Jeb Bush: When I said 'anchor babies,' I meant Asians, not Latinos

[Cali_Democrat]

Source: The Week

Former Gov. Jeb Bush (R-Fla.) clarified his recent use of the term "anchor babies," one many consider a racial slur, during a trip to the U.S.-Mexico border Monday. He deflected criticism that he's been calling for a crackdown on Latino immigration by shifting the focus to Asian immigrants' birthright citizenship.

"What I was talking about was the specific case of fraud being committed, where there's organized efforts," he said. "And frankly it's more related to Asian people, coming into our country, having children."

Bush was likely referring to cases of reported Chinese "birth tourism." The presidential hopeful also called out Hillary Clinton's campaign and others who have taken issue with his use of "anchor babies."

"This is all how politics plays," he said. "And by the way, I think we need to take a step back and chill out a little bit as it relates to the political correctness that somehow you have to be scolded every time you say something."

Read more: http://theweek.com/speedreads/573599/jeb-bush-when-said-anchor-babies-meant-asians-not-latinos

[rurallib]

1. swimming the Pacific just to have a child in the USA!

how dare they?

[jberryhill]

14. No, they fly

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/7187180

[XemaSab]

53. Wait, Asians have wings?

[jberryhill]

55. They invented Red Bull

[XemaSab]

57. .

[roguevalley]

36. wtf? he's the smart one, remember? He's pathetic. Someone in their party I can't remember

who ... I think its a billionaire wants a new person to step in and run for their nom. I wish I could remember where I saw that. I think the party is going to cut its on throat and die this time.

[Dont call me Shirley]

2. Good job, jebbie, now you've alienated Women, Workers, AAs, Latinos, now Asians. Who's next?

[SusanaMontana41]

73. Trump was dismantling the GOP all by himself.

He has lots of company now, though. Disgusting.

[TlalocW]

3. Oh...

Well... Uh, that's okay then?

TlalocW

[DebbieCDC]

4. Oh well, sure, that makes it okay then Jeb!

Let's see how fast the entire field of Rethuglicans can insult every demographic possible except old white men

[Rosa Luxemburg]

5. Asians against Bush

[monmouth4]

6. Let's get him a bigger shovel for that hole he's digging....n/t

[christx30]

46. Longer rope. N/t

[davidpdx]

59. See #58

[MADem]

7. He's such a clumsy oaf. He is talking about the practice of pregnant women coming over

from China for the purpose of getting their kid a US passport. It is very common, and in some cases (not all) we end up footing the bill because these women present at the ER in labor without insurance after hiding out in an overcrowded apartment for a month or two.

The term is "BIRTH TOURISM" not "anchor babies."



It's an INDUSTRY in China--it's like buying insurance:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2015/04/01/china-usa-birth-tourists-business-strong/24887837/

BEIJING — Business is booming here for companies that coach pregnant women on how to deceive U.S. immigration authorities so they can enter the United States for the sole purpose of giving birth to American citizens.

At least 500 companies offered "birth tourism" services in China last year, the Shanghai newspaper National Business Daily reported. While there are no official statistics, the number of Chinese citizens heading to the USA to give birth likely is in the tens of thousands each year. The cost of a trip, including medical expenses, runs from $20,000 to $80,000.

The business is legal in China, but the tactics for entering the USA are not. The women are coached to lie about the purpose of their visit by listing "tourism," which makes it easier to get a visa. They also are told to hide their pregnancies when going through U.S. immigration and avoid declarations that they're traveling for medical treatment.

In early March, California authorities raided dozens of maternity hotels for Chinese women in Orange, Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties for alleged immigration and tax fraud.

The raids did not prompt crackdowns on the business in China. Six birth tourism companies, including ABC Baby and Precious Beauty Baby, told USA TODAY that business continues as normal. Six others declined comment......

The idea isn't to stay in USA--the idea is to go back to China, wait until the kid grows up, and then have the kid, as an adult US citizen, sponsor his family to come to USA:

The main attraction: When children born in the United States turn 21, they can sponsor their parents to become legal U.S. residents so the family can emigrate to America. "They admire America's clean air and food safety," Chen said. &quot And) it's a nation that respects human rights."

[Syzygy321]

70. I've had distant family members do it.

Slightly different MO though: they come at about their sixth month (after the ultrasound showing sex, because this is only done for boys) and stay with relatives. They (and extended family) pay cash up front to an OB and hospital so all services are covered.

