Tancredo Hires N.H. Campaign Manager

A Buchanan supporter?

Who was it that pegged Tancredo as a Buchananite? You nailed that one on the head.

"Thank you for putting your rank political motives on display." - ArapaGOP

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by: Aristotle @ Thu Jan 18, 2007 at 17:16:47 PM UTC

Pat's sister is Tancredo's top backer

May be his campaign manager.

That Tancredo is going to play presidential politics shows that House Republicans see little chance of regaining majority control anytime soon.

Tancredo is basically a Repulsive Republican Radical, and he can't deny that, even if he wants to, and he doesn't.

While I appreciate that he'll keep the major candidates honest on illegal immigration and border security, I wouldn't like to see him radicalize them on other issues.

He'll be a less flamboyant Alan Keyes and a more charming Gary Bauer. The succeeded in driving George W. Bush to the radical side in 2000.

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by: Another skeptic @ Thu Jan 18, 2007 at 22:53:33 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

I have numerous problems with Tancredo

But the central one is this: What has he accomplished? As far as I can tell nothing, except being a lightning rod of hate speech. This "wall" does not even extend across the entire border, and is supposed to be placed in areas where construction, let alone immigration, will be impossible, and the company slated to build the fence has been cited for hiring illegal immigrants on numerous occasions.

He may keep them honest, but he certainly hasnt accomplished much.

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by: Mr. Toodles @ Fri Jan 19, 2007 at 18:46:22 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Setting the pace already....

To immediately crash to the far right.  What a whack, he doesn't even pretend to be middle of the road!  Oh yeah, that'll get the voters.

"Politics determines who has the power, not who has the truth." Paul Krugman, 9/2010

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by: parsingreality @ Thu Jan 18, 2007 at 17:17:39 PM UTC

Yuck.

Tancredo is pandering to the Christian Coalition becuase he is widely viewed by religion conservatives with a great deal of suspicion.

Exacatly the WRONG thing to do is hire a Buchananite.  Pat Buchanan and his hateful ilk have done more to undermine the Republican realignment than any other group.  Immigration is a serious issue in America today but Tancredo is the wrong guy to lead the debate.  There are many conservatives out there willing to take a tough stance on immigration without alientating the Latino vote and coming across as a hate-monger.

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by: Dr. Dobson has God-like qualities @ Thu Jan 18, 2007 at 17:36:35 PM UTC

Hate-monger?

More like a fear-monger. There's nothing like fear to motivate the masses, and what better way to frighten all good, decent, law-abiding Americans into an anti-immigration frenzy than to paint a picture of millions of poor, brown-skinned foreigners streaming across the border and into your neighborhood! Tancredo is a master at this sort of manipulation.

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by: OneEyedOwl @ Thu Jan 18, 2007 at 18:43:32 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

fear rarely wins in an election

it can win short-term but long term it is always a loser in american politics.

Where all the cool kids will be on Saturday - Code War!

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by: DavidThi808 @ Thu Jan 18, 2007 at 19:12:35 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

You got it...

Bush and Co are starting to feel the pain of their "fear" strategy right now.  It pays off for a while, gradually people wise up.

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by: CrazyOkie @ Thu Jan 18, 2007 at 19:34:17 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Alas..

It always comes down to Bush.  Are you that obsessed?  Tom Tancredo is a hate-monger--even to conservative Republicans like myself.  Yet the mighty pantywaists on the left here cannot help themselves but orient it to Bush, Bush, Bush, Bush.

As difficult as it may seem, try to restrain yourselves.  And whipe the froth off your mouths.  It's unbecoming.

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by: Dr. Dobson has God-like qualities @ Fri Jan 19, 2007 at 01:43:19 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

I think

He was talking Bush has used fear, which is pretty undeniable.  Not connecting TT to GW otherwise.

"Politics determines who has the power, not who has the truth." Paul Krugman, 9/2010

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by: parsingreality @ Fri Jan 19, 2007 at 03:19:27 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

yes...

My point is that it always comes down to Bush.  I stated above that Tancredo is a hate-monger.  Then someone else noted that it was fear-mongering (which is inaccurate).  Then, sure enough, people starting yapping about Bush.

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by: Dr. Dobson has God-like qualities @ Fri Jan 19, 2007 at 03:29:05 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

He is....

At the top of the Republcan party and all the fear and hate mongering that they are so well practiced at. 

