From the AP ten minutes ago:
Obama Takes Immigration Reform Off Agenda
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 10:19 p.m. ET
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Immigration reform has become the first of President Barack Obama's major priorities dropped from the agenda of an election-year Congress facing voter disillusionment. Sounding the death knell was Obama himself.
The president noted that lawmakers may lack the ''appetite'' to take on immigration while many of them are up for re-election and while another big legislative issue -- climate change -- is already on their plate.
''I don't want us to do something just for the sake of politics that doesn't solve the problem,'' Obama told reporters Wednesday night aboard Air Force One.
Immigration reform was an issue Obama promised Latino groups that he would take up in his first year in office. But several hard realities -- a tanked economy, a crowded agenda, election-year politics and lack of political will -- led to so much foot-dragging in Congress that, ultimately, Obama decided to set the issue aside.
With that move, the president calculated that an immigration bill would not prove as costly to his party two years from now, when he seeks re-election, than it would today, even though some immigration reformers warned that a delay could so discourage Democratic-leaning Latino voters that they would stay home from the polls in November.
Some Democrats thought pushing a bill through now might help their party, or at least their own re-election prospects.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, whose campaign is struggling in heavily Hispanic Nevada, unveiled an outline -- not legislation -- on Thursday for an immigration bill at a packed news conference. Asked when it might advance, he declined to set an ''arbitrary deadline.''
If immigration goes nowhere this year, Democrats can blame Republican resistance, though in reality many Democrats didn't want to deal with an immigration bill this year either.
The Democrats' draft proposal, obtained by The Associated Press on Tuesday, called for, among other things, meeting border security benchmarks before anyone in the country illegally can become a legal permanent U.S. resident.
Obama praised the outline and said the next step is ironing out a bill. He said his administration will ''play an active role'' trying to get bipartisan supporters.
Republican Sens. Jon Kyl of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who had been working with Democrats on immigration reform, criticized the proposal as ''nothing more than an attempt to score political points.''
By Wednesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi offered little hope that the issue was still alive on Capitol Hill.
''If there is going to be any movement in this regard, it will require presidential leadership, as well as an appetite, is that the word? ... as well as a willingness to move forward in the Congress,'' she said.
House Republican leader John Boehner was more blunt. ''There is not a chance that immigration is going to move through the Congress,'' he said Tuesday.
Rep. Luis Gutierrez, the Democrats' leading advocate for immigration reform, has said he voted for health care reform on the understanding that Obama and congressional Democrats would move a major immigration bill.
Even though he would like to see Latinos turn out to vote for Democrats in 2010, Gutierrez said ''many will probably decide to stay home.'' However, he added, a strict, new immigration law in Arizona may change that dynamic. The law requires law enforcement officers to question anyone they suspect is in the country illegally.
''On one hand you are not going to vote because you don't believe people you voted for are doing a good enough job,'' Gutierrez said. ''Then you say, 'I got to vote, because the enemy is so mean and vindictive, I got to get out there.'''
The Hispanic vote is growing, largely because of Latinos' increasing population. The 9.7 million Latinos who cast ballots in 2008 made up about 7.4 percent of the electorate, according to a 2009 Pew Research Center study.
Anyway, this is about the 27th announcement about amnesty I've posted from the Democrats over the last 18 months. Most of those said, "Amnesty will be Real Soon Now." So, how long will this announcement be operative?
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45 comments:
What a wimp!
Acchh. Must've been all those bigoted white women who don't like Eastern Europeans.
"Enemy." Wow. Just wow.
There USED to be this idea that, even though we disagreed, we were all one people.
Now, anyone who disagrees with "United States Representative" Gutierrez' advancing his non-American coethnics' interests is his enemy.
This quote needs lots of attention from the Patriotic Immigration Reform blogosphere.
"Curvaceous Carbon-based Life Form said...
"Enemy." Wow. Just wow.
There USED to be this idea that, even though we disagreed, we were all one people.
Now, anyone who disagrees with "United States Representative" Gutierrez' advancing his non-American coethnics' interests is his enemy."
Yes, I noticed that word too. At least he is being honest. He considers me to be his enemy. Very well. I am. And he is my enemy.
"He considers me to be his enemy. Very well. I am. And he is my enemy."
Yep. Ditto.
If immigration goes nowhere this year, Democrats can blame Republican resistance, though in reality many Democrats didn't want to deal with an immigration bill this year either.
Not at all, the American voting public has become aware of a financial reality.
Milton Friedman said, "You can't have free immigration and a welfare state." Also, we can't flood our American cities with illegal marginal workers and provide good health care for everyone. It is the large, literate and productive American upper and middle class in the US who contribute more than they receive. The upper and middle economic classes productivity raises the living standards of our lower class. The vast majority of illegals compete directly with our most vulnerable white, Hispanic, and African American citizens, suppressing their wages and increasing their hardship. A country's quality of life varies directly with the contribution of its population.
Group Ability Varies By Ethnicity
In Mexico only 13% of adults have a high school diploma versus 87% of American adults. The Program in International Student Achievement (PISA) reading and mathematics test scores for Mexicans taught reading and mathematics in Spanish are just as bad, if not worse, than those who have fled here. PISA officials estimate over 50% of Mexican 15-year old youth are functionally illiterate and unable to compete in Mexico's economy.
