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Rubio’s Nightmare Act Folly

By: Daniel Horowitz (Diary)  |  June 14th, 2012 at 05:12 PM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

Why is a group of Republicans, led by Senator Marco Rubio, hell-bent on fumbling the football at the goalpost while Democrats are losing on the issue of illegal immigration?

Nowhere do we find such a bifurcation between the views of those in the political class and the commonsense of the average citizen as with the issue of illegal immigration.  Among the political class, even some prominent conservatives support some sort of amnesty for illegal aliens.  Among the citizenry, even many Democrats support the rule of law and the value of American citizenship.

As I search out candidates for Congress across the nation, it is striking to find how even the most moderate Republican candidates are unswerving in their opposition to amnesty, or worse – a pathway to citizenship (yes, it’s worse than amnesty).  It is a clear reflection of the bipartisan groundswell against illegal immigration and its devastating effects on the welfare state and public safety.  That’s why many Democrats would not be caught dead endorsing amnesty in public unless they hail from a completely safe Democrat district.

Yet, the wizards of smart in the consultant universe will swear up and down that if we don’t support amnesty we will lose every election.  These people fail to understand that every political position is somewhat of a wash in a 50/50 country.  Every major position taken on a given policy issue will make some groups happy and alienate others.  In policy terms, it should all be about doing the right thing.  In political terms, it’s all about being a net positive in an effort to win a majority coalition.  Standing for the rule of law on illegal immigration is one of this biggest net positive issues on the political scene.  Poll after poll of the Arizona immigration law has shown this issue to be a 70/30 split in our favor.

The supposition of those GOP consultants rests on two faulty premises.   First, they are assuming that there are a plethora of Hispanics who are clamoring to support us on issues such as welfare cuts and entitlement reform, but are immediately driven to the Democrat Party at the first sign of resistance to amnesty.  It’s hard to imagine how many people are included in that focus group.  Second, they are assuming that the number of potential Hispanic voters that are lost due to opposition to amnesty will outweigh the millions of Reagan Democrats and white working class voters who would desert the GOP for supporting amnesty.

It is clear from the timidity on the part of Democrats to pursue this issue that they are not looking at the same numbers as the GOP consultants.  The reality is that for every one Hispanic vote Republicans would win in a failed attempt to “out-left” the Democrats on this issue, they will lose dozens of white working class votes.  They are eschewing their values to win voters that are out of reach at the expense of those who are well within reach.

Illegal immigration is such a liability for the Democrats that even in Maryland, the most Democrat state in the country, they are suffering defeat.  Last year, with just a few thousand dollars in cash, the beleaguered Maryland conservatives launched the most successful petition drive in Maryland history to place the state dream act as a referendum on the ballot this November.  More than a third of those who signed were Democrats.  I bumped into many hard-core liberals who support every big government program imaginable, yet categorically rebuffed the whole concept of offering benefits to illegals.  “What part of ‘illegal’ do the politicians not understand?” was a common refrain from numerous Democrat supporters.

It is quite possible that Obama and the Democrats will suffer a stinging rebuke when the Supreme Court is expected to throw out the DOJ lawsuit against Arizona.  Yet, it is also possible that Senator Rubio will snatch defeat from the jaws of victory and introduce some version of the Dream Act.  Why taint that victory?

Another point lost in this debate is political.  Does anybody really think that a DREAM Act written up by Senator Rubio magically gives Republicans a political win with Hispanics?  We know how this is going to play out.  The Republican Conference in the House and Senate will be split, yet all Democrats will support some version of the DREAM Act.  Senator Rubio’s legislation will be loaded up with objectionable amendments and it will be expanded.  Senator Jeff Sessions will lead the charge against the bill.  Half the Republican caucus will be tagged as being anti-Hispanic for opposing.  If it passes, Rubio will join President Obama for a big signing ceremony where the President will declare victory over the anti-illegal immigration wing of the Republican Caucus.  In partisan politics, there are winners and losers. President Obama will win politically and Mitt Romney will lose.

This bill is expected to grant something just short of a pathway to citizenship for millions of illegals, engendering a massive strain on our welfare system, thereby repeating the same mistakes of Simpson-Mazzoli in 1986.  Also, one would have to expect that Democrats will have the votes to change the bill to create the pathway to citizenship.

According to my sources on the Hill and a story in the Tampa Bay Times, Senator Rubio has been joined by Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona and Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas in secretly negotiating with Democrats on a “Republican DREAM Act.”  Note that both are retiring and have nothing politically to lose by embracing an unpopular issue with the Republican base.

Democrats are already salivating at the opportunity that these Republicans are affording them to divide the conservative coalition.  The DREAM Act was one of the few legislative initiatives that Democrats failed to pass in 2009 even with unparalleled power over all branches of government.   Despite their rhetorical bravado, they read the polling data and understand that it would have been a political loser.  Now, a group of Republicans will give them an election-year gift – one that will divide conservatives and alienate millions of blue collar voters in swing states that are 90% on their way to the Republican tent.

