Republicans Hand Obama an Immigration Political Triumph By Jonathan Chait | nymag.com | November 21, 2014 10:15 a.m. Excerpts: "Immediately after the election, when John Boehner asked Obama to hold off on unilateral action, reporters asked if he would promise to bring an immigration bill to the House floor. He refused. A senior administration official pinpointed this as the moment when any chance of delay ended. There are no serious legal questions about the administration's plan, which will temporarily legalize the status of some 4.3 million undocumented immigrants. Even lawyers for the conservative Federalist Society concede Obama's legal reasoning. Immigration law, unlike other kinds of law, is explicitly designed by Congress to delegate authority to the president. "The Immigration and Nationality Act and other laws are chock-full of huge grants of statutory authority to the president," notes Republican lawyer Margaret Stock. And as Dara Lind points out, George Bush's similar decision in 1990 impacted roughly the same proportion of undocumented immigrants as Obama's. The announcement by Obama may go farther than any previous use of presidential discretion, but it is an incremental rather than a revolutionary advance on previous such moves. But it is true that Obama's decision is the most dramatic presidential relaxation of immigration enforcement, which is to say it is an undeniably aggressive expansion of executive branch authority. Substantively, Obama's executive order gives him less than he hoped to gain with a bipartisan law. But politically, he has ceded no advantage. Indeed, he has gained one. Not only does immigration remain a live issue, it is livelier than ever. The GOP primary will remorselessly drive its candidates rightward and force them to promise to overturn Obama's reform, and thus to immediately threaten with deportation some 5 million people - none of whom can vote, but nearly all of whom have friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors who can. Michael Gerson, the Bush-era speechwriter and an advocate of bipartisan legislation, warns that Obama is "uniting conservatives - from the Obama-obsessed to reasonable institutionalists - in fervent opposition." Actually, just the opposite is occurring. Ardent populists are demanding a series of suicidal confrontations, from shutdowns to, potentially, impeachment, as the Party leadership strains desperately to keep them at bay. This is the point of contrast that Obama drew out clearly and effectively. After years of legislative muddle, he was able to detach himself completely from Congress and articulate his own values. His remarks, met with rapt attention in immigrant communities, continued his rhetorical tradition of expanding the American family, accurately presenting himself (and, by extension, his party)as an ally to marginalized Americans. Speaking with evident passion, the president deemed the children of undocumented immigrants "as American as Malia or Sasha." He cited scripture: "We shall not oppress a stranger, for we know the heart of a stranger - we were strangers once, too." He drew an emotional bond between immigrant communities and the Democratic Party's ideal of compassion and tolerance. That bond will be his announcement's most enduring legacy." read more: http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2014/11/republicans-hand-obama-an-immigration-triumph.html ...... IMO: As President Obama so eloquently spoke of our country as a nation of immigrants, foreigners who chose a better life in America than their previous homelands, gained citizenship and helped make America what it was in the 90's. We are indeed a nation of immigrants and need to provide an orderly influx of immigrants - not illegal aliens. There is a vast difference between an immigrant and an illegal alien...an immigrant has a work visa for a specified time and a promise of a job, while an illegal alien arrives and crosses the borders under cover of night and lives in the shadows of our society. One follows the rules of the country, the other makes his own rules to the detriment of the country because he is not allowed to work openly, pays no taxes, and is a financial detriment to our nation and citizens of America. An unbridled arrival of millions of aliens can cause chaos to our prosperity, jobs, and wages. Jobs should be for the American citizens first, that are looking for jobs, that have been looking for jobs that aren't there because the aliens have those jobs.. We need an immediate reform in the number of aliens we will accept into this country in any given year to safeguard the economy of this country. We need reform in securing our borders with a lasting system of immediate return over the border for people arriving without proper papers or sponsorship. So Mr. President, while you say 'We shall not oppress a stranger" - be certain YOU "Do Not Oppress American citizens. We ain't no freaking Hotel America!!
Whoa, wait ...huh? Did somebody hijack Agent's account? You're actually aware and admitting to the fact that mass illegal infestation is a bad thing? I'm truly shocked. But just remember, your side wants to have them as registered voters/welfare recipients by 2016. Oh and its not "4.3 million undocumented immigrants" as the article suggests, its 50 some odd million illegal invaders.
