Posted on 03/14/2015 10:30:08 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
You have to give a certain amount of credit to politicians who are able to maintain a level of consistency, if nothing else. Stopping in New Hampshire, Jeb Bush was faced with yet another series of questions on the subject which seems to have sunk his prospects with conservatives this cycle. When asked yet again about a possible path to citizenship for illegals and a chance to “come out of the shadows” in an orderly fashion, Bush doubled down and let all of you haters out there know that he’s the grown up in the room here.
Jeb Bush said he would be open to allowing illegal immigrants a path to citizenship and said his position on immigration is “the grown-up plan.”
The former Florida governor, a vocal supporter of granting legal status to some undocumented immigrants as part of a broader immigration overhaul, offered a robust defense of his immigration policy during a discussion with local business leaders here.
“It’s easy to say, ‘Well, anything you propose is amnesty,’ but that’s not a plan,” Mr. Bush said during a discussion with local business leaders here. “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.’”
Later, during a brief exchange with reporters, Mr. Bush said he could also be supportive of a path to citizenship for people in the country illegally – as he did at one time – but said there currently isn’t sufficient political support for it.
It’s an interesting strategy to be sure, and one which leads us to believe that Jeb honestly believes he can run the table in the primaries without any serious conservative support. Our last survey of you, our readers, shows Bush standing steady with, er… one percent support. This is relatively unchanged since the beginning of the winter. And who knows? Maybe he’s not entirely crazy… the RCP average currently has him in second place behind Walker by a fingernail, well inside the margin of error. Of course, at this point in the cycle these polls are all over the place.
The scattershot nature of these numbers should be enough of a warning about taking them too seriously. McClatchy and Fox News actually have Bush in the lead, though the Fox numbers are getting a little stale at this point. PPP has Walker well out in front, and for some reason CNN thinks Huck is running away with it. But since we’re on the topic of wide ranging opinions, national views regarding the rest of the candidates versus the conservative snapshot you find at Hot Air is rather fascinating also.
Really, the only area of national vs conservative consensus at the moment seems to be Walker. He’s a runaway favorite here and manages to be at the top of the pack, albeit with a much more slender margin, among the rest of the nation. Bush, as already noted, is completely upside down. The nation at large sees him as at least a viable first choice while he’s barely a blip on the radar for conservatives. Ted Cruz is the only strong challenger to Walker here, but nationally he’s hovering near the back end of the main pack at 4.4%. We get back to some sort of parity with Marco Rubio. He’s in third place with our readers, but it’s a very distant third. His seventh place finish in the RCP poll of polls sounds a lot worse, but he’s got a still almost respectable 4.8% which isn’t that far off from the 6% he pulls at Hot Air.
The two other biggest disparities at this point seem to be Ben Carson and Chris Christie. The New Jersey Governor is still seen as at least a possibility among Republicans nationally, though he’s fallen a long way, but among the Hot Gas crowd, he managed an entire four votes out of more than 1,500. Carson didn’t do much better here with 12 votes, but nationally he’s in 4th place with more than 10%. (And that figure definitely keeps him in the competitive hunt along with Walker and Bush.)
Getting back to Jeb, both immigration and Common Core seem to be his downfall among the faithful. Statements like this one from New Hampshire aren’t going to do him any favors either. But could it disqualify him? I seem to recall seeing a pretty huge revolt against Romney last time, but he still made it across the finish line in fairly strong shape. Food for thought at least.
Related: Daniel Doherty at Townhall offers his own thoughts on the recent polling here. He thinks pretty highly of you guys!
YO! Jeb!
No amnesty for illegal aliens!
No “path to citizenship” for illegal aliens!
Round them all up and send them back - they are felons!
What part of “illegal” do you not understand?
PS Drop Common Core, also!
Exactly how is it the adult thing to do to destroy America from the inside using demographics, creating millions of Democrats and imploding the welfare system? Is it adult to seek our collapse? If so, he is right. The idea of America as a free land governed by free people who share a history, culture and values is so juvenile.
