Karl Rove on Immigration: No Tomato Picking for His Son

By Jeralyn, Section Civil Liberties
Posted on Fri Feb 09, 2007 at 07:03:43 PM EST
Tags: Karl Rove (all tags)

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I am all in favor of amnesty for undocumented residents. President Bush's plan is neither amnesty nor open borders, but in response to critics who say it is, Karl Rove reportedly gave this ridiculous justification for Bush's plan at a women's luncheon this week:

According to a congressman's wife who attended a Republican women's luncheon yesterday, Karl Rove explained the rationale behind the president's amnesty/open-borders proposal this way: "I don't want my 17-year-old son to have to pick tomatoes or make beds in Las Vegas."

The Corner's Mark Krikorian responds:

There should be no need to explain why this is an obscene statement coming from a leader in the party that promotes the virtues of hard work, thrift, and sobriety, a party whose demi-god actually split fence rails as a young man, a party where "respectable Republican cloth coat" once actually meant something. But it does seem to be necessary to explain.

Rove's comment illustrates how the Bush-McCain-Giuliani-Hagel-Martinez-
Brownback-Huckabee approach to immigration strikes at the very heart of self-government. It is precisely Rove's son (and my own, and those of the rest of us in the educated elite) who should work picking tomatoes or making beds, or washing restaurant dishes, or mowing lawns, especially when they're young, to help them develop some of the personal and civic virtues needed for self-government. It's not that I want my kids to make careers of picking tomatoes; Mexican farmworkers don't want that either. But we must inculcate in our children, especially those likely to go on to high-paying occupations, that there is no such thing as work that is beneath them.

[hat tip Raw Story.]

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Karl Rove on Immigration: No Tomato Picking for His Son | 20 comments (20 topical)

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Very funny (none / 0) (#1)
by squeaky on Fri Feb 09, 2007 at 07:19:55 PM EST

Good old upward mobility for Herr Rover. He is betting that the anti-immigration platform that so many right wingers have promoted around the world isn't the number one vote getter in America. Cheap labor, no minimum wage is better because it appeals to peoples greed, and it's american as apple pie.

God forbid.... (none / 0) (#2)
by kdog on Fri Feb 09, 2007 at 07:31:51 PM EST

young Master Rove learn the meaning of a hard day's work, eh Karl?

The mindset of this cretin never ceases to amaze.

an inconvenient truth (none / 0) (#3)
by diogenes on Fri Feb 09, 2007 at 08:02:16 PM EST

Somehow I don't think that the Clintons sent Chelsea to Stanford with the hope that she'd pick tomatoes either.
If people actually spoke honestly about immigration instead of using PC platitudes it would be the first step towards deciding what our policy would be.

: Honesty (none / 0) (#6)
by kdog on Sat Feb 10, 2007 at 10:47:34 AM EST

If Master Rove and the rest of America's young workforce is too good to pick fruit, somebody has gotta do it.
That leaves immigrants to pick the fruit and wash the dishes...for the wages we are willing to pay that is. I'd have no problem picking fruit if it paid decent. But since we can't or won't pay decent, the least we can do is stop harassing the people willing to do what needs to be done to keep the farms and restaurants running.
Unless Rove and his buddies can figure out a way to outsource America's farms, hotels, and restaurants...so we don't have to live with the help.

Now, the facts (none / 0) (#4)
by LonewackoDotCom on Fri Feb 09, 2007 at 10:10:44 PM EST

President Bush doesn't really have a "plan". He had a "guest" worker proposal from a couple years ago. Now, he has a set of guidelines available at his website.

The real plans are the various bills, such as last year's Senate bill. That bill was originally McCain-Kennedy, which, after having some changes, became the Hagel-Martinez bill. Bush has given his blessings to that bill.

Bush and all others involved falsely claim that these proposals aren't amnesty. But, all of those bills would be perceived as amnesty, so that's what they are.

As for the comment, it's simply a more explicit rendering of "jobs Americans won't do". And, I could sit here for hours linking to Democrats saying that phrase or similar.

So, if you actually think about it, you'll see that both the GOP leadership and the Democratic leadership think about this issue the same way, and neither of them support what's in the best interests of the U.S.

Today Rove was explicit about what our elites (remember: from all sides of the aisle) want. Yesterday, the Democrats collaborated with Mexican leaders.

If you want to be intellectually honest and non-partisan about this, you'll realize that neither the Dem leaders nor the GOP leaders are on the side of the vast majority of Americans, and you'll stop acting as their stooges.

LW, you the man! (none / 0) (#5)
by jimakaPPJ on Sat Feb 10, 2007 at 07:52:59 AM EST

White Suprematism (none / 0) (#8)
by squeaky on Sat Feb 10, 2007 at 11:52:01 AM EST

....that neither the Dem leaders nor the GOP leaders are on the side of the vast majority of Americans...

Really lonewacko?

Do you have some numbers to back up your claim? America is a land of immigrants. Yes, many European have voted in Right Wingers who promise to keep immigrants out, but those countries are largely homogenous.

America is heterogenous. There is a movement that wants to make America homogenous, and that is called White Supremetism.

It is not surprising that ppj has jumped on your bandwagon as a cheerleeder. He is for a homogenous America. For him it is called Jacksonionism.


