Do you remember the 2010 election … specifically the Senate race? Kelly Ayotte was the Tea Party candidate. For example, from Public Policy Polling:
Kelly Ayotte, the Senator, turned out to be a lot less Tea Party than Kelly Ayotte, the candidate. Recall the “Gang of Eight” Amnesty-Bill? From Byron York:
Rather than calling for comprehensive immigration reform, Ayotte stressed tightening border security and enforcing existing laws. “In the Senate, Kelly’s top immigration priority will be to secure our borders — no excuses,” said her campaign website. “Simultaneously, she will work to ensure that existing immigration laws are enforced, and is against amnesty.” … She wanted to make English the official language of the United States. And in a move that took her beyond many opponents of comprehensive immigration reform, she said she might consider changing the Constitution to do away with the 14th Amendment’s birthright citizenship provision.
All in all, the Kelly Ayotte of 2010 did not seem likely to turn into a supporter of today’s 2013 Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act, better known as the Gang of Eight comprehensive immigration reform bill. But that is exactly what Ayotte did Sunday, with an op-ed and a talk-show appearance declaring her intention to vote for the bill.
History has a way of repeating itself. The two establishment candidates vying for Ayotte’s old job are also talking about “border security”:
GOP voters should insist that Morse and Smith state SPECIFICALLY what they intend to do to “secure the border.” How EXACTLY would they, to borrow a phrase from Candidate-Ayotte, “ensure that existing immigration laws are enforced”?
If we get answers like CONVICTING Mayorkas (which depends on the House voting to impeach) and refusing to confirm ANY Biden nominees until Trump’s wall is finished, then we will have some evidence that when they say “secure the border” they might actually mean it.