"Be afraid.  Be very afraid."  Gore? Kerry?  No.

"Politics determines who has the power, not who has the truth." Paul Krugman, 9/2010

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by: parsingreality @ Fri Jan 19, 2007 at 04:26:53 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

What?

How about you restrain yourself. Lots of people disagree on this site, but do so in a respectful way. Why must you add belittling comments?

And it comes down to Bush because he is the President. Why should it not come down to him?

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by: Mr. Toodles @ Fri Jan 19, 2007 at 18:50:42 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Oh give me a home...

Where the bloggers do roam
and the sense of humor is not dead...

Home, home at the Pols
Where the humorless liberals roam

Oh give me a home
where the blogges do roam
and the sense of humor is not dead.

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by: Dr. Dobson has God-like qualities @ Fri Jan 19, 2007 at 18:54:33 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

It works for a while

Fear has won a lot of elections.  But people get tired of fear after a while, and then they *really* turn against the group that did the fear mongering.  Fear worked for Pete Wilson in California - and then there was a ferocious backlash against the whole Republican party.  I would say the last midterms elections also expressed a backlash against fear.

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by: Emma Anne @ Thu Jan 18, 2007 at 20:20:33 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Tancredo has long...

had ties to the Buchanan's former campaing folks.  Two years ago he was touring around with Bay Buchanan on his anti-immigration campaign.  Bay, you will remember, was Pat's campaign manager on his Quixotic Presidential campaigns and is his sister.

Look for her to be Tancredo's campaign manager should he decide to go at this full force.

"I've learned a lot of lessons being involved in politics. I also believe that when you are attacked, you have to deck your opponents." -- Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY)

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by: Coloradem1 @ Thu Jan 18, 2007 at 20:14:29 PM UTC

This is...

... not exactly a big-time "get" for Tancredo.

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by: AB @ Thu Jan 18, 2007 at 20:25:27 PM UTC

Barbeque?

Fine, let Tancredo go embarrass himself out there in the primary and waste a lot of the immigration zealot's money in the process.

The guy is so inept that he's having cookouts and crooning dixie with a the League of the South right after he suggests that we bomb Mecca - yet he feels he actually has a shot at the presidency (or even the nomination).  Not to mention his poor record of doing much of anything for his district.

That is some serious arrogance, or maybe just stupidity.  Maybe its just a master plan to get some more press coverage to ramp up the sales of his next crappy book.

The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. -John Kenneth Galbraith

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by: RubyBlue* @ Fri Jan 19, 2007 at 06:34:53 AM UTC

Your last statement

is probably closest to the truth. Like Buchanan (apparently Tancredo's hero) he's taking up the Know-Nothing flag and wants to appeal to the shrinking-but-not-insignificant xenophobic demographic that he himself belongs to. He won't place better than third in any primary or caucus, maybe no better than fourth in any major race unless it's a state being ignored by McCain, Guiliani or Romney.

I say let him go. He can only damage the GOP like his mentor did in '92, especially if they're dumb enough to give him the spotlight at the RNC. This will show people that there's still a place for racism in the GOP. It can also only fraction them further since it's (largely) GOP businessmen who employ illegals in the first place and don't want their cheap labor source threatened.

"Thank you for putting your rank political motives on display." - ArapaGOP

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by: Aristotle @ Fri Jan 19, 2007 at 07:05:46 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Good News

This is great news for Colorado (especially Republicans)! The 2008 race will be tough, so I'd recommend that Tom move to NH right now to consult with his new campaign manager for the next two years.  They can build a dry-stone wall around the state (dry-stone, of course, will blend with New England farms) and they can focus on Tom's Presidential aspirations -- and stay out of Colorado.

My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government.  Thomas Jefferson

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by: bpilgram @ Sat Jan 20, 2007 at 18:01:40 PM UTC

And more importantly, Tom

don't feel the need to report to Congress to make any votes. The whole world will be better for your absense from that chamber.

"Thank you for putting your rank political motives on display." - ArapaGOP

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by: Aristotle @ Sat Jan 20, 2007 at 18:04:46 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Ha

The more I think about this, the more I feel like there really aren't any downsides. 

The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. -John Kenneth Galbraith

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by: RubyBlue* @ Mon Jan 22, 2007 at 07:39:57 AM UTC

[ Parent ]