Allah:
Before we begin, although I think these “he’s being friendly with Obama!” outrages are silly, I can’t resist tossing a little chum to the anti-Rubio sharks out there. I’m titling this one,“Pals.”
rubio's career is now over. also, stockman should photoshop cornyn in this… pic.twitter.com/mXpZkhbLat
— Ryan (@alwaysonoffense) January 29, 2014
Anyway, as the senator was saying:
Rubio said that the “fundamental” problem to passing immigration reform right now is skepticism on the right that the administration would enforce beefed up border security measures.
He said that Obama administration handling of the Internal Revenue Service scandal involving scrutiny of Tea Party groups and revelations about widespread National Security Administration spying have drummed up this skepticism.
“I don’t know if it can happen under this administration given its lack of willingness to enforce the law. It’s a real impediment,” he said. “I think that is the fundamental challenge right now … how do we gain people’s confidence that the enforcement will happen.”
“Where was this guy eight months ago?” wonders Mark Krikorian. When did it dawn on him, precisely, that a Democratic president can’t be trusted to be a hard-ass on the border even if Congress has authorized him to be one? I’ll up the ante by asking another question: When did Obama’s lawlessness become an “impediment” to passing immigration reform, as Rubio says here, rather than the whole reason for passing the bill in the first place? Back in August, he argued that it’s because we can’t trust Obama that Congress needs to act; if Congress stands pat and does nothing, O might turn around and try to amnestize America’s illegals via executive order. Better to have the legislature step up than leave President Powergrab to his own devices. Remember?
“I believe that this president will be tempted, if nothing happens in Congress, he will be tempted to issue an executive order like he did for the DREAM Act kids a year ago, where he basically legalizes 11 million people by the sign of a pen. Now, we won’t get an E-Verify, we won’t get any border security. But he’ll legalize them,” the Florida senator told Tallahassee radio host Preston Scott.
Why was he worried about border security and E-Verify back then if he doesn’t trust Obama to enforce them now? If you can’t trust O to carry out the law then logically it doesn’t much matter what Congress does. O’s going to do what he wants to do. In fact, if you’re worried about a backlash among conservatives against the GOP leadership if they pass a legalization bill, you’re arguably better off letting Obama do that himself via EO so that he takes all the political heat.
This is why the aptly named Rubio is a naive rube that doesn’t deserve re-election, even if he was to do a complete 180 and be anti-amnesty, he can’t be trusted not to turn back around after re-election.