Florida Gov. Bush Calls Tone of Immigration Debate 'Hurtful'

[CornField]

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-jeb5apr05,0,4076175.story?coll=la-story-footer

...Bush, the younger brother of President Bush, reserved some of his sharpest criticism for conservatives in his own Republican Party, calling it "just plain wrong" to charge illegal immigrants with a felony, as a provision passed by the Republican-led House would do. He also opposed "penalizing the children of illegal immigrants" by denying them U.S. citizenship, an idea backed by some conservatives but not included in the legislation.

...

Gov. Bush has generally avoided injecting himself into national political fights, and he rarely invokes his soft-spoken wife of 32 years in such a public way. But his comments reflect the concern among many Republicans that calls by conservatives for an immigrant crackdown risk alienating Latino voters.

...

Jeb Bush pointed to the political damage wrought 12 years ago by California's Proposition 187, in which the state's voters backed a plan to strip illegal immigrants of public benefits. The initiative was pushed by then-Gov. Pete Wilson, a Republican. Some analysts have since blamed that campaign for a backlash among Latino voters that has made California reliably Democratic in national elections.

...

Wilson, in a recent interview, rejected the theory that Prop. 187 turned California to the left — arguing that, instead, he had performed especially well with female voters who later abandoned the GOP over abortion.

Jeb met his wife, according to the article, during a high school exchange program in Mexico. They married when he was 21.

There is some distinct editorializing in this news attempt (it's the LA Times, go figure), but it remains interesting. I wonder why Jeb felt the need to reach out in email to a California newspaper?

[msgadget]

1. "Like his brother, he offered no specificity...

on how to treat current immigrants and whether they should be granted a path to citizenship." Despite the touching love story this about losing hispanic voters and helping his brother's agenda). Where are the truly compassionate lawmen and women who will talk about fixing what drives people across the border? Until liberals and conservative pledge to address that it's all b.s., imho.

[MADem]

2. If McCain implodes, and Bar and Poppy MAKE him, he could be the

08 fallback candidate. Or he could be the Designated Senator if they can push Katherine Harris off the dock, who knows??? The article touts him as a possible VP:

The Florida governor has said he does not intend to run for president in 2008. But he has been mentioned as a potential running mate for another likely candidate, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).

In any event, he needs Columba happy and talkin' to him to make that work.

[CottonBear]

3. Columba is the one who tried to smuggle haute couture clothes from Paris

through customs because she didn't want to pay the custom fees for bringing tens of thousands of dollars worth of French designer clothes into the USA. Like she couldn't afford to pay. :(

[dicknbush]

4. Yeah she's the one...of course the law doesn't apply to the Bush Family wh

If it had been Hillary instead of Columba Bush, imagine the headlines

By Bev Conover


From what has dribbled out so far, Columba Bush, the wife of Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, didn't make a "mistake" in not listing on her Customs Declaration form some $19,000 in clothing and jewelry she bought during a Paris shopping spree. It was deliberate.

Who sez? Why Jeb himself.

"She knew what she did was wrong and made a mistake," Bush told reporters during a bill signing ceremony in Tallahassee.

How about that? Columba's own husband said she blatantly broke the law, but now he wants us to forget the whole thing because she's sorry and is suffering "a deep feeling of remorse."

Dream on, Jeb. This is just one more example of the Bush family's disregard for the law. Or is it, to paraphrase Leona Helmsley, only the little people who must obey the law?

[HemiCuda]

5. So true

""Customs Declaration form some $19,000"'

I remember that. Overall, JEB is not like his brother. He's a very good governer.

[Rebellious Republican]

6. Bullshit, I live in Florida, he has wasted millions on privatization

that does not work. Almost every state agency has been cash starved while he hands out millions to worthless private companies that have taken over almost every aspect of state government. He dumped piney point in the Gulf of Mexico and wrecked the tourism industry due to the resulting red tide that lasted for one year. He killed off the fishing industry and and sent many commercial and recreational fisherman and charter boats into the abyss as a result of the total fish kill. DCF has been privatized and has been a shambles and a disgrace to COMPASSIONATE conservatives. He pushed FCAT testing for one reason only, so that his brother Neil ( you remember Silverado Neil don't you)could sell his company to the state. I could go on and on citing one example after another of his blunders. If you care I will be happy to provide more with specifics and links, HemiCuda go sell it somewhere else! He is the very reason I left the republican party and became a yellow dog Democrat!

[HemiCuda]

9. HemiCuda go sell it

Well, I'm not trying to sell it anywhere. Just my view that overall, he's a good guv. I also like Lawton Chiles, another good guv.

....Serious crime in DOWN 30%, a direct result of the 10-20-Life. (Use A Gun,Your Done!) Do you remember killers being let out due to 'gain time' 'overcrowding' etc? I do, I've been here 30 years. Now they get locked up, along with other criminals. ahem ,which is where they belong.


""state agency has been cash starved"" This is true, however there ARE trade offs to have a DEBT FREE state, isn't there?
California is/was 23 BILLION in the hole? Thanks to Mr. Davis.

I tend to agree that some state services SHOULD remain run by the government. And FCAT is NOT perfect, it should be modified.
Feel free to send me any links, I do like to read both sides of an issue.

Question...The fishing industry, is that a result of commercial overfishing?

[Bridget Burke]

12. JEB was surely good at "helping" his brother...

Become President.

Of course, that's back when you were voting Republican.

[HemiCuda]

13. Now Now......

Actually, I have not voted Republican for president since....Reagan.

And I'm doing my BEST to see my fellow Politically inclined buddy's turn from the Reps this time. I think in the Dems run a moderate, or even conservative DEMOCRAT, they will have a LAND SLIDE. By conservative Dem, I mean like our Senator Bill Nelson.

One of my friends sent a note the the RNC when they asked for $$$.( he was a previous donor to the RNC) ""I'd like to give this time, but since your in bed with the oil companies, I had to put it in the gas tank instead.""

[Bridget Burke]

18. Sorry! I know that Republicans are capable of recovering....

And living normal lives.

Best wishes in your conversion efforts.

[KurtNYC]

10. those would be "freedom" designer clothes nt

[SharonAnn]

15. Wealthy people from Latin America expect the rules don't apply to them.

I've got in-laws in that ctegory and it's amazing. If they ever got stopped in the US for a traffic ticket they'd expect to go in and talk to the Chief of Police and make "arrangements". Or better yet, they'd send one of their flunkies to do it.

[lovuian]

7. You Mean oh Republicans be compassionate to Cheap Labor

we need them for our factories and farms!!!:sarcasm:

[superconnected]

8. So in a nutshell, republicans should reach out to immigrants

because when they didn't immigrants wouldn't vote republican and it made california go to the democrats.

Yeah, votes, that's why you have to be nice to immigrants.

Guess he can't think of any other reason...

[fshrink]

11. 2008 PR at work. Number 2.

I bet we'll see more of these in the future.

[mitchum]

14. This is the wife with whom he spends very little time?

[Lochloosa]

16. To hell with you Jeb...I have had to live with your shit for 8 years

What about Terri? Where was your compassion then you fucking dick wad.

[samsingh]

17. fu bush

and and your criminal family have hurt too many people

you are truly a disgusting lot and not worth anything

[classysassy]

19. In the words

of Jesse Jackson "stay out of the Bushes",we were warned before shrub and his thugs stole the election of 2000,that the bushes are a bunch of crooks and liers.