WTF Agent? What are you saying? - let's get an illegal aliens in and make them legal? Wham!!! Problem solved!
I don't see where a 3 year get out of jail card does the immigrants much good that most Americans oppose is going to do much other than salve the wounds of the Nov 4 election for the Democratic operatives you are delusional http://online.wsj.com/articles/wsj-nbc-poll-finds-americans-want-parties-to-work-together-1416439838 http://online.wsj.com/articles/wsj-nbc-poll-finds-americans-want-parties-to-work-together-1416439838 if you think spitting in the face of America is a political coup then I just have to laugh BTW according to Pew legal Latinos could have gave a damn only 16% regard immigration as an issue. nor surprisingly most Latinos are 3 time more concerned than they are immigration http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/06/02/top-issue-for-hispanics-hint-its-not-immigration/ but then the Dems are dead set against creating good jobs because that mean they would no longer be beholding to the Government for entitlements so they created a temporary band aid which falls off in a couple of years then those Latinos wil be right back to where they were a week ago
In 2009 and 2010 the Democrats had a virtual "super" majority in all votes that didn't require a 60% vote to pass, however they needed only 1 Senate crossover and 4 House crossover votes to pass anything they wanted (including Immigration Reform). They chose to NOT address Immigration reform till 7 days before the Republicans took over the House and shrunk the Democrats majority in the Senate. Polling shows Americans aren't opposed to a path to citizenship for the illegals that are already here......we just DON'T need more crossing into the country. That's why verifiably securing the border FIRST is an important component the Democrats continue to ignore and why there is still NO agreement on Immigration Reform. It's also why the public wants Congress to resolve Immigration Reform NOT OBAMA acting unilaterally. The Obama Administration has lied about the border being secure before. The recent flood of illegal immigrant youths proves that was false. Obama said before the November election "I am not on the ballot this fallÂ…. But make no mistake: these policies are on the ballot," Obama said of Democratic proposals such as raising the minimum wage. "Every single one of them.". He also said he would act unilaterally on immigration. The voters took him at his word and this was the result...... For Comprehensive Immigration Reform to happen, the border must be verifiably secured FIRST! While voters are a little slow on the uptake they know that without that component we will be right back here in 10 years. The 1986 and 1996 "Comprehensive" Immigration Reform fixes has absolutely proven that. Your Senate bill doesn't address that it's why the bill isn't even worth voting on. Don McLean seemed to be talking about the Democrats in his song "Starry Starry Night". 2010: "They would not listen, they did not know how, Perhaps they'll listen now" 2014: "They would not listen, they're not listening still, Perhaps they never will" If they continue to ignore the voters, 2016 will be another bad year for Democrats.
Here is the deal, and you have to understand this, in order to understand what is actually going on with illegal immigration. For it is just one part of the move, by basically a state controlled by corporations and banksters, to down wages of the American people, and to keep them relatively lower than in the past. This is of course done for one reason, and that is to max out profits of business, corporations. Which is what a Corporate State is primarily concerned with, and the control that is inherit in a nation of non prosperous, lower paid workers. It's about profits and control. A very old thing that is present in the history of humanity. The lowering of national wages for americans dates back to Alan Greenspan, who spoke about, if you can remember back that far. So, first we saw both an influx of illegal workers that has went on for decades, due to the gov't refusing to go after employers, in a sufficient and sustainable manner, in order to remove the carrots that brought them here, and then the institution of free trade agreements, which isn't really traditional free trade, but a device for offshoring living wage jobs to exploit the dirt poor, first in mexico, and then even cheaper labor in a communist china. That our manufacturing technology was given away to the communists, free, in that deal, has exponentially help china to ascend economically, and between our MNCs and china, most consumer goods are now made outside this nation, while retaining full access to our huge consumer markets. The cost of course was living wage jobs once held by americans. But living wage jobs for americans is no longer important to DC, and never was important to corporations. Once you understand what is going on, with offshoring, with illegal immigration, even with HB1 visas, that are used to replace skilled workers here in America, this should finally make sense as to why our gov't, both the dems and the repubs have simply refused to stop the illegal immigration. Since the American voter has been willfully divided by the politicians, by MSM, including FOX, and especially CTR, the divide and conquer mentality, and tactic, has served the corporate state as intended, with the voters acting like dumb herd animals and playing musical chairs when it comes to elections. For it makes no difference who you voter for, the end results will basically be the same when it comes to illegal immigration, and economic policy. That this paradigm would have never worked in the past, and that no US president up until at least JFK would have never signed anything that would gut America of her economic base, speaks to the shape of the American voter, and to our treasonous politicians, who have been bought off, by the banksters and corporatists. To show you some evidence for what is going on, early this year a Princeston Study was released, a scientific study that showed us that our