As expected, the media, especially the Florida press, has quickly made the 2016 Republican presidential primary a race between two conservatives-Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio.

But while both  Rubio and Bush enjoy unprecedented statewide support from the general Florida Republican electorate, they both find themselves in the  cross hairs of the conservative grassroots for their support of immigration reform.

Jeb is unapologetic when it comes to his support for a pathway to citizenship for millions of illegal aliens. While I don’t agree with his stance on immigration reform, I respect that Jeb sticks to his guns, much like he sticks to the people who got him where he is now.

Jeb is loyal to a fault.

Rubio’s position(s) on immigration reform has garnered him an unexpected mixed bag of support from the Republican base of support that once stood by him during his 2010 Senate race.

Many of those past Rubio supporters are not supporting Senator Ted Cruz in the early stages of the 2016 GOP presidential primary, and others looking closely at supporting Dr. Ben Carson and Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker.

If Rubio would not have tripped over himself on immigration (whomever told him that it was a good idea to push the Senate immigration bill should be canned) there would probably be no room for a Ted Cruz or even Ben Carson in the 2016 GOP presidential primary race, and Rubio would probably have the nomination all locked up. Probably.

 But as both Rubio and Bush push to make the immigration issue about border security, a move that many may see as a way sweep their support for amnesty for illegals under the rug, Americans are a smarter voting bunch, who will not give them a pass on their past support for fast tracking U.S. citizenship for millions of illegal aliens.

Rubio and Jeb are calling for a “secure the border” first approach to immigration reform, but neither have yet to offer any legitimate and substantive solutions to the problem.

Perry scored big brownie points with Americans when he deployed the Texas National Guard to support border security efforts along that state’s southern border.

Rubio and Bush seem to once again be evolving on their position on immigration reform.

Bush, 62, more forcefully defends the importance of immigrants to the fabric of America, but he says the country doesn’t necessarily have to nationalize the ones already here. However, he previously supported a path to citizenship.

Rubio, 43, was burned politically for his attempt to pass comprehensive reform in Congress two years ago. He now speaks more carefully on the subject, but he remains open to giving unauthorized immigrants U.S. citizenship.

Both criticize President Barack Obama’s executive immigration actions. The first, known as DACA, grants temporary legal status to immigrants brought into the country illegally as children. The second, known as DAPA, would among other things extend that permission to some of their parents. DAPA is tied up in court and has not yet taken effect.

Bush would repeal both orders. So would Rubio, eventually, though he would leave the first one in place for some time to avoid widespread “disruption” for young people and the businesses where they work. That position, which Rubio explained last week in a series of Spanish-language television interviews, resulted in backlash from conservatives who objected to the notion that DACA might be worth preserving, at least for a while.-Herald

All this said, there is not much difference between Jeb and Marco-both men would make great presidents, and both would restore American respectability around the world, not to mention dropping a bomb or two on heads of  Islamic terrorists.

If this 2016 GOP presidential primary race does come down between Rubio and Bush, Rubio seems to have the advantage over Bush.

Bush’s biggest problem is name-fatigue, as well as his support for Common Core and for full amnesty for illegal aliens.

But again, Rubio has the upper hand here. Americans will give Rubio another chance before they offer it to Bush.

Bush, regardless of how great a conservative governor he was in Florida,  cannot escape the fact that he is considered to be one of those politicians from “yesterday.”

On the other hand, Rubio is considered to be a politician of the future, and the best chance to beat Hillary Clinton in the general. 

Here is a very unscientific poll the Shark Tank has been conducting to try to gauge how Americans will vote, if it came down to picking between Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio.