In his “Falwell Confidential” newsletter, right-wing stalwart Jerry Falwell attempts to describe the kind of candidate he believes “could win the energetic support of the evangelical vote” in the 2008 presidential election. In addition to conforming to the Religious Right’s positions on abortion and gay marriage, it’s “a given” that a candidate must be a “fiscal conservative” in order to appeal to evangelical Christians, according to Falwell. Also, Falwell claims that evangelicals can only support a candidate who will “utilize our God-given resources” in the form of off-shore oil drilling, and who will crack down on immigrants and their “contagious diseases.” Immigrants are simultaneously a “flood” and a “bleeding,” writes Falwell:
We must get tough on illegal immigration and begin enforcing present laws throughout our nation. … The construction of a 2000-mile fence (which some estimate will cost $10 billion), across our southwest border, from San Diego to the Gulf of Mexico, guarded by enough of America’s finest to stop the endless flow of scores of thousands of illegal aliens into this nation, must be the absolute commitment of our next champion. The bleeding must be stopped immediately. …
Returning to adherence to our long-standing immigration laws is not an unreasonable demand. I realize I will be criticized by many for making this statement, but I am convinced we must halt the daily torrent of illegal immigrants who almost effortlessly enter our nation. I know that many of these people are simply seeking a better life, but countless numbers of criminals are entering our nation. Plus, contagious diseases that were virtually wiped out in America are resurfacing, primarily because of the flood of illegal immigration. It must stop.
