During the 2000 primary season, I made it a point to ask each presidential candidate in person the following question at least once:

Current immigration policy is doubling US population within the lifetimes of today’s children. Since you support this policy, will you at least say when we should stop?

One billion people? Two billion? Three?

Now, there are a couple of things about that question that will turn most politicians’ knees to jelly.

First, it requires a specific answer, and the average politician doesn’t like being pinned down on specifics any more than the average joe does. A typical politician prefers flattering the electorate using vague generalities, which, frankly, is what the electorate prefers, too.

Second, it asks the politician to consider the long-term consequences of a policy, "long-term" being defined as taking place in that period of time beginning immediately following the next election, the possibility of which has never occurred to the politician.

I succeeded in putting the question publicly to every candidate at least once.

Former New Jersey Senator Bill Bradley’s answer, while inadequate, was the most thoughtful, in my view.

I got the feeling capitalist Steve Forbes’ answer would have been thoughtful had he said what he really thought. Instead, he seemed to struggle awkwardly to answer according to the question-answering techniques his expensive campaign professionals had taught him and so he successfully said nothing.

Texas Governor George W. Bush’s answer managed to be both the longest in terms of the time elapsed in giving it and the shortest in terms of the number of unique words it contained. I asked Bush the question [video] at a town hall meeting held in a New Hampshire high school gym. "We need to secure our borders," Bush began, and then he ran out of things to say. He continued anyway, and by the time he was finished, half the audience was considering voting for a local kid who, immediately preceding my question, had launched on a rant against an "anti-immigrant backlash" that was so incoherent and long-winded the old guy sitting behind him finally yanked him back into his chair by his belt.

Vice President Al Gore’s campaign event in New Hampshire was tightly controlled. It required a bit of creativity even to get in. There was no question and answer period, so I had to shout out my question as Gore was striding off the stage. He froze. He turned. He strode back to the podium. A hush fell over the auditorium as the vice president leaned into the microphone. With his Tennessee accent booming out over the loudspeakers, Al Gore said, and he said it firmly, "Diversity is our strength." And the crowd went nuts. They cheered wildly as he marched triumphantly off stage and back to his waiting limousine. The Secret Service collared me, holding me at the auditorium exit while the Gore campaign decided whether to have me arrested. As the audience members filed out, a few shot me dirty looks, but not a single person commented on the fact that I was being detained by guys with guns for participating in my democracy without permission. Live Free or Die, my ass.

Arizona Senator John McCain, however, took the prize for most contemptible answer.

I caught up with the Straight Talk Express in Darlington, SC. McCain finished his stump speech and said he’d take some questions.

My hand shot up. He pointed to me. I stood up and asked,

Senator McCain, current immigration policy is doubling US population within the lifetimes of today’s children. Since you support this policy, will you at least say when we should stop?

One billion people? Two billion? Three?

McCain’s eyes narrowed, and his head drew down into his shoulders. “You and I, sir,” he began slowly, emphasizing each word and glaring at me as if I were a poisonous insect, “obviously have differing views on immigration.

"But let me make one thing perfectly clear," he continued, his voice rising, "there is no room in the Republican Party for bigots, xenophobes, or racists."

I’ll say this for the intelligence of South Carolina Republicans as compared to that of New Hampshire Democrats: no one applauded McCain.

Tags:   2000 · Bradley · Bush · Forbes · Gore · McCain · New Hampshire · Secret Service · South Carolina · Straight Talk Express1 Comment