Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., accused Republicans of "harshness,
bitterness, meanness" and of "catering to the Tea Party" in their approach to
immigration policy during a conference call Monday.
As if that weren't enough, he took it one step further, implying
Republicans are allowing prejudice against Hispanics to govern their
policy-making.
During the conference call hosted by the Democratic National Committee to
highlight GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney's record on immigration, Reid
was asked by an AP reporter if he believed there is "racism in this dynamic
here."
Reid first responded that Republicans are guilty of "mean-spirited
fear-mongering."
But just before he hung up, Reid complained that Republicans refuse to
consider the DREAM Act, laud Arizona's immigration law and are blocking the
confirmation of Puerto Rican-born Mari Aponte as ambassador to El Salvador.
"I think some of what is going on here answers your question as to
whether there's some prejudice here," Reid said.
On the eve of the Arizona primary, the DNC organized the call to
highlight Romney's support of the state's aggressive illegal immigration law.
In a debate last week, Romney said the law could be a model for the nation's
approach to illegal immigration.
The Democrats also criticized Romney for accepting endorsements from
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer and Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, who both
have hardline anti-illegal immigration positions.
"I can't imagine Gov. Romney saying these things he has and these people
running for president of the United States being proud of the Arizona law,"
Reid said.
Reid warned that harsh immigration rhetoric backfires with voters, using
his 2010 race against former Assemblywoman Sharron Angle as an example.
"How about 2010, when people all over this country saw what happened when
someone like me, who had been reasonable, doing something about immigration,
tried to do the right thing and they went after me with such venom," Reid
said. "That's the only way I can describe it and it backed fired on them."
The Romney campaign accused Democrats of using a "dishonest smear" to
distract voters.
"Three years into his Presidency, Barack Obama hasn't secured our borders
or done anything to improve our legal immigration system," spokesman Ryan
Williams said. "As President, Mitt Romney will follow through on his
commitment to secure our borders, enforce current immigration laws, and
improve our legal immigration system."
Williams also accused Reid of being "two-faced" on immigration, bringing
up a 1993 speech in which Reid advocated denying citizenship to children born
in the United States to illegal immigrants. In 2006, Reid called that speech
"the biggest mistake I ever made."
This story has been edited to clarify the positions of Brewer and Kobach.
