New York Times (by Lawrence Downes)
Kobach and Romney
Mitt Romney is in a bind.
During the early stages of the primaries he decided to go ultra-hard-core on immigration — so hard-core, in fact, that he locked himself in an embrace with the Kansas secretary of state, Kris Kobach, who wrote Arizona’s and Alabama’s noxious racial-profiling immigration laws. Now as Mr. Romney tries to move towards the center for the general election, he will have to win the votes of people—including many Latinos— who don’t necessarily view immigrants as an invading army of criminals.
Latino voters. The Kobach crowd. Mr. Romney can try to have one or the other, but probably not both.
In January, Mr. Romney gleefully accepted Mr. Kobach’s endorsement and said he was “so proud” to have “Kris on the team.” Mr. Kobach hailed Mr. Romney as a “true conservative.” Four months later, the relationship is not so clear. Is Mr. Kobach still on the team? This week the Romney campaign told Politico no — he was not an adviser, just a “supporter.”
Mr. Kobach begged to differ. He’s still an adviser. “Nothing’s changed,” he told Think Progress and The National Review.
If that’s true, and this couple is still together, the Dream Act may drive them into counseling. That’s a bill to legalize young illegal immigrants who attend college or serve in the military. Mr. Romney used to say he would veto the Dream Act as written, but during the campaign started hinting that he might soften his position, and recently told supporters at a fund-raiser that the Republican Party needed to have its own version of the Dream Act to win over Latino voters.
Mr. Kobach opposes legalization for undocumented immigrants of any kind, under any circumstances and rejects the Dream Act in any form. He told The Washington Post that he expected Mr. Romney “to hold firm on his opposition to amnesty.”
Mr. Kobach is not a bendy politician. Mr. Romney is. Immigration will be a test of Mr. Romney’s elasticity — how far can he stretch, clinging to an extremist while collecting moderates’ votes, without snapping?
“We’re going to be able to get Hispanic voters,” Mr. Romney promised his donors. “We’re going to overcome the issue of immigration,” he said, making “the issue” sound like some sort of medical problem — or at least a source of great discomfort, if not grief.
Kobach and Romney
Mitt Romney is in a bind.
During the early stages of the primaries he decided to go ultra-hard-core on immigration — so hard-core, in fact, that he locked himself in an embrace with the Kansas secretary of state, Kris Kobach, who wrote Arizona’s and Alabama’s noxious racial-profiling immigration laws. Now as Mr. Romney tries to move towards the center for the general election, he will have to win the votes of people—including many Latinos— who don’t necessarily view immigrants as an invading army of criminals.
Latino voters. The Kobach crowd. Mr. Romney can try to have one or the other, but probably not both.
In January, Mr. Romney gleefully accepted Mr. Kobach’s endorsement and said he was “so proud” to have “Kris on the team.” Mr. Kobach hailed Mr. Romney as a “true conservative.” Four months later, the relationship is not so clear. Is Mr. Kobach still on the team? This week the Romney campaign told Politico no — he was not an adviser, just a “supporter.”
Mr. Kobach begged to differ. He’s still an adviser. “Nothing’s changed,” he told Think Progress and The National Review.
If that’s true, and this couple is still together, the Dream Act may drive them into counseling. That’s a bill to legalize young illegal immigrants who attend college or serve in the military. Mr. Romney used to say he would veto the Dream Act as written, but during the campaign started hinting that he might soften his position, and recently told supporters at a fund-raiser that the Republican Party needed to have its own version of the Dream Act to win over Latino voters.
Mr. Kobach opposes legalization for undocumented immigrants of any kind, under any circumstances and rejects the Dream Act in any form. He told The Washington Post that he expected Mr. Romney “to hold firm on his opposition to amnesty.”
Mr. Kobach is not a bendy politician. Mr. Romney is. Immigration will be a test of Mr. Romney’s elasticity — how far can he stretch, clinging to an extremist while collecting moderates’ votes, without snapping?
“We’re going to be able to get Hispanic voters,” Mr. Romney promised his donors. “We’re going to overcome the issue of immigration,” he said, making “the issue” sound like some sort of medical problem — or at least a source of great discomfort, if not grief.
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