Ted Cruz Got the Line of the Night

 

Finally, a Republican says what I have been saying since the first Bush attempt at Amnesty in 2006. And apparently, it went over well the audience.

“I understand that when the mainstream media covers immigration, it doesn’t often see it as an economic issue, but, I can tell you for millions — of Americans at home watching this, it is a very personal economic issue. And, I will say the politics of it will be very, very different if a bunch of lawyers or bankers were crossing the Rio Grande. Or if a bunch of people with journalism degrees were coming over and driving down the wages in the press.”
— Sen. Ted Cruz, November 10, 2015

Exactly thus.

Cruz didn’t take it as far as he could have by directly attacking the desire of Big Donor interests to replace American workers with cheap foreign labor, but it shows that — on some level — Cruz gets it in a way that Jeb Bush and Sen. Marco “American workers just can’t cut it” Rubio, and even Donald Trump, don’t. And yes, I am aware that Cruz pushed for an expansion of the H-1 program; he owes us a big mea culpa on that.

Republicans are terrible at connecting their policies to those policies’s effects on people. In contrast, Democrats have it easy: they just promise to give people free stuff, which is easy to understand. Republicans have a much harder job of connecting policy to result.

But, it is a start.

Update: Jeb Bush, on the other hand, rather than speaking to the real economic concerns of Americans, blathers on about how deporting illegal immigrants is just mean. Maybe because no one in the Bush family is in danger of losing a job or a college slot to someone occupying the country illegally.

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  1. Sandy Member
    Sandy
    @Sandy

    Like.

    • #1
  2. BrentB67 Inactive
    BrentB67
    @BrentB67

    He did well until that cockamamie tax plan came up, ugggghhh.

    The discussion of expanding H1B or H2B visas or the proper number for naturalization are things that can be debated within current law, but must be done so with respect to the federal welfare state.

    What isn’t forgivable is the Jeb!, Kasich, and to a lesser marginal extent Rubio who think that once someone sneaks in it is impossible to deport them.

    We must be a nation of laws first and foremost, then can operate and debate within the law.

    • #2
  3. Arahant Member
    Arahant
    @Arahant

    BrentB67: What isn’t forgivable is the Jeb!, Kasich, and to a lesser marginal extent Rubio who think that once someone sneaks in it is impossible to deport them.

    Amen to that.

    • #3
  4. Arahant Member
    Arahant
    @Arahant

    My father was a policeman. The sentiment I often heard expressed growing up was, “Obey the law. If you don’t like the law, work to change it, but don’t just ignore it or break it.”

    • #4
  5. Frozen Chosen Inactive
    Frozen Chosen
    @FrozenChosen

    I thought Cruz’s comment was trite. Here in Minnesota we are close to full employment. I can’t find people to hire for $23 hr (dental assistant so there is some certification involved). There are a dearth of hard working young people to fill the trades – they all want to get a worthless college degree.

    I believe it was Rubio who said last night that we need fewer philosophers and more welders. He’s right on. If our lazy millenials won’t fill the jobs what do we do?

    • #5
  6. BrentB67 Inactive
    BrentB67
    @BrentB67

    Frozen Chosen:I thought Cruz’s comment was trite. Here in Minnesota we are close to full employment. I can’t find people to hire for $23 hr (dental assistant so there is some certification involved). There are a dearth of hard working young people to fill the trades – they all want to get a worthless college degree.

    I believe it was Rubio who said last night that we need fewer philosophers and more welders. He’s right on. If our lazy millenials won’t fill the jobs what do we do?

    We have a similar dynamic in Texas, though MN’s situation sounds more dire while we are experiencing U.S. immigration.

    This is where we have to deal with the federal welfare state. How can we have 45M+ on food stamps, bankrupting SSI, and nobody to work $23/hour important trade jobs?

    Get rid of the federal safety net and hopefully we get a change in mindset to address the issue you highlight.

    • #6
  7. BrentB67 Inactive
    BrentB67
    @BrentB67

    Frozen Chosen:I thought Cruz’s comment was trite. Here in Minnesota we are close to full employment. I can’t find people to hire for $23 hr (dental assistant so there is some certification involved). There are a dearth of hard working young people to fill the trades – they all want to get a worthless college degree.