{groan}
Your friends and neighbors you referred to in Mexico are probably the most disrespectful people on the planet, as they routinely, by the millions, break our laws and rules, all while creating massive history changing industry of fraud and crime in the U.S.
The Bush's and the rest of government as a whole, have no intentions of saving our sovereignty or securing our borders. In fact they publicly aid and abet this lawlessness while forcing American tax payer victims to pay the bills. Some pay in blood, all others have their incomes seized by force to subsidize it.
As I just typed on another thread, he is not interested in being elected, only in being nominated.
There’s nothing to talk about until our borders are secured and deportations begin, at least criminals, child molesters, gang members, drug dealers etc. POJB
...
Not to mention voters who will vote for Big Government and tolerate corruption, which is what the Ruling Class wants more than anything.
Sure, Jeb, letting millions invade without any attempt to block them is ‘grown up’. He’s such a sorry thinker. The proper course is for the illegals to follow the legal method for immigration.
THAT is the already existing path to citizenship.
Get in line, fill out the paperwork, wait their turn.
Now that is responsible and adult, Mr Bush.
And ‘grown up’ isn’t what I’d think of when I think of dynastic urges. I think ‘sense of entitlement’, and I don’t think that’s an adult approach at all. For you and ‘clinton’ both. And Kennedy. Harrison and Roosevelt get passes. It’s been a while for both of them.
Jeb, I hardly knew ye.
That'll happen no matter who's in front.
Now I'm completely confident Jeb will continue saying stupid crap, and come primary debate time he will not be in front. Walker and Rubio probably will be. Either one of these guys will go along with an enforcement first approach that isn't tied to a "comprehensive" plan. And honestly, that is as good as it's ever going to get.
The nomination will be decided by March of next year.
By fall we’re talking the general election.
Hillary vs Jebster
Rubio has already betrayed the citizens. He is not to be trusted. He schemed with Schumer to “Comprehensively Screw Americans Out Of Their Country” with the rest of the gang of eight traitors. All of them should be thrown out of office.
Walker claims to have seen the light, we’ll see.
There is no way in hell he's getting the nomination.
Go away, Jeb.
His father wasted the Reagan legacy and Norman Schwartzkopf's Middle East gains and kissed Dem butts for new taxes which ushered in the Clintons. His brother never bothered to defend himself or members of his administration from liberal liars, especially Obama, squandered the upper hand in Iraq and Afghanistan so we had to use a Surge to regain command and watched Jeb and his Dad cozy up to both the Clintons and Obama while they continued to blame everything on him.
Bushes have never done squat for anything conservative but have jumped through hoops to appease the libs, even having casual get-togethers with Teddy the Swimmer.
Vote for another dose of a Bush spitting in my face and calling me childish for wanting to see laws enforced...no effing way!
I’d be happy with Walker, although I know the Millennials put too much importance on style over substance and that can be a problem with Walker. I can easily see SNL skits already with a bumbling cross-eyed Walker.
Krauthammer makes a good case on Rubio. He’s strong on foreign affairs -Hillary is a dead duck on the issue- and as Charles says. “He’s got a program and I think if he runs against Hillary, the contrast say the vigor, the energy that Kennedy-esque idea will be be a major one.”
Regarding Rubio’s betrayal …..word is, Rubio caused reform to fail…..
Remember that Jefferson bought Louisiana to prevent what is now taking place. (Immigration & The American Future.)
William Flax
Rubio will be lucky to hang on to his Senate seat.
He blew his Presidential aspirations unless he is successful at getting amnesty done.
Election: No
Nomination: Likely
Then I guess we’ll have to hope Walker holds the course, because if it’s Jeb, the Dems will win no matter who they put up.
Jeb Bush is one arrogant SOB!
I look at this situation through the lens of history. The American Indians had an open border; how well did that work for them? Mexico invited US citizens to populate their TX territory. How well did that work for them?
Those that fail to learn the lessons of history are condemned to forever repeat them. Unfortunately, even though 75% or more of the citizens know this lesson the Ruling Class does not, or just doesn't care as they think their place is secure no matter what.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.