Whatever happened to "Morning in America"?: A Republican who remembers when.....

"Prouder, Stronger, Better", commonly referred to by the name "Morning in America", is a 1984, political campaign television commercial, known for its opening line, "It's morning again in America." The ad was part of that year's presidential campaign of Republican Party candidate Ronald Reagan.

Echo opinion by Al Cardenas published in the Orlando Sentinel

I have been a proud member of the Republican Party for longer than some of our current candidates for president have been alive. I was honored to support leaders like Ronald Reagan who shaped us into the party of less government, less taxes, more personal freedom, and compassionate conservatism.

In the party I love, the policies abhored a government mired in bureaucratic red tape and strived to help each individual rise above their circumstances and to be personally responsible for their own success.

However, some of what I see from our GOP political candidates today dishonors our leadership of the past by focusing on fear, division, scapegoating and the scoring of political points, no matter the cost to the real people involved.

Practically every wave of immigration in our history has been met with fear, prejudice and disdain from those who immigrated before.

Yet, each time, we have eventually found our collective national soul, welcomed those escaping war, famine or oppression, and recognized their contributions to America’s economy, our communities and our country as a whole.

The current wave of immigrants from Latin America is no different. They’re being greeted by some with fear and hateful rhetoric. 

Some are being flown or bussed around the country to play politics and try to win votes in the presidential primary race. Not only is this a disgusting waste of taxpayer dollars, it plays upon the fears and misguided prejudices of voters at the expense of people desperately trying to save themselves and their families.

Using human beings as political props, especially those desperately trying to save their loved ones from horrific conditions we cannot comprehend, is beyond shameful. As Republicans, as voters, as Americans we should not tolerate behavior like this from the people we elect.

We do not better ourselves, our party or our nation by putting personal political success above the dignity of our fellow human beings. We are better than that as a political party and as people, and we should demand that politicians earn our votes by expressing concrete ideas to move our nation forward and showing respect for everyone who values the freedom for which America stands.

We better ourselves when we pass real, positive reforms like the bipartisan Dignity Act, recently filed by Reps. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.) and Veronica Escobar (D-Tex.). Certainly, the bill does not address every problem with our immigration system, but it does address a number of areas where consensus is within reach. It is also the first serious bipartisan push for immigration reform in almost 10 years.




The bill provides funds to physically secure the border and speed up processing of asylum requests. It also provides a pathway to legalization for undocumented immigrants who have been here at least five years, pass a background check and pay a $10,000 fine. Wisely, the bill uses those funds to retrain American workers to compete in today’s global economy and increases American companies’ ability to hire the talented workers we need to stay competitive.

Also, there is a proposal before Congress to give states the flexibility to issue work permits to immigrants who can fill the jobs employers need.

With every state in the nation enduring a shortage of workers, and no indication this shortage can end without the help of immigrants, this just makes common sense. Unemployment is below 3%, and every American who truly wants a job can find one. Therefore, to help our economy get back on track and to build back our once-great manufacturing industry, we need more skilled and trainable workers. These workers are here; they only need legal permission to work. That is why Congress should give states the legal flexibility to address the issue.

The bottom line is that there are solutions to our immigration challenges, and we need leaders who are wise enough and brave enough to embrace those solutions.

We do not need politicians spewing divisive rhetoric and preying upon people less fortunate than ourselves to score a few cheap political points. Great Republican leaders like Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan would not tolerate this disgusting behavior, and neither should we.

Al Cardenas is co-chair of the American Business Immigration Coalition and the former chair of the Republican Party of Florida. He lives in Miami.