Monday, May 08, 2006

Beats Hannity & Colmes: Murphy & Berkowitz on TV and Streaming

Links added at 2:40 pm on Tuesday

Matt Murphy [R-Palatine, 27th Dist. Republican State Senate Nominee]: ...[T]o the extent that we undermine our position of enforcing the law by making exceptions—albeit maybe having some merit to them—we undermine our position and we make Illinois a more attractive state for people [illegal immigrants] to come. So, we can’t afford to do that, because...
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"Public Affairs," features State Senate Republican Nominee Matt Murphy [R-Palatine] tonight [May 8] through-out the City of Chicago on CANTV, Cable Ch. 21 at 8:30 pm; And, right now, on the "Public Affairs," podcast page on your computer [See here].

The "Public Affairs," podcast page gives you a choice of more than 20 episodes of “Public Affairs," from the last half year [See here], including, in addition to the show with Senate candidate Matt Murphy [R], shows featuring Bill Dock Walls- the only current challenger to Mayor Daley for the February 27, 2007 election; The show with Chicago Mayoral candidate Dock Walls is also airing on the Suburban Edition of Public Affairs this week; a recent joint press conference with Senator Obama [D-Illinois] and Congresswoman Bean [D-Barrington] dealing with, among other issues, Iran, Iraq, Defense Secretary Rumsfeld and tax cuts, Senator and Republican nominee for State Treasurer Christine Radogno, the Republican nominee and Democratic incumbent in the 8th CD, David McSweeney and Congresswoman Bean, respectively; Tony Peraica, Republican nominee for Cook County Board President;
[See here].
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Matt Murphy, a practicing lawyer, is seeking to fill the open senate seat which is being vacated by Republican Wendell Jones, who did not seek re-election. Murphy beat Palatine Mayor Rita Mullins by a 60-40 margin in the Republican Primary and Senate Candidate Murphy is now facing Democrat Peter Gutzmer in the general election. "Public Affairs," has invited candidate Gutzmer on our show, but we have received no response.
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See here for more about Republican Senate Candidate Matt Murphy and the race, tonight's show's topics and for a partial transcript of the show with him. See below for another partial transcript of the show with Matt Murphy.
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Jeff Berkowitz: Looking at it now, no longer about the primary election, but about the general election, a lot of people are talking about illegal immigration. Is that an issue in your race?

Matt Murphy[Palatine, 27th District State Senate Republican nominee]: Well, it is an issue in our race. It’s an issue in our area. It’s an issue in a lot of-

Jeff Berkowitz: A lot of illegal immigrants in your area?

Matt Murphy: Yeah, it’s a profound issue for our area specifically. For the state, more broadly and probably most importantly for the country.

Jeff Berkowitz: [The immigration issue] comes up at the state level with the issue of in-state tuition. Should illegal immigrants get the benefit of being considered as in-state residents, in which case they would get a lower [tuition] rate that somebody who was coming to, say, the University of Illinois, from out of state? The law was passed that would give illegal immigrants the same tuition rate as in-state residents, right?

Matt Murphy: That’s true.

Jeff Berkowitz: Would you have supported that? If you had been in, would you have voted that way?

Matt Murphy: I would not have supported that… The issue has to be fixed, primarily, first and foremost, at the federal level, because the borders are a federal issue. From there, at the state level, as you say, it does become an issue, because once illegal immigrants cross the national border, they then have fifty states—or, practically speaking, I guess forty-eight states—to choose from for their destination. So, the states’ role and how we become involved, as state legislators, in the issue of illegal immigration is are we going to make our state a more or less attractive destination, for somebody to settle illegally.

Jeff Berkowitz: So, will Illinois make [itself] a more or less attractive place for illegal immigrants to settle?

Matt Murphy: My sense, with not just the in-state tuition, but [also] with the efforts that have come about to give driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants, or identification cards, and also with the recent program the Blagojevich administration put through, which allowed—through which the state helps underwrite mortgages-

Jeff Berkowitz: Three percent, right? Illegal immigrants have access to three percent [rate of interest and down payment] mortgages, is what Jim Oberweis said. Was he correct? [Ed. note: 2006 Republican Primary Gubernatorial Candidate Jim Oberweis came in second, out of four major candidates, receiving 32% to winner Judy Baar Topinka's 38%.]

Matt Murphy[R-Palatine, 27th Senate candidate]: I don’t know specifically whether that term is correct. But, what I do know is, the state of Illinois is now in the business of helping underwrite home purchases without requiring proof that you are a legal resident of the state of Illinois.

Jeff Berkowitz: You would oppose that?

Matt Murphy: I would oppose that. You can’t-

Jeff Berkowitz: And, you would oppose in-state tuition rates for illegal immigrants?

Matt Murphy: I would.

Jeff Berkowitz: You would oppose driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants?

Matt Murphy: I would.

Jeff Berkowitz: If somebody [a couple’s] been here, say—if an illegal immigrant [couple] came to your district, and they brought with them a child who was three years old, they’ve lived there now for fifteen years. That child has done well in the public schools. That child has gone to public schools. Should we really hold it against that child, that he—say [the child’s] a “he”—that he came here illegally with his parents. He didn’t choose to do that. His parents did. Now, make him pay a higher rate of tuition—even though he really does have a stronger connection [to Illinois], it might be argued, because he’s lived here with his family for fifteen years, than say someone in Iowa, who has not lived here at all and now wants to go to the University of Illinois.

Matt Murphy: Well, that’s always—and, it’s actually a good question. It’s the way the issue was framed when it passed the Illinois Senate. The problem with the analysis is—while it’s unfortunate that the then three, and by the time we’re talking about a college-age boy, might suffer some hardship as a result of having to pay out-of-state as opposed to in-state tuition, what we’re trying to do is send a statement about what kind of state we are, and send a message that deters future illegal conduct. To the extent that we undermine our position of enforcing the law by making exceptions—albeit maybe having some merit to them—we undermine our position and we make Illinois a more attractive state for people [illegal immigrants] to come. So, we can’t afford to do that, because there’s a growing price.
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Public Affairs, with State Senate candidate Matt Murphy [R-Palatine], was recorded on April 23, 2006 and is airing on the City of Chicago edition of Public Affairs tonight, May 8 at 8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21. The show with State Senate candidate Murphy is available, right now, as a video podcast at the Public Affairs Cinema Complex, along with more than twenty other shows, which are also airing there. [See here].
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A draft of the above partial transcript of the Public Affairs show with State Senate candidate Matt Murphy was prepared by Amy Allen, who also does research for “Public Affairs,” and has her own political blog [See here].
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Jeff Berkowitz, Show Host/Producer of "Public Affairs," and Executive Legal Recruiter doing legal search can be reached at JBCG@aol.com
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