    I believe it was Rubio who said last night that we need fewer philosophers and more welders. He’s right on. If our lazy millenials won’t fill the jobs what do we do?

    If we get rid of all federal involvement in higher education including research grants and federally funded/guaranteed student loans there will be much less money to support philosophy majors, social justice warriors, etc.

    • #7
  8. Frozen Chosen Inactive
    Frozen Chosen
    @FrozenChosen

    You are correct, Brent, there are a lot of problems in our labor market and our safety net. I read that a welfare recipient here in MN needs to make over $60k to make more than entitlements will get them, after taxes. That’s insane! Our safety net has become a Golden Fleece lined bed of comfort.

    • #8
  9. I Walton Member
    I Walton
    @IWalton

    Frozen Chosen:I thought Cruz’s comment was trite. Here in Minnesota we are close to full employment. I can’t find people to hire for $23 hr (dental assistant so there is some certification involved). There are a dearth of hard working young people to fill the trades – they all want to get a worthless college degree.

    I believe it was Rubio who said last night that we need fewer philosophers and more welders. He’s right on. If our lazy millenials won’t fill the jobs what do we do?

    Cruz is right, the two statements are not incompatible.  Unskilled are crossing the border and  we don’t need more unskilled workers from a culture that is more likely to bring along with them cousins and in-laws who are vivos.   We need to get people off welfare and to do so there can’t be an over supply of unskilled workers who work harder and are more serious than the people  forced off welfare. The welder et al shortage is on purpose, people who have real skills make good money, can break into their own business and become Republicans, can’t have that.  Better to have more people dependent on the government so they’ll vote Democrat.

    • #9
  10. Kate Braestrup Member
    Kate Braestrup
    @GrannyDude

    Arahant:My father was a policeman. The sentiment I often heard expressed growing up was, “Obey the law. If you don’t like the law, work to change it, but don’t just ignore it or break it.”

    I knew I liked you!

    (I said the same to my kids…)

    • #10
  11. Arahant Member
    Arahant
    @Arahant

    I Walton: The welder et al shortage is on purpose, people who have real skills make good money, can break into their own business and become Republicans, can’t have that.

    Probably don’t need to go into conspiracy theory territory here. All it takes to explain people not doing these things is two words: hard work. It is demanding work to run a business. Not everyone is cut out for it.

    • #11
  12. Kate Braestrup Member
    Kate Braestrup
    @GrannyDude

    I Walton:

    Frozen Chosen:I thought Cruz’s comment was trite. Here in Minnesota we are close to full employment. I can’t find people to hire for $23 hr (dental assistant so there is some certification involved). There are a dearth of hard working young people to fill the trades – they all want to get a worthless college degree.

    I believe it was Rubio who said last night that we need fewer philosophers and more welders. He’s right on. If our lazy millenials won’t fill the jobs what do we do?

    Cruz is right, the two statements are not incompatible. Unskilled are crossing the border and we don’t need more unskilled workers from a culture that is more likely to bring along with them cousins and in-laws who are vivos. We need to get people off welfare and to do so there can’t be an over supply of unskilled workers who work harder and are more serious than the people forced off welfare. The welder et al shortage is on purpose, people who have real skills make good money, can break into their own business and become Republicans, can’t have that. Better to have more people dependent on the government so they’ll vote Democrat.

    I thought the idea was that people will work harder because they won’t have an option of not working? Some of these will love the work so much, they’ll become incredibly successful; others will “merely” have the satisfaction of supporting themselves and their families.

    • #12
  13. Tom Meyer, Ed. Member
    Tom Meyer, Ed.
    @tommeyer

    Frozen Chosen:I thought Cruz’s comment was trite. Here in Minnesota we are close to full employment. I can’t find people to hire for $23 hr (dental assistant so there is some certification involved). There are a dearth of hard working young people to fill the trades – they all want to get a worthless college degree.

    Yeah, there’s a definite disconnect here. I don’t doubt that unskilled immigration has a negative effect on unskilled workers — and I don’t want to simply shrug at it — but there’s more going on there, too.

