Clinton Takes the Lead on Immigration

The Editorial Board — New York Times

There is a pressing need to lift the burden of fear and separation from families, to unshackle workers who are chained to exploitive jobs by fear of deportation. Mrs. Clinton has shown that she understands this. But meanwhile, the Republicans are stuck in the early 2000s, still talking of border security and illegal invaders. They forget that the 11 million are on this side of the border, and have children, and roots, and jobs, and dreams, and their plight needs to be confronted. Here is a tip: When you hear candidates talking about securing the border — a border that is as secure as it’s ever going to get — that is the sign that they are not interested in a serious conversation.

 

(AP Photo/John Locher)

Clinton Taunts Republicans on Immigration

Francis Wilkinson — Bloomberg View

Clinton is daring Republicans, including Jeb Bush, the most forthright in support of immigrant rights, to compete with her…

Widening the partisan divide on immigration, Clinton hopes to raise the political costs for a Republican candidate, making it that much more difficult for Bush or Marco Rubio to be a champion of immigrants in a general election. Bush has been brave on the issue so far. Clinton, facing no anti-immigrant pressure within her own party, is going to push him to be braver still — or retreat in defeat.

Hillary Goes Whole Hog On Immigration

John Hinderaker — Powerline Blog

If there is one thing Hillary can identify with, it is lawlessness.

Still, I find Mrs. Clinton’s posture intriguing. Barack Obama didn’t start issuing executive orders on immigration until he had been safely re-elected (until then, he repeatedly said, correctly, that he had no authority to rewrite the immigration laws). Nor is yesterday’s endorsement of immigration radicalism an instance of conviction politics..

Most likely, Hillary is protecting her left flank against real or imagined challenges…But in doing so, she is setting herself up for trouble in the general election. Can Hillary possibly be unaware of how unpopular open borders activism is with voters? Even Hispanic voters mostly disapprove. An extreme position on immigration may help her fundraising at the margin, but we are talking about the difference between $2.25 billion and $2.5 billion. She is, regardless of this issue, the candidate of millionaires.