The reasons: (1) Gain access to US colleges and jobs after high school. (2) Dodge compulsory military service. (3) Someday the American child might settle in the US and bring his parents there in their old age, for medical care or to get away from home-country instability.

I don't think it hurts anyone, but I'm uncomfortable with the sneakiness.

[hollysmom]

8. Keep talking JEBby

you are on your way to proving your brother was the smart Bush.

Did Barbara drop all these kids on their heads as babies?

[MADem]

10. I think she soothed her upset stomach with pitchers of martinis.... nt

[hollysmom]

15. well, that makes sense because she

really had nothing to do with raising her children probably a flock of nannies without papers, I remember when she went to a gala instead of her own daughters funeral.

[MADem]

34. I read that in the early MIDLANDS years, Big George was absent and cheap.

She had to do all the work herself, and she wasn't all that good at it, so he was critical of her. This depressed her and thus she raised her kids rather neglectfully and found a bit of solace in beverages. I think she did give it a belt there. It didn't help that George had a longstanding affair with his own Jenifer, who moved to London when the heat was on (popular hideout, London).

They're a "cocktails" kind of family--they never throw anything out, don't need to 'prove' themselves in terms of fashion, and like to get a bit sloppy over drinks, but not "too-too," or so I've heard. They've never had ME over, so I sure wouldn't know!

I don't remember ever reading that she skipped her child's funeral.

[BlueMTexpat]

43. If the reference is to her daughter Robin,

there was no funeral, according to one source. http://hubpages.com/hub/The-Other-Children-of-George-and-Barbara-Bush Robin was diagnosed with leukemia at three and died before she was four. Her remains were donated for cancer research.

But the story I remember best about her callous behavior towards her children likely came from this 2003 article that talked about Dubya's behavior and mentioned how BOTH parents were influences:

He [Bush] was aggressively anti-intellectual and hostile to east-coast preppy types like his father, sometimes cruelly so. On one occasion he walked up to a matronly woman at a smart cocktail party and asked, "So, what's sex like after 50, anyway?"

A direct and loutish challenge to his father's posh sensibility came aged 25, after he had drunkenly crashed a car. "I hear you're looking for me," he sneered at his father, "do you want to go mano a mano, right here?"

As he grew older, the fury towards his father was increasingly directed against himself in depressive drinking. But it was not all his father's fault. There was also his insensitive and domineering mother.

Barbara Bush is described by her closest intimates as prone to "withering stares" and "sharply crystalline" retorts. She is also extremely tough. When he was seven, Bush's younger sister, Robin, died of leukaemia and several independent witnesses say he was very upset by this loss. Barbara claims its effect was exaggerated but nobody could accuse her of overreacting: the day after the funeral, she and her husband were on the golf course.

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2003/sep/02/lifeandhealth.usa

The second mentions a funeral, but perhaps meant merely to refer to Robin's death, assuming that the first source is correct. Either way, I cannot imagine just picking up my social life as usual immediately after I had lost a three-year-old and still had a traumatized seven-year-old who needed closure and attention.

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

68. It would be relaxing drnking with the Bushes

Not having to worry about impressing anyone, since by default you would be smarter and probably more cultured than these buffoons. Also, no need to talk politics (probably a sore point anyway), just drink, laugh - even laugh at their "where are the weapons of mass destruction" jokes, because - Hey, you're with the Bushes; that gives you the right to not give a fuck about anything but your partying!

[MADem]

69. I think it would be...revolting! nt

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

74. Luckily I have a very strong gag reflex.

[no_hypocrisy]

9. Oh no, he didn't . . . . .

[The Second Stone]

11. Aren't we all anchor babies?

Unless we took a citizenship test and oath?

[Sunlei]

12. Chinese "birth tourism." for duel passports was during the bush good old days.all the Bushes knew

and did nothing. I think this was just a 'tactic' for Hong Kong 'citizens' the extremely wealthy 1%.

These days pregnant Chinese people aren't allowed visas to travel near delivery date to birthright countries.

[Solly Mack]

13. Idiot

[NCjack]

16. Of course. JEB meant to discriminate against Asians on "birth tourism" -- during a speech on

the US-Mexico border. No one else but Asians would do that. Latinos. Europeans, Arabs, Africans -- none of those come here to have an anchor baby. Just Asians on "birth tourism". That's what JEB meant, and we are fools for thinking that he was referring to the millions of Latino anchor babies in USA who arrived by means other than "birth tourism".

