. They pretend like the tea party people that they LOVE america and will fight for it. Most know it's all talk because it's so hard to believe the greatest country in the world cannot or could not do something about illegal immigration. They publicly use the platform against it but privately it's of no concern to any of them because most of them benefit from illegals working in this country. They pretend to listen to those like the tea party who have to be the fakiest bunch of whiners and major hypocrites. Here in their own state they have politicians that are costing this state lots and lots of money but since it's all about hating those not like them they are okay with it. All of them together a bunch of hypocrites, makes you wonder, we can send a man to the moon but in these last 50 years we couldn't solve the illegal immigration issue?? That in itself says all anyone needs to know, and what is also so amazing is that the majority for the last 50 years is that the majority of all the national leaders in congress and the senate have been White, go figure?
jayburd2020 posted at 5:43 am on Wed, Feb 22, 2012.
I for one am looking forward to Wednesday night’s debate. My predictions: 1.) Romney says he supports plugging all holes along the border, just not by a gay sheriff. 2.) Santorum continues impersonating a distraught, recently divorced Cub Scout troop leader. 3.) Ron Paul confesses being the incarnation of Heaven’s Gate cult leader Marshall Applewhite, and 4.) Gingrich rages against the evils of the modern European state in perfectly fluent staccato German. For a few more laughs related -- this time related to Obama and his Secret Service -- check out this funny YouTube video: http://tinyurl.com/6sevqsj
Brittanicus posted at 4:14 pm on Wed, Feb 22, 2012.
Why doesn't Congress the sponsored by Judiciary Chairman James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) and Homeland Security Chairman Peter King(R-NY) revise the 2005 The Border Protection, Antiterrorism and Illegal Immigration Control Act (H.R. 4437). It required the use of E-verify and made it a felony to be in the USA illegally. It also increases penalties for employing illegal workers to $7,500 for first time offenses, $15,000 for second offenses, and $40,000 for all subsequent offenses. It also, causes housing of a removed alien to become a felony. It passed in the House by a vote of 239 to 182. But of course it didn’t find passage in the Senate.
The usual stomach churning zealots complained, so REAL IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT never took center stage, with the combined efforts of a variety of migrant, humanitarian, and religious organizations, and other radical groups. Policies that providing federal or state welfare as UNFUNDED MANDATES forced on all the American population by court order and extorted from your taxes. By neither political party voting for the new mandated version of E-Verify or the Birthright Citizenship bill, millions still attracted by jobs and a free reservoir of welfare programs, will still buy a seat on a international flight as a tourist or just cross that border.
To some extent revitalized E-Verify, “the Legal Workforce Act (H.R.2885) will heavily penalize businesses for hiring illegal aliens, who are stealing jobs from the majority of low income workers. Second in line of Merit is the “Birthright Citizenship Bill (H.R.140) that by Amendment, will prevent the welfare abundance of public welfare check assistance to the illegal parent of a child smuggled or already here, if neither parent is a U.S. Citizen.
The E-Verify system can identify illegal migrants and immigrants after hiring and unless they can further substantiate their immigration status, they will be dismissed. This is an easy, none evasive and simple way to qualify an applicant, by inputting the personal data in a company terminal. Then to resolve any discrepancy you travel to nearest Social Security office.
2005 Enforcement Immigration Law (H.R. 4437)
Criminalizes violations of federal immigration law, including illegal presence, which indirectly shifts the responsibility of immigration enforcement to state and local law authorities.
• Expands the definition of “aggravated felony” to include smuggling offenses, illegal entry and reentry crimes.
• Reduces the maximum period of voluntary departure from 120 to 60 days.
• Reaffirms states’ “inherent authority” to assist with immigration law enforcement.
• Requires that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) provide a training manual and “pocket guide” relating to enforcement of immigration laws to state and local law enforcement authorities. In addition, DHS is required to make training for state and local law enforcement available “through as many means possible.” Receipt of such training is not a prerequisite for state and local assistance with immigration law enforcement.
• Authorizes funds for grants to state and local law enforcement for equipment and other products used in enforcing immigration law.
• Funds in the amount of $1 billion each fiscal year are authorized for the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP).
• Bars states and localities that prohibit state and local law enforcement of immigration law from receipt of funds otherwise granted to states to reimburse expenses related illegal immigrants.
• Requires that aliens who violate certain provisions of immigration law (those subject to a removal order, subject to a voluntary departure agreement, anyone who has overstayed an I-94, and anyone whose visa has been revoked) be listed in the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database.
Border Security
• Provides for a variety of new technology to assist DHS in monitoring ports of entry and land borders.
• Establishes a Border Security Advisory Committee that includes representatives of state and local government.
• Allows homeland security grants funds to be used to support border enforcement activities.
• Provides for additional fencing to be constructed along the U.S. – Mexico Border and calls for a study to examine the construction of a fence along the Northern/Canadian Border.
Worksite Enforcement and Employer Verification
• Establishes an electronic/phone system employment verification process and requires participation by all employers.
• Requires re-verification of all previously hired employees under the new system. Federal, state and local governments would have met this requirement within three years of enactment of the legislation.
• Increases civil penalties for hiring individuals without employment authorization.
• Expands requirements for employment verification to day-laborer sites.
There is so much corruption in Washington, which is why illegal entry is not a felony.
• There is only one cure for the corruption in federal agencies and that is joining the TEA PARTY. Thousands of fraudulent programs will be exposed and billions of dollars will be saved. This confronts the rot that has entered the Democratic and the Republican parties, and the astronomical deficit that America is suffering from. Read some unrevealed evidence at Judicial Watch, that is a legal non-profit website. Judicial Watch is the opposite of the Communist backed ACLU; a panderer to the illegal alien invaders. In addition, NumbersUSA gives you in depth analysis of costs to taxpayers and insider news from Congress. Lastly, the positive controversial website of “American Patrol” gives you one-click bridging news editions to the nationwide media, where the truth prevails in articles suppressed by the overwhelming Liberal press. It is only new TEA PARTY leaders will reveal the corrupt in Congress and return us to a small efficient government, with free handouts to wealthy donors.
Join your chapter of your local TEA PARTY.
DefendUrRights posted at 4:34 pm on Wed, Feb 22, 2012.
We can't manage a budget when we have arterial flow going to 35 million illegal aliens.
Shut the border. Rewrite the immigration laws...RESTRICT, not the Dream Act...make all entitlements unavailable to them, housing, food stamps, MEDICAL CARE (ALL undocumented persons are covered under Obamacare - but not YOU, citizen), and the rest.
Our deficit when Obama was elected equalled the cost of illegals since the last amnesty in the 1980s. I am SICK of supporting this bunch...and have been doing it all of my life.
azblacklab99 posted at 7:35 am on Thu, Feb 23, 2012.
Romney made his points: stop the DOJ lawsuits against state enforcing immigration, finish the border fence, keep using Everify so employers are hiring USA citizens. Whether he completely supports immigration round ups and sweeps, we will hear more.