Obama seeks public support for immigration overhaul

World Jan. 30, 2013 - 07:20AM JST ( 17 )

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17 Comments

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Elbuda MexicanoJan. 30, 2013 - 12:28PM JST

How about random drug tests and HIV/AIDS also mandatory!! This is no joke!
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SuperLibJan. 30, 2013 - 01:21PM JST

I generally support plans that realize there's no possible way to find and deport 11,000,000 people.

Any solution should be a bipartisan one, and we hope the president is careful not to drag the debate to the left

Can someone translate this for me?
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LagunaJan. 30, 2013 - 02:17PM JST

Any solution should be a bipartisan one, and we hope the president is careful not to drag the debate to the left

Sure! "Please do not force us once again into a position where what is good for the country is what our base would abhor."
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sailwindJan. 30, 2013 - 05:20PM JST

Sure! "Please do not force us once again into a position where what is good for the country is what our base would abhor."

What's good for the country is for President Obama to not try and take advantage of this by pushing the proposed reform so far left that it does become toxic for Republicans to support it. The concern here is that President Obama will put the Democrats first instead of country. If this falls apart because he's pushing harder for his version than what is coming together in the Senate through bi-partanship, it would be because he has willfully engineered it that way to fail.

Benefits? Republicans will once again be demonized as obstructionists and who can't compromise at all. Hispanics will be constantly reminded that it was the Republicans that killed it, locking up even more of them for the Democrats to bolster their chances in the 2014 mid-terms. A win, win for Democrats in expanding their base and the good of the country will just have to wait, as its all really about destroying the Republican brand right now instead of doing any real bipartisan legislation.

Don't think this isn't what the President might really be after? He's doing a "campaign style" event here after all.
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MolenirJan. 30, 2013 - 05:43PM JST

sail - sadly its pretty apparent that this seems to be the real focus of Obama and his administration. I do hope he can put his hyper-partisanship to the side, for the good of the country, if only for a little while, but to be honest, I'm not going to hold my breath. Particularly given his latest efforts to stifle and demonize any dissent from conservatives.
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LagunaJan. 30, 2013 - 06:25PM JST

Sail and Molenir, there seem to be two real sticking points, and both have their roots in right-wing resistance to a humanitarian acceptance of the inevitable.

The first is that a large number of House members will not vote for anything Obama supports that provides a path to citizenship. Ironically, if Obama came out against a path to citizenship, they'd likely knock themselves down rushing aboard.

Second is how that path will be realized. The Senate agreement is fuzzy on what might turn into serious roadblocks in this path - that the border is strengthened, that a national system allowing employer verification of right to work is implemented - whether these and other criteria are simply targets or actual benchmarks required before citizenship is granted remains unclear; what also remains unclear is who would give the green light if the latter were true.

Sail, Obama didn't attack any individual or group in his comments; he did disparage an idea, and that is that those in the US illegally who work, study, and contribute to society peacefully should be given a clear path to citizenship. If this destroys the Republican brand, it would be the Republicans themselves who are to blame.
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sailwindJan. 30, 2013 - 09:11PM JST

Sail, Obama didn't attack any individual or group in his comments; he did disparage an idea, and that is that those in the US illegally who work, study, and contribute to society peacefully should be given a clear path to citizenship. >if this destroys the Republican brand, it would be the Republicans themselves who are to blame.

The Republican Senator that is leading this effort is Marco Rubio. The article to the surprise of no one that actually follows politics and how the Media treats Republicans, will be shocked to see that the article doesn't want to include mentioning that a Republican Hispanic Senator is even in this at all. Mentioning Romney and his awkward self deportation comments serves nicely to go negative right of the bat on Republicans and getting McCain in .... no problem for the angry old white guy slant. As if these are the Republican guys to be able to speak to hispanics when they have Marco Rubio already as there point man on this for the Media to dutifully ignore anyway. Good job A.P. couldn't be more proud of your continued water carrying for Obama and the Dems.

