The most recent poll in Ohio has some interesting news regarding the issue of immigration.

Let illegal immigrants stay here.

That’s what 56 percent of Ohioans said in a poll conducted this month by the University of Cincinnati Institute for Policy Research — and people polled in Southwest Ohio topped that figure.

In this corner of the state, 60 percent said they favored a government policy that allowed undocumented immigrants to stay in the country and become U.S. citizens if they met unspecified requirements in a certain timeframe.

That puts Ohioans in sync with the rest of the nation, according to a Gallup Poll last year, said Eric Rademacher, the institute’s interim co-director.

If you only listened to Fox News, Lou Dobbs and talk radio, you would assume that the entire nation is outraged by the conecpt of earned citizenship for illegals (which some call amnesty). Last year many in the media assumed that this issue would be crucial in the 2008 elections. Yet we don’t hear anything about it.

All of the Republican candidates who tried to exploit conservative anger about immigration flamed out in the primaries. Even one-time “moderates” like Rudy Giuliani flipped last year and tried to demogogue the issue in order to get the Republican nomination. He got crushed in the primaries.

America is getting serious again. We’re going through tough economic times, so it’s harder for politicians to distract the electorate with side issues like Bill Ayers, guns and illegals.

The next president will have a huge opportunity to pass a common-sense compromise on this issue that beefs up border security and provides a rational method for illegals to earn the right to stay in this country. The political rewards from such a compromise would be significant as well.

The lamest part of last night’s festivities involved the mocking of Obama’s service as a community organizer.

Here’s the response from a group called Catholic Democrats:

Catholic Democrats is expressing surprise and shock that Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin’s acceptance speech tonight mocked her opponent’s work in the 1980s for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development. She belittled Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama’s experience as a community organizer in Catholic parishes on the South Side of Chicago, work he undertook instead of pursuing a lucrative career on Wall Street. In her acceptance speech, Ms. Palin said, “I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a community organizer, except that you have actual responsibilities.” Community organizing is at the heart of Catholic Social Teaching to end poverty and promote social justice.

Joe Klein goes further:

So here is what Giuliani and Palin didn’t know: Obama was working for a group of churches that were concerned about their parishioners, many of whom had been laid off when the steel mills closed on the south side of Chicago. They hired Obama to help those stunned people recover and get the services they needed–job training, help with housing and so forth–from the local government. It was, dare I say it, the Lord’s work–the sort of mission Jesus preached (as opposed to the war in Iraq, which Palin described as a “task from God.”)

This is what Palin and Giuliani were mocking. They were making fun of a young man’s decision “to serve a cause greater than himself,” in the words of John McCain. They were, therefore, mocking one of their candidate’s favorite messages. Obama served the poor for three years, then went to law school. To describe this service–the first thing he did out of college, the sort of service every college-educated American should perform, in some form or other–as anything other than noble is cheap and tawdry and cynical in the extreme.

Perhaps La Pasionaria of the Northern Slope didn’t know this when she read the words they gave her. But Giuliani–a profoundly lapsed Catholic, who must have met more than a few religious folk toiling in the inner cities–should have known. (”I don’t even know what that is,” he sneered.”) What a shameful performance.

It’s amazing to me how low someone like Giuliani will go. He performed well on 9/11, but since then he’s been cashing in on his “celebrity” giving high-priced speeches. When he ran for president he spent $50 million and got one delegate. Perhaps the American people know a fraud when they see one.

In a year where we have economic troubles with ordinary Americans struggling, the GOP decides to attack someone for doing this kind of service early in their career.

None of this is surprising. The GOP has won plenty of elections demonizing and mocking their opponents. This year, with Obama and Biden, they have opponents that will fight back.

Rudy gives another mocking speech. Is making fun of Obama being a community organizer or voting “present” going to do any real damage? Then he brings in the whole “celebrity” attack.

Well, we know they would get the attacks going, and I knew Giuliani would be the guy to do it. His better attack lines related to lack of leadership experience. He added some flip-flop stuff and some funny lines. Overall, this was the speech the Republicans were looking for.

