Since Fred Barnes’ comments on the immigration issue have generated such interest, I’ll share more of his take on the president’s stance.
After stating that President Bush disagrees with those in his party who want a massive buildup of guards along the border, Barnes writes:
While campaigning for president in South Carolina in 2000, Bush was angered by several voters at a town hall meeting who called for draconian measures against immigration. [Kokai’s note to Daren Bakst: Once again, Barnes omits the word “illegal.”] “Family values don’t stop at the Rio Grande River,” he said, surprising the crowd. “If you’re a mother and father with hungry children, you’re going to try to put food on the table. That’s reality. That’s called love.” Bush has been steadfastly pro-immigrant for years.
Barnes spends just a couple of pages in his book dealing with immigration. He mentions the topic in a chapter called “The New Conservatism,” in which he argues that President Bush is changing the definition of conservatism.
Barnes argues that Bush’s stance on immigration will end up prevailing — if for no other reason than politics.
Hispanics are the fastest-growing voting bloc in the country, and in recent elections the Hispanic vote has been drifting to the Republican Party. Bush’s percentage of the Hispanic vote in 2004 was 44 percent, up from 35 percent in 2000. Many Hispanics identify with the cultural conservatism, entrepreneurial spirit, and patriotism of Republicans. But they also want to feel welcome in America, and Proposition 187 [Kokai’s note: a California referendum curtailing illegal immigrants’ access to public services] drove a wedge between Hispanics and the Republican Party. Bush and his brother Jeb, the governor of Florida, have fought to make the party inclusive and remove the wedge.
Barnes finished writing these words late last year, before the most recent wave of immigrant rallies and congressional debates.
It’s not clear whether recent events have prompted Barnes to change his opinion. He told a John Locke Foundation audience in Asheville April 10 that he plans to add a new chapter to his book for the paperback version. He said he might call that chapter “Bumps In The Road.”
