Lost in the chaos surrounding #TucsonBlizzard 2013 (Never Forget!) was this news item published yesterday from the Associated Press, detailing a trip by Arizona Sen. John McCain and current Director of Homeland Security (and former Arizona Governor) Janet Napolitano to the U.S.-Mexico border, took a turn for the wacky when describing the arguments Sen. McCain heard from some of the colorful denizens of Sun Lakes, a small community in the Southeastern Phoenix area.

From the AP, via CBSnews.com (emphasis added):

McCain said a tamper-proof Social Security card would help combat identity fraud, and noted any path to citizenship must require immigrants to learn English, cover back taxes and pay fines for breaking immigration laws.

“There are 11 million people living here illegally,” he said. “We are not going to get enough buses to deport them.”

Some audience members shouted out their disapproval.

One man yelled that only guns would discourage illegal immigration. Another man complained that illegal immigrants should never be able to become citizens or vote. A third man said illegal immigrants were illiterate invaders who wanted free government benefits.

McCain urged compassion. “We are a Judeo-Christian nation,” he said. McCain’s other town hall meeting took place in Green Valley, south of Tucson.

Well, it was a nice try, John. But as the red-faced man in the above clip should help you realize, when you get crazy people from a small town into a forum, hilarity and exasperation soon follow.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=dQTDjk1B75U

This article appears in Feb 21-27, 2013.

9 replies on “A John McCain-Hosted Immigration Town Hall Event in Sun Lakes Turns Into a Scene from ‘Parks and Rec’”

  1. McCain must be up for re-election. He is showing an uncommon interest in his constitutency that he has essentially ignored for his six year term in the US Senate as the Public Educational System in Arizona decays.

    He needs to be booted out of the US Senate by the Voters of Arizona!!

  3. What part of illegal don’t they understand? What makes them think that the illegals want to become citizens? Don’t you think that if they were wanting to be citizens they would have done that already or be working on it before now.

  4. The three guys yelling in “bold” are right. Illegal won’t affect McCain’s life style much, it will destroy everyone else’s.

  5. Brilliant, David. Mel “The Red-Faced Man” perfectly captures the wingnuts at McCain’s town hall meetings.

  6. Via the Web, I saw that video of McCain’s town meeting which featured a big, flabby, and clearly obese “elderly” white guy getting all hot and bothered by all the “damage” the “illegals” have caused him.

    What the heck?

    It almost made me agree with him: it might be best to keep those “illegals” out, if only to keep them from harvesting all that good food as the way to keep his weight down.

  7. As a resident of Green Valley, I was totally mortified when our Town Hall made ALL of the cable news shows (yes including the Fair and Balanced Network, I checked). The shows on MSNBC were almost sympathetic to McCain’s plight, noting that he had always taken his current stance on immigration/reform until his last election. He veered away from it in order to get these morons’ votes because he felt he had to say “build the dang fence.’ He should have stayed true to himself. He would have been re-elected anyway.

    All of these politicians should say what they believe, not just what they think we want to hear. That goes for every member/candidate of/for Congress and every member/candidate of/for the Legislature. No one should be saying or voting because they are in fear of being “primaried”. They are public servants and if they got elected by the people on the platform of their true, emphasis on true, beliefs, they will probably get re-elected on them, too.

    Let’s also get room for a little moderation and reality. I wish everyone would listen to Senator McCain. I don’t agree with his politics 98% of the time but on this I think he’s right. And if you agree with him 98% of the time, you need to trust him a little bit more and know he wouldn’t jump off a bridge like this and do anything stupid. Well, not like the economy, anyway.

  8. As for trainmanswife comment: “What makes them think that the illegals want to become citizens? Don’t you think that if they were wanting to be citizens they would have done that already or be working on it before now.”

    All I can say if you can, please do climb up out of out your basement, to take a trip down to Rio Rico where I live.

    Where you will find a thriving community that has been created by some of those “illegals” you seem so clearly despise.

    Be assured, trainmanswife, my good neighbors – as far as I know – have met all the requirements to become authentic US citizens.

    Just as yours did?

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