Jeb Bush on Immigration Reform

Last week Jeb Bush announced that if he were President, the next Congress will pass immigration reform that would not require an executive order. I believe that Mr. Bush truly favors meaningful immigration reform, but the political landscape of the Republican Party does not give me much hope that the next Congress will pass such reform if Mr. Bush were President.

We have seen too clearly in the past three elections how the more moderate Republican candidates are at the mercy of its powerful right wing. I don’t expect this to change for the 2016 election. Even though the public now overwhelmingly supports comprehensive immigration reform, much has to change before this country can move forward on many necessary fronts: immigration reform, climate change, restrictions on guns, etc. There is big money supporting the right wing of the Republican Party at this time and I doubt that any serious Republican candidate would be willing to risk this financial sponsorship by bucking its financial donors.

If I sound pessimistic for the current situation, I truly believe that a shift of attitude is occurring in the U.S. and other nations that will no longer bow to the fear mongering of the powerful right. No one truly wants war. No one wants to see discrimination based on race or national identity. No one wants to see an unbalanced society that favors the privileged few. No one wants to see a neighbor refused health care. No one wants to see a mentally deranged individual open fire in an elementary classroom. I believe within the next two decades, these views will become so prevalent that politicians will have no choice but to acquiesce to them. Unfortunately, we are not yet there.