Silly Karl! Those Jobs are For Guest Workers!
Karl Rove accidentally stepped in it last Thursday while speaking at a Republican Women's Luncheon. On the topic of Bush's comprehensive immigration reform plan, Rove's argument for the Administration's "Guest Worker Program" included the statement:"I don't want my 17-year-old son to have to pick tomatoes or make beds in Las Vegas."
While there is no audio or video tape of the event, the White House has pretty much confirmed the snafu through White House Deputy Press Secretary Dana Perino who told ABC News, "the White House does not deny that Rove made the remark but it has been taken out of context."
I've racked my brain and can't think of a context in which this statement wouldn't be considered elitist and awful, but then again, I wasn't invited to the Republican Women's Luncheon, so I can't say for sure.
Labels: Immigration, Karl Rove
posted by scooterlulu at 1:25 PM
6 Comments:
Dear Blogspot: If you can't make the spam comments stop I'm gonna hate you forever. Seriously - figure it out and fix it.
I'm so distracted I can't even come up with a cogent comment regarding Karl Rove's idiocy.
3:21 PM
Gris-
There isn't much we can do about it. I have turned on the word verification feature (you'll see it when you try to post). I was hesitant to activate this because it is an additional step and kind of a pain in the ass, but alas, it should help cut down on the spam. We also go to the blogs that spam us and flag them for deletion by blogger. Unfortunately, some will still get through. We'll try word verification for awhile and see if it helps. -the management
3:36 PM
I must confess that my normal reaction in such circumstances is to simply cry "Karl Rove is a horses' ass!", but I think that underplays how evil a statement this is.
His implication is that in the absence of a low cost labor pool, Karl Jr. (who makes delicious cheeseburgers, by the way) might be forced into a life not befitting the son of a gentleman. How he makes the leap is beyond me (I don’t think John Podesta or George Schultz’s kids are breaking rocks against their will), but what’s worse, he specifically advocates the need for a servile class of people from elsewhere to make his sorry white ass have to work less.
Not that continuing economic violence on the lowest rungs of the socioeconomic ladder is something new from this administration, but it never ceases to horrify that a party that espouses such free market idealism would behave in so contrary a fashion.
Shame that damn 13th amendment gets in the way, huh Karl? We could really save a few bucks then! Ass.
3:43 PM
I'm going to risk disagreeing with liberal orthodoxy here, but I'm having a hard time getting worked up about this. Follow my tortured thought process:
For starters, immigration policy might just be the one topic where the Bush administration's ideas aren't complete garbage. From what I can see, it may be the only case where they have actually taken notice of objective reality (ie, our service economy being fueled by masses of cheap, undocumented labor) and as a result developed rational responses to that reality (ie, developing some kind of amnesty program wherein foreign workers can legally continue to work here).
I agree that Karl expressing some kind of belief in noblesse oblige is chilling. But let's face facts - American citizens are not lining up for these jobs. I won't presume to speak for anyone else, but when I was home from college each summer, I did not hope to land myself a cushy gig picking strawberries.
Would I prefer it if Karl had said "Before I let my son pick tomatoes or make beds in Las Vegas, I’d like to be sure he can earn a living wage doing so?” Of course I would, but this is the Bush administration we’re talking about. So yeah, it’s probably awful and elitist. But then again, I wouldn’t want my kids to work in a coal mine. And I’m willing to bet that I would feel the same way even if I were a coal miner.
4:33 PM
Jono,
I think you have a valid point that these are not the jobs most individuals want (although ask a hungry, homeless starving person who just wants to feed his family if he'd be willing to make beds in a hotel and see what he or she says).
And obviously they are not the jobs that the children of oil tycoons, haliburton ceo's etc want.
That said, I think it speaks volume towards a person's character when it comes to the reasoning behind support for this immigration reform. I support it because these people, although via "illegal" means only came to this country to work and support their families (many of whom live in their home country and RELY on money wired to them from the US).
Oh yeah, and even Dog the bounty hunter won't be able to track all 12 million of them down and send them home. I wonder what Dog's position on all of this is?
Oh, and for those with republican tendencies on this blog (hello, hello.....echo echo echo...) just think, make them legal and we can milk them with taxes!!!
-scooter
12:38 PM
Scooter -
Fair points, all. Part of my problem might be that at this point my estimation of the Bush administration is so low -- I'm not so much outraged by the sentiment as I am shocked by its honesty. As opposed to all the other evil things that they have done in the name of Compassion or Freedom. It's been a fun 6 years, hasn't it?
12:59 PM
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