[asiliveandbreathe]

17. this is the best they got jebbie ...failed on delivery - failed

on yet another attempt to shore up support of Latinos - oh, let's strike another demographic...Asian people...broad brush ya got there ..pathetic..and this guy wants to be President of these United States...think again..you can hide your brother, jebbie..but your name still is our reminder of the devastation of Georgie... - Cheney - Sept 8th?? AEI? - another reminder jebbie...

Just look at jebbies foreign policy advisors - Georgie the second....pathetic..

Yes, he struck a nerve with us - our beautiful daughter-in-law - now here in US 2 years...from the Philippines...

he wants to talk about crime then be specific....he makes me sick - and to think we will have to spend our time and energy and money fending off this crassass - IMHO, bush is the chosen one for the republicons

[pampango]

18. Asians, Mexicans. Mexicans, Asians. It's sure nice to know that our own 1% is not the problem.

Look at those OTHERS not the 1%'er behind the curtain.

[PersonNumber503602]

52. I think in this case he's saying wealthy Chinese are the "problem"

I think it's more of a foot in his mouth thing though.

[underpants]

19. Jeb BUSH is against birthrights!!!!!!

The only reason anyone knows you and your brother's names is because of the birthright you started life with

[mountain grammy]

20. He is the dumbest son of a bush.

[lobodons]

24. And that is saying something!!

Considering the bar he needs to get over.

[NCjack]

28. JEB is dumber than "W", but Neil is actually the family dummy. Neil, if you read this, please don't

get all fuzzed up -- you know it's true.

[mainer]

21. Oh, my. He's insulting the people who actually have money --

and to whom American owes its debts.

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

22. Aw, I was hoping he'd call them "orientals".

[LiberalElite]

23. Keep digging, Jeb boy, keep digging....

[smirkymonkey]

76. Exactly what I was going to say!

I can't decide if this is entertaining or horrifying. Probably a sick combination of both.

[Monk06]

25. From 1882 to 1943 Chinese weren't even allowed to immigrate to the US. So Jeb pics on a group

that has suffered more racist motivated exclusion than Mexicans. Now he wants to ban them again.

That won't go down well with the 2.5 million Chinese/American citizens who may or may not have been born in the US and who probably have relatives that lived under that cloud.

That's the problem with the GOP they don't bother to learn the history of their own country let alone countries that they are intimately involved with politically and economically.

[pampango]

67. According to republicans, history does not matter (along with science). "Things are different now"

is the response you will hear from them every time you use history to evaluate a policy. "Things are different now" is a close cousin of "scientists are divided on ..." as good excuses for republicans to go with their emotions and fears when deciding on policies.

And don't even mention the Chinese Exclusion Act (passed under a republican president, of course) around republicans. It might give them ideas.

one of the most significant restrictions on free immigration in US history, prohibiting all immigration of Chinese laborers.

One of the critics of the Chinese Exclusion Act was the anti-slavery/anti-imperialist Senator George Frisbie Hoar of Massachusetts who described the Act as "nothing less than the legalization of racial discrimination."

The laws were driven largely by racial concerns; immigration of persons of other races was unlimited during this period.[

[Monk06]

71. We had the same anti Chinese legislation. In fact Canadians were even more bigoted against the

Chinese.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Immigration_Act,_1923

[LynneSin]

26. So Ted Cruz is ok but not Bobby Jindal. Gotcha

[SummerSnow]

27. ROFL...his wife got in his ass about the anchor baby statement.

[TheBlackAdder]

29. Translation: Bobby Jindal is an anchor baby, just not any of my wife's relatives! nt

[Gothmog]

30. Asian voters were already upset with the GOP

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2015/08/donald_trump_immigration_and_asians_is_the_gop_dooming_itself_to_a_repeat.html

[HassleCat]

31. Glad to see it's OK

I'm happy Jeb didn't insult his own family, or the Latino constituency he's counting on picking up in the election. Turns out it's the yellow wave, not the brown wave, we have to fear. Fear. Yes, that's the key.

[thebighobgoblin]

32. Wow, just wow.

He said that?

Seriously?

Yep, he's a Bush alright. Put a camera and mic in front of him and dumb shit starts flowing out of his mouth like raging waters unleashed from a dam.