If Republicans want to win over the Hispanic vote, they need to run away from the pandering of the DREAM Act and push for issues that are attractive to most religious leaning voters and voters who mistrust a big government.  Push for traditional marriage, more freedom to create small businesses, freedom to work without compulsory union membership and the right to send children to the school of their choice.  Common sense stuff; not pandering.

This is a quintessential example of Republicans living up to their reputation as the stupid party.

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  • rightlane1111

    There have not been “very specific” ideas put out there. However, I hear this…so I cannot reference it, Rubio is in favor of those people in this country illegally registering for a guest worker program…and that their stay in the USA is for a limited amount of time, followed by return to their country and application for US citizenship…beginning at the back of the line?

    I think that boots on the ground should be paramount for a Republican push for Hispanic votes.

    We might not like it…but the alternative is hell. What do I mean…Obama in office for another four years.

    Look at what is going on in FL right now with Governor Scott and Eric Holder. Scott is not allowed to purge the voter roles of Illegals. Why not make these people apply for a visa/green card/guest worker card…WHY? Rubio’s idea of a limited stay is good…and then they go through the SAME process as every other person wanting to become a citizen. Get this thing out in the open…they have to register…then we know who and what we are dealing with. Right now we know nothing.

    Bush tried to get something like this enacted…nothing. In fact…nothing has happened for decades. Someone comes up with an idea…and now he’s no good? It’s a start. If our Republicans were smart…they’d get that border secured and they would have a system in place. If Obama is in charge….he’ll give them political asylum….just like he did those 100,000 Palistinians.

    • http://impudent.edublogs.org/ kyle8

      I haven’t read all the details, but nothing here seems “beyond the pale”, And, at any rate it is just a starting point for a discussion we ought to have as a party on just what will be our preferred way to deal with this issue.

      I live in Houston, believe me, illegal immigration has huge costs, but our Hispanic population here also brings with it many positives. Including a high work ethic, conservative families, and a healthy birth rate. (Show me an area with few children and I will show you a gentrified, geriatric, place with falling infrastructure and tax base).

      We have to find some way to hold on to some of these positives while reducing the negatives.

      • likeaglove

        “they are assuming that the number of potential Hispanic voters that are lost due to opposition to amnesty will outweigh the millions of Reagan Democrats and white working class voters who would desert the GOP for supporting amnesty.”

        Amen. You CAN’T out-amnesty the Democrats. Relenting on this will only guarantee the death of the Republican party. The types of illegals we have will NEVER vote for Republicans in any meaningful numbers.

        I was with Bush until he started pushing for amnesty. That opened my eyes to him. He had been embracing big-government conservatism prior to that, but his amnesty proposal showed me exactly where we, the average law-abiding taxpayers who believe in following the rules, stood with him.

        There is a great article by Ross Douthat that is worth reading. It describes illegal immigration as a elitist vs. non-elitist issue. It was spot on. I’m just shocked that it was published in the NYT. Here’s a link:

        http://campaignstops.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/12/the-great-immigration-reform-mirage/

        You’re right. It’s the Dems who are splintering on this. The anti-amnesty side won this battle in the Republican Party (despite the whining of Jeb Bush or David Brooks or others).

      • westcoastpatriette

        I am with Erick on this and think it is stupid to make any moves to tackle this before the election. No matter what we do we are going to be labeled racist. Why open the can of worms to assist the Dems with all their accusations?

        Besides, we really don’t need reform. We need consistent enforcement of the laws on the books. The answers are quite simple, but as usual, the weak Republicans allow themselves to be duped by the manipulative rhetoric of the left every time.

        • goodolboy

          There is no right for everybody or anybody to migrate into the United States at will. None whatsoever. Only those who have something to contribute positively to the country should be allowed here. Before Teddy Kennedy screwed up the immigation process in 1965 we had a fairly orderly process that was positively beneficial to the US, Now we are looked at as a welfare cow by many. We have some people here who do nothing but suck us dry. If one reads the Founders opinions of immigration they believed only those who share the same values and same cultures should be allowed to immigrate here and that was mainly Europeans. This would enable us to be a melting pot vs the mosiac we are having today.
          I’m sick and tired of hearing about letting children who were brought here by their parents “through no fault of their own.” and we should let them stay and become citizens thru some process that is shorten. One would assume their parents and kin folks who came here illegally will be allowed to stay. There is nothing wrong with childred suffering the bad decisions of their parents.
          There are thousands of people sitting on foreign shores for years to legal immigrate here with positive skills who are not getting any help in coming here. We are being flooded by many parasites who support the leftists. Those who have waited years to come here and made it here by following the rules don’t want those others shortcutting the system. By the way, this idea of “going to the back of the line” is a bunch of horse squeeze. There ain’t no line. And going to the back of a nonexistent line and staying here at the same time ain’t right either.

          • Kyle-MI

            It doesn’t matter what the details of the plan are. The problem is that bringing up the issue distracts from the focus of Romney’s campaign. We need to stay on message about the economy and Obama’s economic record.

