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Yesterday I wrote about Rick Perry’s faith problem and what I see as an opportunity for him to speak openly about religion and the public square. It could help him regain some mojo.
But even if he got his mojo back, and even if he got the next debate right, he would face one big obstacle that has conservatives in a tizzy about him: his statements on illegal immigrants – and more specifically, educating their children.
Peter Robinson writes about this issue well this morning in an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal:
Mr. Perry should stop sounding so defensive. He has opposed illegal immigration as stoutly as anyone, but, alone among the candidates, he has dealt with the reality of life on the border. Since his state has the good sense to provide only modest welfare benefits, he should explain, Texans understand that immigrants come to Texas to work, not to collect handouts. And they see no contradiction between calling on the federal government to enforce the law and making the best of the situation Washington has imposed on them, helping undocumented aliens, once in the state, to acquire skills and an education.
Robinson’s column concludes that the real problem is the federal government shirking its responsibility to enforce borders and keep illegal entrants into America out of the country.
Perry agrees and has tried to explain the same to conservative voters.
If Perry hopes to revive a campaign that some think has already come to an end, he’ll need to do what Robinson talks about: show conservative voters that there is no contradiction between taking a tough stand on the borders and turning children of illegals into productive citizens by making sure they benefit from education.
Perry needs to show that:
- It’s the fault of the federal government that they are here, not the fault of Texas.
- It’s more cost-effective and beneficial to Texas’s economy to ensure that their children are educated than to try to move them south of the border.
He knows he cannot use the “you don’t have a heart” argument anymore. But he can make an argument based on the productivity value of the population.
If the skeptics are right and Perry’s campaign is over, this is a moot point. But if those who think his $17 million and solid track record will help him come back, then he’ll need to make sure he has a more effective argument about this thorny immigration issue.
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