By campaigning on a platform which emphasized that unchecked immigration inevitably leads to American job displacement and stagnant or falling wages for the fortunate who remain employed, Brat pulled off a spectacular, unanticipated win fueled largely by disgruntled voters.
Brat framed his campaign around immigration as a jobs issue, an approach that resonated with Virginia’s 7th District and would do the same in California where:
U-6 unemployment has averaged 16.7 percent from the second quarter of 2013 through the first quarter of 2014. U-6 shows a truer picture of unemployment, as it includes total unemployed, plus all marginally attached workers and total employed part time.
Giving legal work authorization to California’s approximately 2.5 million illegal aliens would loosen the labor market and make jobs harder to find for citizens and legal immigrants. Most adversely affected would be black and Hispanic Americans, who already suffer disproportionately high rates of joblessness, as well as recently returned veterans and the disabled.
California already has the nation’s highest number of poor, and more large-scale, unskilled immigration would further add to the state’s poor, and increase income inequality and welfare dependency. Brat linked excessive immigration to many of the economic and social plights that have plagued California for decades.
Brat also campaigned on ending birthright citizenship, mandating E-Verify, ending chain migration, securing the border, limiting overseas worker visas, cooperating with local police on immigration-related issues, defunding sanctuary cities and funding a visa entry-exit system. A voice of reason!
Hammering away at Cantor as out of touch, Brat portrayed his opponent and the Washington D.C. establishment as beholden to the Chamber of Commerce and other big money interests. Congress is, Brat emphasized, more responsive to Wall Street than Main Street.
California’s candidates need to take a lesson from this political contest. Follow Brat’s example and fearlessly drive home these critically important points; cease parroting the misguided pro-immigration, pro-growth and unsustainable platform upon which most incumbents rely.
Cantor spent $5 million on the campaign to Brat’s $200,000, proving that in politics money isn’t as important as honest talk. California’s challengers to the immigration status quo can pull off a Brat-type upset if they focus on a candid assessment of the unvarnished truth about out-of-control immigration.
Take this as an opportunity to tell your Representative why Brat was able to pull off this amazing upset – Americans reject amnesty.
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Brat’s win is encouraging, but it’s one battle in a long fight to restore sanity to our approach to immigration. One of the favorites to replace Cantor as Majority Leader is Bakersfield’s Kevin McCarthy, currently the third-ranking House Republican and its Whip. In January, McCarthy announced that he supports giving illegal aliens amnesty.
Will McCarthy learn from this loss? Right now, it’s unclear. We’ll be keeping the pressure on McCarthy and reminding other Representatives of Brat’s message – Americans are fed up with amnesty double-talk.
This is an energizing victory. We hope it motivates you in your commitment to fight amnesty.
As always, thank you for your continuing support on this issue!
Sincerely,
Jo Wideman CAPS Executive Director
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