            By bringing this up, Rubio shows a lack of message discipline, a lack of playing with the team, and a poor understanding of campaign strategy. It is not even playing to Rubio’s own strength.

          • mikeymike143

            he needs to be more concerned with what the republican primary voters in florida think of him. and we are anti amnesty and anti dream act down here.

          • proudmarinemom

            Absolutely no specifics about any new “Dream Act” — by that name or any other — have been put forth. At least, I cannot find them.

            Romney is right to keep the focus of our ADD electorate on the economy, but the idea that efforts to keep ‘immigration reform’ out of the discussion will endure is foolish. It is going to come up.

            If Rubio has a solution to propose, why is it wrong for him to get a rough draft ready? When he’s asked, which he will be, he’ll have some answers.

            Anyone who can’t see that a young, good-looking, articulate and intelligent guy like Rubio will breathe some life into Romney’s already boring campaign needs to step away from the keyboard and get out more.

          • http://xmmlbchat.blogspot.com katesmith

            There are other things going on in Florida. There’s a very bitter man in Florida with the last name of Bush. Perhaps he’s bitter because he’s a loser. He supported the establishment candidate McCollum for Fla. Governor in 2010 and the guy lost to the Tea Party candidate Rick Scott. In 2000 as the alleged popular Governor of Florida, he couldn’t even deliver the state to his own brother. It’s said Jeb. Bush was helpful in getting Sen. Rubio elected and that Rubio is quite loyal to him. As others have noted, the GOP establishment considers it job #1 to keep conservatives from getting a foothold in the party. Beating democrats isn’t nearly so important to them. Mr. Bush has made his views about immigration clear. They’re the same as his brother’s only moreso. He has also made clear how he feels about conservatives. It’s common knowledge it was the GOP establishment who got Allen West removed from his district in Florida. If they would take out a conservative hero like Allen West, it’s hardly a stretch to imagine they’re pushing immigration in their quest to once and for all silence conservatives.

          • westcoastpatriette

            Sounds right on the money.

          • westcoastpatriette

            Details are pending but Fox is awaiting announcement from Janet Napolitano that Homland Security will start issuing work visas to illegals rather than deport.

            To hell with Congress…we now have a legislative King!

          • acat

            Ace of Spades has the burning skull up …

            Applies to illegals under 30 who were brought here (and just how do they prove that?) underage.

            Grants a work permit type visa, no path to citizenship, to the illegal.

            Depending on what the teleprompter has to say at 1:30 in the rose garden, I am now curious about whether Rubio was trying a preemptive strike…..

            Mew

          • westcoastpatriette

            That is what is bringing this to a head. If 1070 is upheld, pro-amnesty people see states increasing enforcement. That and political needs to pander before the election are causing both sides to scramble and make a mess messier.

          • acat

            If the Supremes find that Arizona (and Alabama) are right on, as they ought, it’ll be a huge economic advantage to the Red States… and to anti-illegal elements in the Dem party. (Caesar Chavez and his farm workers union used to go beat down illegals who encroached on their turf …)

            It’ll be interesting to see what sort of compromise, if any, comes out of the chaos.

            Mew

          • rightlane1111

            We had better get this guy out of the WH.

            I am not Hispanic…I do not live in an area where Hispanics live. That being said…and I have shared this on the board before….When I need work done…I can’t get it out of the locals. We are in a depressed area now because of Obama. Tourists aren’t visiting us often because they are broke. So…the people that worked in this job category (hotels, antiques, etc) are not doing business. What have the locals done? Relocated…OR gone on Welfare. Meanwhile…when I need work done…the bid from the locals that are still in business is DOUBLE…AND SOMETIMES TRIPLE that of what I can get it done by companies that employ Hispanic workers…and I might add…they do a better job.

            I’m a person that believes in competition. If the American worker would get rid of their unions…that use their monies for political gain…not that of the worker…we might have competition. Additionally..whether we like it or not…many Americans have forgot the work ethic of their fathers and sat on their lazy behinds collecting unemployment…gratis of Obama and HIS ECONOMY.

          • acat

            Sometimes the culture affects government, sometimes the government affects culture. The over-dependence on welfare certainly looks like government distorting culture.

            The fix is relatively simple to describe, relatively difficult to implement – need to shift back toward a “don’t work, don’t eat” model. Ironically, some of the WPA programs make a lot more sense – other than they weren’t competitive-bid – than the current scenario, paying slackers not to work.

            *sigh* The gravy train isn’t gonna stop in the station, it’s gonna go right off the end of the line and wreck.

            Mew

          • kipling

            I could use information like this to counter the leftist hagiography of Chavez in the textbooks.

          • acat

            I forget where I read it .. newspaper? Possibly something when I was researching unions? It would have been offline and likely in a library… If you’re game for library research, I’d suggest finding some ’70s-vintage Chavez autobiographies.

