ELPAC Report January 2004

The ELPAC Report January 2004

Republicans Risk
White House Punishment

The powerful Bush White House political office is promoting amnesty for illegal aliens, and refuses to rescind the Clinton-era Executive Order 13166 requiring multi-lingual government programs and services.

The Bush White House is notorious for enforcing discipline among Republicans by threat and punishment. Yet a few strong Republican candidates are bucking the trend and courageously standng up for the English language.

The strongest leader on this issue is Cong. Tom Tancredo (R-Colorado). Tancredo has long been on the White House hit list for his outspoken leadership of the Congressional Immigration Reform Caucus. Less well-known is Tancredo's strong position in favor of English. When Colorado Republican officials raised a trial balloon about giving Tancredo an opponent in the Republican primary, they did so because of his strong position on English language issues.

Cong. Peter King (R-NY) and Steve King (R-Iowa), who are not related, are also on the maverick leader list. Both Kings have sponsored legislation to declare English the official language, and garnered substantial support, mostly from Republicans. Peter King has also rebuked the White House for not rescinding E.O. 13166, and introduced legislation to revoke the Executive Order.

A few candidates are also beginning to discuss English-related issues. One of the most outspoken is Vernon Robinson, who is running for an open congressional seat in North Carolina's Fifth District. Robinson, a member of the Winston-Salem City Council, is already nationally-renowned for his support of school voucher programs. Robinson is running in a hotly- contested Republican primary in a district which leans heavily Republican.