For a while, it seems like the [tag]White House[/tag] was intent on at least giving the appearance that [tag]Bush[/tag] was willing to move away from his [tag]bubble[/tag], at least a little. Richard Wolffe and Holly Bailey write in Newsweek, however, that when it comes to the [tag]president[/tag]’s [tag]immigration[/tag] pitch, he’s gone right back inside. (via Froomkin)
Administration officials have touted Bush’s recent speeches on immigration as a sign that he’s exerting the muscle that many lawmakers in Congress had complained was lacking in recent months. Yet, just as he did in his failed push on Social Security last year, Bush has been delivering his sales pitch mainly before friendly audiences that are already on board with his plan, as opposed to those who really need convincing.
On Tuesday, Bush spoke before a crowd of [tag]Border[/tag] Patrol agents in New Mexico to tout his plan to deploy National Guard troops along the border. He made a similar speech at another Border Patrol station in Yuma, Ariz., last month. Two weeks ago, Bush traveled to Chicago, where he talked about immigration before the National Restaurant Association — a group that has lobbied heavily in favor of his proposed guest-worker program. A week ago, Bush crossed Lafayette Park to talk about the issue before the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, an influential Washington lobby group that has put the proposed worker program at the top of its legislative wish list this year.
What’s interesting is that Bush has to be very specific in who gets into the bubble on this one. Talking to Dems is just out of the question as a general rule, but the president can’t just screen audiences to let in conservative [tag]Republicans[/tag] — because a significant portion of his far-right base is actively opposed to and highly critical of the White House’s policy on immigration.
So Bush is left to talk only to a small part of his ever-shrinking base — wealthy business interests — which still finds Bush’s approach to the issue appealing.