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The Spectacle Blog

Christie Doesn't Want to "Demagogue" The Immigration Issue

By Philip Klein on 6.30.10 @ 10:48AM

Earlier this month, I dismissed chatter of a Chris Christie presidential candidacy in 2012 as implausible, arguing that it was far too early into his term as governor of New Jersey for such talk. But in this Politico interview, Christie reminds us of another barrier he'll have to winning the Republican nomination. Although Christie has won praise among conservatives for his heroic budget battles, willingness to confront the unions, and no-nonsense style, as governor of a blue state, he's going to have to take positions on some issues that will put him at odds with the more conservative presidential primary electorate. We saw this with Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney in 2008.

In the Politico interview, Christie speaks of rebranding the Republican Party, and one of the issues he mentions is immigration:

On the hot-button topic of immigration reform, he said he has long declined to “demagogue” the issue as a former U.S. Attorney, because “I come from law enforcement and it’s not an easy issue.”

But he did intimate that he thinks stringent state-by-state laws – such as in Arizona – are the wrong approach, and added, “I think President Obama doesn’t do this at his own risk because it’s affecting the economy in the country…to me, I think the president’s really gotta show the leadership on this.”

“This is a federal problem, it’s gotta have a federal fix,” he said. “I’m not really comfortable with state law enforcement having a big role.”

He said that without border security, enforcement of existing laws and a “clear” path to legalization for immigrants, there would never be a fix.

In practice, his preferred policy on immigration, which involves a path to citizenship, would likely put him to the left of where the primary electorate is. In the case of John McCain, the issue badly damaged him but did not prove fatal to his wining the GOP nomination. But it's just another reminder of the obstacles any blue state Republican would face in a presidential primary.

View all comments (9) | Leave a comment

ncatty| 6.30.10 @ 11:35AM

Good grief man! What is wrong with "This is a federal problem, its gotta have a federal fix'? Isn't that Arizona's position? You know, as when the AZ governor told Obama "Do your job." This does not put him left of the primary electorate by any means.

24AheadDotCom| 6.30.10 @ 10:34PM

Christie is speaking in code; the "federal" bit is part of that.

Another part is the "orderly process" part in the full quote (not the one above). While bloggers scratch their heads over that - if they even noticed it - I've been keeping track of others using that and similar phrases for six+ years:

http://24ahead.com/s/safe-legal-orderly

Guess who else used that?

Eric Cartman| 6.30.10 @ 12:00PM

Uh oh! I like Christie, but when he starts talking about "clear paths" to legalization for the law breakers here destroying our country, then even he can stuff it. Better wise up, Christie. The rest of the country is sick of illegals.

Sean| 6.30.10 @ 12:28PM

Bank robbery is a federal problem states please help out. Drugs are a federal problem states please help out. Illegal immigrants are a federal problem states you aren't allowed to doing anything about it.

Eisenhower had local police departments help with illegal immigration in the 1950 and guess what? They got deported. today all we hear from politicians is that it is impossible to do so we should make them all citizens.

Red Phillips| 6.30.10 @ 12:54PM

Apparently Christie, despite his reputation as a budget balancer, doesn't know how to count or do simple statistical calculations. Let's see Gov. Christie or anyone remotely like him ever get elected to statewide office again in NJ if all the illegals are given a "clear path" to becoming citizens and hence potential voters. Has Mr. Christie ever looked to see how new immigrant citizens vote? Hint: it ain't for Republicans. Blocking large scale amnesty and curtailing legal immigration (and ending birthright citizenship) is an existential issue for Republicans. If this doesn’t happen the GOP will be forever relegated to increasingly irrelevant minority status at the national level. Why can’t people like Christie see that this is about self-preservation? Amnesty and continuing immigration trends (legal and illegal) would spell the end of the GOP.

todd| 6.30.10 @ 1:05PM

This would likely put him to the left of where the primary electorate.

todd

nobama2010| 6.30.10 @ 1:15PM

Drinking with an Arizona Girl!!!
A Mexican, an Arab,
And an Arizona girl are
In the same bar.
When the Mexican
Finishes his beer,
He throws his glass
In the air, pulls out
His pistol, and shoots
The glass to pieces.
He says, 'In Mexico ,
Our glasses are so
Cheap we don't need
To drink with the same one twice.'
The Arab, obviously
Impressed by this,
Drinks non-alcohol beer
(cuz he's a Muslim!),
Throws it into the
Air, pulls out his
AK-47, and shoots
The glass to pieces.
He says, 'In the
Arab World, we have
So much sand to make
Glasses that we don't
Need to drink with
The same one twice either.'
The Arizona girl,
Cool as a cucumber,
Picks up her beer,
Downs it in one gulp,
Throws the glass into
The air, whips out her
45, and shoots the
Mexican and the Arab.
Catching her glass,
Setting it on the bar, and calling for a refill,
She says,
'In Arizona,
We have so many
Illegal aliens that
We don't have to
Drink with the same ones twice.'