[TBF]

33. I hope he keeps talking -

and they call this one the smart brother

[JI7]

35. HAHAHAHA

[tanyev]

37. Why, yes, he can fit both feet in his mouth.

I would have lost that bet.

[Cosmocat]

38. good god is his a horrible candidate ...

You almost have to TRY to fuck up like he does given the last name carrying water for him ...

[weissmam]

39. lets see

Asians tend to be the smartest, most educated and wealthiest of immigrants and one of the fastest growing groups -good group to piss off

[Feeling the Bern]

40. First of all, fuck you, you racist piece of shit. Blow me and my East Asian wife

Secondly, my wife knows personally about "birth tourism." One of her students is American because of it. They gave birth to the child in Anaheim on a "birth tourism" package for close to 10,000 USD.

[Retrograde]

41. You gotta think like a Repub

Where do most Asian-Americans live? California, Hawai'i, Washington, New York. What states do the Republicans not have a snowball's chance in Hell of carrying? California, Hawai'i, Washington, New York. He doesn't need the Asian vote, unlike the Latino vote (hate that term, as if they're all interchangeable), so he can insult them.

[ericson00]

42. Jeb Bush misses that you can't walk with your foot in your mouth

[David__77]

44. Oh goodness...

I consider that way more politically stupid than the things I've heard Trump say. I think that the latter were intentional. This strikes me as verbalized stream of consciousness.

[bullwinkle428]

45. DAMN!! I had my money on Trump making a remark about

"those tricky Asian people"!

[Major Hogwash]

47. He knows we can see him, doesn't he?

I think Jeb should be the one to chill out with all of the racist, xenophobic talk.
But then . . that's just me.

[douggg]

48. Got it! Jeb is saying that HIspanic 'anchor babies' are ok because

they are such a small part of the 'problem'.

[left-of-center2012]

49. How many times?

How many times did JEB have to clarify his Iraq War statements? Now it's 'anchor babies". What's next?

[SCVDem]

50. What a pendejo!

The last thing I want to hear are discussions about race from idiot GOP candidates. They have NO idea what they are talking about.

Hate! Hate! Hate! God loves you! Hate Hate! Hate!

[wheniwasincongress]

51. So he meant to say "Asian" but said "anchor" instead?

Is that it?


I think Jeb is the dumb Bush...it's not W.

[3catwoman3]

54. By what time tomorrow will he...

...be issuing another "I misspoke" statement?

[Wash. state Desk Jet]

56. He has to be a decider

<a href="http://photobucket.com/images/fufunny%20jeb%20bush%20pictures" target="_blank"><img src="" border="0" alt="fufunny jeb bush pictures photo: Jeb bush jeb_zpspjyy4tpe.jpg"/></a>

Jeb here:

The truth is I was just trying to agree with my opponent to some degree as a way to gain traction and in another way turn down the heat. Trump's a real blow torch- man it gets hot.

It started out I couldn't decide what tie to put on, so I said to myself I said, it's either this one or another one, there is no in-between.

I stayed with that thought all day.
It's the asians.

It's all about decision making.

[davidpdx]

58. Here's a shovel Jeb:

Keep digging.......

[freshwest]

60. Well, Jeb, there goes the West Coast. And you know damn well that name is about Latinos. Your buddy

Paul Ryan has used that ugly demagoguery to incite his followers as an excuse to repeal the 14A. Not fooling anyone, Jeb!

[Darb]

61. What a colossal, cowardly, lying prick.

Man, that pisses me off.

[Kablooie]

62. How many feet can he stuff into that mouth of his?

i really hate'cha cause your feets too big.

[mainer]

63. Does he care about Irish anchor babies? How about Polish anchor babies?

Oh, those are OK because they're white.

[itcfish]

64. Oh That Makes

a world of difference. LOL Moron Reminds of the scene in Blazing Saddles, "We will give the land to the Injuns and the N__ers, but no land to the Irish".

[sofa king]

65. Said "the smart one."

[Doctor_J]

66. dumber than w

I hope our eventual candidate makes an issue of his lack of intelligence

[TomCADem]

72. Compassionate Conservatism, Part II

I can see why the GOP establishment is in love with Jeb. He can play the role of a less scary Trojan Horse for the extreme right.

[KansDem]

75. Well, I'm glad he cleared that up!