When it comes to Republicans and immigration policy, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) has generally been one of the more mainstream voices in his party. It was just five weeks ago that the former Republican governor co-wrote a Wall Street Journal op-ed that called for, among other things, "a system that will include a path to citizenship." He endorsed the same policy over the summer, saying he supports a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigration, even if that puts him "probably out of the mainstream of most conservatives."
For reasons that remain unclear, Bush has changed his mind.
For those who can't watch clips online, Bush argued, "[I]f we want to create an immigration policy that's going to work, we can't continue to make illegal immigration an easier path than legal immigration."
The Florida Republican added that, as far as he's concerned, "many" undocumented immigrants "don't want to be citizens of our country. They want to come here, they want to work hard, they want to provide for the families, some of them want to come home, not necessarily all of them want to stay as citizens."
Bush did not explain how or why he abandoned the position he held as recently as late January, but it's certainly not a helpful development for reform proponents. As we recently discussed, a pathway to citizenship isn't some luxury add-on element -- it's largely the point of working on reform in the first place. This provision is at the heart of the entire endeavor, which is why it's included in the bipartisan Senate plan, President Obama's plan, and even the Bush/Cheney plan that the far-right killed in 2007.
It means that Jeb Bush has now positioned himself to the right of his brother, his in-state protege Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), the vast majority of America's Latino population, the majority of the public at large, and Jeb Bush from five weeks ago.
If Bush is supposed to be a GOP leader on this issue, there's a real threat the party may yet slide backwards.
Leave a Comment:
Jeb's been "bitten by the bug" - he looks at the field for 2016 and says, "they've got nobody, so it's my turn." And he has to get through Da Crazy to get there.
But every time I see a Republican talking about 2016, they tell us that they have such "a deep bench".
Bush's stance is the party's position. No path to citizenship, because citizens can vote, and they doubt newly enfranchised Latino immigrants will vote Republican, especially in battleground states in the southwest. Taking this stance just further proves that the party does not care about these people or their plight and only has eyes on its own political interests.
The Gingrich Plan has become their only option, and some in the party are still skittish over going even that far.
Jeb is making preliminary moves for the 2016 race. Run to the right to win the nomination. The problem is that as the Republicans go further to the right, Jeb and his party may fall off the cliff.
Already done that. Just haven't figured it out because they think they are soaring. The rocks below get ever closer.
hes a bush for one thing. hes also to go right of the tea party .one was enough. we don't need two
Yeah, but he is just going to break his party down even further while trying to triangulate to the right. I think Chris Christie has the better idea -- to lead the party from where it needs to go, not from behind which has already failed. And JEB also has to carry the baggage from W's crap too? I thought that he was supposed to be the "smarter" brother...
That's like saying Moe is the "smart" Stooge.
LOL, good one Missy!
I never get tired of seeing the words "Bush" and "failure" in the same sentence. It should be fun to hear him try to explain his role in the Terry Schiavo kerfuffle. And let's not forget, which Bush was it that signed the PNAC manifesto so many years ago? Not W.....it was Jebbie. He's a moderate like Dick Cheney, Richard Perle and Paul Wolfowitz! In other words, a right-wing fascist. He just is better at pretending that he really, really cares about people.
"If Bush is supposed to be a GOP leader on this issue, there's a real threat the party may yet slide backwards."
No "IF" involved, Jeb is starting to pander so that he can run in 2016! Why are you surprised?
...we can't continue to make illegal immigration an easier path than legal immigration...
...Because being an illegal immigrant is a cakewalk, much like trying to get by on wefare and foodstamps? It's, like, the American Dream!
Not to mention, if I understand the mainstream path-to-citizenship plan correctly, a key element is getting in line behind everyone who's doing it by the book. Anyone who says otherwise is feeding the crazy... oh, right.
The GOP is built on quick sand. The more they move their mouths, the faster they sink. Keep bringing the crazy and see a Dem Super Majority in 2014.
I certainly hope so. But make sure that it is progressive in character, not a bunch of Blue dogs.
The reasons to not have people become citizens are perfectly clear...they would become voters...and very likely Democratic voters
There is NO, repeat again in giant caps 100 point font, NO way that this country will ever elect another Bush to the white House.
With that out of the way, what does he have left? He is as cynical as is much of the Ryandian or religious zealots that make up the "old, fat, white guys" (thanks Ed Rollins) who populate the party.
