Posted on 02/19/2015 4:25:25 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
I should hope so. After signing a separate resolution calling for a path to citizenship in 2002, how could he turn down a sequel?
Are we sure Jeb Bush is the most pro-amnesty candidate in the field? Remember, unlike some people, Jeb (supposedly) opposes a path to citizenship for adult illegals.
But the likely presidential candidate apparently stood on another side of that debate as the Milwaukee County Executive in 2006. That year, he signed a resolution calling on Congress to pass the Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act, a bill authored by John McCain and Teddy Kennedy that was denounced at the time by conservatives as “amnesty” — and remains anathema to party activists…
The 2006 resolution embracing the McCain-Kennedy bill was sent to Walker by the Milwaukee Board of Supervisors. He signed it despite returning or vetoing numerous other matters that year. The final version of the resolution signaled support for criminalizing federal immigration law violations and increased border fencing. But it also referred to a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants and “full labor rights.”
Good news for Walker: The guy who actually wrote that bill — with Ted Kennedy — ended up winning the GOP nomination in 2008, so it’s possible to be a much bigger amnesty shill and still end up as the “conservative” party’s choice for president. More good news: Although McCain faced a weaker field than Walker will, he also had to contend with people running to his right on this issue. Walker really doesn’t. Cruz will try, but when push comes to shove, he supports legalizing illegals. And still more good news: Judging from the reaction of some of our commenters in Headlines, plenty of grassroots righties are already greeting stories like this with “the media’s trying to take down our guy!” rather than “gee, the great conservative hope sure has a bad record on this issue.” That’s Walker’s strength in a nutshell. He’s impressed so many Republicans by winning his death match with labor in Wisconsin that his heresies on immigration are interpreted not so much as damaging liabilities as fodder for “they’ll tell you who they fear” hit pieces by a panicky drive-by media. He’s One of Us, so he’ll get a pass on offenses that constitute high crimes when committed by Jeb Bush or even Marco Rubio. (One commenter touted Walker’s immigration squishiness as a good thing insofar as it’ll help pull votes from the center of the party too. Walker/McCain 2016!) In that sense Walker really is Reaganesque. Sure, the Gipper may have signed off on a truly terrible amnesty bill, but if that’s all you see in his record, you’re missing the forest for the trees.
Even so, Team Walker’s taking no chances. Politico reports that they’re working on an immigration platform that’ll call for repealing Obama’s executive amnesty and demanding “absolute security” at the border before tackling legalization. You can imagine how that startling transformation from squish to border hawk will be packaged: “Yes, like everyone else running for president this year, Governor Walker has long supported bringing illegals ‘out of the shadows,’ but last year’s border crisis drove home to him just how weak our enforcement mechanisms are. He’s seen the light and now realizes that security must precede legalization to ensure that there are no further amnesties.” That’ll be plenty good enough for voters who like him and are looking for a reason to absolve him of his previous ideological sins.
Is it also good enough for Rubio, though? He’s been doing penance for his own sins for more than a year now, much longer than Walker, to the point where he’s all but abandoned the Gang of Eight bill and endorsed a security-first piecemeal approach to immigration reform as the way forward. And yet many conservatives still regard him as hopelessly compromised on this issue, never to be trusted again. That’s what made yesterday’s news about him supposedly calling for a “clean” DHS funding bill, which would mean giving up on trying to block Obama’s amnesty, so shocking: The last guy in the 2016 field who can afford to cross the base again on immigration is Rubio. Turns out he didn’t call for a “clean” bill, though; after reading the transcript of what he said, I’m … not sure what his strategy is for undoing Obama’s amnesty, frankly. What he’s saying, I think, is that the GOP should give up for now on repealing the 2012 DACA amnesty for DREAMers and focus exclusively on getting rid of last November’s mega-amnesty for adult illegals. (Ted Cruz supports the same move.) In theory it’ll be easier for Senate Dems to vote for a bill that targets only the latter amnesty — DACA has already been implemented, the people enrolled in it are kids, and it’s more modest in scope than Obama’s more recent immigration action. You might pick up a few Democratic votes for cloture on that one … but you probably won’t get to 60, as even purple-state Democrats will be reluctant to humiliate Obama by helping the GOP get an anti-amnesty bill through the Senate. So that’ll be filibustered too, in which case what’s Rubio’s move then? Do we a pass a clean DHS bill at that point? Do we pass a bill that funds all of DHS except the immigration agencies? Exit quotation from Rubio: “We have to fund Homeland Security.”
