Even the right-wing recognizes the problems of the nut-wing. Does this mean that the right wing will change its xenophobic nature, nah... Immigrant nation Jack Kemp June 28, 2004 A struggle is under way for the soul of the Republican Party between a minority of protectionist xenophobes and those who are pro-trade and pro-immigration. It's beneath the radar screen but it's not so quiet. I was enormously gratified last week to see voters send a powerful message to Nervous Nellies in the party who remain reluctant to stand on their principles in an election year. In two critical primaries, one for the Senate seat in South Carolina and the other for the House seat in Utah, Republican voters rejected reactionary candidates and awarded politicians who took courageous and optimistic positions on the hot-button issues of immigration, trade and Social Security reform. ... In Utah, Rep. Chris Cannon routed former state legislator Matt Throckmorton by a double-digit margin, even though Throckmorton made immigration the central issue of the campaign. Republican Rep. Tom Tancredo even set up a political action committee and Web site to attack pro-immigration candidates. Anti-immigration politicians and candidates fail to realize a few fundamental truths, the most important of which is that we are an immigrant country. George Washington famously quipped in 1788 that, "I had always hoped that this land might become a safe and agreeable asylum to the virtuous and persecuted part of mankind, to whatever nation they might belong." ... Until recently, there was real concern that the anti-immigration/anti-trade virus would spread over into North Carolina, where Vernon Robinson is running against Ed Broyhill for the U.S. House of Representatives. I originally endorsed Robinson, but I had to withdraw my endorsement and support Broyhill because Robinson was running a very negative and aggressive anti-immigration campaign, which I believe is contrary to the core values of the party of Lincoln. The votes in recent primaries, however, should be a shot across the bow not only of these reactionary Republicans but also of John Kerry and other Democrats buying into the notion that CEOs of companies with overseas operations are somehow unpatriotic. These votes clarify that the voters realize the blame for jobs going overseas should not be directed at foreign people or countries but at bad policies and the elected officials who enact them, burdening American businesses and making American operations uncompetitive in a global economy. ... Looking to the fall campaign season, I am hopeful that other Republicans will stand against anti-immigrant policies, stand up for free trade and stand behind wealth creation for the little guy as well as the rich by allowing workers to put a significant part of their Social Security taxes into personal retirement accounts. C2004 Copley News Service