republic has been replaced by basically an oligarchy, and MSM, especially FOX never even mentioned it at all. It was given a few seconds on one MSM outlet, but that is all it got. It was ignored by most media, except overseas, and the conspiracy websites picked it up, which was a good thing for those that didn't want it to make it into public discourse. Now, it was crushed, by a total lack of coverage, and it was the most significant news story to hit the US since 9-11, for it affects every average American, hundreds of millions of them. The truth can only set you free when it is allowed to be known. What would be the excuse of our news, ignoring this monumental study? That is wasn't important news? I think it speaks to the fact that 5 huge corporations own the traditional news outlets. And MSM is a part of the structure that supports the corporate state, given to us by repubs and dems, who sold our people out to banksters that are too big to jail, and corporations demanding suppressed wages for the sake of greater profits for themselves and those that can afford to invest in stocks. There is indeed a method to this madness, for it is only madness to average americans, but makes perfect sense to the oligarchs. Now personally, since I am 70 years old, I watched this transpire over the decades, beginning most significantly in 1981, when repubs wanted to get the gov't out of the way. But what the gov't got out of the way of, was economically representing the best interests of the hundred of millions of americans who must work for their living. That is the dirty little, well hidden secret here, and while our fathers and grandfathers would have never put up with it, nor their politicians, we have a new breed of voters and politicians. The voters have been dumbed down, and the politicians sold out, in order to try to keep their seats of power which is all that they are really concerned with. The People could change this, but it is damn near impossible given the concocted tribalism of the voter, and the complicit behavior of the media, who refuse to spill the beans on what has gone on for decades, and which continues to go on today. The media is not longer the watchdog of the republic, but mere propaganda outlets, split between the two parties, so as to keep the people divided, and dumbed down.
They did pass immigration reform in the Senate. In a bi-partisan bill that was sent to the House, where if it had been allowed to come to a vote there were sufficient Democratic and Republican votes to pass it. The Speaker has refused to bring it to the floor for a vote because his party is split on the issue. And the claim that the dems had a supermajority during the first two years, while technically true, is mostly BS. First, the delay on seating Franken for 6 months gave the Dems only 57 votes or 59 if the two independents voted with them, no supermajority there, and then by the time he was seated Kennedy had only 40 days left before he died, most of that time he was too ill to actually participate and vote, though they were able to wheel him in a couple of times. After he died, the seat remained vacant until the special election which put Brown into that seat. Meanwhile republican leadership and donors made it clear that any republican thinking of voting with the Dems without their permission would be primaried and donors would not contribute to their re-election campaigns. So the likelyhood of a Republican voting with the Dems became largely nil.
..... I'm just giving my opinion as required by PF rules; don't go apes**t over anyone's opinion though. My opinion on the unbridled influx of foreigners is detrimental to our economy, harming our middle class and making our poor homeless. Dating back to Cuban refugees landing on our shores on any given weekend, was the start of a major migration from all over the world. It had a vast impact on our schools, hospitals, neighborhoods, our Bush economy, and our pocketbooks. I am for a rigid rule regarding the protracted, illegal influx under cover of darkness of aliens, that has gone on now for decades and are given jobs over American citizens because they will work dirt cheap, pay no taxes, and live under the umbrella of the unseen...the invisible people....and a wonderful gift to the wealthy service oriented industries that hire them before American citizens. The illegal aliens are the modern-day black slaves that were declared illegal by Abraham Lincoln, but the republicans love them. I am definitely for President Obama's Executive Order for immigration reform with an orderly migration of declared immigrants that will come here for a specific time period, then be sent home. I am definitely for a closed border with a surveillance factor that will inhibit any more uninvited guests (illegal aliens) that are resulting in our bad economy getting even worse. A specified number of new citizens would be accepted on a basis of rules set down that would set apart immigrants from illegal aliens. We have two distinct sets of people coming into America...immigrants and illegal aliens. The immigrants come in to work a specified time in hotels, restaurants, farming, and construction work. They work, pay taxes, and contribute to the economy. When their time has elapsed, they leave and wait out their time to be able to return. The illegals come in under cover of night, work on a day by day, no questions asked basis for corporations that pay them daily and do not keep records on any of them, they resort to crime, thus they pay no taxes and are not a viable part of our society. President Obama needs to sort both out President Obama has sent back more illegal aliens that any former president and that is why he has been waiting for some kind of help from the republicans in the House and Senate who have been stalling, obstructing any work being done to change the financially impossible responsibility of these illegal aliens.that are desperate to live in America. It has become, through inaction of former presidents, a major quandary for President Obama, with no help from the republicans. Thus we have the Executive Order.
