GOP 2016 hopefuls have decided it's all about the base on immigration. Alan Rappeport
reviews their stances and finds most of them are saying,
border security first,
report to deport, and
no path to citizenship. Which is not at all what they were saying before.
On Monday, Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey told Megyn Kelly that a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants was an “extreme way to go” and explained why he has changed his view on the issue.
“I think I have learned over time about this issue and done a lot more work on it,” Mr. Christie said. “I think everyone has to do what you need to do to be able to get educated on these issues and learn.”
Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin also defended his new and harder line on immigration to Fox’s Bret Baier.
In 2013, Mr. Walker said that a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants “makes sense” and that he wants people from anywhere in the world to come to America and work hard.
However, on Tuesday night he said that he was against amnesty and that illegal immigrants who live in the United States must go back to their countries of origin and apply for citizenship if they want legal status.
Oh, yes, they've all learned so much and now they see the error of their ways and, most importantly, the warm glow of the base's embrace on the horizon.
But the grandest flip-flopper of them all on immigration is Sen. Marco Rubio, as we've noted before.
“If we want to move forward on immigration, the first thing we’re going to have to do is prove to the American people that future illegal immigration is under control,” he said.
Just FYI guys, Obama "got tough" on enforcement and deported at
a record pace (far higher rates than George W. Bush). Guess what, immigration reform still failed in 2013 and we still have
roughly 11 million undocumented immigrants in the country.
10:52 AM PT: UPDATE: America's Voice is circulating this 2012 piece, "His Original Sin," from Ron Brownstein, which notes Mitt's biggest hurdle to beating Obama: "Of all Romney’s primary-season decisions, the most damaging was his choice to repel the challenges from Perry and Gingrich by attacking them from the right—and using immigration as his cudgel."