No less than Beth Reinhard, one of the most respected observers of Florida politics working at the national level, has some very harsh words for Jeb Bush.
The stunning reversal by Bush on supporting a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants, Reinhard writes in National Journal “comes down to a colossal political miscalculation.”
“When Bush and co-author Clint Bolick were writing the book during the 2012 presidential campaign, the GOP was veering far to the right. Republican nominee Mitt Romney had staked out a hardline position against illegal immigration, blasting his primary rivals as pro-amnesty and promoting ‘self-deportation’ for undocumented workers. Bush sent the book to the printer before Christmas – weeks before a handful of Senate Republicans embraced a sweeping overhaul that, like the proposals backed by Bush’s brother, former President George W. Bush, would allow illegal immigrants to earn citizenship.”
“In other words, Bush’s party unexpectedly moved a lot faster than the book publishing world.”
Meanwhile, the Miami Herald quoted an angry adviser to Mitt Romney’s presidential run: “Where the hell was this Jeb Bush during the campaign?”