    • #13
  14. Manfred Arcane Inactive
    Manfred Arcane
    @ManfredArcane

    Cruz is really growing on me.  Thanks for the post.

    • #14
  15. Frozen Chosen Inactive
    Frozen Chosen
    @FrozenChosen

    Many people work for the satisfaction, most work because they need the money. We need to greatly reduce the safety net so people can’t be comfortable on it. But promising more and more freebies is what gets Democrats elected and more and more people on the govt teat. It’s a vicious cycle.

    • #15
  16. I Walton Member
    I Walton
    @IWalton

    Arahant:

    I Walton: The welder et al shortage is on purpose, people who have real skills make good money, can break into their own business and become Republicans, can’t have that.

    Probably don’t need to go into conspiracy theory territory here. All it takes to explain people not doing these things is two words: hard work. It is demanding work to run a business. Not everyone is cut out for it.

    This isn’t conspiracy it’s recognition by all the players what ultimately serves group/ class/ party/professional interests.  Conspiracy assumes they get in a room and talk about strategy.   These behaviors and positions are evolutionary in a Mancur Olsen sense.   Their group interests are realized over time by developing selective sanctions and rewards, notions of sin and things to applaud that reinforce group coherence and behavior and bring about conformity.   In its absence there is entropy, sort of like Republicans.

    • #16
  17. Arahant Member
    Arahant
    @Arahant

    I Walton: In its absence there is entropy, sort of like Republicans.

    That is undeniable.

    • #17
  18. Robert McReynolds Member
    Robert McReynolds
    @

    BrentB67:

    Frozen Chosen:I thought Cruz’s comment was trite. Here in Minnesota we are close to full employment. I can’t find people to hire for $23 hr (dental assistant so there is some certification involved). There are a dearth of hard working young people to fill the trades – they all want to get a worthless college degree.

    I believe it was Rubio who said last night that we need fewer philosophers and more welders. He’s right on. If our lazy millenials won’t fill the jobs what do we do?

    We have a similar dynamic in Texas, though MN’s situation sounds more dire while we are experiencing U.S. immigration.

    This is where we have to deal with the federal welfare state. How can we have 45M+ on food stamps, bankrupting SSI, and nobody to work $23/hour important trade jobs?

    Get rid of the federal safety net and hopefully we get a change in mindset to address the issue you highlight.

    Not to mention the difference in demographics between MN and TX or other states with a much more diverse population. When you look at the breakdown of MN you can see why and how immigration is not affecting wages or employment that same as it could be for border states. The populations that represent the highest portions of unemployment are nonexistent in MN.

    • #18
  19. Robert McReynolds Member
    Robert McReynolds
    @

    Frozen Chosen:I thought Cruz’s comment was trite. Here in Minnesota we are close to full employment. I can’t find people to hire for $23 hr (dental assistant so there is some certification involved). There are a dearth of hard working young people to fill the trades – they all want to get a worthless college degree.

    I believe it was Rubio who said last night that we need fewer philosophers and more welders. He’s right on. If our lazy millenials won’t fill the jobs what do we do?

    I think your sentiments about college and Rubio’s desire to have more tradesmen than philosophers are spot on. I just don’t see how Cruz’s comments are trite when you look at states that are demonstrably impacted by immigration unlike Minnesota. There has to be a balance between the two sentiments for sure.

    • #19
  20. Robert McReynolds Member
    Robert McReynolds
    @

    Frozen Chosen:You are correct, Brent, there are a lot of problems in our labor market and our safety net. I read that a welfare recipient here in MN needs to make over $60k to make more than entitlements will get them, after taxes. That’s insane!Our safety net has become a Golden Fleece lined bed of comfort.

    Brent, Frozen, you guys are going to have a hard time convincing people that they need to get off the couch and put down the six pack to get a job. I fear the only way to do it is through the states at this point because you aren’t going to be able to do it Federally. If the states led the way in pulling that golden fleece lined hammock they are in out from under them, they would be more inclined I think. In this regard I don’t think Cruz or Rubio would do us much good because of the abject fear it would cause in the GOP Congressional caucus and the Waterloo-esque desire to fight from the Democrat caucus.

