Bush offers strenuous defense of immigration stance in Iowa

[mystery-ak]

http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/234962-bush-offers-strenuous-defense-of-immigration-stance-in-iowa

March 07, 2015, 12:00 pm
Bush offers strenuous defense of immigration stance in Iowa
By Jonathan Easley

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush offered a strenuous defense for a pathway to legalization for immigrants in the country illegally at a summit in Iowa on Saturday.
 
“Immigrants that are here need to have a path to legal status,” Bush said. “Nobody I know has a plan to deal with illegal immigration other than to just say they’re going to be rounded up and taken away.”
 
Bush said those in the country illegally should be given the opportunity to earn legal status if they work, don’t break the law and learn English.
 
“This is the only serious thoughtful way to deal with this,” Bush said.
 
Immigration reform is one of Bush’s biggest liabilities with the base. But in his first political trip to the early-voting state since moving towards a presidential run, Bush forcefully stood his ground on the hot-button issue.
 
He also sought to highlight areas where he and the base agree.
 
“The first thing you do is change presidents,” Bush said. “A president that will undo the executive actions. … This president has used authority he doesn’t have to go way beyond what any president has done before.”
 
The former Florida governor also talked at length about securing the borders and expanding the guest worker program.
 
Bush and several other likely Republican presidential contenders are in Des Moines this weekend for the first-ever Iowa Ag Summit. The potential candidates are taking the stage one after another to be grilled by agribusiness mogul and influential conservative donor Bruce Rastetter on the policy issues that are important to the state’s business-minded rural conservatives.
 
Bush is touching several other bases on his trip as he begins to outline a play for the Iowa caucuses next year.
 
Bush held a fundraiser for Rep. David Young (R-Iowa) on Friday night. He has arranged a closed-door event with key state activists at Jethro's BBQ 'n Jambalaya in Waukee, followed by a meet-and-greet with supporters at a Pizza Ranch in Cedar Rapids.

[libertybele]

If Obama's amnesty is allowed; Jeb's advantage of wanting amnesty is gone.  Amnesty was made possible by a DEM so he's going to have to find a different issue to run on...all he's got left is "Common Core" which will sink him.  The Dems will be able to destroy him with all the baggage he carries with his "land grabs" as governor and having the last name of "Bush" doesn't have any clout left.  "W' Bush has been blamed for everything that has ailed the Obama years.  The DEMS have been destroying the Bush name for years; why the GOPe thinks that Jeb is their best shot at winning is absolutely ridiculous.  He has the money.  That's about it.

[240B]

For many younger and youngerish voters in America, the names 'Bush' and 'Clinton' are names out of history, the history books they studied in school. It would be the same as if the establishment was trying to run Woodrow Wilson or Teddy Roosevelt again.

This is a problem for both parties. As has been said, the Bush name has been trashed for decades especially among the Left. There will be no or very few 'cross-over' voters for Bush, regardless of how much he runs as a Liberal Democrat. Nobody wants to vote for a Bush on the Left or Right.

Clinton can dye her hair bright blond, and play on her Ipod all day long, but no matter how much plastic surgery she gets, she is still a very old grandmother from the last century. There is nothing special about her. She has no unique qualifications or accomplishments. Her whole platform is that she has a vagina and used to be married to Bill. That is short resume'. 'Vote for my vagina', is not going to go very far.

But the bigger picture is what these two represent. This is the establishment government composed of both parties trying to maintain the status quo at any costs. They see their empire crumbling with age and they do not know what to do. They are scrambling to prop up these two dinosaurs in a desperate attempt to maintain their grip on power. D.C. is an insiders only club.

The establishment on both sides does not care one bit which one of these two win, as long as 'the order' is retained. Their biggest fear is all the new young bucks in Congress who do not play by the 'old boy' rules. The entrenched politicians who have been there for decades and decades, do not know what to do. Time and age has caught up with them, and they know their days are numbered.

In my opinion, 2016 is the bridge too far for the old boy establishment. They are simply too old to continue the old order. Like the ancient kings of history, they have run out of relatives with which to inbreed. They are going to have to bring in some young blood. And the historical risk in that, as they well know, is that the new young blood may decide to throw out the old warts, and to take their rightful place at the throne. That is the fear of the establishment.

Change is coming and I don't think ancients can stop it.