Marco Rubio has been a rising star on the Republican side for awhile now and is getting serious preliminary looks at maybe being the guy in 2016. President Obama and the Democrats are not fools to this and even with the cloak of invisibility that the Media affords them anymore they do know that any real embrace will have Marco Rubio involved and that is not going to palatable to them in the least.

So Laguna I do think that politics will be a huge factor in the calculus for Obama and his political machine. Being stuck with President Obama the past 4 years on and now 4 more to go with him he's become a pretty known on how he Governs which is permanent campaign, wedge issues and go negative, negative, negative all the time on this opponents. He also owes Hillary big time and political payback for her will be demanded as she's gearing up to run in 2016 and President Obama is sure not going drain hispanic votes from her by looking like he and Marco Rubio are all of the sudden embracing each other on immigration policy.

He'll kill this effort for his politics and his party, amke it into the Republicans fault and his dutiful Media will parrot the line as they always do for his administration. Country will suffer, but as I stated before on the domestic front President Obama doesn't care for those that do not embrace Democrat policies or governing ideals at all. He's rather just continue the 24 / 7 campaign on them as his political enemies.

On the international front in my opinion he has been pretty much up to the task in a very complicated world for all Americans regardless of Party. I attribute that more to his having Joe Biden on his team and his long years on the Senate foreign relations committee and the experience he gained there as having a good positive influence on him in this arena myself.
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gcbelJan. 30, 2013 - 09:33PM JST

Sen John McCain, the former Republican presidential candidate who lost to Obama in 2008, said Monday that members of his party should realize that supporting immigration legislation could boost Republican prospects in future elections.

Because, make no mistake, winning is what it's all about for these folks. Any idea that they have principled stands is

Ironically, if Obama came out against a path to citizenship, they'd likely knock themselves down rushing aboard.

Yep, if he's for we're agin and vice-versa has been GOP's SOP since day 1.
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SerranoJan. 30, 2013 - 09:43PM JST

"make no mistake, winning is what it's all about for these folks ( the Republicans )

What's it all about for the Democrats besides increasing the national debt by $5 trillion in the last 4 years?
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badsey3Jan. 30, 2013 - 09:53PM JST

We need to open all the borders to drive down the wages and bankrupt the middle class -this will make all the slave owners much richer. The middle class will be subject to harsher penalties thru law, while the rich (new royalty) will be largely exempt. We need to print more (non-backed) money to support these causes, at low interest -the only way we can target people with savings.

If Japan was smart they would be doing the same and follow the USA Supreme Leader's direction. Any form of dissent or questioning will/shall be considered terrorism and a threat to the Supreme Government and our heavenly leader.
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FadamorJan. 31, 2013 - 12:19AM JST

As I understand it, the only real sticking point in this legislation is the requirement for the secure borders and employee verification being done BEFORE the Republicans will agree to the immigration changes. This is just the Republicans trying to salvage what they can from the debacle that has been their last twelve years of ineptitude. In between starting a war with no justification, taking a budget surplus and turning it into a whopping deficit, and obstructing everything and anything a Democratic President tries to do - regardless of the actual merit, the Republicans want to take lessons from the Japanese about how to re-write the history books. As it stands right now, the Republican Party is nothing but a punchline. They're the puppets dancing on the strings of the Tea Party. Tea Party Puppets. Tuppets. I propose they rename themselves the Tuppet Party.
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SuperLibJan. 31, 2013 - 01:57AM JST

Sail, I'm not exactly sure where you stand on the issue. On one hand you want to look at Rubio as a sign that Republicans are serious and included and on the other you are saying Obama/media are demonizing the Republicans who might block it, as if there is a good reason and everyone is ignoring it. If Rubio supports it and is involved then it stands to reason that the Republicans who might block it would be against him. Who are you throwing your support behind?
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gelendestrasseJan. 31, 2013 - 03:02AM JST

one hand you want to look at Rubio as a sign that Republicans are serious and included and on the other you are saying Obama/media are demonizing the Republicans who might block it

Without putting words in anybody's mouth, or trying not to....it's obvious that the "war or terror" and the other isses that thwarted W. Bush's attempt at immigration reform have made the immigration policy into a mess. A bipartisan agreement would be a welcome start to fixing this.