Recall the Ken Burns documentary on prohibition, the Scopes trial, and the frenzy of belief and media manipulation of Charles Coughlin. Then insert the belief in austerity, hatred of Obama and the playbook of Roger Goebbailes and Rupert Murdoch, same lunacy different day.
Now one of the more sane GOPers is Steve Schmidt, good luck! and if Bush the Lesser thinks he can run from his decades long bilingual warm fuzzy on the immigration issue by cowing to the right, then it's McCain 2.0, Rmoney 2.0 and will fail.
Bush's turnabout is a public declaration that he's running in 2016. His comments are directed at the wing-nuts who vote in GOP primaries. This is just a start. Talk of "self-deportation" will soon follow.
I was sincerely worried that Jeb would endeavor to run in 16 as the sane candidate.
This is good news. Marginalizing himself right out of the gate .
EXXXXELLLENT as Mr. Burns would say.
As long as the undocumented immigrants have the same rights as those lucky enough to get their documents to a shot at citizenship, it doesn't much matter. In other words, any law that addresses the problem cannot discriminate against undocumented immigrants in the process of getting citizenship. There doesn't need to be any special provision, just nothing that forbids it or makes it more difficult than for documented immigrants.
The RW meme "not all of them want to become citizens" sounds like a justification for a expanded Guest Worker/Bracero Program that Corporate Ag wants to put in place.
Let's hope that it is a pathway to failure. All the White House needs is another shrub.
Maybe this is an easier out now for Marco Rubio. For sure this is another reason to never trust Republicans...
I've been told that Jeb is quite the moderate, and that he was quite popular in Florida, but I gotta tell ya. You'd have to be a fool to trust what Mike Malloy dubbed The Bush Crime Family.
Yep, ol' moderate Jeb....he of Terry Schiavo fame, (or shame), the man who believed the entire federal government should drop what it was doing in order to pass a bill devoted to one single person in one unique situation. The guy who was a signatory to PNAC, which led us on the road to Iraq. Any more moderate, and the stormtroopers would be flanking him. Never, never, NEVER trust a member of the Bush crime family! Read Kevin Phillips' book about them, and you'll wonder how the family escaped being shot for treason. And Phillips was a repub who worked for Nixon, for heavens sake, not some wild-eyed liberal.
There are 4 positions on immigration- 2 by Dems- 2 by the GOP. Certain labor groups are worried immigrants bring down the cost of labor. Most liberals see it as a fairness issue and would like to see a more liberal policy.
Some Republicans like the idea of cheap labor and don't mind immigrants doing it. Others in the GOP are xenophobic. The one place Republicans unite is that immigrant workers should never get the right to vote. Someone clued Jeb in.
Yep. Jebbie's all about not letting the brown people vote. Love to exploit them for cheap labor, but we can't have them helping to elect Democrats.
The compromise Republicans will offer is second class citizenship, from which they will not budge: you won't be arrested or deported, but you'll never have equal rights.
Really? America took only 250 yrs to freely choose to go backwards to a monarchy?
Hopefully the media will pull out the theme song to Dynasty to play every time Prince Jebber is trotted out over the next 4 yrs for our consideration. Better yet would be the Dallas theme song. Old man Ewing/Bush, JR the Evil/W, and the sweet, sensible, trustworthy Bobby/Jeb. Thought the R's hated OUR European cousin's governing ways. Inheriting power is sorta OK in a family. In government it's crazy and says the US has a weak bench. Think North Korea.
Liz Cheney for VP anyone?
Perhaps if he had run in 2000, instead of his far weaker and less honorable brother, the country wouldn't have gone through the woes it's experienced in the last decade. Jeb Bush has a sense of character that George could never have.
That said, it's immaterial to the question: America won't elect a 3rd Bush.
my moto is no more f n Bushes, didn;t we learn are lesson here, these jackwaggs mess up are country to point of no return,why in the world would you put any one of them in power,its going to take 25 years to iron out this w mess,o yea they love war
Who?
What is Jeb Bush doing that makes us think he matters as a politician right now. By the time he does matter, he'll been lockstep with whatever the platform tells him.
What a completely silly posting!
For reasons that remain unclear, Bush has changed his mind.
2016 Republican Primaries...
If Bush is supposed to be a GOP leader on this issue, there's a real threat the party may yet slide backwards.
What, from the 17th century to the 16th?