[Oceander]

Whatever else I may think of Bush and his (dismal) chances of being re-elected, he is definitely correct on this one.

[massadvj]

This is actually a softening of Bush's earlier position.  A "pathway to legalization" may be different than a path to citizenship, which is what he supported in the past.  I can support the granting of legal status for illegals so long as there is no path to citizenship unless they return to their home countries and apply to immigrate legally.  Also, there must be no access to safety net benefits of any kind.

[Fishrrman]

mass wrote:
[[  I can support the granting of legal status for illegals so long as there is no path to citizenship unless they return to their home countries and apply to immigrate legally.  Also, there must be no access to safety net benefits of any kind. ]]

Fishrrman's credo:
"Reality is what it is. It is not what we believe it to be."

There's not a chance in h*** that more than a handful of illegals would ever "return to their home countries" and then apply to return legally. Never going to happen.

Nor is there much of a chance that the "safety net benefits of any kind" will ever be denied them (although we should at least try to pull the rug from under their feet, see below)

My solution:
1. Build the border wall - make it as secure as the Berlin Wall was (and despite some escapes, it WAS by-and-large "secure" -- I was there, I went THROUGH the Berlin Wall in 1971)
2. Do nothing to "legalize" those here. They must forever remain "illegals".
3. Identify the criminals and send as many of them back as possible.
4. At least make an effort to deny some benefits and handouts. But the "reality" of this is that such efforts will probably be denied by the courts.

[Oceander]

This is actually a softening of Bush's earlier position.  A "pathway to legalization" may be different than a path to citizenship, which is what he supported in the past.  I can support the granting of legal status for illegals so long as there is no path to citizenship unless they return to their home countries and apply to immigrate legally.  Also, there must be no access to safety net benefits of any kind.

Agreed.

[Formerly Once-Ler]

For many younger and youngerish voters in America, the names 'Bush' and 'Clinton' are names out of history, the history books they studied in school. It would be the same as if the establishment was trying to run Woodrow Wilson or Teddy Roosevelt again.

This is a problem for both parties. As has been said, the Bush name has been trashed for decades especially among the Left. There will be no or very few 'cross-over' voters for Bush, regardless of how much he runs as a Liberal Democrat. Nobody wants to vote for a Bush on the Left or Right.

Nobody?  16% of Republicans want to vote for Governor Bush NOW 2 years out. 

http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/05/politics/2016-election-poll-scott-walker-jeb-bush-hillary-clinton/

I am not one of them.  I would pick Governor Walker, Governor Perry, Governor Kasich, or Senator Paul.  But the fact remains that Governor Bush will most likely be the GOP nominee in 2016 despite what you and I want.

Clinton can dye her hair bright blond, and play on her Ipod all day long, but no matter how much plastic surgery she gets, she is still a very old grandmother from the last century. There is nothing special about her. She has no unique qualifications or accomplishments. Her whole platform is that she has a vagina and used to be married to Bill. That is short resume'. 'Vote for my vagina', is not going to go very far.

I couldn't agree more.

But the bigger picture is what these two represent. This is the establishment government composed of both parties trying to maintain the status quo at any costs. They see their empire crumbling with age and they do not know what to do. They are scrambling to prop up these two dinosaurs in a desperate attempt to maintain their grip on power. D.C. is an insiders only club.

The establishment on both sides does not care one bit which one of these two win, as long as 'the order' is retained.

Ridiculous.  You think Boehner, and McConnell...Reid, and Pelosi and the other establishment Senators and Congressmen don't care who becomes the President.  That is just weird.

Their biggest fear is all the new young bucks in Congress who do not play by the 'old boy' rules. The entrenched politicians who have been there for decades and decades, do not know what to do. Time and age has caught up with them, and they know their days are numbered.

The young bucks become the old boy's pretty damn quick in DC.  The 2014 elections proved once again that incumbents rarely get defeated from primaries to general elections.  I see no reason that will change.

In my opinion, 2016 is the bridge too far for the old boy establishment. They are simply too old to continue the old order. Like the ancient kings of history, they have run out of relatives with which to inbreed. They are going to have to bring in some young blood. And the historical risk in that, as they well know, is that the new young blood may decide to throw out the old warts, and to take their rightful place at the throne. That is the fear of the establishment.

Change is coming and I don't think ancients can stop it.

Pretty prose but still just a prognostication with nothing but wishes behind it.