Personally, I think that if you can get a job then welcome to the country and here's the path to citizenship.

On the other hand Obama had a bipartisan panel that came up with a plan to fix the budget. It included higher taxes and spending cuts. Obama ignored that plan and put forward his own "only raise taxes on the rich" plan and successfully manipulated the campaign, with the support of a lot of the media, to win the election. He then started in with speeches saying that he wasn't going to compromise on anything. My way or the highway, in other words. Even reasonable discussion and objections are labled as "obstructionist." The comics.com political cartoon of the day was of an elephant with it's trunk wrapped around Obama's ankle as he tried to move "forward."

Like it or not there are a lot of people in the US who don't agree with Obama on everything. But he acts like he doesn't even have to consider those people and treats them as contemptable.

That's why, while I hope immigration (and the budget) get sorted out I anticipate that Obama will manipulate the situation to try to marginalize any dissent. Again.
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sailwindJan. 31, 2013 - 08:27AM JST

Sail, I'm not exactly sure where you stand on the issue.

It's a difficult issue that truly needs to lessen the politics of it for the humanitarian side of it. I'm not naive enough to think politics can be totally taken out of it but a true bi-partisan effort needs to happen with both sides standing down on the politics as best they can and standing up for the country. Fair, unbiased reporting by the Media would be greatly beneficial and truly really needed here also but my views are well known on that.

My personal position is quite complicated. I'm the son of a legal immigrant who is quite proud of becoming an American citizen the legal way. I really do not want to reward those who do not go through the same process that this very important person in my life did to be called an American just like anyone else,

At the same time I do understand that the desire to better ones life and to be willingly to do the jobs that most Americans now think is beneath them anymore such as doing manual labor in the fields and I'm also quite disgusted at how they've been exploited as slave labor over the years by those that hire them. So honestly I am quite mixed on the best approach for them to gain citizenship or at least better legal protection in our country. I do support a path as I feel they've earned the diginity of being protected by law from exploitation, but at the same time they did break our laws in the first place and that is something that should not be taken out of the equation either.
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Elbuda MexicanoJan. 31, 2013 - 06:09PM JST

Marco Rubio can go to hell! These scums like Rubio forget that their parents, grandparents had to ESCAPE the tyranny of communist Cuba! They, Cubans are the only Latinos that have the "wet foot/dry foot" policy, all intended to over throw the Castro regime! So, we MEXICAN AMERICANS could careless about this sell out traitor, trying to be white! Ask any NONE Cuban American, and there are MILLIONS of NON Cuban American HISPANICS in the USA what they think of that "wet foot/dry foot" policy, it is discrimination, trying to lure Cubans into the USA, while hard working Mexicans, Central Americans etc..can have a DRY FOOT kicked right up their butts and returned back to Tijuana, San Salvador etc..So sorry folks, Rubio may be trying to kiss the Republican ass, and we all know he is trying, so he can kiss his own ass good bye, because no other Latinos will support these traitors! Go Obama Go!! Only Mr.Obama is trying to work hard for the hard working men and women of America, not that bone head, fake suntan Boner Republican fella, what a name!
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Surf O'HolicJan. 31, 2013 - 09:42PM JST

The right to travel, including emigration and immigration, is a fundamental human right. The following by Judge Andrew Napolitano: http://lewrockwell.com/napolitano/napolitano85.1.html

The politicians only look at how any action they take will affect their reelection.
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Vast Right-Wing ConspiratorJan. 31, 2013 - 09:57PM JST

A few questions before we all get misty eyed at the wonder president;

a/ How many billions will this cost in welfare, social security, medical costs for the 11 million who now can access these benefits?

b/ What about those hundreds of thousands of potential immigrants who have obeyed the rules, made applications, and are waiting for legal permission to enter the USA? Makes them look like idiots.

c/ What about those in AMerica iwth whom the ilegals are competing for jobs- minorities, students, those without post secondary education? It makes no sense to allow 11 million new people when there are already double that number unemployed legal residents.