Aztlanatistismicism (none / 0) (#10)
by LonewackoDotCom on Sat Feb 10, 2007 at 02:13:36 PM EST

Odd you should mention "White Supremetism", since most of our current illegal immigration is from one country, and partisans of that country do everything they can to encourage even more illegal immigration. And, much of the push for "reform" comes from Hispanic groups who hope to achieve race-based power. And, of course, there's a small but substantial "reconquista" sentiment among many of those leaders. It doesn't take much discussion to get many of them to say something indicating that they think Mexicans have a right to enter the U.S. at will because the southwest was "stolen" from that country. To a certain extent, that belief is even enshrined in "progressive" doctrine.

And, of course, there are the the various polls showing a great majority of Americans - across the political spectrum - oppose illegal immigration. That great opposition - combined with a bi-partisan political class that allows illegal immigration to occur - should be a sign of a deep problem to those who think this through.


: White Suprematism (none / 0) (#14)
by squeaky on Sat Feb 10, 2007 at 05:36:33 PM EST

Sounds like you are on their mailing lists.

Karl Rove... (none / 0) (#7)
by desertswine on Sat Feb 10, 2007 at 11:23:34 AM EST

has passed on his DNA?

This bodes well for no one.

Lonewacko (none / 0) (#9)
by Che's Lounge on Sat Feb 10, 2007 at 01:23:50 PM EST

The difference between liberals and conservatives on this issue is that the libs simply state that these are jobs that americans "don't want to do". That's an understatement. I "paid my dues" mopping floors and washing dishes as a 19 y/o college student. Of course I didn't WANT to do it, but it has made me a more compassionate person. I believe the progressive approch is that some guest workers are vital to maintaining our economy. But it should not preclude us from utilizing as much of our work force as possible to give our kids some experiencial knowledge of the economy.

Rove and his autocratic minions simply will not allow their elitist children to do "menial labor". That perpetuates a mentality that cannot connect with the working class in this country (big surpise there). By taking this approcah, the right's own leaders (and some moderate dems) are, by Rove's attitude, advocating more immigration. The republican leaders are outright lying about immigration, and Rove just unbuttoned his fly.

Getting real (none / 0) (#11)
by LonewackoDotCom on Sat Feb 10, 2007 at 02:38:00 PM EST

So, "progressives" want to import a foreign serf class, they just want to show them more respect than those evil Rethuglicans. In actual fact, the sentiments expressed by Rove can be found coming from most Democrat leaders as well.


: In case you didn't notice (none / 0) (#13)
by Nowonmai on Sat Feb 10, 2007 at 05:14:36 PM EST

the US already has a 'serf class'. Where do you think those walking targets errr soldiers Bush wants for his 'surge' are coming from?
Serf class.. I did my fair share of crappy, manual labor jobs, so saying Americans don't want to do something isn't the same as saying Americans won't do it. Unless you are referring to Rove and others' with his mind set, and their precious babies that will never have to chip a nail.

When I read about (none / 0) (#12)
by Nowonmai on Sat Feb 10, 2007 at 04:46:54 PM EST

What these pampered, soft, overfed, never knew a really hard days work wastes of skin comments, I get angry.

To all the migrant harvesters, at least they are doing an honest days work, and not screwing people over in the process.

Heaven's forfend Rove or his spawn actually do a hard days work (or serve in the military). rolls eyes

: Nowonmai (none / 0) (#15)
by jimakaPPJ on Sat Feb 10, 2007 at 09:19:02 PM EST

Just out of curiousity... what "honest days work" are you doing??
I mean being someone who started paying social security taxes in 1952 when I was 14, I think I understand hard work.
I also understand that employers will use illegal aliens to drive down wages of those Americans who are picking the fruit and mowing the yards.
Why do you want to help take money out your fellow americans pockets and food from their table?

Lonewack (none / 0) (#16)
by Che's Lounge on Sun Feb 11, 2007 at 11:40:44 AM EST

I you want illegal immigration stopped now, you are living in a fantasy world. The progressive approach is to shift employment from immigrant labor to domestic labor through employer accountability, elimination of false ID's, and organized labor. The conservative approch is to build a wall.

: Che (none / 0) (#18)
by jimakaPPJ on Sun Feb 11, 2007 at 02:05:37 PM EST

Why not do it all??

I need a new keyboard (none / 0) (#17)
by Che's Lounge on Sun Feb 11, 2007 at 11:43:09 AM EST

All the keys are stuck from reading Jim's comments.

Make (none / 0) (#19)
by jondee on Sun Feb 11, 2007 at 02:57:03 PM EST

a bogus, b.s, wedge issue out of something that wont change because people like "Wilbur" Rove and the Pinhead-in-Chief and their good friends (and chief contributers) have been nothing but beneficiaries of the status quo.

If you believe Rove is sincere, I've got an exclusive interview with Gen. Giap I'll sell to you; smoking gun proof that Terri was murdered; and a fool proof battle plan for combating the War on Christmas.

Jondee (none / 0) (#20)
by jimakaPPJ on Sun Feb 11, 2007 at 06:35:35 PM EST

So you have no plan except to insult me??

Tell you what.

Re: Thursday Open Thread (none / 0) (#35)
by ppjakajim on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:59:02 PM EST
.... What can I tell you about my position re illegal immigration? 1. The Demos want the votes and the Repubs are afraid of pissing off the Hispanic voters. Both sides use cheap labor whenever possible. 2. I would put business people who employ illegals in jail for 5 years first offense. 3. Illegals hurt America's underclass by willingly working for less. Your salad might do up 15%, but there is a price at which US citizens would pick lettuce and apples and peaches... 4. If I was a terrorist and wanted to come in, I would use the southern border. There now. Any questions?