Bush will drop out and endorse Walker.
It will be Walker against a more conservative candidate.
Walker is going to need to figure out where he stands on illegal immigration. Right now he’s about as clear as mud. He’s for enforcing the laws, but says he isn’t talking about deportations. He says he’s not for amnesty, but talks about a path to legalization. I’m sure the Chamber of Commerce cronies are pressuring him. What he should say is simply that nobody trusts the Federal government to secure the borders, and propose a plan to build a fence and enforce the current laws for 5 years. If the fence is built and the border is secure we can look at the situation then and decide what to do about it (conveniently after his reelection). That’s probably about the best we can hope for from a nominee.
Thanks for keeping on with these threads, 2ndDV—despite the Walkerites who get upset with actual information getting out.
NO LAWYERS
NO IVY LEAGUERS
The Republic badly needs a break from both, haven’t had one since Reagan
The final version of the resolution signaled support for criminalizing federal immigration law violations and increased border fencing.
But the sleazy here will post anything without researching it.....if it smears Walker.
Ask yourselves....why do they spend so much time and effort to smear one of the better candidates running? What is their REAL agenda?
It doesn’t seem to me that these folks are interested in nominating a decent conservative.
No, I was reading Hotair long before I discovered Freerepublic.
The more we know about the candidates the better, imho, but there seems to be a contingent of Walker fans that do take offense at anything critical of his stance on the invasion.
He doesn’t see it as one and seems to want more of it.
See post 16.
See# 22.
BUMP
What the Republic needs badly is a President that sides with the people and the rule of law. The GOP has made sure we could not elect one since Reagan. And don’t try to tell me he signed amnesty, we all know that. Reagan admitted it was the biggest mistake he made as President. If we repeat that mistake we lose our country.
We either elect someone who WILL uphold the rule of law or we lose it. It is the foundation on which the Republic sits.
” Of course, many GOPe, WI, and simply willfully uninformed Freepers here want everyone to swallow this GOPe-backed “alternative” to Jeb, well, just because.”
Illegal immigration unchecked, will destroy this country. We have to assume that once tainted, forever tainted. I don’t give a damn what Walker says or doesn’t say from this point.
Cruz is head and shoulders above the rest of the GOP field and I’m gonna support him over Walker but you Cruz diehards don’t kid yourself if you think Ted, as president, will deport the tens of millions of illegals already here. Nobody in this field will do that, but I trust that Ted would be the strongest advocate for complete border security and an immigration moratorium that is necessary. Folks, those illegals already here are not going anywhere. Scott Walker, Ted Cruz, Jeb Bush, and Hillary will not deport them so get over the fantasy of a mass deportation. Won’t happen with any of these people.
The Walkerites often are quick to slam Ted. This is a shame because between the media, the GOPe, and supposed conservative punditocracy Ted already gets enough flak. I come to FR thinking it might provide a respite from anti-Ted chorus I encounter everywhere else, but unfortunately they show up here as well.
I agree with you, dowcaet. Cruz is the brightest, most articulate, and most conservative candidate running—I will back him. But even he is with the GOPe and GOP funders with legalizing the illegals.
He wouldn’t give them citizenship, but not only would that happen soon enough, but they’d immediately slip through in greater numbers on voting and they’d build upon their already majority-receiving of government benefits.
A strong, populist, anti-amnesty candidate could clean up here, but we don’t have one in the race.
“Illegal immigration unchecked, will destroy this country. We have to assume that once tainted, forever tainted. I don’t give a damn what Walker says or doesn’t say from this point.”
It destroyed California as you know all too well. Actually it was the combination of mass third world immigration both legal and illegal.
I sure do know all too well. They wrecked my beloved state.
Whatever are you saying?
I have no idea where Jeb went to college, but it doesn't really matter. He's a Bush, ergo an Ivy-Leaguer.
Thank you for the kind words. I think the best we can do is build the fence, make the Border Patrol a military branch to enforce and guard the fence and border, and put a 25 year moratorium on all immigration to assimilate these people into the country. We need to stop playing footsie with Mexico. I’m tired of that nation using us as a crash pad, medical provider, and bank for their throwaway people. I hope our next president will force that idiot President Nieto and the Mexican government to confront their own problems by threatening to cut diplomatic and trade ties with them for starters.
good post
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