Obama risks alienating Latinos with lack of immigration reform

[Bluebear]

... if the Democrats are cowardly on immigration when they have large majorities in the House and Senate, how will they feel after taking some losses in November? What will Obama's 2012 campaign promise to Latinos be? "Trust me on immigration reform. This time I really mean it"? He might as well say adios to those electoral college votes.


By Joshua Hoyt
Friday, March 5, 2010

I have known Barack Obama since 1986, when we were both community organizers. I am still organizing on the streets of Chicago, and what I see in the Latino community makes me fear that the president is oblivious to the pain wrought by our broken immigration system. It could have a profound effect on the 2010 and 2012 elections.

It didn't have to be this way. For a brief moment last year it appeared that Obama might realign the modern political map, cementing the Latino vote into the Democratic coalition by speaking plainly to the American people on the need for comprehensive immigration reform.

Instead, he squandered a political gift handed to him by the Republican Party's nativist wing -- and its anti-immigrant rhetoric -- during the 2008 campaign. Candidate Obama promised to make immigration reform a priority during his first year in office, and the Latino vote surged to 10 million, from 7.8 million in 2004, and swung eight percentage points toward the Democrats.

Latinos gave 59 percent of their vote to John Kerry in 2004 but gave Obama 67 percent in 2008. The immigrant Latino vote expanded from 52 percent for Kerry to 75 percent for Obama, enough to deliver Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Florida -- and arguably North Carolina, Indiana and Pennsylvania.

But since taking office Obama has pursued a policy of increased deportations. The president's tin ear for Latino passion on this issue was clear to us in Chicago during his short tenure as our U.S. senator.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/04/AR2010030404037.html

[babylonsister]

1. Obama looking to give new life to immigration reform

Obama looking to give new life to immigration reform

In an effort to advance a bill through Congress before midterm elections, the president meets with two senators who have spent months trying to craft legislation.

March 04, 2010|By Peter Nicholas


Reporting from Washington — Despite steep odds, the White House has discussed prospects for reviving a major overhaul of the nation's immigration laws, a commitment that President Obama has postponed once already.

Obama took up the issue privately with his staff Monday in a bid to advance a bill through Congress before lawmakers become too distracted by approaching midterm elections.
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In the session, Obama and members of his Domestic Policy Council outlined ways to resuscitate the effort in a White House meeting with two senators -- Democrat Charles E. Schumer of New York and Republican Lindsey Graham of South Carolina -- who have spent months trying to craft a bill.

According to a person familiar with the meeting, the White House may ask Schumer and Graham to at least produce a blueprint that could be turned into legislative language.

The basis of a bill would include a path toward citizenship for the 10.8 million people living in the U.S. illegally. Citizenship would not be granted lightly, the White House said. Undocumented workers would need to register, pay taxes and pay a penalty for violating the law. Failure to comply might result in deportation.

more...

http://articles.latimes.com/2010/mar/04/nation/la-na-immigration5-2010mar05

[NJmaverick]

2. Now there you go ruining a perfectly good rant with all this reality nonsense

:evilgrin:

[babylonsister]

3. My gawd, the heaping pile of shit that wound up on Obama's

plate should make heads spin. And yet, he's trying in good faith to resolve so many issues. I'm giving him credit just for the attempt instead of bashing the guy for things not yet done.

[NJmaverick]

13. I totally agree. No one is perfect but it's not helpful to be posting

false information to bring him down.

[Bluebear]

4. I can't see who you're posting to, but you may want to comment at the publication

if you think their rant is misplaced!

[NJmaverick]

7. Read this article

http://articles.latimes.com/2010/mar/04/nation/la-na-immigration5-2010mar05

[Bluebear]

8. Good news. La Raza this week started a "remind Obama of his promises" video

So the frustration is out there. I hope some action takes place.

====

Seems like the National Council of la Raza is starting a new action center and at the heart of it is reminding President Obama about all those promises he made in order to earn the Latino vote, especially his promises on immigration reform.

The launch of this action network comes ahead of NCLR’s National Advocacy days, today and Thursday in D.C., where Congressmen Menendez and Gutierrez are slated to speak to 300 leaders from 30 states and DC. The message is accountability and holding representatives accountable for promises made and for addressing the needs of the communities they try to represent.

