Washington Post (Plum Line)
By Greg Sargent
May 28, 2015
Jeb
Bush has promised us a presidential campaign premised on the idea that
he can become the GOP nominee by speaking directly to the general
election electorate — which is to say, by delivering
a stiff dose of realism to GOP primary voters, rather than pandering to
them. Exhibit A: Immigration, where Bush has argued, outrageously, that
we aren’t going to deport 11 million people, so it’s time to embrace
some form of legalization as the only answer.
Now
Bush appears to be ratcheting up the attacks on fellow Republicans —
presumably Marco Rubio and Scott Walker — over the issue. Post reporter
Ed O’Keefe got access to a private conference
call between Bush and Alabama Republicans, in which he seemed to accuse
his rivals of “bending with the wind” on immigration:
He said that he believes President Obama’s executive actions to change
immigration laws will be eventually ruled unconstitutional by federal
courts. He reiterated
that he backs “a path to earned legal status, not citizenship, but
earned legal status. Where people get a provisional work permit, where
they pay taxes, they pay a fine, they learn English, they work, they
don’t receive federal government assistance and they
— over extended period of time — they earn legal status.”
Bush said he welcomed the opportunity to explain his views on both
subjects “because I find it interesting that people who share that view —
rather than stick
with the view and try to persuade people about it — in many cases have
actually abandoned their views. I think the next president is going to
have tougher times dealing with these issues than dealing with [Russian
President Vladimir] Putin. If we’re going
to bend with the wind, then it’ll be hard to imagine how we solve our
problems.”
As
O’Keefe notes, that appears to be a reference to Walker and Rubio, both
of whom have moved right on immigration after supporting a path to
legalization as part of some form of comprehensive
immigration reform. The suggestion that immigration may be a tougher
thing to handle than Putin is also a nice touch.
It’s
good that Bush is throwing down the gauntlet in claiming that GOP
candidates should show courage in trying to persuade hostile GOP voters
that legalization is the only solution. But
it remains to be see how far he’ll go publicly. What’s more, Bush does
not deserve a pass here — he, too, has equivocated on legalization.
While
it’s true that Bush has taken a grave political risk by suggesting
undocumented immigrants might have something positive to contribute to
American society, he has also retreated to
a safer position, hinting he agrees we must secure the border before
legalization. (Immigration advocates see this as tantamount to opposing
legalization, since Republicans could easily continue to say in
perpetuity that the border still isn’t quite secure
enough.)
But
this morning it was reported that the flow of illegal immigration is at
its lowest point in a very long time. Of course, among many GOP primary
voters, it is a given that President Obama
has thrown open the border to the hordes. One way Bush could really
deliver a dose of realism on this issue — or meaningfully show more
courage than his rivals — is to acknowledge the real state of border
security today. In light of his comments about Walker
and Rubio, he should also be pressed to clarify whether he really
thinks some elusive state of absolute border security must be achieved —
and if so, how that might be defined — before any legalization scheme
can be put in place. If not, he should forthrightly
clarify that he agrees we need a comprehensive solution that strives
for both.
For more information, go to: www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com
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