Twenty years ago, the last time this country really debated illegal immigration, it was Wyoming’s Alan Simpson who was the racist, the xenophobe, the devil.
Today, as the ex-senator watches the debate unfold from his home in Cody, he can see, with a clarity often missing from today’s discussions, the pitfalls and political traps in this highly contentious issue.
“Everything you touch here is filled with emotion, fear, guilt or racism,” he said. “The people who are speaking with the greatest clarity and honesty on the issue will be called everything. Bigots, xenophobes, slobs, racists.”
As Senate Republicans and Democrats were trying to forge compromise last week, Simpson said that “there can’t be a Republican bill or a Democratic bill. You can’t do that.”
He should know. Immigration was his issue from 1980 to 1986, dropped on his unsuspecting lap by then-Sen. Howard Baker. He quickly learned it was too hot, too contentious to proceed in the usual manner and he sought bipartisan support.
In 1986, four years after he first introduced legislation, President Ronald Reagan signed the Simpson-Mazzoli Act, which legalized the status of 2.9 million illegals from 92 different countries, with a promise to crack down on employers who hired illegals.
Just whispering amnesty today can make the veins pop in some conservatives and others. But Simpson counters: “You can’t have 11 million people here illegally, because they are used and abused,” he said. “Nobody gives a crap about them. When payday comes, you call Immigration and have them hauled away. … They’re expendable.”
The proposals before Congress now are well-meaning, he says, but won’t be successful unless they contain a “more secure identifier” for people.
“That does not mean a national ID card. Anyone who pulls that crap this time ought to be shot,” he says, in his typical no-holds-barred fashion. Workers need a card to show employers when they’re hired, and whenever they receive public benefits, he said, to prove their identity and how they got here.
Simpson’s legislation took four years to pass. Today, Congress is moving quickly.
“They’re just moving with how many people are protesting in the streets and you can’t do that.”
If C loses, who loses?
When GOP gubernatorial candidate Marc Holtzman started appearing in TV and radio ads last fall blasting Referendums C and D for a group called If C Wins, You Lose, his opponent Bob Beauprez cried foul.
The ads never mentioned Holtzman was running for governor, but they gave the former University of Denver president unprecedented exposure, a platform and a statesman-like stature – all without spending a dime of his campaign war chest.
Secretary of State Gigi Dennis last October declined to rule on whether Holtzman skirted campaign-finance laws. But last month lobbyist Steve Durham filed a complaint with her office alleging Holtzman and his campaign were not only involved in making the ads, but shared polling data with the If C Wins group and ultimately benefitted.
Holtzman’s campaign manager, Dick Leggitt, told The Post last fall that Holtzman boosted his name recognition from 10 percent to 70 percent during the campaign and upped his favorable ratings. The campaign has maintained they did everything above board.
Judge Robert Spencer recently denied Holtzman’s motion to dismiss the complaint, and a hearing was set for April 26-27.
Durham’s complaint was filed by lawyer Scott Gessler, who also worked on this issue for Beauprez last year.
Paccione’s Stonewall rally
Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave, who made a name for herself nationally by trying to keep gays from marrying, has laid low on the issue this past year. It’s a wise political move, alleviating some of the criticism that she’s neglected her district.
However, it hasn’t calmed gay and lesbian groups. Colorado Stonewall Democrats will kick off their Northern Colorado Stonewall Caucus on April 29 with a fundraiser, likely in Fort Collins, for state Rep. Angie Paccione, the Democrat running against Musgrave.
Dan Haley (dhaley@denverpost.com) is a member of The Post’s editorial board. Visit denverpostbloghouse.com/editorial for the Haley’s Comment blog.
