Kobach's ad: Claims vs. Reality

In the first attack ad of the general election, Kris Kobach takes aim at "illegal aliens" -- and voters' fears -- using scary night vision footage of scary immigrants (they could be terrorists!) crossing the border.

Kobach's ad says more about him -- and his extreme position when it comes to immigrants -- than it says about Congressman Moore.

Here's a rundown of Kobach's claims and the reality.

Kobach opens* by saying the borders are "wide open" and features a quote from a wire story** saying that al Qaeda "could launch an attack from south of the border." The article he cites is actually about attacks in Central America, not the United States.

Kobach then claims that "Dennis Moore refuses to send troops to the border" and cites House Vote 196.

On that vote, 20 Republicans joined Moore in opposing the amendment, including Reps. Flake, Kolbe, Wilson, Drier, and Cunningham, all of whom represent border states (Arizona, New Mexico, and California.)

The sponsor, Rep. Virgil Goode (R-VA) stressed that deploying troops is not mandated by the amendment. "I emphasize that this is optional," he said, making Kobach's claim about the nature of Moore's vote misleading on its face.

On the merits of sending troops to the border, Rep. Duke Cunningham (R-CA), himself a veteran and representative of a border area, had this to say about the plan Kobach supports:

"I used to think this was a good amendment, until you start thinking about it. You just do not send a Marine or someone in the Army to the border. ... [W]hen you take a look at what it actually does, with our military so thin today and so drawn out, it would be disastrous, I think, for our men and women in the service itself." (Emphasis added)

Rep. Silvestre Reyes (D-TX), himself a former Border Patrol agent, had this to say: "We should not use military personnel for these kinds of jobs" because it "reduces unit readiness and overall combat effectiveness of our armed services."

Republicans used to be critical of sending the military to do police work. Now some of them advocate the very same thing in order to get elected.

Kobach then claims Moore "even voted to give illegal aliens amnesty and in-state tuition." Kobach cites one bill and one vote for this claim.

HR 1684, which Kobach criticizes Moore for co-sponsoring, says that students should be treated the same when it comes to state residency requirements, regardless of their immigration status. It does not give them automatic in-state tuition.

Who else co-sponsored this bill that Kobach thinks is so radical? Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-KS) and 145 other Republicans and Democrats. It was introduced by Republican Rep. Chris Cannon of Utah, which is not exactly a liberal hotbed.

Regarding the vote, Kobach claims House Vote 53 in 2002 was a vote to "give illegal aliens amnesty." Once again, Kobach shows his extremism.

Rep. Dennis Moore voted with 92 Republicans, including Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-KS) and the Majority Leader, Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX), on this issue because it wasn't a vote for "amnesty" -- it was a vote to agree to Senate amendments on a bill that would push back an already existing deadline (to April 30, 2002) to allow a limited classification of immigrants who already have jobs in the United States to pursue legal U.S. residency without leaving the U.S.

These amendments the House agreed to were passed by the Senate on a Unanimous Consent motion -- meaning Kansas Senators Brownback and Roberts agreed as well. But since the Senate never took up the bill again, it went nowhere...

...except into a Kobach campaign ad where he shows us he's more extreme on immigration than Tom DeLay, and that's saying something.


* Kobach's opening shot is of him on the campus of the University of Kansas, which he never actually attended. Did his consultants say having the tall shaft of the Campanile in the background would project manly strength?

** Kobach says this story comes from The Kansas City Star rather than, say, the Biloxi Sun Herald or any of the dozens of other places it ran, to give it a local feel. The statement he quotes is by the reporter, not by any expert.