Rachel Maddow: The Arguments Against the Immigration Bill Are Racist
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MADDOW: The conservative talking class, the pundits in the conservative media, and on the conservative side were onboard with the idea of comprehensive immigration reform, even if not to solve the problem.
WALLACE: Which is miraculous.
MADDOW: They were for a second, but it`s over now. They`ve all flipped back. They really have, like FOX is against it. All the conservative talk show hosts are against it. And while your arguments about how George W. Bush and other pro- immigration reform Republicans have addressed this matter, including Marco Rubio to a certain extent are true, I remain fascinated by the arguments against. Because the arguments against are really racist arguments. I mean, they`re really about preserving the whiteness.
WALLACE: You`re talking about the political arguments.
MADDOW: Yes.
WALLACE: I really -- I -- I resent that politics were ever given any credit for being the motive for doing this. This shouldn`t have been done because we were in a dire political -- that was never George W. Bush`s motive.
MADDOW: But a substantive argument is made about why we should do this. The argument back about why we shouldn`t is an argument that has a really disturbing character.
WALLACE: Well, some of them. I think you`ve highlighted the most disturbing ones. But the argument to do this -- you know, again, I`ve been in touch with Senator Rubio`s office and the best argument for conservatives at a policy level who are uncomfortable with doing this is that the alternative is to leave 11 million people in the shadows. And forget that some of these people are serving in the military, that many of these people are important parts of the fabric of the community. These aren`t 11 million people living somewhere else. These aren`t 11 million people not living in your state. These are 11 million people living in everybody`s state, living in everybody`s town, where if they get into a car accident, their motive, their incentive is to leave the scene because they`re undocumented. This is a disservice to everybody. Everybody in this country that thinks that allowing 11 million people to live in the shadows is the right thing to do. It`s on the wrong side of history and the wrong side of this debate, whether Republicans or Democrats.
MADDOW: Why can`t Republicans better self-police about keeping the really overtly racist side of this argument at least under wraps? I mean, the problem with the Jim DeMint thing is remarkable. Jim DeMint, takes over, leaves the Senate in order to become more powerful he thinks at Heritage, brings on this guy really from the deep and dirty corners of the Internet. You have to go to places where you`re worried about the safety of your future online shopping adventures when you go find out this stuff.
WALLACE: Yes.
MADDOW: And really tried to make that the centerpiece of the anti- immigration argument. Among Republicans, they`re not arguing with Democrats. This is an argument between Republicans.
WALLACE: Right. Sure, it has been since 2006.
MADDOW: Ron Paul, Jim DeMint, really deep, dark stuff there persists and it`s not going anywhere. And the only way to stamp it out is to shine a light on it, as you did quite expertly, and to prevail. I mean, George W. Bush is going to attend a nationalization ceremony tomorrow. I was in contact with his office. And he`s not trying to weigh in to the politics of this or the legislative process. He made a grander and a greater effort than anyone has in a very long time in 2005 and 2006. But I think that to line up behind Marco Rubio and the 13 other Republicans who voted for it in the Senate, to line up behind Paul Ryan who in the House has been extremely constructive, cares about comprehensive immigration reform, he has complete credibility with the most conservative Republicans in our party and the most conservative Republicans in the House and, you know, the hope for people like me who care about the future of the Republican Party, doing the right thing and then reaping the political benefits after doing the right thing is that those voices will prevail.
MADDOW: We`ll see. It`s going to be --
WALLACE: You`re on it. Masks, monkeys, and bands.
MADDOW: Next time, there will be monkeys.
WALLACE: There must be monkeys.
MADDOW: Nicolle Wallace, you`re a dear friend for doing this. Former communications director for George W. Bush, and former senior adviser for McCain/Palin, for which you are soldier in penance, it`s great it have you here.
WALLACE: Thank you.
MADDOW: Thank you so much. We`ll be right back.
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