Bush’s Stance on Immigration Has Roots in Midland

NY Times ^ | 6/24/07 | JIM RUTENBERG

[nj26]

Late last spring, Republicans in this West Texas oil town called for a boycott of Doña Anita’s Mexican restaurant, a retaliatory step against its owner, Luz Reyes, for closing shop and showing up at a rally against proposed new penalties for illegal immigrants.

But President Bush’s three best friends here defied the boycott and went to the restaurant, Mr. Bush’s favorite when he lived here, regardless...

The hometown divide helps to shed light on a broader rift, as Mr. Bush and like-minded Republicans engage in an unusually contentious fight with the rest of their party in the national debate over immigration.

Mr. Bush has pursued a goal of providing citizenship for the millions of illegal immigrants with rare invective, even as many of his conservative supporters deride his approach as tantamount to amnesty. There are various political motivations for Mr. Bush to push for his plan, including the rapid growth in the nation’s Hispanic population, a voting group that he has long considered to be potentially Republican.

But the roots of Mr. Bush’s passion lie here in Midland, now heavily Hispanic, the city where Mr. Bush spent much of his childhood...

As a boy, and later as a young, hard-drinking oilman, his friends say, Mr. Bush developed a particular empathy for the new Mexican immigrants who worked hard on farms, in oil fields and in people’s homes, and went on to raise children who built businesses and raised families of their own, without the advantages he had as the scion of a wealthy New England family.

The symbiosis fit with the Bush family’s Northeastern, free-trade Republicanism, which took on a Mexican flair, especially after Mr. Bush’s parents hired a live-in Mexican maid in Texas who became part of the family...

[nj26]

Advocating policy based upon teary-eyed emotion rather than upholding his Constitutional duties...

[madison10]

I don’t care if they hauled his butt from a sinking oil rig...he took an oath to the U.S. and her citizens which needs to be upheld.

[My GOP]

Why can’t the President develop empathy for the law and up holding his oath office?

[Cowboy Bob]

There are various political motivations for Mr. Bush to push for his plan, including the rapid growth in the nation’s Hispanic population, a voting group that he has long considered to be potentially Republican.

If the Illegals were deported, there would no longer be "rapid growth" in the nation's Hispanic population, and would no longer be considered an important voting group.

[SirJohnBarleycorn]

without the advantages he had as the scion of a wealthy New England family.

When the NYT fingers Bush as a guilty limousine liberal, at least they're talking about something they know well...

[SWAMPSNIPER]

Midland, or Hell?

[Uri’el-2012]

Mr. Bush developed a particular empathy for the new Mexican immigrants who worked hard on farms, in oil fields and in people’s homes, and went on to raise children who built businesses and raised families of their own, without the advantages he had as the scion of a wealthy New England family.

If he were really from Texas, and not from Connecticut
he would know that they carried "Green Cards"

[no-to-illegals]

there has to be a reason ....
and I don't know why.....
any sworn office holder would dare betray a piece of the oath,
'to protect the nation' and overall I think the enemy is definitely
in amongst the citizenry
and why an oath would be so blatantly disregarded as
a piece of trash.....
is beyond comprehension, but if.....'if' there's a plan,
I'm blind to it.....
but that's my opinion, and my opinion can sometimes be trashed, so what say you
my President.....what's your plan?
Amnesty.....?

I and America aren't buying.

Now lets sit down and talk about the 'anchor babies'

[Aria]

I don’t have a problem with Mexicans coming here legally. I hate the poverty I’ve seen in Mexico and the political system there that enables the rich to disregard the poor. But rather than address their own issues, Mexico is sending us their poor and the American taxpayers are expected to provide services for one and all. If they came here under the same terms as other waves of immigrants, only seeking a chance, not a guarantee of prosperity, then it would be much easier to accept. That would weed out the hard workers truly willing to make a better life from those who are here to scam us.

[OldSmaj]

From the body of the story:

“There’s just a real disconnect between the folks of West Texas and the president right now,” said Mike Conaway...

Allow me to fix that:

“There’s just a real disconnect between the folks of West Texas republican/conservative base and the president right now,” said Mike Conaway...

There.

And I really, really hate to have to say that, being a long-time "W" supporter and cheerleader.

But he has abandoned me and he has advocated things in this amnesty/immigration issue that just totally put me off from him and make me look askance at any other things he is involved in.

What hurts the most is the fact that he doesn't appear to care that he has lost us.

There...I've said it. Something I've been wanting to say for about 6 months or so.

[Malesherbes]

Right. This is exactly the NYT’s area of expertise.

[Prokopton]

I have met many fine, family oriented, hardworking people in various countries throughout the world, that doesn’t mean I want 20 million of them illegally invading my Country.

[Nucluside]

I know Midland very well and the NYT article is such BS. Plenty of legal, (many have roots going back hundreds of years) U.S. Mexicans are p——d about the amnesty bill for all the same reasons we are. What amazes me about the NYT is they are even inclined to write a sympathetic article about Bush-even to achieve a political goal. When he is agin’em he is the devil incarnate. Frankly, I don’t think anyone has an idea why he is pushing that bill, unless he is paying back lobbyists.

[norton]

I think this covers it better than any teary eyed fondness for home made tamales:
"In winning election as governor in 1994, and winning re-election in 1998, Mr. Bush succeeded in drawing an unexpectedly high level of support from Hispanic voters."

GWB wouldn't be where he is today without mexican help both inside Texas and across the border.

Jeb wouldn't be where he is today without GWB.

Neither one of them has a clue about where the American public is today.

[nyyankeefan]

el presidente jorge bush ~ traicionó a su país!!!!

[Aria]

There are various political motivations for Mr. Bush to push for his plan, including the rapid growth in the nation’s Hispanic population, a voting group that he has long considered to be potentially Republican.

I do think that the Mexicans who come here legally to work are potentially Republican voters...the ones who come here to avail themselves of our government's generosity with Other People's Confiscated Money money are obviously Democrats.

[gubamyster]

ping

[Prokopton]

“There’s just a real disconnect between folks of West Texas republican/conservative base the majority of United States citizens and the president right now,” said Mike Conaway...

[raybbr]

The symbiosis fit with the Bush family’s Northeastern, free-trade Republicanism, which took on a Mexican flair, especially after Mr. Bush’s parents hired a live-in Mexican maid in Texas who became part of the family...

I KNEW the reason was a mexican was his "first time".....

[pablo H]

Wonder why the NYT didn't tell us before about Bush’s love of “Hardworking” Hispanics? Why the strange, new respect?

I thought Bush was - per the NYT - a Typical ‘Racist’ Republican?

How typical, support illegal immigration, or any other ‘Hate America First’ and the NYT will shower you with praise.