This past weekend, ALIPAC organized anti-amnesty “tea parties” across the country — although perhaps “organized” is too generous a term for what turned out to be pretty weak events.
It’s not surprising that ALIPAC’s tea parties — 53 of them in total, according to the group—turned out to be what the media calls “sparsely attended.” After all, the anti-immigrant group’s “Unite Against Amnesty” Web site lists only 5,572 “against amnesty supporters.” (Here’s the Raleigh tea party, pictured at right, from ALIPAC’s website).
Compare that to the number of people who tuned into last night’s “Families, Freedom and Faith” national tele-town hall and house parties for immigration reform: over 60,000.
That’s over ten supporters of immigration reform for every anti-immigrant “tea partier.”
Nevertheless, William Gheen, president of ALIPAC, is convinced the silent majority is on his side:
The Obama administration and the US Congress need to cease and desist advocacy for any form of Amnesty legislation, since any path to citizenship for illegals is opposed by over 78% of Americans…
ALIPAC doesn’t provide a source for their statistic, but as we’ve noted, poll results that seem “anti-immigrant” at first glance are often the result of unclear or misleading questions. And when asked directly in a May poll, 68% of Americans said they did support a path to citizenship for undocumented workers.