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Jeb Bush to CPAC: Yes, I support a path to legalization for illegal immigrants
Hot Air ^ | February 27, 2015 | Allahpundit

Posted on 02/27/2015 8:03:35 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet

Seeing some oohing and aahing online this afternoon among political media that Jeb didn’t pander to CPAC’s very conservative crowd on Common Core or immigration (“he stuck to his guns!”), but what would he have gained by doing that? Remember, for all the hype in 2012 that Romney was shifting to the center to run as a technocrat instead of as the culture warrior he ran as in 2008, he was still a fairly doctrinaire righty on most issues, the notable exception of RomneyCare aside. That’s what the “severely conservative” nonsense was all about in his CPAC speech three years ago. That’s also why he was a hard-ass about “self-deportation” as a solution to illegal immigration, a position that he alone seemed to hold among the amnesty-fan donor class from which he hails. (I’m convinced that self-deportation is to Romney 2012 what traditional marriage was to Obama 2008, although we’ll never know for sure.) Romney worried that, with the tea party in ascendance during Obama’s first term, he could win the GOP nomination but be crippled by recalcitrant conservatives who refused to vote for him in the general election. That’s why he insisted on pandering to them, I think — partly because he thought he could grab some righty votes here and there in the primaries as the most obviously electable candidate in the field and partly just to stay on conservatives’ good side so that they’d turn out for him.

Jeb’s coming from a different place. For one thing, there are formidable candidates in the field in Scott Walker and Marco Rubio who are arguably as electable as Bush is and with whom he’ll have to compete for dollars among the country-club set. He doesn’t (yet) have a stranglehold on the business class like Romney did. Bush’s “I won’t pander” shtick has also generated an early animosity among righties that wasn’t quite there for the eager-to-please Romney, who at least seemed like he wanted conservatives to like him. Bush’s aloofness is more Huntsman-esque. And the centrists of the donor class who are bankrolling him love it, of course. They’re sick to death of tea partiers whining about the establishment and they finally have a candidate who’s unapologetic about sharing their views. Furthermore, it was establishmentarians even more than tea partiers who thrived in the 2014 midterms. They have the momentum within the GOP right now, not righties, so why should they tolerate their champion pandering to right-wingers like they did with Mitt?

So here’s Jeb, knowing all of that and having already all but written off conservative votes, wondering what to do with his Q&A at CPAC today. Should he reverse course and start pandering to righties? If he did, we’d laugh at him while his centrist business-minded base would recoil in horror. Or should he stick to his guns, earning a little grudging respect from conservatives that he came onto their turf and refused to pander while impressing establishmentarians that he means what he says about running as a loud-and-proud centrist? It’s a no-brainer. In fact, for all the jokes today about this being Jeb’s moment to show he too is “severely conservative,” Bush was actually trying to do the opposite of what Romney was doing with that speech. Mitt gave that speech because he wanted to prove to CPAC’s audience of grassroots conservatives that he was one of them. Jeb gave today’s Q&A to prove to people who <>aren’t at CPAC that he’s one of them and not afraid to broadcast that fact at ground zero of the conservative movement. How that ends for him in November 2016 if he’s the nominee, I don’t know. Presumably he thinks it doesn’t matter how much righties dislike him since they’ll inevitably dislike Hillary more. He’s not wrong.

Here he is endorsing a path to legalization for illegals — a position held by every Republican candidate in the field, I hasten to remind you — followed by Laura Ingraham unloading on him in a speech at CPAC earlier this morning. Jeb also said today that he supports traditional marriage. Mark that down for easy reference for the inevitable “he’s evolved” news circa spring 2018. Exit quotation from Ingraham: “The idea that we should conduct any kind of coronation … because 50 rich families decide who will best decide their interests? No way, Jose.”

(VIDEOS-AT-LINK)


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Foreign Affairs; Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2016election; amnesty; bush; cpac; election2016; florida; illegals; immigration; jebbush
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To: Ditter

When I signed up on FR is not relevant. I am an American citizen and I plan to vote for a Republican candidate. Your vote is no more valuable than mine. I didn’t say I would stay home. I didn’t day I would be voting 3rd party. Please stop manipulating the truth to serve your political agenda. I SAID I WOULD VOTE ON PRINCIPLE and that if Cruz was not on the ballot, I would write him in. Finally, I blame the RINO political strategy to infiltrate web boards to spread lies, misinformation, and to sow discontent to keep conservatives from rallying from around a true, principled candidate. It’s your agenda that I’m questioning.


81 posted on 02/28/2015 9:10:55 AM PST by WIBamian (Cruz for President. Alabama Senator Jeff Session for Vice-President. There really is no one else.)
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To: WIBamian

Cruz is my first choice but if he is not the nominee I will not waste my vote by writing him in. You are free to do that but it is no different than if you had voted for Hillary, a total waste of a vote that might have kept her out.

I will donate to Cruz and vote for him in the primary, that is all I can do for him. Texas votes late in the primary process and by then the press has chosen our candidate for us usually.

As soon as Cruz announces his candidacy I will send him a check for $1000. How much are you sending?


82 posted on 02/28/2015 10:43:56 AM PST by Ditter
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To: Ditter
Texas votes late in the primary process and by then the press has chosen our candidate for us usually.

I think next year the primary in Texas is being moved up to March 1st, which puts a very large state in the leading edge of primaries.

83 posted on 02/28/2015 10:51:27 AM PST by exit82 ("The Taliban is on the inside of the building" E. Nordstrom 10-10-12)
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To: exit82

That is great! I hadn’t heard it, they must have heard me screaming in frustration because Texas didn’t get a chance to select a candidate in the primaries.


