Posted on 11/13/2015 11:31:44 AM PST by VinL
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has informed Democrats he may schedule a vote next week on a hard-line immigration bill pushed by Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, a GOP candidate for president.
The move could bring debate over immigration to the Senate floor just as it flares on the presidential campaign trail. Cruz has been sparring with Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, another GOP hopeful.
The bill is called Kate's Law for the woman shot in San Francisco by an immigrant illegally in the country. It would increase penalties for re-entering the country illegally.
McConnell has been under conservative pressure to bring it to a vote. But the move could give a platform to Cruz, with whom McConnell has sparred.
Democratic aides spoke anonymously to disclose McConnell's potential plans.
Mr. Cruz said recent polling indicated that people outside Washington support some reform, including legal status without citizenship. He said he was against naturalization because it rewarded lawbreakers and was unfair to legal immigrants. It also perpetuates illegal crossings, he added.
Besides barring citizenship while instituting some level of legalization for those here already, Mr. Cruz has proposed increasing the number of green cards awarded annually, to 1.35 million from 675,000. He also wants to eliminate the per-country limit that he said left applicants from countries like Mexico, China and India hamstrung when they tried to gain legal entry to this country.
Yes, I even remember the quotes,,
So how is it you can compare what he said to what Trump said about Immigration in 2012, and then Bash Cruz and say he is for amnesty.
At the time, those quotes raised eyebrows as Cruz had only begun his term and was already going against the grain.
That process has continued, and don’t forget that Cruz has many Hispanic constituents and Texas as you may know is a immigrant friendly State.
His positions on immigration developed quite quickly but not as quick as Trumps, where practically overnight would be a term you could use legitimately.
As I said, Cruz has a immigration history that predated the Senate. He has argued it before the supreme court. If you need comforting that he has not just made this stuff up, you might want to check into his Attorney general record.
BTW....he won 7 of 8 cases at scotus, IIRC.
Trump was/is a private citizen. He does not vote on public policy. He is not an elected official. Cruz is. Trump has produced the most detailed and sensible position paper on immigrant that any Presidential candidate. Where is the Cruz position paper on immigration? When did he start going after sanctuary cities? When did he show any concern for American workers?
Cruyz has had a foxhole conversion. Is he changing his public position on immigration due to political expediency? I don't recall Cruz appearing with the victims of criminal alien crime. Trump did.
He hasn’t changed his views on immigration. I just posted an article from a couple years ago where Cruz said Romney should deport all the dreamers Obama gave amnesty to if he got elected.
Asked about what to do with the people here illegally, however, he stressed that he had never tried to undo the goal of allowing them to stay.
“The amendment that I introduced removed the path to citizenship, but it did not change the underlying work permit from the Gang of Eight,†he said during a recent visit to El Paso. Mr. Cruz also noted that he had not called for deportation or, as Mitt Romney famously advocated, self-deportation.
Mr. Cruz said recent polling indicated that people outside Washington support some reform, including legal status without citizenship. He said he was against naturalization because it rewarded lawbreakers and was unfair to legal immigrants. It also perpetuates illegal crossings, he added.
Besides barring citizenship while instituting some level of legalization for those here already, Mr. Cruz has proposed increasing the number of green cards awarded annually, to 1.35 million from 675,000. He also wants to eliminate the per-country limit that he said left applicants from countries like Mexico, China and India hamstrung when they tried to gain legal entry to this country.
Cruz In 2013 On Providing Legal Status To Illegal Immigrants
Kabar, I don't know what to say to you..I know you are not ignorant or worse, stupid. I see this every day here and it's really out of the norm.
Trumps staff wrote that paper. When he's queried about some aspect of it, he resorts to one liners and his other well worn quotes as if he's not familiar with it...and he may not be. he probably has little free time to read all the position papers that come from his organization, and that's not anything unusual for a CEO of a corporation but it's bad news for a politician and that is the role he is auditioning for.
I don't see any of what you see. I see a fairly newly minted Republican who was a blue dog democrat and when Bloomberg had the mayoral office he switched. Coincidently Pelosi at the time was the last phase of her elimination of all bluedogs from the dem hierarchy.
