Posted on 04/19/2015 3:14:32 PM PDT by VinL
Republicans lost the 2012 presidential election during their primaries. By the time Mitt Romney secured his party’s nomination, the seeds of his defeat had already germinated. The challenge for Republicans in 2016 will be to keep that from happening again. And no issue is more fraught with dangers for Republicans than immigration.
Of the three announced Republican candidates — Sens. Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and Rand Paul — Rubio is probably in the best position to avoid the mistakes of the past.
OPINION
Paul’s problem is that he has been all over the board on immigration. Although he has recently said he favors legislation that would give work permits to many of the 11 million immigrants now in the U.S. illegally, Paul wants to revoke birthright citizenship. But the nation has, from its founding, embraced birthright citizenship, albeit denying it to the descendants of slaves until passage of the 14th Amendment. A constitutional amendment revoking birthright citizenship has no chance of adoption, and those who argue that simple legislation would suffice ignore the plain language of the 14th Amendment, the legislative history and debate at the time of adoption, and Supreme Court precedents.
Cruz, on the other hand, has made opposition to illegal immigration a cornerstone of his political identity, pushing to shut down the entire Department of Homeland Security to prevent funding for President Barack Obama’s executive amnesty. But even Cruz has adopted a softer tone in the aftermath of the announcement of his presidential bid, saying he favors a legal guest-worker program — a position opposed by restrictionist anti-immigration groups, such as NumbersUSA and the Federation for American Immigration Reform.
So how would Rubio fare in the immigration debate within the party? Rubio (snip)
(Excerpt) Read more at chicago.suntimes.com ...
I prefer to be compassionate to Americans First!!
If the Democrat nominee embraces Obama’s extra legal approach to immigration they will lose. People aren’t saying much but they are pissed. The democrats will have to throw some of Obama’s executive actions under thr bus.
Rubio IS the mistakes of the past.
Yeah, they also don’t mention the people actively assisting it.
There’s no way that toddler got here alone by itself, that was pure orchestrated BS worthy of a Potemkin village showpiece.
Nor do they mention the sex assaults, the mysterious body dumps, etc.
How about compassion for those who follow the law? Is that too much to expect?
No cutting in line. We’ll go easy on you and not hold it against you - but ya gotta leave, get in line, and follow the law like every one else.
Any legislation that allows the lawbreakers to stay and work here is amnesty. Citizenship is just the cherry on top and has nothing to do with amnesty.
I will not vote for any candidate that supports that position. Cruz has said he is against amnesty. Now he is joining McCain and Obama on this issue. Sad.
NumbesUSA gives Cruz an A+. If Roy Beck, a friend of mine, learns about this about-face, his rating will go down. Please send me the source. Thanks.
When the left couldn't win elections.
One need read no further than “Chavez”
L
How’s this for “compassion”? Get the hell out of my country and apply for citizenship without breaking our laws the way it is supposed to be done!
It is compassionate to seal the borders and cutoff employment in this country to remove the motivation for illegal immigration. Illegal immigration is an exceedingly dangerous undertaking which many don’t survive, and almost all are exploited by traffickers. Those who encourage illegal immigration by action or omission are supporting an evil industry that is only a few notches better than slavery. Not surprising with the Democrat party’s long history of supporting slavery and human exploitation.
Cruz is incredibly bright. He understands he will lose more votes than he gains if he says he wants to deport all the illegals. The country will never support it. I think he's right, about the best we can do at this point is secure the border, improve the visa system and aggressively deport anyone who commits a felony.
Sen. Ted Cruz introduced an amendment to the current immigration bill back in May that would have removed the path to citizenship from the bill completely. But it also supported the same temporary legal status (RPI status) that is already in the bill that Sen. Marco Rubio has been discussing. And even more than that, it also supported permanent legal residency status as well.
I don’t want to get yelled at regarding Cruz’ position as even I am unclear as to his actual goals. But I do know he is for legal status to make them “come out of the shadows”
You can say that again.
The Dems act as if slavery to their programs, agendas, ideologies etc is somehow “better” than the “hated” slavery of the past as their form of slavery is done supposedly “out of compassion”.
Yet we are somehow “ haters” for believing in freedom.