Wow. The overwhelmingly REJECTED POTUS, just SLAPPED IN THE FACE BY THE VOTERS, unilaterally tries to force an overwhelmingly UNPOPULAR policy, and this is "political victory" in Gruberland? NBC/WSJ poll: Americans overwhelmingly oppose Obama’s executive amnesty plan for illegal aliens http://poorrichardsnews.com/post/103050873128/nbc-wsj-poll-americans-overwhelmingly-oppose-obamas --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- And Hiroshima/Nagasaki was a "huge political victory" for Imperial Japan, too, right? More reasons why you and yours were just THROWN OUT ON YOUR ASSES.
Only with regard to refusing to deport millions of illegals with family ties here (and their opinion is certainly countered by other conservative constitutional experts)....NOT with regards to going one giant step further and proactively awarding work permits, SS cards, etc. to those illegals. He has absolutely no authority to nullify federal law like that with affirmative action. Bush's actions buttressed legally passed immigration law. Obama's runs counter to it. It makes a great deal of difference. But not an ally to the vast middle class who will now be footing the bill for as many as five million newly declared quasi-citizens. Who will give them relief? Certainly not Obama and the democrats....something that won't be lost on them come 2016.
14. Almost a third of Republicans in the Senate at that time. Here is a list of them Lamar Alexander of Tennessee;Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire; Jeff Chiesa of New Jersey; Susan Collins of Maine; Bob Corker of Tennessee; Jeff Flake of Arizona; Lindsey Graham of South Carolina; Orrin Hatch of Utah; Dean Heller of Nevada; John Hoeven of North Dakota Mark Kirk of Illinois; John McCain of Arizona; Lisa Murkowski of Alaska; source
So, are you saying the president consults with Congress now through reporters???? Odd, I've never heard of that one before. Not in the Constitution anywhere, btw. Obama killed a Comprehensive Immigration legislation back in 2007....that would have included securing the border, giving millions of illegals a pathway to citizenship. Were you with him then? Or did you support him then? Republicans are the only ones insisting on finally securing the border. Do you think when the Republicans pass a bill that includes that....will the president sign it...or veto it? Because if we do NOT secure our borders...finally....then we are back here making 3 to 5 million more legal in a few years from now. There are ways to fix this.....and the Republicans WILL produce a Comprehensive bill once and for all. First, secure the border.....and make the subsequent steps conditional on evidence that the border security actions they take ARE working. Since we all know that 11 million will not be rounded up and sent out.......we devise a program that says they can stay...BUT they must get at the very back of the legal line, pay a fine, learn English if they don't already know it, and pay taxes and file tax returns. THEN, we can open up the LEGAL immigration system that we have to allow more in IF needed....and pick and choose based on humanitarian issues, as well as the need of certain kinds of workers. BUT THE most important part is securing the border with the latest technology available and making sure it is working. Other countries secured their borders; we could...and should...as well. So, what's your opinion? WILL the president sign the bill when Republicans present it to him for signature.
14 is 31.1% which is hardly bi-partisan. bipartisan: adjective 1. consisting of or supported by two political parties. If more Republicans rejected it than supported it, the party didn't lend it's support....a handful of individuals did.
Another political triumph at the expense of the American People? Why am I not surprised? Par for the course for this administration, and our Liar-in-Chief. Party before country. It's the progressive way.
When the Republicans in the house get one Dem to vote with them they always claim that anything they pass was done in a bi-partisan manner.