He's not only inexperienced in any kind of government role, but he's not even conservative politically. I have no clue what he would look for in a Supreme court nominee much less the 100s of judges he might appoint or anyone else for that matter as we have no track record to look at. Nothing but what he has said in a couple books and his stump speeches which are really more like high school rally's with little substance and plenty of rah, rah...
Since you are finding everyway you can to attack the only true conservative in the race, it makes me wonder now if the nations ills are not just due to a majority of ignorant liberal and quasi liberal voters, but the problem exists on the other side as well. So let me fire back.
Cruz believes as do I that if there is any chance of regaining control of our country and perchance saving it from ruin, the last chance is this election. We can afford no mistake.
Trump is not the guy....all that's know about him shows that he does not think like a conservative, act like a conservative, have the same concerns as a conservative with only one exception and it's a recent conversion. It walks, quacks......like a duck....it's likely a duck.
There no way in hell I would vote for this guy. It would be a mistake. I cannot afford to make a mistake as a concerned citizen and a conservative one. There is so much more to this then immigration but I can't deny that the balkanization of the US would be devastating. My own proposal is to put all immigration on hold for 30 years. Seal the freeking borders tight and begin to process those here illegally for deportation. I believe that Ted cruz will do that and he has the political skills to get it done through Congressional action. More importantly, he will do all of the rest of it that together is even more important then immigration in the long run.
Does trump have political skills?
Based on what I have seen so far......Nope...Not even a tiny bit..He ignores it, and dismisses it, yet the government job he applies for requires a expert.
It might be fun to watch for a few months, but in a relatively short time, it won't be funny anymore. The only one laughing will be Trump and of course, the late night comedians..
I have spent over 9 years on the issue of immigration as part of a grassroots immigration organization that lobbies on the Hill. I consider myself to be an expert on the issue.
Trumps staff wrote that paper. When he's queried about some aspect of it, he resorts to one liners and his other well worn quotes as if he's not familiar with it...and he may not be. he probably has little free time to read all the position papers that come from his organization, and that's not anything unusual for a CEO of a corporation but it's bad news for a politician and that is the role he is auditioning for.
I know the person in Jeff Sessions office that wrote most of the paper. Trump's people inserted the political stuff to embellish it. I share your frustration about Trump not using the points in the paper during the debates. I have said this many times on FR. Trump has been offered up many softballs in the middle of the plate that he could knock out of the park if he just used the points in his position paper. I don't know why he has not taken the time to master it since it is his signature issue. So far, there are only three position papers on Trump's website.
He's not only inexperienced in any kind of government role, but he's not even conservative politically. I have no clue what he would look for in a Supreme court nominee much less the 100s of judges he might appoint or anyone else for that matter as we have no track record to look at. Nothing but what he has said in a couple books and his stump speeches which are really more like high school rally's with little substance and plenty of rah, rah...
Trump is not a politician. I really don't care if he is a conservative or not. We need someone to address the immigration issue, the defining issue of our time. We need to reduce legal immigration significantly and start enforcing our immigration laws. If we don't get immigration right, then everything else is just rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. The Immigration Act of 1965 started the decline of America. Immigration affects every major existential challenge facing this country from health care to education to the national debt to national security to energy policy, etc.
Trump has the ability to connect to the voters. He is a leader and cheerleader for this country. What makes a President or a CEO successful is the kind of people he surrounds himself with. Every President is supported by the bureaucracy and career employees who possess the expertise and experience to support the office. It will be Trump's judgment and instincts that will make him effective not his mastery of the details. I am not impressed by the career politicians who can quote statistics and come up with detailed meaningless plans that will never be implemented. Can Trump be an effective CEO of this country? I think he can.
Cruz believes as do I that if there is any chance of regaining control of our country and perchance saving it from ruin, the last chance is this election. We can afford no mistake.
Cruz is the smartest and most articulate candidate in the race bar none. However, he is unable to connect with the voters. He is wonky, preachy, and ideological. Despite being a billionaire, Trump has the common touch. He has been a TV celebrity for 12 years. Millions of Americans think they know him. He will attract the so-called Reagan Democrats. Trump is boorish, shallow intellectually, and lacks any consistent adherence to a political philosophy. He is a man of action confident in his own abilities. He is able to read people and has a good political instinct. He has shaped the entire race using his issues that will define the other candidates.
