Joe To Mexico: Demand Money Back From Allyn & Co PR Flacks!
By Joe Guzzardi
I told you so. How we at VDARE.COM love to say those words! And, the White House, U.S. Congress, the Mexican government and the MSM graciously provide us with a treasure trove of opportunities to gloat.
This time Im referring to a column I wrote nine months ago titled ” In the Looming Public Relations Battle For Americans Hearts And Minds, Mexico Will Lose”.
You recall the flap in late 2005 when Mexico hired the Texas-based Allyn & Company public relations firm [email them] to clarify the U.S. “misperception” of Mexico.
At the time, Allyn charged $720,000 to undertake this completely impossible and utterly thankless task.
Why look a gift horse in the mouth, Im sure company President Rob Allyn asked himself.
The message Mexico wanted to convey, as translated by Allyn into public relations-speak, is that more immigration, more guest workers and the proverbial path to citizenship, would clear up our “misperceptions.”
Since the likelihood of Allyns success in selling his agenda to an increasingly skeptical American public hovered somewhere around zero, I suggested to Allyn in my column that he insist on his money from Mexico upfront.
If Allyn didnt get paid a few months ago, he may have trouble collecting now since his effortswhatever they may have beenhave crashed head-on into a stone wall.
What Mexico and Allyn are trying to sellits multiple fantasies that the U.S. economy would “collapse” without foreign workers, that aliens are just doing “jobs Americans wont do,” and that Mexicans are “just looking for a better life”Americans are no longer buying.
The first clue that things werent going so well for Allyns grand scheme came in May when President George W. Bush took to the airwaves to make a prime-time television address pleading for “comprehensive immigration reform.”
Bushs speech was so poorly received by Americans in general and House Republicans in particular that in a parliamentary government, a motion of “no confidence” would have been called for.
Then things got worse.
By July, the nations mood had slipped further away from Mexico and Allyns grasp.
In mid-summer, Republican House Speaker Dennis Hastert summarized Americas illegal immigration crisis this way:
“Every state is a border state, and every town is a border town. Ive just returned from a very informative trip to the southern border, but everywhere I travel around this country, illegal immigration is a top concern. Its a top concern among Americans because they want our southern and northern borders to be secure.
“Border security is an issue of national security. It is not a secret that terrorists and drug runners -who want to do us harm- are trying to find ways into our country and I believe we must first do everything we can to stop them.
“Before we can look at other immigration issues, we must first secure our borders. I am disappointed that the Democrats support a plan (S. 2611) for open borders and a plan for amnesty. Their plan is just plain unacceptable.”
A summer-long series of nineteen hearings held by 8 House committees in twelve states followed. The goal, said Hastert, “is to get a stronger border security bill to the Presidents desk.”
Come September, the House passed H.R. 6061, the “Secure Fence Act of 2006.” And on September 29, the Senate passed the legislation that would permit a 700-mile fence to be built along a portion of the Mexico/U.S. border.
H.R. 6061 now goes to Bushs desk where he has promised to sign it.
In the meantime, finally showing a hint of resolve, Bush rebuffed the predictable protests of the Mexican governments hierarchy consisting of President Vicente Fox, President-elect Felipe Calderon and Foreign Secretary Ernesto Derbez who absurdly charge that the fence will “damage bilateral relationships”one of their favorite nebulous claims. [Mexico To Lobby Bush Against Fence Bill, by E. Edward Castillo, The Guardian, September 29, 2006]
In summary, since Allyn & Company took Mexicos money (under false pretenses?) to improve its image, it has suffered the following setbacks:
In the spring, President Bush was publicly humiliated when his nationally-televised speech pushing hard for amnesty and guest workers laid an egg.
During the summer, Bushs Republican Party worked actively against him and his well-known open borders enthusiasm to pass four bills that provide American security first. Amnesty for illegal aliens is off the table.
Both the Republican controlled House and Senate passed legislation, H.R. 6061, authorizing a fence to be built along the Mexico/U.S. border.
Bush, who has spent nearly six years sucking up to Mexico, committed to sign H.R. 6061no doubt to help his party in November.
Does the fine print on the Mexico/Allyn and Company contract contain a non-performance clause?
Is it possible to be less effective than Allyn & Company has been?
In the private sector, a failure of such magnitude would result in a serious ass chewingone that we at VDARE.COM would love to deliver.
Since that isnt possible, well be content with having called it like we see itcorrectly, as usual.
Joe Guzzardi [ e-mail him] is the Editor of VDARE.COM Letters to the Editor. In addition, he is an English teacher at the Lodi Adult School and has been writing a weekly newspaper column since 1988. This column is exclusive to VDARE.COM.
