Posted on 03/18/2015 9:40:54 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has run into a little bit of trouble on immigration again, this time forcing a communications aide off his staff after Democrats pushed out old tweets from the aide disparaging Rep. Steve King (R-IA), a well-known opponent of amnesty.
"In other news, I see Iowa is once again embarrassing itself, and the GOP, this morning. Thanks, guys," the aide, Liz Mair tweeted, referring to King's January 24th Iowa Freedom Summit where Walker, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Carly Fiorina, and other possible Republican presidential candidates spoke.
Walker's troubles with immigration began in January when opponents began circulating prior statements of his showing that Walker has endorsed both a "path to citizenship" generally and the Senate's Gang of 8 bill specifically.
Walker has since tried to walk those positions back, telling Fox News Sunday's Chris Wallace on March 1st, "My view has changed, I’m flat-out saying it. Candidates can say that, sometimes they don’t."
And Walker's view on immigration has changed. Here he is on immigration in July of 2013: "You hear some people talk about border security and a wall and all that. To me, I don't know that you need any of that if you had a better, saner way to let people into the country in the first place."
And here is Walker in March 2015: "I've talked to people all across America. And the concerns I have is that we need to secure the border. We ultimately need to put in place a system that works. A legal immigration system that works. And part of doing this is put the onus on employers, getting them E-Verify and tools to do that."
So Walker has shifted from believing a secure border wasn't really necessary to now believing that it is.
But what about those illegal immigrants already here? What is Walker's position on that? Again, from March 1st:
WALLACE: The question was, can you envision a world where if these people paid a penalty, that they would have a path to citizenship? And you said, sure, that makes sense.
WALKER: I believe there's a way that you can do that. First and foremost, you've got to secure that border or none of these plans make any sense.
(emphasis added) Notice the present tense. Walker still believes that illegal immigrants currently in the United States should be given a path to citizenship, but only if you secure the border first, which is a not uncommon Republican position on immigration.
But how is it any different than Jeb Bush's position?
Here is Jeb from March 13:
It’s easy to say, ‘Well, anything you propose is amnesty,’ but that’s not a plan. That’s a sentiment, that’s not a plan. I think the best plan, the most realistic plan, the grown up plan, if you will, is once you control the border and you’re confident it’s not going to be another magnet, is to say, ‘Let’s let these folks achieve earned legal status where they work, where they come out of the shadows.’”
So both Walker and Bush believe we should "secure"/"control" the border first (whatever that means), and then, only after that is accomplished, can we give legal status/citizenship to illegal immigrants currently in the United States.
If there is any difference between Walker and Bush on immigration, I do not see it.
(VIDEO-AT-LINK)
SB1070? Remember that? I assure you, it removed ANY doubt on the self deportation argument. Phoenix was a very different place after that bill passed. We get serious on enforcement and Illegals, regardless of how they got here, will start packing. Dividends begin as soon as it appears implementation is coming.
What happened just 2 years ago? Did something change?
??
I can work with Walker. Petitions evolve, big deal. To much executive experience to toss away, hardened by the recall, fully vetted by the press, and willing to fight Democrats. Willing to stand up against the unionization of public employees, and pro right to work.
Can’t pass up this combo for little disagreements which might not even be disagreements. I have to go with what he’s done, and Wisconsin doesn’t even qualify illegals for in state tuition.
And a dangerous one at that!
LOL
That’s funny, right there...
Can you put extra butter on my popcorn though?
Is there some reason you sent me this msg?
I don’t recall ever saying any of the things you have listed here. What’s with that?
So I get sarcasm. Hello to you too.
I will not debate on this because you haven’t seen the changes he has made in a totally democrat state.
What I was attempting to show, is that when confronted with a problem, he researches for the most applicable solution. As a governor and not a federal official, this is not something he has researched well yet. Looking at his track record though,I feel confident he will make a conservative decision.
