Cristich turns on immigrants – again

When is an endorsement not an endorsement? When it appears on a campaign mailer, but is not referenced on a candidates online list of endorsements. Such is the case with Cristi Cristich, a candidate for the 70th Assembly District. Her recent mailer depicts U.S. Congressman Chris Cox, and includes a letter from him thanking her for nothing in particular. However a search of her online endorsement list, at http://www.cristichforassembly.org/endorsements.html, does not turn up Congressman Cox. In fact the only conservative I could find on the list is Assemblyman Ray Haynes.

Cristich slams her Republican opponent, Chuck DeVore, on immigration, in another mailer. DeVore’s support for President Bush is the crux of her attack. However, if that is all she can attack DeVore for, she is going to have to do better to overcome DeVore’s lead and his considerable GOP establishment support (check out his own massive list of endorsements, available at http://www.chuckdevore.com/pages/909904/index.htm).

I have heard from some readers who are defending Cristich in this matter. They feel that the Bush plan for immigrant workers is some kind of amnesty, which it isn’t. Will they finally be happy when their lack of support for Bush helps him lose to a Democrat? Consider that every single Democrat candidate is calling for outright amnesty. We should be careful what we wish for.

At any rate, DeVore calls the Bush plan a framework, and that is what it is. No where does DeVore say that he supports the plan in its entirety. His sober take on the plan is just what we need. It is important to talk about the issue, and Bush got us talking. For that Cristich attacks him?

Ironically, Cristich admits to having helped some of her employees to apply for the last amnesty. Does that mean that she was employing non-citizens? Were any of them here illegally? I wonder how they feel about their bosses current attack on immigrants? For that matter, how do members of the New Majority, the moderate GOP club, feel about it? Cristich is engaging in a political smear on DeVore that is reminiscent of the Wilson 187 ads. It is disgusting. How is this going to help us attract needed Latino voters to the GOP? The answer – it won’t, and Cristich cynically knows that Latino voters are not substantial in her district. That does not make her attack a just one though.