    • #20
  21. Lazy_Millennial Inactive
    Lazy_Millennial
    @LazyMillennial

    Frozen Chosen:If our lazy millenials won’t fill the jobs what do we do?

    Hey, don’t blame us for your problems. You’ll be lucky if we don’t pull a Greece and default on Social Security payments

    • #21
  22. V the K Member
    V the K
    @VtheK

    I believe it was Rubio who said last night that we need fewer philosophers and more welders.

    He actually said, “We need more welders and less philosophers.”

    Fewer would have been the correct construction.

    • #22
  23. Robert McReynolds Member
    Robert McReynolds
    @

    Here’s what I don’t get from the business side of things. How would making these illegals citizens provide businesses with low wage workers? Wouldn’t these people, upon becoming legal, not be entitled to minimum wage in their respective states? So if you are paying an illegal 5 bucks an hour to do your farm labor and all of a sudden you have to pay him $7.25 an hour, would you not want to see to it that they are never made legal? That argument from the Chamber of Commerce has never made sense to me, that there will be an influx of low wage workers. In certain states they will immediately be making 8 or 9 bucks, and in some cases 15, upon becoming legal.

    • #23
  24. The King Prawn Inactive
    The King Prawn
    @TheKingPrawn

    Someone please show me some direct connection between cheap landscaping labor or construction labor and any other depressed wages. The line sounded good (sounded very good on the first hearing), but it is disconnected from reality. If wages are being depressed it is not a direct result of Gabriela dusting your house once a week and Tito trimming your hedges.

    That said, elections are not won on the truth these days.

    • #24
  25. Arahant Member
    Arahant
    @Arahant

    Robert McReynolds: Wouldn’t these people, upon becoming legal, not be entitled to minimum wage in their respective states?

    In many cases, illegals are paid more than that already. Construction workers, for instance.

    • #25
  26. The King Prawn Inactive
    The King Prawn
    @TheKingPrawn

    Robert McReynolds:Here’s what I don’t get from the business side of things. How would making these illegals citizens provide businesses with low wage workers? Wouldn’t these people, upon becoming legal, not be entitled to minimum wage in their respective states? So if you are paying an illegal 5 bucks an hour to do your farm labor and all of a sudden you have to pay him $7.25 an hour, would you not want to see to it that they are never made legal? That argument from the Chamber of Commerce has never made sense to me, that there will be an influx of low wage workers. In certain states they will immediately be making 8 or 9 bucks, and in some cases 15, upon becoming legal.

    I think they pin their hopes on the next wave of illegals. At least that’s how I’ve always understood the argument. If we legalize 10M we’ll get 20M to replace them.

    • #26
  27. Frank Soto Member
    Frank Soto
    @FrankSoto

    Stop the Presses everyone!  Game changer!

    Bob Dole has endorsed Jeb!.

    • #27
  28. Arahant Member
    Arahant
    @Arahant

    Frank Soto:Stop the Presses everyone! Game changer!

    Bob Dole has endorsed Jeb!.

    Who? Endorsed whom? *Yawn!*

    (I thought Bob Dole endorsed Viagra?)

    • #28
  29. Ed G. Member
    Ed G.
    @EdG

    BrentB67:[….]This is where we have to deal with the federal welfare state. How can we have 45M+ on food stamps, bankrupting SSI, and nobody to work $23/hour important trade jobs?

    Get rid of the federal safety net and hopefully we get a change in mindset to address the issue you highlight.

    Ah yes, that brings up the other populist and growth oriented policy proposal: ease licensing requirements. It seems a guy needs a license or 40 hours of continuing education each year before he is allowed to put on his pants in the morning.

    • #29
  30. BrentB67 Inactive
    BrentB67
    @BrentB67

    Frank Soto:Stop the Presses everyone! Game changer!

    Bob Dole has endorsed Jeb!.

    Bob still with us?

    That is a game changer alright. Game over for Jeb!

    Thanks for the update.

    • #30
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