Republican voters in North Carolina’s Second District will choose today between incumbent Renee Ellmers and conservative challenger/Tea Party favorite Frank Roche.
Polls are open until 7:00 p.m. this evening.
Ellmers is a favorite of House GOP leader John Boehner, and she has been exposed as a vocal advocate of amnesty despite attempting several times during her campaign to conceal her position from her constituency. To review:
WHAT? Renee Ellmers Claims She Has ‘Same Immigration Stance as Cruz, Paul, Lee’
Video of Renee Ellmers Berating Anti-Amnesty Constituents
All-In on Amnesty: Renee Ellmers Is Boehner and Cantor’s ‘Tell’
Her measured statements on amnesty mirror the concealed, ambiguous remarks from Boehner and Eric Cantor. The surreptitious politicking is most galling to me as a U.S. citizen, more so than the position itself: when your elected public servants don’t wish you to know how they intend to govern, you can be sure they intend to disregard you.
At such a point, you bear the responsibility for selecting a new individual with whom to place your sacred trust.
Frank Roche, in addition to holding a rational, disinterested opinion on amnesty — the “rule of law”-based position that, as opposed to popular culture’s lazy usage of the word with folks such as Sandra Fluke, actually does require courage to hold — has been crystal clear with his constituents regarding where he stands.
Says Roche:
I’m looking for something quite different than what we’ve experienced over the last four decades. And I’m not only talking about illegal immigration. We of course have to stop this once and for all by properly securing our borders, getting a handle on our short-term visa program, and, of course, dealing with those who are here illegally — which would not include amnesty, or anything like amnesty, or “path to citizenship,” or any other semantic twist of phrase they want to use.
These are tough stances to take these days without being labeled a bigot, a “nativist,” even by fellow Republicans.
So recall that the actual implication of Ellmers’ stance on immigration is a drastic drop in wages, a severe economic blow to the past couple decades’ worth of legal immigrants who did everything right and have been pulling their families towards a more secure future. “Nativist” is a disgraceful term to throw at those defending that generation of recently arrived Americans.
If Ellmers survives, expect GOP House leadership to be emboldened and to press on for amnesty after primary season.
Take that thought with you to the polls today, NC-02.
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