“We’re finding nationally that this is one issue the Republicans can use without bringing up the president,” said Jim Moore, who teaches political science at Pacific University.

This shrewd insight into the dynamics of the immigration issue this year comes in Immigration issue gaining force in election campaign By Joseph B. Frazier The Associated Press 10/24/2006

In Oregon, apparently, the surprisingly competitive Republican Gubernatorial candidate, Ron Saxton, used the issue in his primary, and now

It’s back with new spin and energy in the tight race between Saxton and Gov. Ted Kulongoski…Kulongoski, who had skirted the issue, now stresses tougher sanctions against employers who hire and exploit illegal immigrants and says he is leading the state toward a federal move to deny licenses to undocumented residents. A new campaign flyer said he has authorized the Oregon National Guard to send volunteers to guard the Mexican border.

The system works! As Professor Moore astutely says:

“The Democrats are seeing this as an issue that could cause problems and are fighting back in the traditional way by saying ‘yes, we do that too.’ ” Now, Moore said, “everybody is saying there’s a problem. If you don’t, you’re going to lose elections. Nobody wants to be seen as basically saying foreigners can come in and have a major role in the community.”

Oregon, of course is a liberal and agri-business state. The Establishment there wants nothing said about the issue – as the slant of the AP story makes clear. The Congressional Delegation’s record - D+ - is appalling. But the natives are restive.

Over in Virginia, where perhaps there is a longer tradition of analyzing politics ethnically, things are more advanced. Bloomberg News deviated last week from its founder’s predilections to proclaim Drake Runs Away From Bush on Immigration to Rally Republicans –By Nicholas Johnston October 18 2006

Three weeks before the midterm elections, House Republicans in states far from the Mexican border are stressing their tough stance on immigration — and opposition to plans backed by President George W. Bush and senators of both parties — to rally supporters and help protect their congressional majority…Republican Thelma Drake, is one of them…Drake says her emphasis on immigration is an accurate reflection of her constituents’ concerns. `It’s the issue that we hear the most about,” she said in an interview before a campaign rally in Virginia Beach.

Her chief of staff supplies a comment which, coming from a political professional deserves to be considered:

…chief of staff, Tom Gordy, said that in the past year her office has received about 4,000 letters from constituents clamoring for tougher border security and enforcement of immigration laws…“The intensity of the letters is unlike anything I’ve ever seen,”

The Washington Republicans don’t want to know. The MSM prefers that the election be about the surprising fact that financial and moral corruption exists in Congress.

But thinking elements of the electorate see the real issue - and some alert politicians have noticed.

Conservative radio host Peter Boyles is refusing to apologize:

“I’m sorry,” said Peter Boyles, laughing.

Colorado Media Matters this week launched a petition calling on Boyles “to apologize to his listeners … for his repeated use of factually inaccurate or misleading information regarding immigration.”

Bulletin: Not going to happen.

CMM, which describes its goal as “correcting conservative misinformation in the national media,” cited 28 Boyles missteps on its website (colorado.mediamatters.org).

Boyles, whose show airs weekdays on KHOW 630-AM, won’t back down from his ongoing attacks on illegal immigration. “Here’s the deal. They want me to apologize for what other people say on the show. They’re not accusing me, they’re accusing other people.”

It’s fine to lay it off on his guests, but does he press them about their statistics, or where they got their information? “I ask that question all the time. This kind of stuff is perfect with me. They play four or five cuts from the show of people saying things. They stamp them ‘false’ but they don’t say what’s true. It’s clearly pro-illegal immmigration.”

In an odd way, he’s glad CMM is out there. “No one should ever be silent. Half of what’s wrong today is people don’t speak up. This is America; God bless ‘em.”

[Sorry? Boyles unapologetic over alleged misinformation, By Dick Kreck Denver Post. 10/20/2006]

Colorado Media Matters is trying to play “Guilt by Association” with Boyles, which is a game that conservatives are actually better at than liberals. (Remember Joe McCarthy?–of course most of his targets were guilty).

One of their main claims is that Peter Boyles has evil people like, well, us, as guests. The alleged missteps include

* Boyles guest Brenda Walker called Mexico “one of the most despicable countries on Earth”; said “Mexicans are good at … establishing smuggling infrastructures” and “can get through … WMDs”
Friday, October 20, 2006 6:04PM

* Post’s Knight omitted VDARE’s “white nationalist” connections; misled on drought in Colorado
Friday, October 20, 2006 2:51PM

* Boyles guest[Terry] Anderson blamed Hispanic students for starting “race riots almost on a weekly basis”
Tuesday, October 17, 2006 5:10PM

I’ll deal with the last one, the others are simply hatred of VDARE.com, and a plea for journalists to draw away the hem of their garments when we pass by. Terry Anderson, (who is black, something they can’t bring themselves to mention, perhaps out of reflex) was talking to Boyles about an incident I mentioned here:Race Riots In California Schools: �What Makes Us Special�� where blacks were attacked by Hispanics. Terry reported, of his own knowledge, many other incidents in LA schools that“don’t make the papers.”

They seem to feel that Terry was lying when he said that that this was a race riot, because an story whose headline was Racial tension blamed for Fontana High riot include a quote from a police spokesman that said

“Police, however, were hesitant to call the riot a racial one.”

Well, my goodness, if a police spokesman won’t call it a race riot, it must not be a race riot, because…police always tell the truth about such things? Ha! And they are implicitly criticizing his reports of LA school violence, although they’re in Colorado, and he’s in South Central, so really, they have no way of knowing if he’s right or not. They are not qualified to engage in media criticism, if they think what police spokesmen say about racial matters is evidence.

Guilt By Association: Colorado Media Matters is a subsidiary of Media Matters, which is run by the despicable David Brock, and funded by the equally repulsive immigration enthusiast George Soros. Its supporters include a number of people who supported the winning side in the Vietnam War. And when they defend Ted Kennedy, which they frequently do, they never mention that he killed a girl named Mary Jo Kopechne in 1969.

That’s more guilt than this website can claim–but if they have an actual argument, we’re prepared to answer it. Rather than, you know, engaging in “McCarthyism.”