2010 AZ Senate Debates: on Immigration


John McCain: Campaign ad: "Complete the danged fence!"

In the face of Hayworth's challenge, McCain abandoned his longtime support for comprehensive immigration reform that would recognize reality and provide an eventual path to citizenship for the 11 million illegal aliens already living in the country. Instead, he offered full-throated backing for the border fence he once mocked--"Complete the danged fence!," he demanded in an ad--and sought political cover in the form of an endorsement by his former running mate, Sarah Palin. [Prior to 2004], McCain went to work with Democrats such as the late Ted Kennedy to bring sanity, and humanity, to the nation's long-running debate over illegal immigration. In 2006, I watched McCain tell a group of sensible, blue-suited Republican businessmen in Milwaukee, who asked about immigration, "By the way, I think the fence is least effective. But I'll build the goddamned fence if they want it."
Source: Vanity Fair on 2010 Arizona Senate Republican Primary Debate Nov 1, 2010

John McCain: TV ad: Obama makes protecting AZ border incredibly difficult

In his re-election campaign in Arizona, McCain has often seemed to be running as much against Obama as against his actual opponents. In July he began airing a campaign commercial featuring Paul Babeu, the sheriff of Pinal County, southeast of Phoenix, and the president of the Arizona Sheriff's Association, who has endorsed McCain. "President Obama has made protecting our border incredibly difficult," Babeu says in the ad. "But Arizona has a senator with the courage and character to stand up to a president who is wrong. John McCain. A president versus a senator: doesn't seem like a fair fight. Unless that senator is John McCain."

When the president went to Capitol Hill in May to address the Senate Republicans, McCain accused the president of misrepresenting Arizona's Draconian new immigration law (which McCain had endorsed, and which Obama's Justice Department was preparing to challenge).

Source: Vanity Fair on 2010 Arizona Senate Republican Primary Debate Nov 1, 2010

John McCain: 10-point plan to secure border; then try legal-worker deal

McCain talked about his 10-point plan to secure the border, saying only after that happens can the country address a temporary legal-worker program. "If we don't secure the borders first, we will find ourselves with another group of people who have come to this country illegally, and then we'll have to do it all over again."

Glassman said that while he supports securing the border, it won't work unless there is a way for people to cross legally for work.

Source: Arizona Daily Star coverage of 2010 Arizona Senate debate Sep 27, 2010

Rodney Glassman: Path to citizenship, including fine & back-of-the-line

McCain talked about his 10-point plan to secure the border, saying only after that happens can the country address a temporary legal-worker program.

Glassman said that while he supports securing the border, it won't work unless there is a way for peopl to cross legally for work. And he backed a path to citizenship for those already here, saying they'd have to submit to background checks, learn English, pay a fine and go to the back of the line.

Source: Arizona Daily Star coverage of 2010 Arizona Senate debate Sep 27, 2010

  • The above quotations are from 2010 Arizona Senate Debates.
  • Click here for definitions & background information on Immigration.
  • Click here for other issues (main summary page).
  • Click here for more quotes by Richard Blumenthal on Immigration.
  • Click here for more quotes by Linda McMahon on Immigration.
Candidates and political leaders on Immigration:

Retired Senate as of Jan. 2015:
GA:Chambliss(R)
IA:Harkin(D)
MI:Levin(D)
MT:Baucus(D)
NE:Johanns(R)
OK:Coburn(R)
SD:Johnson(D)
WV:Rockefeller(D)

Resigned from 113th House:
AL-1:Jo Bonner(R)
FL-19:Trey Radel(R)
LA-5:Rod Alexander(R)
MA-5:Ed Markey(D)
MO-9:Jo Ann Emerson(R)
NC-12:Melvin Watt(D)
SC-1:Tim Scott(R) 		Retired House to run for Senate or Governor:
AR-4:Tom Cotton(R)
GA-1:Jack Kingston(R)
GA-10:Paul Broun(R)
GA-11:Phil Gingrey(R)
HI-1:Colleen Hanabusa(D)
IA-1:Bruce Braley(D)
LA-6:Bill Cassidy(R)
ME-2:Mike Michaud(D)
MI-14:Gary Peters(D)
MT-0:Steve Daines(R)
OK-5:James Lankford(R)
PA-13:Allyson Schwartz(D)
TX-36:Steve Stockman(R)
WV-2:Shelley Capito(R) 		Retired House as of Jan. 2015:
AL-6:Spencer Bachus(R)
AR-2:Tim Griffin(R)
CA-11:George Miller(D)
CA-25:Howard McKeon(R)
CA-33:Henry Waxman(D)
CA-45:John Campbell(R)
IA-3:Tom Latham(R)
MN-6:Michele Bachmann(R)
NC-6:Howard Coble(R)
NC-7:Mike McIntyre(D)
NJ-3:Jon Runyan(R)
NY-4:Carolyn McCarthy(D)
NY-21:Bill Owens(D)
PA-6:Jim Gerlach(R)
UT-4:Jim Matheson(D)
VA-8:Jim Moran(D)
VA-10:Frank Wolf(R)
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Page last updated: Dec 02, 2018