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Reporter asks Ted Cruz four times: “How do you define amnesty?”
Hot Air ^ | 12/01/2015

Posted on 12/01/2015 10:41:52 AM PST by BlackFemaleArmyColonel

The best part is when she asks the obvious follow-up -- is a path to legalization "amnesty"? -- and he won't even make eye contact.

There's a spectrum of answers to this question on the right, of course:

1. Amnesty is citizenship without preconditions. That's the strictest definition, and naturally the one preferred by Beltway Republicans like Marco Rubio in his Gang of Eight days. (Marco Rubio circa 2010 had a different view.) As long as you're forcing illegals to jump through some sort of hoop, be it learning English, paying back taxes, going to the back of the line, etc, that's not amnesty -- even if you're granting them citizenship. Anything short of immediate voting rights for illegals, no questions asked, is A-OK.

2. Amnesty is citizenship. That's Jeb Bush's position, as I understand it. Jeb will legalize 'em, let 'em stay in the U.S. and work, but allowing them to become full citizens with voting rights goes too far in rewarding them for breaking our laws. The most an illegal can aspire to be is a permanent legal resident. Beyond that lies amnesty.

3. Amnesty is legalization unless you've improved security first. That's Ted Cruz's position (and Marco Rubio's current position), again as I understand it. This isn't so much a literal definition of "amnesty," which is a matter of legal status, as it is a political compromise between the two prongs of comprehensive immigration reform. Legalization (i.e. work permits) is on the table if and only if we see concrete improvements in internal enforcement first. Border hawks got suckered in 1986 by accepting promises of future border security in return for immediate grants of amnesty; despite the Gang of Eight's best efforts, they won't get suckered again.

(Excerpt) Read more at hotair.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Constitution/Conservatism; Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Front Page News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Texas; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: 2016election; aliens; amnesty; anchorbabies; bordersecurity; buildthewall; citizenship; crime; cruz; culturalinvasion; deport; deportthemall; drainonresources; election2016; elections; fence; health; illegalimmigration; illegals; infiltrators; invasion; jobs; legalstatus; nationalsecurity; sanctuarycities; security; sendthemback; tedcruz; texas; trojanhorse; trump; trumpwasright; wall
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To: Amntn; brothers4thID

No, Cruz voted against TPA.


301 posted on 12/01/2015 3:48:41 PM PST by BuckeyeTexan (There are those that break and bend. I'm the other kind. ~Steve Earle)
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To: CottonBall

I belive that if the WALL is built....if e-verify is put in place and inforced completely, and if all laws are inforced....THEN and ONLY THEN....we can talk. You state that you will not support a Cruz/Trump ticket?


302 posted on 12/01/2015 3:50:36 PM PST by mosley
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To: dragnet2

Trump & ???


303 posted on 12/01/2015 3:52:08 PM PST by mosley
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To: BuckeyeTexan

Ah....Sanders? Right? You will support Sanders?


304 posted on 12/01/2015 3:53:37 PM PST by mosley
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To: dragnet2

I KNEW IT!!!! RUUUBIO!!!!


305 posted on 12/01/2015 3:56:57 PM PST by mosley
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To: Jim Robinson

Hi Jim, You know I am a Trump fan and will remain so. However I certainly would vote for Cruz. What disturbs me is I saw for myself a few times when Cruz was questioned about Illegal Immigrants he would not agree with ANY deportation. Not even those Illegals in our prisons! Like Donald says, why should our tax dollars be used to keep them in our prisons? Cruz has yet to agree with ANY form of deportation.

Cruz is to be on Hannity tonight and Sean said he was going to ask Cruz directly about deportation of Illegals. We will see if he does. :)


306 posted on 12/01/2015 3:57:38 PM PST by seekthetruth (Still praying for a Commander In Chief who honors and supports our Military!)
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To: dragnet2

No, I think Trump says “the right things.” He is actually my second choice, after Cruz. But because of his cash and celebrity he has been able to get away with saying what some consider to be outrageous things.

A “regular” (i.e. not a billionaire) candidate needs to raise money. Potential big donors don’t line up to give money to someone the New York Times is calling a racist, so a candidate has to avoid saying things that draw the ire of press (who happen to be overwhelmingly liberal). It is a balancing act. I am sure that if I were in a private sit down with Cruz, he would say that he would be in favor of deporting illegals. He, and most other Republican candidates, cannot afford - literally - to say something like that in public.

Trump, however, not needing the financial support, can say whatever the hell he wants. My concern with Trump is the degree to which he believes it.