            If you’re more interested in online, I would suggest that you start with the Chavez article on Wikipedia which hasn’t been purged of its’ links supporting the claim.

            Ironically, one of the two goes to a pro-Vegan page.

            Mew

          • acat

            My error, I was only counting the ones for the last paragraph.

            Mew

          • kipling

            I am sure I can track it down with the links and information you provided.

          • acat

            I find the leftist tendency to rewrite history offensive, and something that must be fought, tooth and nail, to keep their lies from taking root.

            Mew

            p.s. “oceania has never been at war with eastasia”

          • rightlane1111

            and we ate our own. The next chess play… after we talk about illegals…paint the Republicans as racists. So predictable. With such smart people in our Party…why do we lack common sense?

          • acat

            …not hard-nosed, cold-eyed partisans.

            We nominate Rotary Club members and Knights of Columbus leaders .. people who see success as forming consensus and getting along, people who think the idea of negotiating with a Dem with your knee on his chest and your knife at his throat as “wrong” or “extreme”… but the Dems have no problem nominating partisans.

            Is it any wonder why we’re the Stupid Party?

            Mew

          • cbartlett

            And we don’t just nominate them – we reward them for longevity of service being a nice guy with a resume’ of community leadership – kind of like earning a scholarship. Then we force the nominee to be the next one in line, as in “you’ve earned your turn now” (re: Dole, McCain….. and Romney?) by demonizing the ones opposing them that might actually have better ideas and more popular support. What was that about eating our own?

          • acat

            Dole, McCain, and Bush 1.0 were all .. neutered.

            They had no fight left, they all seemed to want to be the nominee, but not the President. Bush 1.0 won only because the Dems couldn’t figure out how to run against Reagan. (Carter, Mondale, Dukakis…)

            Bush 2.0 knew he wanted the job and knew how to fight, but was lousy at public speaking … and wasn’t nearly hard-nosed enough.

            I’m hoping the younger generation of GOPers – the Palins, Jindals, et al – are less .. neutered than their predecessors. So far, it looks that way.

            Mew

          • mikeymike143

            conservatives are really against any form of amnesty or dream act. and the image conscious rubio is getting some bad advice on this issue.

          • rightlane1111

            n/t

          • davenj1

            who screwed up a perfectly workable immigration system. When they abandoned the Bracerro program and converted immigration to a family reunification program, things went downhill. Immigration has always been an economic issue, not a family values issue. Even still, this country has taken in numerous peoples from around the world facing not economic hardship, but religious, racial and ethnic persecution in their home countries.

        • davenj1

          n/t

        • rightlane1111

          The Republican Party has been called the Party of Stupid and The Democrats…the Party of Corruption. Look at what we are doing in Congress…WCP…sticking our heads in the sand…AND DOING NOTHING ABOUT ANYTHING…except let spending continue.

          Immigration has been a problem in this country for DECADES…and NOBODY has done anything about it…except Obama who has a policy of “catch and release”. This has to STOP.

          Whether you agree with it or not…we need NUMBERS on our side to win…and quite frankly, I can live with the positives that Kyle talks about rather than OBAMA FOR ANOTHER FOUR YEARS.

          We can’t open a can of worms? Excuse me….The Republicans don’t know how to articulate (communicate) the message…and that has been their problem since Reagan left office. (Calling Romney….It’s a choice…not a referendum…open your mouth)

          We have a problem…all of us agree. Do we leave it as a problem or get out in front of it. It…the problem has to be fixed…or left to the “open border system”. BTW how long have we been trying to fix this??????

          OK…let’s say that Obama paints Republicans as racists. (1) The public is sick of the word. (2) We are problem solvers…not status quo or for lack of a better word…leaving it fester. WE….The Republican Party need to take charge of the MESSAGE…not the Democrats. This program of Rubio’s solves several problems. We know who they are, we know who they work for, they have to return to their country, they have to go to the back of the line.

          Obama’s solution…katie bar the door…and let them ALL IN. It’s a clear choice…and since everyone is calling for CHOICE…rather than referendum…and many Hispanics have qualities that we admire…rather them on our side than on Obama’s….then we are all SCREWED.

          God Grant Me The Serenity to Accept the Things I Cannot Change…the Hispanics are here and the fence HAS YET TO BE BUILT (Remember we had 8 years of GWB) and HOW DO WE DEPORT THEM…WE HAVEN’T YET.

          The Courage To Change The Things I Can….FIX THE PROBLEM…DON’T PRETEND IT DOES NOT EXIST…OR WORSE…DO IT FOR FEAR OF POLITICAL CONSEQUENCES….Excuse me…we do that with Cap and Trade, Wars, etc.

          The Wisdom to Know The Difference…This election is Ground Zero…it’s all or nothing…and like it or not…we can solve this problem if we have the COURAGE to OPEN OUR MOUTHS AND TAKE CONTROL OF THE SITUATION.

          • westcoastpatriette

            of doing anything constructive with this administration and Congress. But, you are fooling yourself if you think that is the case.

