Tales from town halls

McCain, whose popularity sank after he supported legislation providing a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants, tries to joke whenever someone asks about it and calls out, "This meeting is adjourned!"

Giuliani brings up the subject himself, insisting he would fight illegal immigration with the kind of zeal he once used to fight crime in New York City. One woman demanded to know if he now disavows the Big Apple's so-called "sanctuary city" policies of protecting illegal immigrants; "I'm not disavowing them at all," Giuliani answered firmly. He argued that the rules cut crime and protected public health, and he suggested the woman imagine she had been in his shoes "and see if [she] wouldn't have made the same choices."

Clinton also talks tough on illegal immigration, emphasizing enforcement first. She typically tells voters her focus would be on homeland security, tougher border control and tracking people who may have overstayed their visas, the way three of the 9/11 hijackers did. Toward the end of her answer, she says she supports providing a path to citizenship but stresses that illegal immigrants who have committed crimes will be deported.

Obama also is pressed to talk about illegal immigration at nearly every stop. After a town hall in Iowa this week, he was heard grumbling to one of his aides about how quickly it came up: "First question. First question." Obama promises to strengthen border security but also urges the audience to sympathize with illegal immigrants who come to the U.S. seeking higher wages. He asks, "If the minimum wage in Canada was $100 an hour, how many [Americans] do you think we'd have running for the border?" He pushes back against questioners who compare illegal immigrants to terrorists and calls for a path to citizenship that involves paying a fine and learning English. Even among solidly Democratic crowds, only that last point provokes cheers.

The life of the parties
That Pew poll reveals some differences in the issues that are most important to members of each party. Health care topped the Democrats' list, with 88 percent saying it was very important to their vote; on the GOP side, only 59 percent said the same, but independents were at 77 percent. Twice the number of Democrats as Republicans said the environment ranked high for them, and far more Democrats also wanted to hear about Social Security.

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Regardless of party, though, all the candidates get questions about their health care proposals, education, the deficit, global warming and energy independence. Iowans have asked Clinton if she can help them finance wind turbines. (She said yes, the government should support that.) Thompson has been asked a few times whether using more coal is a good idea. (As long as they use "carbon capture technology," he said.) Democrats are asked when and how the U.S. will get out of Iraq; Republicans are asked how to achieve victory and/or build a stronger military.

Democratic and Republican candidates are pressed to talk about how they would diffuse the toxic partisanship in Washington. Romney boasts of his record as the governor of Massachusetts with an "85-percent Democratic legislature." His secrets: "Share credit." "Don't attack them personally." "Find common ground."

Clinton points to her success winning over conservative voters in upstate New York and suggests she picked up pointers from her husband. "He worked all the time with Republicans.... They'd go on cable TV and radio and condemn him during the day and then come to the White House at night and meet with him."

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