The isolationist's choice in the 2008 US presidential sweepstakes is none other than Republican Congressman Tom Tancredo from Colorado, who has built his career on a strong anti-immigration stance. He is seeking his party's
nomination; given the strong isolationist sentiment Stateside, don't be surprised if he makes at least some headway a la Jean-Marie Le Pen in France during 2002. Despite discontent from the Latin community that Bush's new immigration plan is too
harsh on would-be immigrants, Tancredo still believes it is too
lenient. As his campaign site states, he is "For a Secure America" (read: illegal immigrants need not apply here.) Tancredo sees his one-note
platform as a political strength rather than a weakness:
But is it possible for a man who has built a career on one issue, i.e. immigration, to branch out and appeal to the American electorate? Well, Tancredo has an answer for that question. "Immigration is not just about a single issue," Tancredo stated while on the campaign trail in New Hampshire. "Immigration is about healthcare, national security, education... it is essentially about the... our culture." To this Colorado Congressman, it is the "super-sized issue."
Tancredo represents a well-established xenophobic streak among Republicans. Pat Buchanan memorably ran for the Republican president nomination in 1992, and again in 1996. As
income inequality widens in the US, a natural tendency is to pin the blame on politically weak immigrants for "stealing
our jobs" and "ruining
our culture." Do see this blog
entry on his site for video clips on how he will build the impenetrable wall on America's southern border to keep immigrants out and how immigrants ruin US housing. (The latter clip comes before he lights up his cigar, by the way.) Who knows, you might be curious enough to read his
book, "In Mortal Danger: The Battle for America's Border and Security."