            Let the Dems bury themselves. No reason for us to start the digging as we will inevitably wind up looking like fools.

            My main point being, do nothing until after the election. Any thing else is nothing but pandering and positioning –no matter which side is doing it — which makes everyone look like opportunistic, conniving politicians rather than doing what is in the nation’s best interest.

          • rightlane1111

            and do nothing. Check out how he is manipulating their votes on Spanish speaking TV Ads.

            Again…this is ground zero and if you don’t think this guy in the WH will do just about ANYTHING…then you are mistaken. It’s an issue…Obama is already on it…and what are we doing…castigating one of OUR OWN. Let’s talk about Obama’s record…Catch and Release…or better yet…his amnesty for 100,000 Palestinians who sought political asylum….and btw…many of their kind are coming over the border also.

            What’s wrong with leading WITH BOOTS ON THE GROUND AND A WORK PERMIT…and if they don’t have one…DEPORT.

          • cbartlett

            to get anything done with this Congress and President, much less anything that will actually work.

            I’m with Erick on this one too – the ONLY thing Romney should say right now is that we need to shut the border down FIRST. Then, and only then, should we begin a discussion on the next steps. Any other discussions right now (like Rubio’s) will only look like pandering for the election. AND will lose support from somebody somewhere – this is a very difficult, complex and polarizing issue.

  • Flagstaff

    he’s an articulate conservative who can argue conservatism in an understandable way. Still, it’s strange that he’s even talking about the subject unless he’s under pressure in Florida to do so. As it’s been pointed out that Paul Ryan didn’t have to introduce a budget bill that can be used against us, we can wonder about Rubio’s Dream Act. The following is key:

    We know how this is going to play out. The Republican Conference in the House and Senate will be split, yet all Democrats will support some version of the DREAM Act. Senator Rubio?s legislation will be loaded up with objectionable amendments and it will be expanded. Senator Jeff Sessions will lead the charge against the bill. Half the Republican caucus will be tagged as being anti-Hispanic for opposing. If it passes, Rubio will join President Obama for a big signing ceremony where the President will declare victory over the anti-illegal immigration wing of the Republican Caucus. In partisan politics, there are winners and losers. President Obama will win politically and Mitt Romney will lose.

    …Also, one would have to expect that Democrats will have the votes to change the bill to create the pathway to citizenship.

    Not only is the issue a loser for us, the process itself hurts us. Talk about it Senator Rubio, if you must, but learn from the Democrats’ example–you can talk a lot without actually saying or doing anything that can be used against you. You can even hold hearings!

    And also,

    Senator Rubio has been joined by Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona and Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas in secretly negotiating with Democrats on a ?Republican DREAM Act.?

    Why would a reasonable conservative want to be associated with those two in an election year?

  • rightlane1111

    I saw your article wherein Obama is going to give Illegals amnesty by Executive Order. Where is crybaby Boehner? Where are some of the hardnosed people in the Senate?

    What’s wrong with saying we are a Nation governed by the Rule of Law…the Constitution…not Obama’s political ambitions.

    They say don’t ever argue with a crazy person….Well, Republicans…it is time for you to put your feet down and grow a pair…as Sarah would say. The time for being nice is gone and so is our Republic if this person (Obama) gets back in the WH.

  • rightlane1111

    This head in the sand is not working.

    • tnfriendofcoal101368

      this just like when Obama tried to pick his last fake War on Women. He’ll say the President is overreaching (last time forcing Catholics against their belief, this time ursurping the will of Congress), then remind immigrants they haven’t done so well in the Obama economy. It was Rick Santorum who jumped in with both feet and essentially shot those feet to smithereens. If you looked at election issues as a wheel of cheese, immigration is a wedge issue (only some folks in the wheel care about it – and those are on opposite sides); the economy is wheel issue – every single molecule in the cheese cares and understands it is spoiling. You don’t need the wedge if you own the wheel. Right now, Romney owns the wheel and Obama is the one trying to break it into wedges.

      • acat

        I went over to http://www.mittromney.com and poked around some.

        Team Romney discuss immigration here …

        A Strong Stand Against Illegal Immigration

        Mitt Romney will protect legal immigration and the 4.5 million who are waiting in line to enter the United States legally by taking a strong stand against illegal immigration. He believes that illegal immigration must end and has a proven track record of advancing that goal.

        Secure The Border

        Mitt Romney will complete a high-tech fence and provide the necessary number of border patrol to finally secure our southern border.

        Turn Off The Magnets

        Mitt Romney opposes all ?magnets? that entice illegal immigrants to come to our country illegally and stay here. He will establish a tamper-proof employment verification system like E-Verify that will enable employers to hire only those legally permitted to work and deny jobs to those here illegally. This will turn off the jobs magnet that attracts so many unskilled workers to cross the border illegally or overstay their visas.

        It sounds to me like all Mitt Romney needs to do is, as you say, to turn this back to jobs and reiterate his positions above.