It is the SMART thing to do. I feel for the die hards on this right that one them all deported. But short of an open war and military defeat of the left, and forced deportation thereafter, it is not going to happen. Now I don’t want to get killed here, and illegal immigration is WRONG, but the problem here on Staten Island where there are zillions, is not them, it’s the blacks. Mexicans work brutally hard, tip great (I drove a cab) go to church and just beat up each other when they are drunk lol. But the FIRST misdemeanor or felony, back you go. And militarize the border!!
Illegals need to compassionately explain to legal immigrants just why they think they are better than the latter and why they should get preferential treatment ahead of those who did it legally.
Or they can go suck eggs.
“The bill included fines for those who have broken the nation’s immigration laws — $1,000 per person is hardly an amnesty”
So $1,000 after you make it into the US allows you to become a citizen here. I don’t see a problem with that.
Right.
Where is the compassion for those who are injured by allowing the practice of the illegality and the refusal to deal with it be even enforcing it?
Cruz needs to remind all voters, including Hispanics that retention of any kind destroys their own children’s future. It also destroys the fsmilies in the sending countries. A csndidate for President should be willing to sign only legislation that is win win for America and the sending countries helping them to become vigorous players in a world economy and not enslavers of their own people. That woild be true compassion. Retention, no.
All the Hispanics I know in that category are likely to see the truth in that.
(time to parse)
“Republicans lost the 2012 presidential election during their primaries. By the time Mitt Romney secured his party’s nomination, the seeds of his defeat had already germinated. The challenge for Republicans in 2016 will be to keep that from happening again. And no issue is more fraught with dangers for Republicans than immigration.”
Perhaps the ONLY things she gets right.
“Of the three announced Republican candidates — Sens. Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and Rand Paul — Rubio is probably in the best position to avoid the mistakes of the past.”
He sounds like he well on his way to REPEATING those mistakes...meaning being all over the place on Amnesty.
“Paul’s problem is that he has been all over the board on immigration.”
Nope, Paul’s problem is that he supports open borders, emptying our jails, and opposes Voter ID (he considers it racist).
“Although he has recently said he favors legislation that would give work permits to many of the 11 million immigrants now in the U.S. illegally, Paul wants to revoke birthright citizenship.”
Trying to carve out a niche...the idea of having work permits is better than nothing, but it would end up as a full-scale amnesty.
“But the nation has, from its founding, embraced birthright citizenship, albeit denying it to the descendants of slaves until passage of the 14th Amendment.”
Equating today’s Republicans with slave owners - pretty classy, Linda.
“A constitutional amendment revoking birthright citizenship has no chance of adoption, and those who argue that simple legislation would suffice ignore the plain language of the 14th Amendment, the legislative history and debate at the time of adoption, and Supreme Court precedents.”
Wow, you must know the minds of EVERY legislator in the country. The only think for certain is that if we take your attitude and don’t try, you will be proven right.
“Cruz, on the other hand, has made opposition to illegal immigration a cornerstone of his political identity, pushing to shut down the entire Department of Homeland Security to prevent funding for President Barack Obama’s executive amnesty.”
At least he tried.
“But even Cruz has adopted a softer tone in the aftermath of the announcement of his presidential bid, saying he favors a legal guest-worker program — a position opposed by restrictionist anti-immigration groups, such as NumbersUSA and the Federation for American Immigration Reform.”
A guest-worker program can work, if it’s structured right. You come here, you work for 2 years, then you go home to wife (or husband) and kids, who are still back in El Salvador. They do not get to visit, ever. If they’re found here, the entire family is deported.
“So how would Rubio fare in the immigration debate within the party? Rubio was one of the so-called Gang of Eight, who fashioned a comprehensive immigration bill in 2013.”
If ONLY that...then maybe some room for forgiveness. No, he was FRONT AND CENTER of the effort - he was the FACE OF AMNESTY, being on TV every Sunday. HE was the one that brought in nearly all of the other Republicans who supported it. But nice try in trying to play down his past.
“The anti-immigrant right has denounced the bill as “amnesty,” but Rubio has been skillful in deflecting those attacks.”
