by Maisie Allison
Erica Grieder highlights Rick Perry's dangerously moderate record on immigration in Texas, where "deep-rooted economic pragmatism…tends to trump all other ideologies." Tom Tancredo's screed against Perry's "unconservative" policies captures the criticism from the right. Grieder's conclusion:
[I]t's clear that migrants have been good to Texas, and it's also clear that Texas has been fair to migrants. This points to the great bipartisan upside of Perry's candidacy: even if you hate his platform, even if his accent makes you queasy, having the governor in the race has prompted a closer look at what Texas is like and why. There are issues where the state lags behind the nation and there are areas where it leads. Immigration is one of the latter.
As Grieder notes, Perry has an opportunity to defend some of his more pragmatic policies in business terms, based on real experience. Instead (perhaps unsurprisingly), he is quickly reversing his positions. His bizarre, "emergency" posturing on the issue of sanctuary cities this year seems to mark an intentional shift.
Scott Keyes points out that flip-flop aside, Perry's scare tactics on border security represent a deliberate distraction from real reform. Texas State Rep. Rafael Anchia warns that Perry has clearly "demonstrated a willingness to scapegoat Latinos" and would take issue with Grieder's assessment.
(Photo: Texas Governor Rick Perry waits during his introduction before addressing Austin's largest naturalization ceremony at the Delco Activity Center on May 11, 2007. More than 1,000 area residents representing 85 countries took the Oath of Allegiance to become United States citizens. By Taylor Jones/Getty Images)
The Dish 