Miami Herald Columnist Triumphantly Cites Leftwing Media Matters to Slam Illegal Immigration Critics

Miami Herald columnist, Andres Oppenheimer, is like a high school football player who just scored a touchdown. You can spot him in the end zone triumphantly spiking the football and performing his over the top victory dance. However there is something a bit too overenthusiastic about Oppenheimer's self-celebration as if he knows there is a huge caveat to his "victory."

You can read his not quite convincing "celebration" in his Miami Herald column, "About time! Reckless TV anchors put on spot:"

Bravo! A new study has found widespread fear-mongering and reckless journalism by cable television hosts such as CNN's Lou Dobbs and Fox News' Bill O'Reilly, who have made a career of bashing Hispanic undocumented immigrants and their home countries.

Gee! Doesn 't that sound impressive? However guess who did this "study?"

The study by Media Matters Action Network, a watchdog group, says Dobbs, O'Reilly and CNN's Glenn Beck serve up steady anger, resentment and myths ``seemingly geared toward creating anti-immigrant hysteria.''

Yes, Media Matters. That leftwing group financed by billionaire George Soros to attack conservatives. Not exactly an unbiased study group there. Of course, Oppenheimer continues to condemn people opposed to open borders illegal immgration as "creating anti-immigrant hysteria." According to Oppenheimer and other open borders advocates, there are only "undocumented immigrants," not illegal aliens. And anybody opposed to open borders is somehow a Know Nothing nativist.

Oppenheimer also celebrates some related "good news." Barack Obama shares his distorted vision about illegal immigration:

Also good news: Likely Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama told me in an interview last week that he shares concerns ''about the anti-immigrant tenor that I have seen in some of the broadcasts,'' which are helping create a climate of hatred against Hispanics.

So now the ball is in the court of Oppenheimer and Obama. Could they cite some specific examples of those broadcasts creating a "climate of hatred against Hispanics" who are here legally? Your humble NewsBusters correspondent knows that neither his Hispanic wife nor in-laws who are here legally feel any such imaginary climate of hatred. As for Oppenheimer's readers, most of them just aren't buying his smug victory celebration based on a "study" by a far left group with an agenda. Here is a small sampling of what Oppenheimer's readers had to say about his column both in the Herald and on his blog:

Calling an ILLEGAL ALIEN an "undocumented immigrant, is like calling a crack dealer and "unlicensed pharmacist" - ILLEGAL is ILLEGAL, regardless of ethnic background.

You use a very liberal source without revealing their agenda and use it as a rallying point for the Democratic candidate and wonder why people won't subscribe to your leftist agenda driven newspaper?

EVERY country in the world has an immigration policy. ILLEGAL immigration is a CRIME in every country in the world. I would love to see you go across the border into MEXICO as an UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANT/ILLEGAL ALIEN. As has been reported they are very tough on illegals and you would be put under the prison for daring to enter Mexico illegally. Try to write your column from there !