        Forget where I read it, but … some illegals are moving back to Mexico because it’s easier to find work there. If Romney has that figure, now’s the time to throw it in Obama’s face.

        Mew

  • Seedyrom

    today. This plan is a temporary fix and more of a deferment. As for Rubios plan, the only upside is we turn these people into tax payers but without a border solution the rush across the border grows. No one gets it except people like us.

    • acat

      Specifically, where Rubio stated he supports the Obama plan?

      Mew

      • tnfriendofcoal101368
      • tnfriendofcoal101368

        ?There is broad support for the idea that we should figure out a way to help kids who are undocumented through no fault of their own, but there is also broad consensus that it should be done in a way that does not encourage illegal immigration in the future,? said Rubio in a statement. ?This is a difficult balance to strike, one that this new policy, imposed by executive order, will make harder to achieve in the long run.?

        ?Today?s announcement will be welcome news for many of these kids desperate for an answer, but it is a short term answer to a long term problem,? Rubio added. ?And by once again ignoring the Constitution and going around Congress, this short term policy will make it harder to find a balanced and responsible long term one.?

        • acat

          It certainly appears that Rubio does not support the Obama fiat.

          This is why we don’t rush to judgement, people.

          Mew

          • Seedyrom

            and took it out of context using the first sentence of what tnfriendofcoal101368 wrote above your post. Dirty game they play sometimes. Ehh they could have misunderstood.

            Politico claims Rubio praised but his words were too suggest kids would welcome the news.

            http://www.politico.com/blogs/on-congress/2012/06/rubios-super-cautious-response-to-obama-on-immigration-126299.html

  • testing

    Rubio said it well. The kids of illegal aliens in fact did nothing wrong. Why blame them? Why punish them? Having said that, the current administartion has no right to selectively enforce laws. If they can do this with this issue then they can ignore any law they choose. It is blatantly buying votes. Here are some ways for Obama to buy votes. Stop prosecuting income tax disputes of swing state voters. Make cosmetic surgery for women covered under Obamacare. Only allow preferred ethnic groups and women into national parks. Have Social Security give disablity status to bald men (this will help me). It is so easy to buy votes. Obama’s plan sounds good to liberals now but what if conservatives planned to selectively enforce laws for their constituency? How would they like that?

    “Know the truth nad the truth will make you free.”
    The only solution is at www.thegrandjury.org

  • uncmike

    An April 5, 2012 press release by Senator Rubio, which you can access here: http://www.rubio.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=0ed50da3-b75c-4ed3-9e73-dfa1ace41357) carries part of a story by a CNN reporter called ?GOP version of Dream Act holds promise. The reporter calls the GOP approach touted by Rubio as ?a common sense solution,? that could ?break a stalemate and improve millions of lives. And it could only be opposed for ugly partisan reasons.?

    A May 3, 2012 article carried in National Review Online (NRO), called ?Rubio?s DREAM,? contains further information?see http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/298761/rubio-s-dream-katrina-trinko. According to its author, Katrina Trinko, many who opposed the 2010 version of the DREAM Act are likely to oppose Rubio?s version as well, ?and just as vehemently.? This story notes that Rubio has been reaching out to various conservatives about the new DREAM and his office has ?distributed to chiefs-of-staff for Republican senators a PowerPoint presentation entitled ?The Republican Challenge Among Hispanic Voters.?? As noted by Trinko, ?The presentation highlights the U.S.?s growing Hispanic population, and cites a poll conducted by the Hispanic Leadership Network that finds that 73 percent of Hispanics (and 63 percent of Republicans) think that undocumented [read that as illegal] immigrants who have no criminal records should be given legal status.? ?Republicans can?t ?just say no? to legislation expanding opportunity ? we must have an alternative,? is one of the ?concluding thoughts? in the presentation.
    The article continues with this comment by Alex Conant, Rubio?s press secretary: ?People understandably want to see the details before they take a position on it.? ?But I think people are very open to the idea. Folks understand that while these young people don?t have any legal claim to remain in the United States, they do have a claim on our conscience. They haven?t done anything wrong themselves.?
    But, as Trinko notes, not everyone is getting a meeting with the Rubio people: ?Kris Kobach, the architect of Arizona?s SB 1070 bill, says he hasn?t been contacted by Rubio or his staff about DREAM. Kobach, now the secretary of state of Kansas, tried to meet with Rubio in April in D.C. ?I did reach out and see if he was available to meet with me, but his staff reported he was unavailable,? Kobach says.? According to the article, Kobach said he could not back the bill ?if he?s giving non-immigrant visas to people who are unlawfully present. That?s an amnesty.?
    Another who opposes amnesty is Ira Mehlman of the Federation for American Immigration Reform?a group that opposes illegal immigration. Mehlman is quoted in the NRO piece as stating that ?Even though there is no actual bill to look at, it has all the earmarks of an amnesty and it?s something we?d be against.? When asked by Trinko whether it mattered that Rubio?s DREAM bill would give young adults non-immigrant visas instead of citizenship, Mehlman responded: ?If it permits people to remain in the country, gives them some sort of quasi-legal status, it?s a form of amnesty.?
    There is further concern voiced by Rosemary Jenks for NumbersUSA, who states that the current version, as described by media reports, ?is a non-starter? for NumbersUSA which would ?consider supporting the bill only if it ended chain migration, required employers to use E-Verify nationwide, and permitted only those young adults who had been brought to the United States at a very young age (think ten or younger) to be eligible for legal status. If the bill doesn?t include those provisions, NumbersUSA intends to actively oppose it. Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, points out to Trinko that NumbersUSA is ?sort of the most influential lobbying group most people have never heard of,? noting that they have a million activists. Krikorian too has concerns?he would like to see, among other things, something that would end chain migration. While many congressional Republicans have remained silent about Rubio?s DREAM measure, one member, Dennis Ross (R-FL), had this comment: ?I am unashamed to say there is a lot to like about his proposal.? Per Trinko, Speaker Boehner said he found Rubio?s proposal ?of interest,? but noted that he had doubts about its ability to advance in the House. Kobach stated that it doesn?t have a prayer in Congress and would ?collapse of its own weight if he proposes amnesty.?

