#ncsen: The campaign trail tap-dance. ( Jeb WHO ????)
Why on God’s green earth would you have someone campaign for you who so fundamentally disagrees with you on the issues? That’s the story the Tillis campaign tried to sell The New York Times and North Carolina voters Wednesday:
[…] Standing alongside Thom Tillis, the North Carolina House speaker and Republican Senate candidate, Bush outlined his views on two of the issues he cares most passionately about: immigration policy and education standards. But as Bush made the case for an immigration overhaul and the Common Core standards, Tillis gently put distance between himself and his guest of honor, who had flown from Florida to offer his endorsement.
“You have to make it clear that amnesty shouldn’t be on the table,” said Tillis, referring to how to address those immigrants currently in the country illegally. “That doesn’t negate any opportunity to provide some with legal status and other things, but you only do that after you seal the borders and you make the problem no longer grow.”
Bush supports a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants and complained that not addressing the immigration system “has done us harm economically.”
Speaking to a group of business owners, he said, “Fixing a system that doesn’t work is a big thing that I think will restore and sustain economic growth for this country.”
“And my hope is with a Republican-controlled Senate, we can begin to see a conversation about how to go about doing that,” he said.
But an easy resolution is not likely in his party. After a reporter noted that Bush’s immigration stance was more “conciliatory,” the former governor chuckled and the Republicans in the audience let out a brief, nervous laugh.
On Common Core, Tillis also sounded far more conservative than Bush.[..]
I guess we can expect more of this. South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham (R) – not so far off from Bush ideologically — is campaigning with Tillis in Charlotte today. (Hopefully, Chuck Suter and his video camera will be in the vicinity.)
The DC GOP is trying to give Tillis a boost by allowing him to give the party’s official response to Barry Obama’s weekly video rant.
Tillis is bringing in one Big Government Republican after another to campaign for him, but no Limited Government Republicans. It tells you a lot doesn’t it? Everyone of those he has brought in is a slap in the face of conservatives in the party.
The only one he has brought is Senator Rand Paul (he supported Greg Brannon in the primary) but I agree Mr. Bush, Christie, Graham aren’t going to move the needle *much* here in N.C.
Why not leave out Mr. McCain? Come one he’s just the one to save Thom Tillis’ campaign we’re begging to see him, or better yet why not just bring in Haley Barber?/ sarc off.
Who knows why McCain did not come. In Colorado, he refused to come for the RINO-ish GOP nominee in a race that is closer than NC, saying he respected the father of the Democrat incumbent. WTF?
Another Lindsay Graham is exactly what the GOP does not need. We need to get rid of the one we have. Now if he had brought in the other GOP Senator from SC, Tim Scott, that would have sent a message that conservatives would be more receptive to. The fact that he chose Grahamnesty over Scott speaks volumes.
To be fair – Senator Paul is coming to campaign for Speaker Tillis next week.
http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2014/09/24/Rand-Paul-to-Campaign-With-Kay-Hagan-Opponent-Thom-Tillis
Big gov’t ESTABLISHMENT Republicans are not going to help Tillis get the support he needs to win from conservatives and tea party people. My guess is that many will leave that spot on the ballot blank.
Wow! Jeb Bush, Lindsey Graham, AND Joe Straus? TT is getting ALL of the conservative A-listers to campaign and raise money for him. Who’s coming in next, John McCain?
/sarcasm
Bush and Graham, the RINO sisters?!?!
Can’t Tillis find any vertebrates to speak for him?
“Why on God’s green earth would you have someone campaign for you who so fundamentally disagrees with you on the issues?”
Tillis ‘fundamentally’ AGREES with Jeb Bush.
Answer, ““That doesn’t negate any opportunity to provide some with legal status and other things…”
Such as giving millions legal residency? Now, there’s a deterrent. Legal status…along with those HB786 licenses coming down the NC pike in 2016.
Ooops…forgot all of those H786 Jobs that are already being handed off to illegals.
Rand Paul, who isn’t too dependable on immigration…can’t save Tillis from his own track record.
The only issue Tillis and Rand agree on is amnesty.
I don’t see how Rand can actually help Tillis. Tillis is a neocon. Rand is good on many non-immigration issues. Tillis is liberal or a neocon on all issues.
I’ll bet that even Chucky Schumer has a hard time deciding who to support in this race.
