Feinstein Uses False Right Wing Propaganda to Make Bad Bill Worse

Robert Rector of the right-wing Heritage Foundation reported to Republicans at a Republican luncheon that the Senate version of the big immigration bill would add 100,000,000 (One Hundred Million) new people to the U.S. population in the next 20 years (see the SF Chronicle story). But it was a Democrat, California's Dianne Feinstein, who acted on this information, citing the number in floor debate and forcing an amendment through that would drastically limit the number of immigrants allowed through a guest worker program. Feinstein actually used Rector's high end estimate of 193 million.

Worst of all, the numbers were completely bogus. One hundred million is nearly the entire population of Mexico, and his high end number of 193 million would empty Central America in addition to Mexico. Demographers and actual experts scoffed when they heard, but Feinstein took the number and ran before Republicans could even fax talking points to Fox News. It's like that old saying: "The coldest Republican I ever met was a Democrat in San Francisco."