    An article posted on the Limits to Growth website, http://www.limitstogrowth.org/articles/2012/04/17/rubio-dream-amnesty-is-touted-by-usual-scribblers/, and called ?Rubio DREAM Amnesty Is Touted by Usual Scribblers,? reminds voters of the disastrous McCain campaign of 2008 when McCain ?promised on Univision he would move a mass amnesty starting the first day of his Presidency.? That pledge, according to the article gained him 31 percent of the Hispanic vote but, as the article notes ?Perhaps McCain should have concentrated on the millions of traditional Americans who want immigration to be legal, controlled and reduced.? This article continues, ?If American wants to fix immigration anarchy, then the government will have to punish rather [than] reward foreign lawbreakers,? and reminds readers of a comment by Senator Charles Grassley who voted for amnesty in 1986: ?If you reward illegality, you get more of it.?
    The article also quotes an AP piece from April 17, 1012 called ?Rubio?s immigration push a potential lift for GOP,? which characterizes Rubio?s DREAM as ?the answer to the election-year prayers of the GOP?and Mitt Romney.? This AP item notes that Rubio is calling his evolving legislation ?the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors measure,? and calls it ?a conservative alternative to the DREAM Act.? Rubio is quoted by the AP as stating: ?We have come up with an immigration system that honors both our legacy as a nation of laws and also our legacy as a nation of immigrants.? Pew Center data quoted in the AP article claims that Obama has a 67-27 percent edge over Romney among Hispanic registered voters. According to the AP, ?It is a reality [Romney] clearly recognizes,? and quotes comments made by Romney to a private fundraiser in Florida in April ?in which he insisted the GOP needs an alternative to the DREAM Act,? warning that if a significant number of Hispanics back Obama, that ?spells doom for us.?
    Unsurprisingly, the article points out that Harry Reid takes the position that ?Rubio?s effort has little chance in the Democrat-controlled Senate,? telling reporters that he would not accept any alternative that stops short of providing a path to citizenship. Joaquin Castro, a Democratic member of the Texas legislature and a candidate for the U.S. House claims that Rubio ?must be troubled by the GOP anti-immigrant talk.?

    So, should the GOP take up some form of Rubio?s DREAM measure this year?before the November election? Erick Erickson addressed this issue yesterday (13 Jun 2012) in a very sensible post called ?Now Is Not The Time for the Senate GOP to Divide Republicans.? Regardless of the details of the plan, the question is one of timing as Erick notes. The issue is divisive as the many posts on RedState over the past couple of days make clear. Erick takes a position that many, including myself, hold. Namely, ?we should pursue no plan until we have secured the border.? Eric continues, noting that he is neither praising nor defending Rubio?s plan. Rather his purpose in making the post is to ?point out that should the Republicans in Congress actually pursue this plan, they will have fully become the stupid party and do more than any Democrat Super PAC to aid in Barack Obama?s re-election effort.? RedState?s own Daniel Horowitz echoed a similar sentiment in this very own piece?Rubio?s Nightmare Act Follow?asking ?Why is a group of Republicans, led by Senator Marco Rubio, hell-bent on fumbling the football at the goalpost while Democrats are losing on the issue of illegal immigration?? Horowitz makes what I think is a sensible observation: ?Nowhere do we find such a bifurcation between the views of those in the political class and the commonsense of the average citizen.?

    I think the same inside-the-Beltway consultants and liberal, er . . . progressive Republicans, have this issue wrong. I believe Erick and Daniel have it right. I am becoming increasingly concerned that the usual crowd has convinced Rubio, a man I have, in the past, held in high regard, to act as their point man in their misguided effort to win over the Hispanic votes for Romney. From the quotes above, Romney may feel such a move now is in his best interest?I do not. Given the fact that Rubio just joined the RINO twins from Maine in voting to confirm Maria del Carmen Aponte (a radical reject from the Clinton administration) as ambassador to the Dominican Republic, I wonder if that isn?t another effort to puff his pro-Hispanic credentials (see ?Senate Confirms Radical Aponte as Ambassador to El Salvador,? by Daniel Horowitz, and links contained therein.

