Yet another Rubio argument

Let's talk about Rubio and Immigration... You Trumpkins and "EVERYONE NOT NAMED REAGAN IS A RINO!!!" Folks can stop reading here... 

Of course his participation in the Gang of 8 deal was stupid, and yes, it was unConservative, but why must it disqualify him from the Presidency? No matter how much the ideological purity crowd wants to believe it, Rubio is not some Manchurian Sleeper Agent sent by the Chamber of Commerce and the Illuminati to help usher in the dawn of a new era in GOP-sponsored Progressivism-lite. I think the truth is much more simple. Rubio was a young politician at the time, still is really, with Presidential ambitions and not much in the way of signature achievements. I think he looked at the tactical situation and thought hey, I'm a young Latino, if I can pull of a 40-years-in-the-making grand bargain that provides real border security with a path to citizenship as long as illegals in the country pay a price then I would have to be considered a front runner for the Presidency... And I think that could have been absolutely true. If he'd pulled it off, he would have been personally responsible for bringing in a huge new wave of Latino voters to the GOP. That would have been a huge win for all of us and a massive defeat for the Democrats who have been looking for a way to lock those up votes for years.

It's just that he miscalculated in getting into bed with people who did not share his vision for his own future. I do think that McConnell, and Reid, and Boehner, and even McCain are, at this point, in this to maintain their own power and position, and Rubio was a sacrifice to that effort. To misquote Animal House, "he fucked up, he trusted them."

So he made a mistake. He reached high and came up short. And when it didn't work, he apologized and promised to do better in the future. What else can you want in a President?

But let's get down to brass tacks. Let's say I'm wrong and Rubio is a sleeper agent bred in a lab by the GOPe to deliver Amnesty in 2016... So what? Amnesty won't come from the President... It can't. If there is going to be an Immigration law, it will, in fact must, come from the House. So if a border security first bill makes it to his desk, do you really believe a President Rubio would veto it? I mean even if deep down he really REALLY wants to? Of course not... But you know who WOULD veto such a bill? President Hillary.

And so no matter who wins next November, the Immigration fight will still be in the House... Right where it's always been. And if by some miracle the Conservative base is successful in getting the right bill through that battle, I'd be thrilled to see Rubio sitting behind the Resolute Desk waiting to sign, because I'm confident he'd do the right thing.

UPDATE: it occurs to me that, despite angry base claims to the contrary, it IS possible to be both the GOP establishment choice AND and good Conservative... Oh and by the way angry base voter, you already won! The GOPe wanted Jeb! and they're not getting him... So you forced them to compromise and support Rubio instead. That's how a negotiation works... Everybody gets a little something. It's not a negotiation if one side loses everything and the winners salt the Earth. Why not stop being angry for five seconds and try to enjoy your victory... Thing is, we rarely make good decisions when we're in the middle of a tantrum.