Now Is The Time

By Patrick Weadon

In 1958, when he ran for the governorship of Alabama as a progressive, the late George Wallace tried mightily to avoid the issue of race. His goal was to bring Alabama and the South into the 20th century. His opponent, however, ran a campaign based on the need to maintain segregation, and won going away. In 1962, having learned from his "mistakes," Wallace ran on a blatantly segregationist platform and won big. For the next 18 years, he would use hatred of African Americans as a tool to maintain his power. Nevertheless, in the end he was forced to abandon his segregationist ways. What caused this epiphany? Well, the world had changed and he had to change with it or risk becoming politically irrelevant.

Wallace’s journey holds valuable lessons today. Over the past few years many politicians, particularly those on the right, have been working overtime to prove their contempt for the 11 million undocumented workers in our nation. What has been the result? Well, their loathing and lack of compassion for these individuals enabled President Obama to garner over 70 percent of the Hispanic vote in the last Presidential Election.

Like it or not, the future of our country is not white or black but brown, and the election has forced many of those on the right to finally come to terms with this reality. The fact is that most “illegal immigrants” are not criminals or gang members. Most came here to work to build a better life for themselves and their families. The irony is that most typify the values that conservative Americans hold dear. They work multiple jobs, are religious and believe the family should be the centerpiece of society.

In short, most illegal aliens have more values in common with Rush Limbaugh than they do with most readers of The New York Times. They are not against the American way of life; rather they are, in many respects, sterling examples of what it means to be an American.

The rule of law is important. But I refuse to believe that some sort of compromise cannot be worked out to bring these hardworking people out of the shadows and into the mainstream of American life. These individuals do the hard backbreaking work in the fields, construction sites, hotels and restaurants of our nation. So if they are here performing necessary work and making valuable contributions to society, why in God's name would you want to send them back?

Apparently some incredibly conservative politicians and pundits such as Senator Rubio and Sean Hannity have come to the same conclusion. Rubio is leading the bipartisan effort in the Senate and Hannity claims to have “evolved” on the issue. Both seem now to realize that if they don’t come to terms with this challenge they will lose whatever political power and influence they now hold.

Our elected representatives would do well to remember there is no such thing as an "illegal" human being. As President Obama has noted, “This is not just a debate about policy, it’s about people. It’s about men and women and young people who want nothing more than their chance to earn their way into the American system. Throughout our history that has only made our nation stronger.”

Indeed it has.

Those on the right who wish to have a political future need to stop worrying so much about securing the border and work harder at securing a future for these people who, like all of us, wish for - and deserve - a shot at living the American dream.