    It seems from what I have seen and read that Romney has Obama over the coals on the economy and in many other (non-immigration-related) areas. The fact that just today Obama has, by executive fiat, nullified U.S. laws regarding illegals, shows that he wants a fight with Romney and the Republicans on just about any issue other than the economy. To get into an immigration fight with him now, one that splits the Republican base, will be just what Obama and Harry Reid want.

  • rightlane1111

    of “dumb” like other have referred to us as. Yesterday…Obama proved he was the party of corruption…as others have referred to the Democrats, i.e., the non-adherence to the Constitution.

    While we are going on and one about this problem…which I might point out was going to come out anyway…We are talking about VISA’s. Rubio’s plan was to have people here for a limited time, they were to return to their country and then apply for citizenship AT THE BACK OF THE LINE.

    Now…about these VISAS. Some of you need to come to Atlanta…to Emery University. Take a look at the people attending school there. They are on VISAS….and you might not like where they are from either.

    Look…unmike…there is a problem. Every president…every one has promised the fence…WHERE IS THE FENCE???? Where is our Congress on the FENCE. ANSWER: NOWHERE! Every four years we hear the SOS…and NOTHING HAPPENS. So..by this time in my life…fence talk does not give me hope and with all these bleeding heart libs out there…any form of wire might “hurt them”.

    I am not a progressive Republican. However…if I know that a subject is going to come up…I’d rather be on the offensive…out in front of the thing and DEFINING IT MY WAY. That is what Rubio was trying to do.

    Kitty…as far as Rubio being “just” the face of Cuban Americans…I think that the Republican bill…and Obama’s unconstitutional actions prove that he has been elevated by the press as a SPOX for Hispanics. BTW…Rubio DID NOT agree with Obama’s actions taken yesterday.

    What will the Congress do about it? NOTHING. And so we plod on towards the Parthenon….maybe China will bail us out?

  • renl57

    …the ONLY group in America that (according to polls) supports Obama more strongly in 2012 than in 2008.

    Given how badly the country is going under Obama, there can be only one explanation: They believe that Obama’s approach to immigration is less punitive toward Hispanics than Romney’s.

    Currently, Hispanics prefer Obama to Romney by 4 to 1. That’s more than supported Obama over McCain in 2008. And while “Reagan Democrats” in Midwestern states may help Romney there, in Western states like New Mexico, Colorado, Nevada, etc., in a close race the Hispanic vote could be critical.

  • westcoastpatriette

    established with conservatives if he follows through with this. He just might soooo tick off Tea Partyers and others who catapulted him to the US Senate that he finds himself primaried next time around.

  • http://madisonproject.com/ Daniel Horowitz

    If immigration is the overarching issue for Hispanic voters, why did Republican Hispanics vote overwhelmingly for Romney of Gingrich in Florida and Puerto Rico? It was in Florida that Romney ran well to the right of Gingrich on immigration and killed him on it during the debates.

  • renl57

    Florida Hispanics are mostly of Cuban descent, and Puerto Ricans are Puerto Ricans. They don’t have conservatives yelling to throw them out as invaders.

    The Hispanics in the West are of Mexican and Latin American descent.

  • davenj1

    Regardless of where one comes from- Cuba, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Ecuador, Colombia, etc.- immigration reform is not high on the list of concerns among Hispanics. In fact, according to the Pew Hispanic Center, it ranks 6th or 7th among their list of concerns.

  • PowerToThePeople

    and they are criminals. Not sure why they have any voice in our political system.

    Maybe all the Hispanics screaming about our immigration policy should show us how it is done and reform their own immigration policy which is as tough if not tougher than our own.

  • davenj1

    is to economically freeze them out of the country. As the recent recession has proven, illegal immigration, by all metrics, has decreased and many are now going home on their own. Even still, you are going to be left with a certain percentage here illegally.
    I still like the idea of Gingrich, although instead of 25 years, I would go with 15 or 12 years. Of course, I would attach provisos to the offer accelerated citizenship. By any other name, its amnesty, but I realistically see no other option and the amnesty would address a population way smaller than any number under the Reagan amnesty and IRCA of 1984.
    As for Rubio and the Tea Party mounting a primary against him in 2016, that is four years off and the Tea Party may not even be around then. I think this is a risk that Rubio could take now. I don;t agree with it 100% and I certainly don’t agree with the timing as concerns the 2012 campaign.

  • PowerToThePeople

    I have stated many times that the calls for god status for Rubio and that he be VP were way to premature. Given time, he will show who he really is and this was not a good start.

  • securitymom

    I actually think Rubio’s response was sound and reasonable.