Marco Rubio at Wednesday's GOP debate. AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
American presidential primaries are strange. On one hand they are hyped and celebrated by a political press that loves nothing more than a months-long horserace, but on the other they are deeply insular affairs, with the candidates speaking directly to the small percentage of the population engaged enough in the process to vote in an intra-party contest.
Related: What We Learned from Last Night's Republican Debate
That means that though the GOP candidates are playing to the border hawks, Evangelicals, unabashed Islamophobes, anti-tax crusaders, wealthy pseudo-libertarians, Obama haters, and the rest of the subgroups that constitute the Republican base, the rest of the world gets to eavesdrop on their appeals. That's where things get messy. What sounds like a courageous, common-sense position to some Iowa caucusgoers might be considered a dumb idea by Democrats, and might scare the shit out of foreigners unused to the apocalyptic Christian capitalism peddled by the contemporary American right.
To find out just how terrifying the GOP is to non-Americans, we gathered some young immigrants to watch Wednesday night's debate and act as an informal focus group. Here's what they had to say about Marco Rubio, visas, and the US obsession with discussing candidates' business records.
On Jeb Bush
Dan, from Ireland: Poor Jeb really doesn't know how to run, does he? Imagine losing to a mad scientist and Biff from Back to the Future.
Naoise, also from Ireland: Jeb seems completely resigned. Like, "My mom made me run."
Dory, from Canada: He tried to self-sabotage off. Rubio is right on with that. At least he is interested in drawing talented workers to the US to help boost the economy. All of those "foreigners" who are "stealing" American jobs are actually paying taxes into the US economy and spending their hard-earned dollars in US markets. I feel like Rubio gets that to some extent. Everyone else is just totally anti-foreigners—they claim they are just anti-illegals but they seem determined to make it as difficult for people to come here legally as possible.
Gina: They need better avenues for skilled and less-skilled people who want to work here. They need Mexicans picking tomatoes in California and working the kitchens in New York.
Naoise: My issue with the way they were talking about it was how ignorant they were. Trump spins H1-B—a really difficult visa to get—as a way to decry illegal immigrants. One has nothing to do with the other—you can't apply for a H1-B if you entered the country illegally. It boggles my mind that could be a point in the debate for them.
Gina: My job required someone who spoke Spanish on a native level, and you're not going to get that except with someone who was raised in a Spanish-speaking country. And ultimately they said I was taking up a American job!
On Marco Rubio
Dan: Rubio does have a presence, I'll give him that.
Dory: I kind of want to hate him, but he's so impassioned and kinda sincere, so I'm having trouble totally dismissing him.
Naoise: I almost like him and then I realize how much I disagree with pretty much everything he represents. He's definitely the least odious?
Moeko: If I were a Republican I would vote for him. Oh, also he's young. That's something US needs—look at Canada and Trudeau.
Dan: Rubio is gonna win this in the end, mark my words. He's too slick. Trump and Carson will fall eventually because they just can't get the nod. I'd be amazed if Trump actually wanted it. Jeb just doesn't look like he's ever gonna take it up a notch; it's probably already too late.
Anything That You Actually Liked?
Moeko: I liked it when Rand Paul talked about why Social Security was failing. It got to the heart of the problem. It was very simple and honest and true.
Gina: Rubio is really hot, even though he has big ears. But I like Cubans.
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