Posted on 03/26/2015 7:53:42 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
Potential 2016 candidate Scott Walker’s staff is denying that he endorsed amnesty for illegal immigrants during a closed-door dinner with Republican donors in New Hampshire.
“Governor Walker has been very clear that he does not support amnesty and believes that border security must be established and the rule of law must be followed,” said Kirsten Kukowski, the spokesman he recently hired from the Republican National Committee.
“He does not support citizenship for illegal immigrants, and this story line is false,” she said. The denials follow a March 26 report in The Wall Street Journal, which said that Walker told New Hampshire Republicans donors that illegals would “eventually get their citizenship without being given preferential treatment.”
Walker reportedly showed his support for full amnesty came at a March 13 dinner at the Cooper Door Restaurant in Bedford, N.H.
The statement violated Walker’s generally successful efforts to equivocate on the issue by zig-zagging between vague pro-amnesty statements and vague anti-amnesty statements.
He’s equivocating because the issue deeply divides the GOP’s base from the GOP’s donors, and he doesn’t want to alienate either group.
Roughly 80 percent of the GOP base opposes President Barack Obama’s Oval Office amnesty, which would provide work-permits, Social Security cards, tax rebates and a quick-path to citizenship. Obama’s November amnesty, however, has been stalled by a Texas judge.
Other polls show that very few Americans support an immigration policy that allows companies to hire migrants or guest-workers in place of Americans.
In contrast, business interests strongly support greater illegal and legal immigration, partly because it provides more workers, more government-subsidized customers, and likely nudges up profits.
That business influence is very powerful, but not decisive.
There’s plenty of time yet for a GOP candidate to offer a wage-boosting immigration pause to win a large slice of the GOP voters — or risk alienating many voters by fully backing the business community.
Like the other candidates, Walker has tried to zig-zag between the donors and voters.
“Well, I don’t believe in amnesty,” he told the host of “Fox News Sunday,” Chris Wallace, on March 1.
“I think the better approach is to enforce the laws and to give employers, job creators the tools like E-Verify and other things to make sure the law is being upheld going forward,” he said.
Walker’s phrase “other things” is a giant loophole that could include the change most sought by business interests — a much greater legal inflow of immigrant workers and customers. But it is so vague that — if elected and inaugurated — he can deny he ever promised to increase legal immigration.
Walker is very aware of business demand for more migrants.
In November, 2013, he told The Daily Caller that “I’d open the door to making sure that people can legally come into the country.”
“I don’t care whether it is from Mexico, or India or Germany or Ireland or anywhere else around the world, if we have people who want to come here and work hard and live the American dream, we should embrace those people,” Walker said at breakfast organized by the Christian Science Monitor.
The other GOP candidates have also tried to zig-zag their way through the problem, because they need business donations and voters’ votes to win 2016 campaigns.
For example, all GOP candidates say they support stronger border enforcement, but most also say they support greater legal immigration of blue-collar and white-collar workers.
Sen. Ted Cruz exemplified the zig-zag strategy in his Monday speech at Liberty University. “Instead of the lawlessness and the president’s unconstitutional executive amnesty, imagine a president that finally, finally, finally secures the borders. And imagine a legal immigration system that welcomes and celebrates those who come to achieve the American dream,” he said.
Former Florida Jeb Bush is the strongest supporter of more immigration, and has made it the centerpiece of his economic platform. He argues that an an infusion of migrants can serve as a stimulus to double economic growth from 2 percent to 4 percent.
However, that growth won’t necessarily increase income for Americans, partly because any new jobs will be sought by new immigrants, and because new economic activity will consist of selling low-priced services and goods to low-income immigrants.
Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum has tried to stake out a low-immigration pitch, but he also needs to raise donations.
In a speech to conservative activists in February, for example, he largely avoided the issue and instead talked about other issues, such as foreign policy, that don’t alienate donors. Follow Neil on Twitter
Rand Paul's immigration speech...The Republican Party must embrace more legal immigration.[Posted on 03/19/2013 7:04:07 AM PDT by Perdogg]
Unfortunately, like many of the major debates in Washington, immigration has become a stalemate-where both sides are imprisoned by their own rhetoric or attachment to sacred cows that prevent the possibility of a balanced solution.
Immigration Reform will not occur until Conservative Republicans, like myself, become part of the solution. I am here today to begin that conversation.
Let's start that conversation by acknowledging we aren't going to deport 12 million illegal immigrants.
If you wish to work, if you wish to live and work in America, then we will find a place for you...
This is where prudence, compassion and thrift all point us toward the same goal: bringing these workers out of the shadows and into being taxpaying members of society.
Imagine 12 million people who are already here coming out of the shadows to become new taxpayers.12 million more people assimilating into society. 12 million more people being productive contributors.
Rand Paul calls on conservatives to embrace immigration reformLatinos, should be a natural constituency for the party, Paul argued, but "Republicans have pushed them away with harsh rhetoric over immigration." ...he would create a bipartisan panel to determine how many visas should be granted for workers already in the United States and those who might follow... [and the buried lead] "Imagine 12 million people who are already here coming out of the shadows to become new taxpayers...[Posted on 04/21/2013 1:52:42 PM PDT by SoConPubbie]
[but he's not in favor of amnesty, snicker, definition of is is]
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