Trump is not the guy....all that's know about him shows that he does not think like a conservative, act like a conservative, have the same concerns as a conservative with only one exception and it's a recent conversion. It walks, quacks......like a duck....it's likely a duck.
The Reps have lost the popular vote in five out of the last six elections. The changing demographics of this country fueled by immigration will make the Dems the permanent majority party within a decade or two. You just have to look at an electoral map to see how this country is changing. Trump has the ability to attract Dem voters. Cruz does not. Do you want to win the WH or make a philosophical point?
I have followed Cruz closely since he ran for Senator. Despite his disdain for the Washington cartel, Cruz is part of the system and the political class. The Club for Growth is one of his major contributors. He has a hedge fund billionaire as his sugar daddy. He does the bidding of the Chamber of Commerce and corporate interests, hence is support of increased immigration and H-1B visas. Given my experience with politicians on the issue of immigration, I have been able to discern when they are trying to disguise their positions on immigration by parsing words. I have had one on one briefings of Cantor, George Allen, and several other influential politicians.
There no way in hell I would vote for this guy. It would be a mistake. I cannot afford to make a mistake as a concerned citizen and a conservative one. There is so much more to this then immigration but I can't deny that the balkanization of the US would be devastating.
It goes far beyond Balkanization. Immigration has been transforming this country electorally and demographically. I have experienced it firsthand when I lived in VA, which is a purple state trending very blue. We have just had the two largest decades of immigration in our history. In 1970 one in 21 was foreign born; today it is less than one in 8, the highest it has been in 105 years; and within a decade it will be one in 7 the highest in our history. By 2019 half of the children 18 and under will be minorities as defined by the USG. By 2043 non-Hispanic whites will be less than 50% of the population compared to 89% in 1970. Immigrants and minorities vote more than two to one Dem. We are being colonized by the Third World.
My own proposal is to put all immigration on hold for 30 years. Seal the freeking borders tight and begin to process those here illegally for deportation. I believe that Ted cruz will do that and he has the political skills to get it done through Congressional action. More importantly, he will do all of the rest of it that together is even more important then immigration in the long run.
So far, Ted Cruz has not demonstrated that he will do that. He wants to increase legal immigration and make it easier to enter here. Trump and Santorum are the only ones who want to reduce legal immigration.
Cruz has not been effective in Congress. He is an outcast who cannot work within the system. We may think this is a good thing, but his personality does not seem geared to working well with others. He is seen as a quixotic figure tilting at windmills.
Does trump have political skills? Based on what I have seen so far......Nope...Not even a tiny bit..He ignores it, and dismisses it, yet the government job he applies for requires a expert.
We will agree to disagree. Trump has been leading the polls for more than 100 days. He has shown remarkable political skills. Voters consider him, by far, number one when it comes to leadership skills and the ability to manage the economy. He is also number one on handling the immigration issue.
The idea that the President must be an expert is nonsense. I spent 36 years in government as a career employee including being a member of the Senior Executive Service. Political appointees including the President don't need to be experts. They need to be able to lead a bureaucracy focusing on important issues and using good judgment to make decisions. It is all about being a good executive, something Trump has demonstrated he can be. Cruz has not had the same level of executive experience. I have no doubt that Trump can surround himself with the kind of expertise he needs.
We have just had a community organizer run this country for 7 years. He has transformed this country for the worse but he has been very successful in getting his agenda implemented.
It might be fun to watch for a few months, but in a relatively short time, it won't be funny anymore. The only one laughing will be Trump and of course, the late night comedians..
Trump is no joke as the GOPe is finding out. This country is an absolute mess thanks to the career politicians and special interests. Cruz is not the person to turn it around. I doubt he could beat Hillary.
And so the anti-Cruz jihad continues.
I give you credit for being among only a few who have thought this out and come to your conclusions and are able to explain them. I have not seen a lot of thinking of a critical nature going on here, right or wrong and that’s important to me.
You have also admitted in a thoughtful way that immigration is your primary focus and to do that you have to put other issues aside. If that is the focus then I understand your opinions.
My issue is that I don’t see Trump the way you do. I just don’t. I certainly don’t dismiss him, but I don’t feel in any way as confident as you do of his abilities.
CU later...
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