You hit the nail on the head. Tillis and Bush are only splitting hairs on their mutual support for amnesty for illegal aliens. NO candidate who supports amnesty in any way is acceptable. Here it is a matter of party loyalty. The state and national GOP platforms both oppose amnesty in any form. When a candidate deviates from the party platform on an issue of such major importance, which is existential to both the country and the party, it is a major act of party disloyalty by the candidate involved. Loyal Republican voters should put the principles of the party above mere candidates. I will never vote for any candidate who is disloyal to the party on principles of such major importance.
I think this is such a boring race because there are no issues.
Immigration reform and amnesty are done deals. The few Republicans who moan and groan are making no difference.
Obamacare is a done deal and it seems most people love it. It is merely a step on the road to single payer.
Big government is getting bigger and the public seems happy enough.
Hagan will win because the GOP has no issues. It is just that simple. What has the GOP to run on? The answer: Nothing that appeals to the average voter. They do have plenty that resonates with the whackos, fruitcakes and nutjobs but their number is fading fast.
Fundamentally disagrees?
They are both for the same policy… Tillis loves to keep using that “no amnesty” line, as if he isnt happily and eagerly planning to legalize them all after setting the “bar” about an inch off the ground.
Using empty phrases like “secure the border first” and “fix a broken system”…. that’s just performance – a show.
Among other things, voting for him tells the GOP bosses that “want” these policies – it’s OK, they have your support.
It has gotten so it is impossible to trust the word ”amnesty” when it is used by a candidate. The weasels among them have developed a very Orwellian way to define it so that they are actually using a meaning opposite of the real meaning. Take Marco Rubio, who says he is ”against amensty” and then says that the Gang of 8 bill is ”not amnesty” because if they have to pay a small fine it is not amnesty. What crap! No wonder voters just do not trust politicians.
When a sleazebag politician talks about ”securing the border first” it is a real tipoff that they are bad on illegal immigration, because that all but tells you that their is a second part in their gambit and the second part is amnesty for illegal aliens.
The best way to ask the question of a politician is use the liberal jargon. Ask them if they support ”a pathway to citizenship” or lawful residence status for anyone who has come here in violation of our immigration laws. Tillis has used both of those buzz phrases to describe what he wants.
Tillis is selling us down the river on the issue that polling says is the most important issue for Republican voters in this election. As long as he is doing that, why does he think that any loyal Republican should vote for him?
Yep, Rubio is another good example. He’s another pol I’ve no use for anymore either. 🙁 It’s too bad, I had heard good things…
Really, either you’re “for” a pathway, or you’re not… Personally, I’m not, and Tillis and Hagan are. *shrug* that’s fine… sucks for me, sure, but it is what it is.
But it’s not really very “endearing” to see Tillis go that next step further and intentionally be trying to fool people like that…repeatedly, as his default position.
For me, I can respect an honestly held, well and fully expressed viewpoint I disagree with – much more than I can stomach someone being evasive and trying to pull the wool over the voter’s eyes.
Yeah, I know… “politics”, it’s what they do, etc… but it’s shameful that it’s so accepted and accommodated by both the voters and the media to the extent it is – not just for Tillis, but politicians and issues in general.
If you know the whole story, Rubio pulled the wool over our eyes on amnesty from the beginning. He conned me out of several hundred dollars in campaign contributions I would not have given if I knew the whole story. Here is the rundown on Rubio:
http://www.marcorubioamnestyman.com
Whoever is running T.T.’s campaign should be fired immediately! Does Tillis realize that he is behind in the polls to an Obamanist?
That would be Shumaker, who seems to be doing his darnest to make Fetzer’s handling of the 2008 Dole campaign to look competent, and that takes a whole lot of doing, considering Fetzer’s blunders. Fetzer gave up political consulting after the Dole disaster, and we can only hope that Shumaker will do the same after this one.
Even better, lets hope that Rove decides to retire to someplace far away and not trouble the GOP with his meddling any more.
Keep reading, “but Rand Paul’s coming!!!”. Isn’t that the guy who endorsed Mitch??? You know, the guy who wants to put a beat down on conservative, tea party types. Bring in Ted and Trey. I’ll be impressed.
For those in the know, Rand Paul not only endorsed Mitch ”Kentucky Kickback” McConnell, the dude who vowed to ”crush them [conservatives] everywhere”, but he also tried to sweep under the rug the really nasty dirty tricks that the GOP establishment, with financing organized by McConnell, pulled in the Mississippi primary against the conservative. He has also been going off the rails on some key issues like amnesty.
For those not in the know, Rand Paul probably does more to excite the base than people like Bush, Christie, and Grahamnesty.
Rand will be appearing with Walter Jones this coming Wesnesday in Greenville for a barbecue. Hope to see you there.