Nothing to ‘deflect’. If the violators are not punished according to the LAW, then it is Amnesty. And part of the law requires they go home or be sent home.
“The bill included fines for those who have broken the nation’s immigration laws — $1,000 per person is hardly an amnesty — as well as requirements that they pay all back taxes, pass a criminal background check and learn English.”
Would she also be willing to claim that requiring the Boston Marathon bomber to pay a $1,000 in lieu of spending any time in jail is not effectively Amnesty?
“As Rubio told Fox News Channel’s Megyn Kelly this week, he worked to make the bill as conservative as possible in a Senate that was still controlled by Democrats and assumed that the Republican House would strengthen the border provisions and other parts of the bill.”
That is a VERY DANGEROUS game to play, considering that the House Republican leadership is TOTALLY COMPROMISED and the President was more than ready to sign the bill. There was no way to be sure that the Senate Bill would have been passed in the House, TOTALLY INTACT. It’s probably the only excuse he has now. He should have WALKED AWAY, if he REALLY WANTED a bill that was good for the country.
““That was our hope. It didn’t work out that way,” he said.”
We were lucky as hell it didn’t work out that way - because any other way would have been a TOTAL DISASTER for this country.
“Rubio opposes President Obama’s executive amnesty, as do most Republicans. But he also knows that deporting 11 million people would be not only unfeasible but also un-American.”
There we go with the strawman again. NOTHING in between, I guess? Well we’ve had DECADES of in between, as in looking the other way. There are other options, such as ‘encouraging’ them to go home by various means, which include taking away the goodies, and/or perhaps paying them to leave. We DO NOT need to deport everyone.
“In an example of courage under fire, he gave a firm “no” to a voter in New Hampshire who asked that he commit to “send home every single person that’s violated our country’s laws and is here illegally.” Rather than pander to the anti-immigrant wing of the party, Rubio said: “I don’t think anyone can commit that to you. You have 12 million human beings in America, most of whom we don’t even know who they are and some of them whom our country’s not going to tolerate rounding up and sending back.””
I wonder if she’s one of the 12 million? She seems incredibly fearful of deportation. Just asking.
“Rubio has spent a decade and a half fashioning solutions as a legislator, first in the Florida House of Representatives, where he became speaker, and then in the U.S. Senate.”
Interesting term “fashioning solutions”...seems odd.
“He knows that the only solution to our immigration problem is to rewrite our antiquated, unworkable immigration law.”
I know that most people here believe that ENFORCEMENT of our laws is a valid option...but if did suddenly get rid of the 12 million illegals, a lot of the country would grind to a halt. Overweight kids, raised by metrosexual parents, that spent their whole lives posting on facebook and playing video games are simply NOT CAPABLE of building houses, fixing cars, plumbing, and many other things. Eventually AMERICANS may learn those skills again, maybe, but unless the Illegals are replaced with guest workers, the economy will feel it, BIG TIME. (obviously, I say the above as a generalization, I can do all those tasks and more, and so can my boys...but overall, not nearly enough people like us).
“If Rubio and other would-be Republican hopefuls can stick to focusing on ways to fix our broken system and ignore temptations to bash immigrants who are here illegally”
Sorry Linda, but no one is BASHING IMMIGRANTS, we are bashing the people that allowed what we have to happen and continue to either defend it or make it worse. It’s only “bashing” because you don’t like to hear us.
“...they just might end the primary season with some hope of winning over the Hispanic and Asian voters who deserted the party in 2012. Without those voters, the GOP would have a much more difficult path to taking back the White House.”
The Republicans in Texas won by “bashing” immigrants (to use your terminology” and in return received NEARLY HALF OF THE HISPANIC VOTE, along with 75% of the white vote. They TROUNCED the Democrats in a year that the Dems were convinced that they could make Texas competitive. That is what my tag line and FR home pages talks about. Unfortunately it doesn’t seem to be getting through.
“But more important, it’s the right thing to do.”
Rewarding lawbreakers is NEVER “the right thing to do”.
“Linda Chavez is the author of “An Unlikely Conservative: The Transformation of an Ex-Liberal.” “
Looks like she has quite a bit more transforming to do, to earn the title “conservative”.
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