So on one hand I have a candidate who says the right things, but I don’t know if I trust, and on the other hand one who can’t say the right things, but whose previous actions lead me to believe I can trust him.

What a mess.


307 posted on 12/01/2015 4:02:10 PM PST by Crusher138 ("Then conquer we must, for our cause it is just")
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To: Crusher138

What LUCIDITY!!!
BRAVO!!!


308 posted on 12/01/2015 4:23:10 PM PST by mosley
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To: JediJones

Everyone knows that the art of the deal is to go big when negotiating. That way, you have enough room to give up a few things that are lower on your priority list and still get the things that are higher on your priority list. Trump is a deal maker always.

So, Trump says he will build a wall and have Mexico pay for it. It’s more likely that he will build a partial wall (because Rio Grande, U.S. sovereignty) with upfront taxpayer money and partial reimbursement by Mexico through fees and tariffs. (And I wouldn’t put it past him to offer expedited re-immigration to illegals who contribute manual labor toward building the wall.)


309 posted on 12/01/2015 4:35:36 PM PST by BuckeyeTexan (There are those that break and bend. I'm the other kind. ~Steve Earle)
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To: HarleyLady27

Are you suggesting that Trump isn’t an opportunist?


310 posted on 12/01/2015 4:42:32 PM PST by BuckeyeTexan (There are those that break and bend. I'm the other kind. ~Steve Earle)
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To: Amntn

“He says we need to secure the border, but doesn’t say how ...”

Ugh, man. Read, would you? Cruz *DOES* specify, in very specific terms, how he will secure the border. Specifically. Unlike Trump. Are you so Trump-deranged that you refuse to consider the evidence before you? So lazy you won’t even read?

Dang, man. The info is available. READ IT.

Here: https://www.tedcruz.org/cruz-immigration-plan/


311 posted on 12/01/2015 4:44:45 PM PST by Theo (May Christ be exalted above all.)
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To: dragnet2

Why are you calling Ted Cruz “Rafael Edward Cruz”? I know “Rafael Edward Cruz” is his given name, but nobody normally calls him that. Just trying to determine if you’re trying to be a jerk somehow, or maybe you’ve got a strange quirk where you just call everybody by their full birth name.


312 posted on 12/01/2015 4:51:59 PM PST by Theo (May Christ be exalted above all.)
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To: mosley

Wrong again.

I don’t have 2 candidates and I am not too concerned with a VP at this point. I support Trump.

This is not a complex or convoluted statement.


313 posted on 12/01/2015 4:53:57 PM PST by dragnet2 (Diversion and evasion are tools of deceit)
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To: seekthetruth

“... Cruz was questioned about Illegal Immigrants he would not agree with ANY deportation ...”

Please, for the love of truth, take a moment to educate yourself. Just go here — https://www.tedcruz.org/cruz-immigration-plan/ — and search the page for “deport.” That’s all you have to do. I’m not asking you to do anything difficult. Just quit choosing ignorance over becoming informed.

Your name here is “seekthetruth.” Please, do. It’s right at https://www.tedcruz.org/cruz-immigration-plan/ ...


314 posted on 12/01/2015 4:57:23 PM PST by Theo (May Christ be exalted above all.)
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To: dragnet2

So who the Hell is it???


315 posted on 12/01/2015 4:58:39 PM PST by mosley
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To: mosley
Ah....Sanders? Right? You will support Sanders?

Only when I smoke crack. I luz me sum soshulism when I smokz da crack.

316 posted on 12/01/2015 4:59:49 PM PST by BuckeyeTexan (There are those that break and bend. I'm the other kind. ~Steve Earle)
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To: dragnet2

You will not vote, or support Cruz if Cruz is the nominee?


317 posted on 12/01/2015 5:02:05 PM PST by mosley
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To: mosley

Look, this isn’t about me or who I’m voting for VP or anything else.

But since you asked, I will not support Rafael Edward Cruz and I can assure you he will not win the nomination based on polling alone. And again, I already have a candidate like millions of other Americans. Is there something you don’t understand here?


318 posted on 12/01/2015 5:12:41 PM PST by dragnet2 (Diversion and evasion are tools of deceit)
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To: CottonBall

It is dishonest to expect people to vote for him without being clear on his stance about this.

It makes him sound like just another politician.


319 posted on 12/01/2015 5:14:53 PM PST by Amntn
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To: HarleyLady27

What?!


320 posted on 12/01/2015 5:23:34 PM PST by BuckeyeTexan (There are those that break and bend. I'm the other kind. ~Steve Earle)
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