The promo above doesn’t exactly call Obama a liar, but rather says he must have forgotten because he’s been so busy.

What do people think? Did Obama forget or did he just throw immigrants under the bus? What about Congressmen Gutierrez and Melendez who have introduced immigration proposals that are a step up from the current criminalization and detention heavy policies but still have a long way to go on being really representative of our the entire immigrant community.

http://vivirlatino.com/2010/03/03/national-council-of-la-raza-wants-to-remind-obama-about-something.php

[Biker13]

5. Gotta Pick Your Fights Wisely...

With unemployment at 10%, this is just not the time.

[Bluebear]

6. 'this is just not the time' - well, I've certainly heard that before.

[Biker13]

9. You'll Probably Hear It Again.

With the majority of Americans, it's about perception, not reality.

[Bluebear]

12. It's funny, though, campaign promises never have the same 'timing' issues

[readmoreoften]

15. It's not the time to make things better for: gays, workers, and immigrants because

Obama's too busy finding a way to make sick people give more money to the health insurers who fund his campaign, expanding Bagram and other torture apparatuses in Afghanistan, and bombing Pakistan.

[EFerrari]

18. Maybe if the administration wasn't so busy fighting their base

they could get more done.

A significant number of undocumented workers have already gone north to Canada or south to home. But the treatment by ICE of those remaining is a disgrace that has nothing to do with unemployment except insofar as it creates jobs for thugs.

[lunamagica]

23. Immigration reform means millions of new Democratic voters

That is really the main reason why Republicans are against the reform. They fear that with millions of new Latino voters, being in power again will become virtually impossible for them.

Delaying this campaing promise is only hurting re-election chances for Democrats.

[QC]

10. HE DOESNT' HAVE A MAGIC WAND!1!!!!!111!!!!11

[Bluebear]

11. Si, se puede!

[EFerrari]

14. No Constituency Left Intact!

The icing is that Hillary Clinton dissed most of Latin America yesterday when she said she didn't know what they're all waiting for in delaying the recognition of the fake new government in Honduras that is still kidnapping and killing their opposition.

Latinos may not vote for the Republicans next time, they'll just stay home if this "tone deafness" is not alleviated with some kind of hearing device.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

16. Clinton's Latin American clangers - From today's Guardian UK

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2010/mar/05/hillary-clinton-latin-america

Hillary Clinton's Latin America tour is turning out to be about as successful as George W Bush's visit in 2005, when he ended up leaving Argentina a day ahead of schedule just to get the hell out of town. The main difference is that she is not being greeted with protests and riots. For that she can thank the positive media image that her boss, President Obama, has managed to maintain in the region, despite his continuation of his predecessor's policies.

But she has been even more diplomatically clumsy that Bush, who at least recognised that there were serious problems and knew what not to say. "The Honduras crisis has been managed to a successful conclusion," Clinton said in Buenos Aires, adding that "it was done without violence."

This is rubbing salt into her hosts' wounds, as they see the military overthrow of President Mel Zelaya last June, and subsequent efforts by the US to legitimise the dictatorship there as not only a failure but a threat to democracy throughout the region.

It is also an outrageous thing to say, given the political killings, beatings, mass arrests, and torture that the coup government used in order to maintain power and repress the pro-democracy movement. The worst part is that they are still committing these crimes.

[EFerrari]

19. Glad to see it. Jesus, what is she thinking. n/t

[QC]

17. I honestly can't think of a single Democratic constituency

that has not gotten the ole thumb in the eye lately. Seriously. This is not the way to keep a coalition together.

[EFerrari]

20. Unless you don't really need them. Which is what this looks like more and more

all the time.

[QC]

21. Yeah, and once Obama makes all the Republicans love him,

he won't need women and minorities and teachers and homos and tree-huggers blue-collar workers and all those other déclassé types anymore.

[Bluebear]

22. You said 'déclassé'

:loveya:

[EFerrari]

24. LOL. I was thinking in terms of how little choice or control we have

over our so called "elections". We seem to be so much window dressing at a negotiation between the political class and their owners.