PROMISES, PROMISES: Obama in Immigration Dance

[Bluebear]

President Barack Obama promised to make overhauling the immigration system a top priority in his first year as president. He's now in Year Two, and the odds that he'll get to sign a bill before the November midterm elections appear long.

Grass-roots activists are frustrated by the wait for a new system and are organizing a rally Sunday on the National Mall by what they hope will be thousands of people from across the country loudly voicing their displeasure at the pace of action...

"It will be one of my priorities on my first day (as president) because this is an issue that we have demagogued," candidate Obama told the National Association of Latino Elected Officials in June 2008. "There's been a lot of politics around it, but we haven't been serious about solving the problem. And I want to solve the problem."

"I will make it a top priority in my first year as president," he told the League of United Latin American Citizens the following month.

Five months after taking office, Obama said after meeting at the White House in June 2009 with a bipartisan group of about 30 lawmakers that immigration overhaul would be a difficult undertaking. But he said work on it must get under way that year.

By August 2009, the rhetoric had changed.

Asked about immigration overhaul at a news conference during a visit to Mexico, Obama said changing the system would have to wait until 2010 while he focused on other priorities, such as overhauling the health care and financial regulatory systems.

In appearances after that, Obama promised action but dropped references to any timetable.

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wirestory?id=10144730&page=1

[readmoreoften]

1. Oh god, but now he's talking about working on it. God help the undocumented worker.

This is gonna get ugly.

[Bluebear]

2. The applicants will have to pass "Speak American!!!!1" tests & "pay back taxes"

However that's supposed to be calculated.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7952121

[leftstreet]

6. It's Offical!

[willing dwarf]

3. Life in the D.C. Sandy Andy

He works on one thing which sets other wheels in motion to address other things. Nothing will stand still or stay put, it all needs to be worked on at once, and many of them have the potential to dump you out of the game, gasping for air on the ground.

I'd hate to be a politician.

[Bluebear]

5. You couldnt pay me enough to do it :)

[babylonsister]

4. Funny you should attack a Dem Prez when you might want to

take a gander at this. Oh, and I'd cut him a little slack; he's been a tad busy since he got into office. :eyes:


http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2010/03/18-2

PFAW Report Exposes Right Wing Playbook Against Immigration Reform

WASHINGTON - March 18 - People For the American Way released a report today previewing the strategies to be employed by right-wing activists fighting against common-sense immigration reform this year. Drawing on years of expertise on the Right, the report details the nine strategies designed to defeat any efforts to reform our country's immigration system, as well as tools for fighting back against these dishonest attacks.

"American citizens deserve an immigration system that works for our country," said Michael B. Keegan, President of People For the American Way. "That means we deserve comprehensive immigration reform. But the anti-immigrant, far-right fringe has been successful in torpedoing sensible legislation in the past and they're gearing up to do it again. Supporters of reform are intent on learning from past mistakes, and part of that means understanding the strategies we face."

The report, "(Pre)Viewing the Right Wing Playbook on Immigration" is the latest in People For's "Right Wing Watch: In Focus" series and adds to research already published on PFAW's RightWingWatch.org. It lays out nine strategies the Right will use to attack any common-sense immigration reform movement:

1: Appeal to Racial Fear and The ‘Brown' Threat to ‘White' America - "What is happening to us? An immigrant invasion of the United States from the Third World, as America's white majority is no longer even reproducing itself." - Pat Buchanan

2: Appeal to Racial Resentment by Portraying Immigrant Rights Advocates as Racists -- " the Ku Klux Klan of the Hispanic people" - Michael Savage

3: Portray Immigrants and Their Supporters as Invaders, Conquerors, Enemies of the U.S. - "The homegrown multiculti-mau-mau-ers know exactly what they believe, and they know exactly what they are doing. They aim to mainstream the ‘Stolen Land' mantra and pervert history. They aim to obliterate America's borders by sheer demographic and political force." - Michelle Malkin

4: Portray Immigrants as Criminals and Terrorists - "Illegal immigration" is a "slow-motion Holocaust," and a "slow-motion terrorist attack on the United States." - Congressman Steve King

5: Portray Immigrants as Carriers of Disease and Weapons of Bio-Terrorism - "The next time you eat in a restaurant or sleep in a hotel or motel....just remember to bring your own food, dishes, untensils , glasses, towels, and maybe your own water. The person who cooked your meal or made your bed may very well be the one who picked your fruit and vegetables, yesterday....and we've heard the stories about what they do in the fields....haven't we?" - Mothers Against Illegal Aliens

6: Stop Reform by Shouting ‘Amnesty' - "‘Comprehensive' is the code word for amnesty." - Pat Buchanan

7: Denigrate Reform Efforts as Vote-Buying -- "The Democrats know it's to their advantage to bring in Third World hordes who will one day become Democratic voters." - Rick Scarborough

8: Portray Anti-Immigrant Stance as ‘Pro-Worker' (While Voting Against Worker Interests) -- "If they were not in the country, we wouldn't have to worry about emergency room or health insurance costs at all. And Americans would have these jobs." - Congressman Virgil Goode

9: Push Divisive Black-Brown Wedge - " the greatest threat to black people since slavery." - Ted Hayes

For additional information, or to arrange an interview, contact Drew Courtney or Josh Glasstetter at [e-mail] or 202-467-4999.
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People For the American Way is dedicated to making the promise of America real for every American: Equality. Freedom of speech. Freedom of religion. The right to seek justice in a court of law. The right to cast a vote that counts. The American Way. Our vision is a vibrantly diverse democratic society in which everyone is treated equally under the law, given the freedom and opportunity to pursue their dreams, and encouraged to participate in our nation’s civic and political life. Our America respects diversity, nurtures creativity and combats hatred and bigotry.