84 posted on 02/28/2015 11:02:34 AM PST by Ditter
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To: 2ndDivisionVet; 3D-JOY; abner; Abundy; AGreatPer; Albion Wilde; AliVeritas; alisasny; ...
Jeb Bush to CPAC: Yes, I support a path to legalization for illegal immigrants

PING!

85 posted on 02/28/2015 11:12:44 AM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks ( _\\//)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Romney worried that, with the tea party in ascendance during Obama’s first term, he could win the GOP nomination but be crippled by recalcitrant conservatives who refused to vote for him in the general election.

And so, he moved right and won in a landslide!

Oh, wait . . .

86 posted on 02/28/2015 11:14:54 AM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks ( _\\//)
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To: Rome2000

I voted for Romney, but that’s because his main opponent was (and is) a communist.


87 posted on 02/28/2015 11:16:03 AM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks ( _\\//)
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To: Tennessee Nana
There are numerous reasons to deport illegal aliens - yes, it can be done relatively easily - and to oppose amnesty. To name just a few:

*For a nation to survive it must protect its borders. It should have the right to determine who enters and who does not. We should not be the dumping ground for the undesirables of other nations. We have been protecting the border of South Korea since 1952, yet we won't protect our own.
*How can we teach our children to respect the law when those who break it are given special perks and are allowed ahead of legal immigrants? Why should the illegals be above the law?
*Illegals are taking jobs, harming especially African-Americans.
*Natonal security would suffer as terrorists and gang members greatly benefit from amnesty.

88 posted on 02/28/2015 12:11:28 PM PST by Dante3
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To: Dante3

There are numerous reasons to deport illegal aliens
__________________________________________

Kid ya don’t need a reason..

THEY ARE ILLEGAL ALIENS

they don’t belong here..ya just chuck them out !!!

Would you need to think up a reason to evict a burglar from your house ???


89 posted on 02/28/2015 12:46:05 PM PST by Tennessee Nana
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To: Tennessee Nana
Of course not. You are absolutely right.

Yet Jeb, the Chamber of Commerce, and others present twisted, nonsensical arguments such as "we need them" and "deporting would break up families" even though nobody is preventing them from taking their families with them. Perhaps the most stupid aargument is "they are just looking for a better life" - the same can be said of bruglars, killers, and other criminals.

90 posted on 02/28/2015 2:34:50 PM PST by Dante3
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To: sickoflibs; Tennessee Nana; 2ndDivisionVet; Liz; stephenjohnbanker; Impy; NFHale; GOPsterinMA; ...

Saw him w/Hannity at the CPAC.

The camera showed folks walking out; don’t know if it was coincidence, or intentional.

It sounds like Hannity was “pushing” Jeb, though.


91 posted on 02/28/2015 2:54:01 PM PST by NFHale (The Second Amendment - By Any Means Necessary.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
CPAC WINNER of STRAW POLL (3,007 VOTES)

INCREASE OF 20% OVER LAST YEAR
45% INDIVIDUALS
45% STUDENTS
10% BIG MONEY FOLKS?



1. RAND PAUL (SEPARATED BY 2 POINTS OVER WALKER)

2. SCOTT WALKER

3. TED CRUZ

4. BEN CARSON

5. JEB BUSH (8%)


92 posted on 02/28/2015 2:56:59 PM PST by onyx (Please Support Free Republic - Donate Monthly! If you want on Sarah Palin's Ping List, Let Me know!)
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To: NFHale

Hannity is a creepy little Ponce.


93 posted on 02/28/2015 2:57:25 PM PST by Impy (They pull a knife, you pull a gun. That's the CHICAGO WAY, and that's how you beat the rats!)
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To: NFHale

Yes, it seemed Hannity was “pushing” Jeb. Too bad. Hannity was one of the few in the media who supported Terri Schiavo while Jeb refused to help her and let her suffer a horrific death.


94 posted on 02/28/2015 2:59:50 PM PST by Dante3
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To: FReepers; Patriot; FRiends






FREE REPUBLIC IS OUR BEACON OF TRUTH!

PLEASE MAKE YOUR DONATION!

*WHAT WOULD YOU DO WITHOUT FREE REPUBLIC?*

95 posted on 02/28/2015 3:05:25 PM PST by onyx (Please Support Free Republic - Donate Monthly! If you want on Sarah Palin's Ping List, Let Me know!)
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To: Da Coyote

NO MORE BUSHES!


96 posted on 02/28/2015 6:58:32 PM PST by basil (2ASisters.org)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Here he is endorsing a path to legalization for illegals — a position held by every Republican candidate in the field

Is this true?

97 posted on 03/01/2015 5:44:49 AM PST by The_Media_never_lie (The media must be defeated any way it can be done.)
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To: NFHale; sickoflibs; Tennessee Nana; 2ndDivisionVet; Liz; stephenjohnbanker; Impy; GOPsterinMA

Hannity is nothing but a corporate cheerleader for the Republican party. He is still friends with Rove.


98 posted on 03/02/2015 7:45:48 AM PST by stephenjohnbanker (My Batting Average( 1,000) (GOPe is that easy to read))
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CPAC Straw Poll Winners

2000  George W. Bush   42%
2005  Rudy Giuliani    --
2006  George Allen     22%
2007  Mitt Romney      21%
2008  Mitt Romney      35%
2009  Mitt Romney      20%
2010  Ron Paul         31%
2011  Ron Paul         30%
2012  Mitt Romney      38%
2013  Rand Paul        25%
2014  Rand Paul        31%
2015  Rand Paul        26%
 

99 posted on 03/02/2015 7:57:58 AM PST by deport
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