Posted on 02/14/2015 3:04:05 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
Andrew Johnson of NRO reports that in 2002, as executive of Milwaukee County, Scott Walker signed a resolution that expressed support for “comprehensive immigration reform” that will “provide greater opportunity for undocumented working immigrants to obtain legal residency.” The author of the resolution says that Walker definitely supported it. Having signed it, he should be presumed to have supported, in any case.
Will this news harm Walker’s chances of becoming the GOP presidential nominee? Standing alone, it shouldn’t.
It’s one thing to sign a non-bonding resolution passed by the legislature in favor of “greater opportunity” for legal residency. It’s quite another to work with Chuck Schumer, as Marco Rubio did, to propose and guide to passage a Senate bill that confers both legal residency and a path to citizenship.
The potential problem I see for Walker resides not in his 2002 executive action, but in much more recent statements the governor has made in which he appeared to support a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants. In a Republican primary, I could vote for a candidate who, years ago, signed a resolution like the one from Milwaukee. I doubt that I could not vote for a candidate who backs a pathway to citizenship for immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally.
Let’s look, then, at the two statements I know about in which Walker is said to have backed a path to citizenship. One was made in mid-2013 at an editorial board meeting of a newspaper in Wassau, Wisconsin. Walker agreed that if the immigration system is fixed, he “can envision a world where the people who are here [illegally] can get citizenship” and he added that this “makes sense.” This statement doesn’t amount to advocating a path to citizenship under current conditions, but it’s not the “hell no” position many of us would have preferred.
The other statement was made to Politico in March 2013. Walker said that once people who are “waiting in line” have been processed for citizenship, “if there’s a way to set up a process to enable people to come in and have a legal pathway, that’s something we have to embrace.”
There is wiggle room in this comment, but not much. Again, Walker comes across as “squishy” at best about a path to citizenship.
I’ve characterized Scott Walker, as well as Marco Rubio, as a “bridge candidate” — i.e., as occupying the space between center-right “establishment” candidates like Jeb Bush and down-the-line conservative candidates like Ted Cruz. One potential virtue of bridge candidacy is the ability to win centrist votes in a general election without being as centrist as, say, Jeb Bush.
Walker’s squishy statements about illegal immigration are not inconsistent with being a bridge candidate. But they do raise doubts as to whether Walker truly is less centrist than Bush on one of the two issues that make people think of Bush as a centrist (the other is Common Core). Accordingly, Walker’s comments could cost him the ability to continue making major inroads with the conservative base in states like Iowa.
Walker is going to have to think hard about exactly where to position himself on amnesty and a path to citizenship and, if he moves towards a harder line, how to square his position with past actions and statements.
Reagan did so in his old age, erroneously believing that the Dems would keep up their end of the immigration agreement it was to be a part of, and to his great subsequent regret.
It is unbecoming to so falsely represent a great man’s positions and views—or to suggest that the open borders scoundrel Walker is his equal!
He does, but don't hold your breath.
Well that is just dumb. Keep bashing your next President. That is fine. Reagan went through the same thing. Walker is stronger then you think.
Oh, and there is not a pro-amnesty pol in America who claims that he or she is pro-amnesty. They always deny that, though they don’t always deny the specifics of their pro-amnesty positions.
You’ve been posting here a long time and really ought to know better than to try foisting off such disinformation here.
I am not trying to foist false information. I am trying to get you to back our best candidate in the last 40 years to run for President......that is all....lol.
I worked for President Ronald Reagan and you make me slightly ill every time you compare him to Gov. Scott Walker. Seems you don’t know what you’re talking about.
You clearly don’t want anything like facts to get in the way of your deranged political thinking on Walker.
Sadly, the GOPe is being all too successful in selling Walker, one of their prime properties, to the conservative/tea party base as an actual conservative. There plan for 2016 is to sure, back their guy Jeb, but also have one of their guys positioned as the conservative alternative. I’m sorry to see people like you fall for it.
Specious argument. Enforcement of employment laws would cause huge self deportation . You keep doing this and no one is buying it. You are irritating everyone with this crap and making me anti Walker.
You have to understand that Governor Walker said he is not for Amnesty and actually for deportation. You just hate him. This is why we lose the Presidential election. You are so stubborn. You refuse to believe that he is the best all around candidate. We have two years of this nonsense to go. I hope you have your seatbelt on because it is going to be a heck of a ride. You should not take anything personally as I won’t either.
Again by enforcing the employment laws already on the books the unemployed will repatriate themselves. Nobody paid for them to come here and if they need help figuring out which way south is I will help them.
I am not your keeper. If you want to be anti-walker, I won’t stop you. Your a big boy. Use your own mind. I state what I want and you take it or leave it. That is up to you. You hopefully have learned some responsibility over the years on decision making and how to make decisions for yourself. If I am going to make your decisions for you then perhaps you should not vote.
It depends on the confession. I’m still a Cruz man myself.
Sir, I don’t plan to :)
He’s not for deportation. He has repeatedly said he’s for legalizing those here and eventually giving them citizenship, then letting in anyone from any country who wants to come here so easily that they won’t have any motivation to cross the border illegally.
I’ve posted the links to you before and you can google them as well. And I will continue to fight your false statements here.
So I should start compromising 2 years early right? I mean why wait.
http://wisdems.org/news/press/view/2014-12-icymi-scott-walker-supports-mass-deportations-joins
why or why must you slander this incredible Governor.....I believe I gave you this many times over. Do I need to come to your home to read it to you????? Read and get on board the Walker Machine.
http://wisdems.org/news/press/view/2014-12-icymi-scott-walker-supports-mass-deportations-joins
No need to compromise.....he is the real deal.
:iars don’t read such links as you have so courteously provided.
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