Posted on 08/21/2015 5:47:15 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Jeb Bush’s defense of the term “anchor babies” marks a departure from the messaging instructions that a GOP Hispanic outreach group he advised gave to Republican lawmakers in 2013.
Bush used the term while rejecting Donald Trump’s call for an end to birthright citizenship. “If there’s abuse, if people are bringing — pregnant women are coming in to have babies simply because they can do it, then there ought to be greater enforcement,” he told conservative talk-show host Bill Bennett on Wednesday. “That’s [the] legitimate side of this. Better enforcement so that you don’t have these, you know, ‘anchor babies,’ as they’re described, coming into the country.”
Bush reminded voters that some popular Republicans have benefited from birthright citizenship. “If people are here legally, they have a visa and they have a child who’s born here, I think that they ought to be American citizens,” he said today in New Hampshire. “People like Marco Rubio, by the way, that’s how he came. So to suggest that we make it impossible for a talented person like that not to be a candidate for president, or Ted Cruz? I think we’re getting a little overboard here.”
Hillary Clinton jabbed Bush over his use of the term — “they’re called babies,” she tweeted — and reporters asked him if it was too “bombastic” during a press gaggle at his New Hampshire appearance. “Do you have a better term?” he responded. “You give me a better term and I’ll use it.”
The Hispanic Leadership Network, a GOP Hispanic outreach group with extensive ties to Bush, didn’t provide an alternative in 2013 when it instructed Republican officials to stop using the phrase. “Don’t use the term ‘anchor baby,’” the group said in a memo to congressional allies. The memo was sent to Republican lawmakers two weeks after Bush and other prominent Republicans held an HLN conference in Florida “to begin mapping out GOP outreach to Hispanics for the 2014 cycle,” according to Politico.
Bush co-founded HLN in 2011 in order to attract Hispanic voters to the GOP. “We have a situation right now where Republicans send out signals that Hispanics aren’t wanted in our party, not by policy so much as by tone,” he said at the time.
The rhetorical shift testifies to the apparent difficulty of appealing to immigration hawks who have rallied to Donald Trump without turning off Hispanic voters — a tension that Bush appeared to feel during Thursday’s exchange.
“Here’s the deal, what I said was, it’s commonly referred to [as] that. That’s what I said. I didn’t use it as my own language,” Bush told reporters. “You want to get to the policy for a second? I think that people born in this country ought to be American citizens.”
— Joel Gehrke is a political reporter for National Review.
I am ecstatic Jeb and Rubio are going at it. More, more, more. G’wan...do it...do it!!!!
That's an argument for it?
So are the 'fetuses' butchered by Planned Parenthood, you withered old hypocrite.
“”Better enforcement so that you don’t have these, you know,””
Gosh Jeb! That’s what the entire controversy is about - ILLEGAL ALIENS!!! If we had enforcement, we would not be discussing this problem!!!!
I’m surprised Clinton hasn’t held a presser yet with a bunch of adult anchor babies standing behind her... Getting slow in her old age.
"Unviable tissue mass citizens."
RINO FIGHT!!!!
Señor Jeb has lost the ability to understand that there is a DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LEGAL AND ILLEGAL ALIENS. It’s all just one big “act of love” to Jebbie.
He did say “anchor baby” though.
He’s an anchor husband.
My, how assertive!. I think Trump is having a great influence here. Where was this kind of response in previous RINO campaigns for president. All we've had his mealy-mouthed apologetic wussies like Mittens who were too afraid to speak the plain truth.
“You want to get to the policy for a second? I think that people born in this country ought to be American citizens.”
__________________________________________
But what you think Jebbie is not what the Constitution says..
So did Bobby Jindal.
Were Rubio’s parents here legally? I know (via Wiki) they weren’t citizens until after he was born, but if they were here legally as non-citizens, were they “subject to the jurisdiction thereof”? Jeb! actually brings up a fascinating case study.
Mark Levin ask, “are they anchor fetuses” Since, they’re not actually a baby until they are born.
Wong Kim Ark is on point. His parents were legally domiciled in the US, but by law, could not become citizens. Wong Kim Ark left the country, returning to China, and when he re-entered the US, was denied entry. He sued, arguing that he was a US citizen, because he was born in the US to parents who were legally in the US. He won.
“I’m surprised Clinton hasn’t held a presser yet with a bunch of adult anchor babies standing behind her... Getting slow in her old age.”
Not getting slow it’s just timing.
Need to get the issue into the public discussion first it’s called “heightened public awareness”, maybe a few mass protest by illegals, then Hillary will use the issue.
Once Hillary uses the issue expect more and more protest all blamed on the “racist right wing extremist” for being haters.
He’s an anchor husband.
¡excelente!
Rubio is a lib and will run as the Dem nominee to replace Hillary.
He is the Dems’ fantasy player as he will appeal to Hispanics and those supporting illegals.
Imagine Trump vs Rubio in November 2016.
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