Tripling-down, an unapologetic Jeb Bush yesterday “bungled” another attempt to explain his offensive use of “anchor babies” to describe American citizens born to immigrant parents.
Bush defended his previous use of “anchor babies,” and went even further, clarifying that he had also intended to diminish the Asian American community.
And to be clear: This is an expansion on Jeb’s earlier “anchor baby” comments, not a clarification. Despite his claims to the contrary, Jeb was 100% talking about Latino”anchor babies” up until yesterday. This is no walk back — Jeb’s just cranking up the inflammatory rhetoric.
These days, in trying to prove he’s an interesting, exciting candidate, Jeb’s channeling his inner Donald Trump — offending first and griping about political correctness second. Who will Jeb think to alienate next?
Read more on Jeb Bush’s disparaging comments about Asian Americans and his “anchor babies” triple-down:
ABC News: Jeb Bush Says ‘Anchor Babies’ Comment Was ‘More Related to Asians’
Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush has ignited a firestorm once again — saying his use of the controversial term “anchor babies” is “more related to Asian people.” Bush, who traveled to the U.S.-Mexico border today, has refused to back down from using the term, a derogatory phrase used to refer to the children of undocumented immigrants born on American soil. Both he and Donald Trump have drawn fire for the usage.
Time: Jeb Bush Bungles ‘Anchor Baby’ Explanation
The former Florida governor’s use of the epithet was a sharp departure for Bush, who throughout his campaign has called for the GOP to adopt a more inclusive tone. It was a potential liability in his quest to woo Hispanic voters…Taking another page from Trump’s playbook, Bush shrugged off the backlash as a symptom of a system in which political correctness runs amok.
Vox: Jeb Bush: Don’t worry, I wasn’t calling Latinos “anchor babies” — I meant Asians
Now Bush is trying to backtrack: When he talked about “anchor babies,” he says, he wasn’t referring to Latinos — he was referring to Asians. Wait, what?!
Slate: Jeb Tries To Explain Away “Anchor Babies” Remark: “Frankly, It’s More Related to Asian People”
Jeb Bush got himself in some hot water last week for unapologetically using the term “anchor babies” in response to a question about birthright citizenship. On Monday, the one-time Republican frontrunner somehow managed to make things even worse. Asked at a Texas campaign event whether he was afraid using the derogatory term would alienate Hispanic voters, Jeb explained that he was not. His reason? He was really talking about Asians when he deployed the term last week.
Talking Points Memo: Jeb Clarifies ‘Anchor Baby’ Remarks: ‘It’s More Related To Asian People’
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush attempted to clarify his remarks about “anchor babies” during a stop near the U.S. border with Mexico on Monday, saying Asian immigrants are really more of the problem…Bush prefaced his answer with “as I said in Spanish,” and went on to rail against political correctness, saying “we need to chill out.”
CNN: Jeb Bush defends ‘anchor baby’ use, at times in Spanish
“Frankly it’s more related to Asian people coming into our country, having children, in that organized efforts, taking advantage of a noble concept.”
The Hill: Bush: ‘Anchor babies’ is ‘more related to Asian people’
Jeb Bush aggressively defended his use of the term “anchor babies” during a trip Monday to the U.S.-Mexico border, saying the term describes fraudulent immigration “more related to Asian people.”
Published: Aug 25, 2015