On a presumed private conference call with the Alabama Republican Party, where he was showcased as the “featured guest,” former Florida Governor Jeb Bush once again expressed his support for Common Core education standards and a “pathway to earned legal status” for millions of illegal aliens.
The Washington Post was able to gain dial-in access to the usually private “Calling Alabama” series conference call.
At the start, party chairwoman Terry Lathan reminded Bush that he was speaking with Republicans living in “the reddest state in the country.” She added later that most of the questions she received to ask Bush dealt with education reform, especially his advocacy for Common Core standards, and immigration reform.
Because Jeb Bush has been a life-long champion of education reform—it’s been his life’s work—the former governor stood firm on his support for the highly unpopular and controversial Common Core education standards:
If Alabama wants to change those standards, I think they have every right to do it. I would just encourage Alabama to raise those standards even higher.
When it came to discussing immigration reform, Bush said that Obama’s recent executive orders granting amnesty for illegal aliens would eventually be “ruled unconstitutional by federal courts.”
Jeb Bush doubled down (or is it tripled down?) on his belief that illegal immigrants should be afforded “a path to earned legal status, not citizenship, but earned legal status. Where people get a provisional work permit, where they pay taxes, they pay a fine, they learn English, they work, they don’t receive federal government assistance and they — over extended period of time — they earn legal status.”
Bush deserves credit for sticking to his beliefs on Common Core and immigration, even if those views are not supported by the overwhelming majority of Republican primary voters.
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