The Compassionate Conservative?

The political masters of the American Prez know how and when to strike -- early and aggressively. It iselection time, folks, and they are in full metal jacket. Barely had people got over their New Year hangoversthat George Bush launched his re-election campaign in style from an elegantly appointed room in the WhiteHouse. He announced a plan to grant illegal workers their most fervent wish -- a chance to live in thewonderland. With one swift stroke he sprouted a heart, snatching back the label of a "compassionateconservative" for himself before the Democrats knew what hit them. In the front row sat Colin Powell, theson of Jamaican immigrants and his secretary of state. The best prop if there ever was one.

It was a move so baldly political but so deft that opponents were scattered hither and thither. It is aimeddirectly at the heart of millions of illegal Hispanic workers who stream across the borders to do jobs thatmany Americans won’t touch. They pick fruit, pack meat, clean toilets and wait tables. They manage and runthe American underbelly at wages well below those prescribed. Now they can dream their American dream, thanksto Bush who dropped a big lollypop in their laps in time to endear himself to the country’s fastest growingminority. Latinos, who if they swing more definitely toward the Republican Party, will ensure victory for thePrez, come November. Bush had worked hard for this one -- even his pronunciation of Latino names was perfect.

The so-called "temporary worker" programme will allow illegal workers a chance to get regular papersand live in the US for three years and extend in the future (to be fought and decided by the US Congress) solong as they have a job and a willing employer. The estimated 8 million illegal "aliens" -- the officialAmerican term -- have a chance to come out of the shadows, get in line and wait for the manna to fall from theoverworked and understaffed immigration authorities. Thousands of illegal Indians and Pakistanis too can jointhe queue -- if they can take time out from driving their cabs and running corner shops to fill out multipleforms. While the method of escape for many Latinos is to cross the border from Mexico and trek the dangerousterrain, most "desis" land up here on tourist visas and forget to return home.

While the plan may be a brilliant political move in an election year, it actually serves Bush’s businessbuddies more than the little guy on the street waiting to be picked up for a day job on a construction site.It gives companies an unlimited pool of illegal workers who demand less pay and fewer benefits. No hasslesreally. No medical insurance, no worker safety procedures and since illegal workers are "temporary" -- nopensions, no retirement benefits and no corporate responsibility stuff. Life just got simpler for theemployers with Bush‘s plan. Check this against the "other" measure Bush’s Labour Department announced-- new regulations that help employers cut back on overtime and base salaries. So you have to work moreovertime to make the same salary.

The battle front will soon move to the US Congress where this plan will be dissected, honed, slashed andpruned by the "people’s representatives." Both Democrats and Republicans are wary of the kind of blanketfreebees that Bush has announced. Democrats oppose them because of unions and unions never like illegalworkers who work more for less. Conservative Republicans hate the idea because they just hate any hint ofamnesty for anyone who breaks the law.

The plan appears to award those who came in illegally and puts them alongside the millions who are legallyand patiently waiting for their immigration papers to come through the seriously dysfunctional immigrationdepartment -- now all wrapped up in a new box called Homeland Security. Hardline Republicans also don’t liketoo many brown people crowding their schools. They specially don’t like Spanish becoming the first languageof California. But above all they don’t like losing control to "aliens" who by their sheer numbers arebecoming a political constituency to which their party needs to pander.

In the end the people living in the shadows of American society may get less than what Bush proposed butthe Prez can always blame the Congress for failing to fulfill his agenda. At least he made the grand gesture-- symbols are important, perceptions are even more important. The thrust will lift his approval ratings andthe substance can come later. if at all.

Bush’s smart campaign managers just got another stupendous ad for the race.