For the Reince Preibus haters, he was head of the Republican party in Wisconsin. Wisconsin has a conservative assembly, conservative senate and conservative supreme court now. The nation has a republican house and republican senate now. Tell me who from the past you would like back to replace him. I don’t even remember the names of the losers from before.
If you only have sarcasm and insults, don’t bother. You convince no one. The difference between myself and you others, is that I most certainly will vote for Cruz if he is the nominee.
Try to give the deep thought to the problems we have in this country and map a road to possible solutions. Would a Walker be better than Bush? Better than Hillary? I know my answer.
Walker is for amnesty, and his own statements over the past 2+ years prove it.He is apparently for unlimited HB1 visas, as well. That is all I’m saying.
You status quo lovers kill me.
Walker is hardly status quo. He is the only candidate to get anything done in years. Yes Bush was Governor of Texas but that is the weakest Governor job in the country. Romney was Govenor but not a good one. McCain was a Senator....not a good one.....Dole was a Senator....not a good one.
The Republicans who win the White House were two term Governors who win two term Presidents........Senators can’t get reelected or resign.........Governors are the way to go.
The problem was he evolved to weaker positions over a couple years to the Chamber of Commerce position on amnesty.
Then he gets wind of problems with conservatives while running for president and has a conversion moment.
Then a couple weeks later’gives the top communcations position in his campaign to Liz Mair, who is pro-amnesty and worked to advance it.
Then he fired her after a couple’days.
He appears all over the damn map and what Walker position are we to believe?
He has never liked dealing with the issue and in part I think it’s been why he’s flopped all over. He doesn’t want to be pinned down on it. He doesn’t want to be labeled as mean on this, b/c like most’republicans today he doesn’t know how to successfully deal with being called a meanie and a hater by the left.
I think your instincts are spot on. I have major reservations about Walker. I’m praying that when the debates happen, Cruz will finally get the attention he deserves.
I am glad that you find the future of the United States so humorous. No wonder we can’t have a decent president with voters like you who find it a joke.
To my recollection, the Amnesty inertia amongst the conservatives was all about the “secure the borders first”, and that we have laws that were already in place to prevent this, and need to fix why it didn’t.
The administration pushed back and wanted amnesty first, fix it later ... which we all recognized as another Alinsky tactic and that the borders will never be secured under this administration, or any other Democratic administration.
Yes, a “pathway to citizenship” can mean that they have to return to their home country and apply for citizenship like legal immigrants.
It’s not the same as saying that if you’re here illegally, you should be granted amnesty.
If we keep destroying decent candidates during the primary process, we’ll be left with Jeb. Just like we were left with Romney.
I'm not interested in what he did in Wisconsin. I'm interested in his position regarding this epic endless country killing illegal invasion of our country, in addition to our endless legal immigration free for all.
Part of the problem too are foreign workers who pay no taxes and have this entitlement thing going where they actually believe (and don’t mind saying) they MUST be better than the American workers they are displacing and actually get get into a self-righteous snit about American workers getting unemployment and/or disability. Presumably they are supposed to just die instead. If you think we are ever going to get a thank you for training these folks, don’t hold your breath!
Not really. Much of the free airtime has been critical of him and/or trying to set him up with off-topic questions - aka a “Romney abortion” situation.
“We should never change laws to benefit those breaking them.”
I agree.
“The only way for illegal aliens to get right with the law is to return home and apply like everyone else.”
I agree. And that is a “pathway to citizenship” — putting them back to the end of the line.
Well, Walker has been dealing with “local” issues, and now he has to make an adjustment to the “national” issues. While immigrants may not have impacted his state all that much, he needs to see the issue from a national security issue instead of a state by state issue.
I still say Walker did not like what she said in her emails and I believe she was TOLD to resign or be fired. And, it might have been what he was waiting for. I know a lot of us were very upset when she got hired. Maybe some of his other staff were upset as well.
The truth of the matter is that Cruz and Walker are very close in their opinions on immigration, and that Jeb and Rubio form the other extreme of the GOPe position.
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