Buenos dias at 'sanctuary mansion'
Attempting to fend off accusations that he had hired illegal immigrants as gardeners, Mitt Romney argued during Wednesday's Republican debate that homeowners shouldn't be expected to check the papers of workers with "funny accents."
But back when undocumented workers were discovered at his Belmont home last year, the Guatemalan illegal immigrants who landscaped his lawn said that the former Massachusetts governor would occasionally greet them with a friendly "Buenos dias."
Also, one of Romney's sons is fluent in Spanish, and Romney's campaign has a Spanish-language website and has aired a Spanish-language ad.
The reference to "funny accents" is one of the more curious subtexts of the heated debate exchange between Romney and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani over illegal immigration.
Standing next to each other on the stage, Giuliani responded to Romney's charge that New York was a "sanctuary city" for illegal immigrants when Giuliani was mayor by calling Romney's home a "sanctuary mansion." The exchange went like this:
Giuliani: "You did have illegal immigrants working at your mansion, didn't you?
Romney: "No, I did not, so let's just talk about that. Are you suggesting, Mr. Mayor -- because I think it is really kind of offensive actually to suggest -- to say look, you know what, if you are a homeowner and you hire a company to come provide a service at your home -- paint the home, put on the roof, if you hear someone that is working out there, not that you have employed, but that the company has, if you hear someone with a funny accent, you as a homeowner are supposed to go out there and say, 'I want to see your papers.' Is that what you're suggesting?"
Giuliani: "If you're going to take this holier-than-thou attitude, that your whole approach to immigration..."
Romney: "I'm sorry, immigration is not holier-than-thou, mayor. It's the law."
Giuliani: "If you're going to take this holier-than-thou attitude that you are perfect on immigration..."
Romney: "I'm not perfect."
The Globe reported about the illegal workers last December. Romney has said he checked the immigration status of the landscaping company's owner, but not the workers the owner hired.
This attack is a deception by Guiliani. Romney was a customer of this landscaping company, which has the responsibility to check the legal status of its employees.
If you were shopping at Wal-mart for example, and someone with an accent started helping you with your cart, you wouldn't say "hey, let me see your paperwork to be in this country!" Wal-mart has the responsibility to check that, not each individual customer. Romney was the customer here, not the employer.
Rudy knows this, and he must think people are really stupid if he thinks he can get mileage out of this attack.
two vipers bite each other
WE ALL KNOW THAT THE SCAPEGOAT IN THIS COMING ELECTIONS ARE THE ILEGAL ALIENS AND ALWAYS WILL BE , BECAUSE THEY ARE THE MUTED PEOPLE WITHOUT NO RIGHTS AND CHEAP LABOR .
WE CAN TALK ABOUT THIS ISSUE FOREVER .
REMENBER THIS COUNTRY HAS BEEN BUILT WITH INMIGRANTS , AND ALWAYS THE INMIGRANTS WILL KEEP COMING......
Rudy and Romney, a couple of RINO's who are trying to run as conservatives but neither of whom believes in anything but power. A pox on both their houses.
Funny accent?? SOBs.. Most often people have an accent because they speak more than one language.. I speak 8 languages and i am proud of my funny accent. Narrow minded republican ignorance.. I think all people of the world should get a chance to vote for the US president, because of the havoc we cause globally. Atleast this way some innocent civilian in the middle east or far east can chose which president is going to compassionately kill him! I wonder if the rest of world looks at us as strange people with funny accents also.. I am sure they do.. and if thats the case and if we want people with funny accents out of here, atleast theoretically i can argue that we with our funny accents should get out of their countries too. I am sick of this..
Romney handed Rudy his head on a platter in that exchange.
I still can't believe the Globe spent money sending reporters to Guatemala to find these guys that used to work for a legal and legitimate company that landscaped his yard (and the owner said that these workers presented SS cards . . . must have been false ones, eh?)
The American people saw through Rudy's reliance on a poorly reported and weak Boston Globe piece and he looked as stupid as the Globe and it's reporters.
Dear Foon,
What a stupid article.
So the fact that Gov Romney is cordial to individuals on his property makes him soft on immigration? The fact that his son speaks spanish and that he has a spanish section on his website makes him soft on immigration?
Reading through this 'article' I understand just how little you think of your readers. Give me a break.
You seem to be arguing that 'Gee wizz, the Governor clearly knows enough to say 'buenos dias' in spanish & his son speaks spanish and he has a spanish website, so he should have pressed the workers for their green card?"
What an assonine twist of logic in order to weave a rediculious 'non-news' story.
Can I ask you a few questions if I may? The last time you ate out at a restaurant, did you press the workers on their immigration status? "Excuse me miss, but you sure do look like an illegal - would you mind showing me your papers before you bring out my dinner?" Or, while grocery shopping, do you limit yourself to the 'no immigrant labor was used in the picking of this produce section'?
I find it curious that you make a point that the Governor used the most common and understood greeting expression in spanish 'buenos dias'. Do you realize how many children as young as 2-3 know this little gem? Have you ever watched Sesame Street or Dora the Explorer?
So hard to believe...the Globe taking another swipe at Romney...and with such a non-story to go on...so he said "buenos dias"? Oh My Gosh!!! That must obviously mean that he knew they were illegal!!!
The insinuations of this piece are disgusting and speak to the further irrelevance of the Boston Globe as anything more than a local paper with a strong sports section.
May Jeff Jacoby save us all...
That is the new problem with contracting for work .Now I require in any work
being done on my premise, that no illegal immigrant 's be used , and add $$
penalties in case the contractor sneaks some in.Thanks Clinton,Bush both
of you George and George.
Quote from Jamie "REMENBER THIS COUNTRY HAS BEEN BUILT WITH INMIGRANTS , AND ALWAYS THE INMIGRANTS WILL KEEP COMING".
What people as Jamie tend to forget is that there is a difference between immigrants and illegal immigrants. Yes, we are all immigrants (except for the native American Indians) the difference is that my family came here legally 4 generations ago, as did my Filipino wife who just took her oath last month making her a citizen. If she had to spend all the money and take the time to do it legally, why shouldn't everyone else?????
You missed a great opportunity to compare and contrast what went on in Governor Romney's mansion verses Mayor Rudy's mansion. I think that would be something the readers really would enjoy. What was Rudy thinking???!!!
I don't see why there isn't more press about why liberals would rather face ANYONE but Dr. Ron Paul. Much as we'd like politics to be positive, it is in fact ruled almost entirely by negatives. For instance, what's the biggest negative the Republican Party is facing in 2008? Iraq - a staggering 70% of people favor IMMEDIATE withdrawl from Iraq. Who is the only candidate that doesn't have that negative? Dr. Paul, who advocates using those trillions of dollars to secure our border (perhaps against Saudis who were 20 of the 24 terrorists in 9/11) and rebuild our crumbling infrastructure which is far more worrying than the loss of Social Security. Hm, full employment, withdrawl from Iraq and a huge boost to our economy from rebuilding our infrastructure - what Democrat wants to run against that. Hence the behavior of known liberal biased network CNN, who wants us to nominate either Guiliani or Romney - both of whose negatives are so high the copy practically writes itself!
holier than thou.
I saw Osama Bin Ladin eating a taco in Mexicali!!!
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