He also attacked Hillary. Was that a good idea?

Overall, he got the crowd going and gave a great performance. It was probably the most effective speech so far, though that isn’t saying much.

Rudy Giuliani will be giving the keynote address tonight at thr GOP convention. Based on his embarassing performance four years ago, we can only imagine what he might say this year.

Four years ago, he compared George W. Bush to Chruchill. Perhaps this year he’ll tell us with conviction that Sarah Palin, due to her experience running the Alaska National Guard, is the next Margaret Thatcher.

Four years ago, he said, “Thank God George Bush is our President.” Not stopping there, he added “thank God for Dick Cheney” as well. He recounted saying this to his trusted friend, Bernard Kerik. Yeah, the same guy who got indicted and helped to sink Giuliani’s doomed campaign for president.

Giuliani proved during the primaries that he’s a buffoon. He’s a good speaker, and he’s great at delivering the canned attack lines and simplistic arguments trumped up by the GOP, but he’s lost all credibility. Unfortunately, the press still treats him like a hero, and rarely calls him on his bullshit. I’m sure they’ll be fawning tonight.

Rudy Giuliani is the genius who compared George W. Bush to Winston Churchill at the 2004.

If there’s one reason I’d like to see Joe Biden as Obama’s VP choice, it’s to watch him ridicule guys like Giuliani and of course John McCain for some of the ridiculous things these guys say about national security. After his performance in 2004, and in the primaries this year, Giuliani ought to be too embarassed to speak in public. Of course, none of the networks will call him on these comments. All of the news anchors are still in awe of Giuliani.

If NBC decides to hive David Gregory the Meet the Press gig after the election, all their leaders should be fired. I just watched him interview Rudy Giuliani, and his interview skills were pathetic. Giuliani was able to recite all his bullshit talking points attacking Obama, and not once did Gregory challenge Giuliani’s statements. He had some tough questions prepared regarding McCain’s flip on taxes, but he was totally incapable of challenging statements from Giuliani that were completely untrue.

Regardless of whether the guest is an Obama or McCain supporter, the interviewer should never let them get away with making false claims about the other side. Giuliani claimed that Obama had ruled out nuclear power (false) and that Obama was not being specific on his energy proposals (total BS).

Gregory just sat there and then moved on to the next question. He had his own list of questions for the interview, and all he cared about was getting through his own checklist. What a lame performance.

After running one of the most pathetic presidential campaigns in modern history (he paid $50 for one delegate), Rudy Giuliani is being trotted out as John McCain’s latest attack dog on national security. Here’s an example of why Rudy is so bad. Like McCain, he can’t keep his story straight.

During his tenure as mayor of New York, I was a huge fan of Giuliani. Liberals hated him, and there were certainly areas where he deserved criticism, but I was amazed by the positive changes in New York City.

Everything changed after 9/11. Sure, Giuliani exhibited grace under pressure, but the idea that his perfomance translated to real foreign experience was always ridiculous. The Giuliani image was just as hyped up as the fear being peddled by the Bush Administration.

Giuliani bought into the hype. He campaigned hard for George Bush in 2004, going so far as to make the most idiotic comparison in political history when he compared George Bush to Winston Churchill. At that point it became obvious to me that Giuliani either had no clue about what was right for America or he was just another cynical and self-interested politician who was latching on to the popular cause of the day.

Many are blaming his strange strategy regarding the primaries for his loss. Obviously, it was a dumb strategy, but the real problem was Giuliani and his positions. His support for the failed Bush policies and his non-stop references to 9/11 just didn’t cut it with an electorate that had been fooled twice by Bush. The revelations of his bizarre personal life didn’t help as well.

He’s a social liberal who was running in a party that catered to the religious right. He claimed he would appoint “strict-constructionist” judges, though he was never able to explain how this was consistent with his own positions. I never agree with the religious right, but I respect those in that camp who refused to support Giuliani. He wasn’t one of them and they didn’t believe his B.S.

Rudy was a flawed candidate, and I’m not surprised his support collapsed once the GOP voters took a closer look.