Latin American students perform poorly on national and international tests, and even the best Latin American students tested often score only as well as the “average” student in the most competitive economies. In fact, PISA tests have shown 2/3s of Mexican students could not consistently apply basic mathematical skills to understand an everyday situation. This has obvious ramifications for the U.S. competitiveness in comparison with other advanced economies. Only about 20 percent of students in OECD countries showed similar deficiencies.
Melykin said...
Viewing the matter from Canada, I don't understand why the new Arizona law is even controversial. What is wrong with arresting people who are illegal aliens? I don't get it. I doubt there is any other country in the world that just throws open its borders and lets anyone in. Certainly not another developed country.
Canada does not tolerate illegal immigration. It can't afford to extend its expensive benefits to people who don't belong there.
Have any of you ever seen Gutierrez speak? The man is a perfect fusion of everything that is wrong and vile about both American and Mexican politicians today. Truly the worst of both worlds. But then again, he's just advancing the intrests of his constituents in Chicago. Sure, a good number of those people are not even citizens of this country, but who said this country was designed to benefit the natives anymore?
Weird timing, huh? The gov of AZ just called him out as a failure, claiming the Feds have done nothing. So what does the President do? Announce he's doing nothing.
Though it does show what horrible state our country's in when "climate change" is seen as a more pressing issue than illegal immigration. Never mind the fact that only one of them is real.
I don't know, folks; this could just be a head fake. There were many such death announcements for ObamaCare by Democrats before it suddenly got sleezed through in a way nobody imagined would happen.
But I certainly hope amnesty is on ice. The only true immigration reform is a moratorium.
"Though it does show what horrible state our country's in when "climate change" is seen as a more pressing issue than illegal immigration. Never mind the fact that only one of them is real."
Climate change is real, you dope. And illegal immigration wouldn't be so bad if you conservatives didn't let big business get away with hiring slave labor.
Anony-mous - I see you are referring to the Gordon Brown/Gillian Duffy incident.
But you are promoting the liberal narrative even so. There is no evidence she doesnt like eastern europeans, just misgivings over their numbers and impact.
The Poles are the largest group in question and show up all over the place here (UK). Generally they get on well with the natives and this often seems to be reciprocated.
So much so that the elite are more than happy to let unhappiness over immigration be directed towards eastern europeans particularly. After all they are white and Christian, often speak good english.
To start lauding them too much could spill over, the horror, into people noticing how different that makes them from the much more vibrant incomers who have been enriching us for the last two generations.
Some people might even begin to wonder, that if we really needed all this immigration, why didnt we just get more eastern europeans in the first place. We certainly can't have people thinking along those lines.
Though it does show what horrible state our country's in when "climate change" is seen as a more pressing issue than illegal immigration. Never mind the fact that only one of them is real.
In a sense the corollary of "climate change" is "racism".
Both are mysterious forces beyond the reach of mere mortals to nail down precisely. Both need the right people, the nice people to fix them. With the enhanced power of the state, media, academia and big business behind them naturally.
So much so that cynical people might wonder if that wasnt the whole reason for creating the two ills in the first place.
A major change is occurring in the Senate ,,,
Sung to the tune of Graceland's 'Crazy Love Vol. 2'
By Paul Simon
Harry Reid the Senator
Slipped into the room
He said I have no opinion of immigration reform
And I have no opinion of Arizona law
Sad as a lonely little wrinkled balloon
He said well I don't claim to be happy about this, boys
And I don't seem to be happy about that
We don't want no part of your crazy law
We don't want no part of reform
We don't want no part of your crazy law
We don't want no part of reform
We don't want no part of your crazy law
We don't want no part of reform
We don't want no part of your crazy law
We don't want no part of your crazy law
Nevada says she knows about jokes
This time the joke is on me
Well, I have no opinion about that
And I have no opinion about me
Somebody could walk into this room
And say your career is on fire
It's all over the CBS evening news
All about the loss of your career
On CBS evening news
We don't want no part of your crazy law
We don't want no part of reform
We don't want no part of your crazy law
We don't want no part of reform
"There were many such death announcements for ObamaCare"
Yes and is ObamaCare really alive after its passage? Are we sure? Did it ever arrive? Or could it be a mysterious program that never actually gets around to the formality of arriving?
Does everyone realize that there is no ObamaCare scheduled to kick in for the masses for years? And that it won't ever actually happen?
The Denninger crowd was all over this. ObamaCare was a revenue scheme. There's no plan to pay out "benefits" in the future. All future revenues from ObamaCare will be spent this fiscal year and next. There will be no "care" in ObamaCare. Ever.
Obama himself came out with this quote about two weeks ago: "If we hadn't passed healthcare the country would've gone bankrupt."
This is true because they needed the ObamaCare $$$ right now to cover at least some part of the current fiscal year shortfalls which are massive --and keep kicking the can down the road on our budget deficit date of final reckoning.
We are deep into Argentina style accounting gimmicks now circa 2010 AD, folks. Hope you all understand that the Greek financial crisis now erupting over there is on its way here. The mathematics guarantee it will happen right here in the old U.S.A.
Amnesty is a red herring. Unless current immigration policies, including birthright citizenship, are reversed, the 3rd world take over is, de facto, unperturbed.
the feds will 'redirect' i.e. confiscate 401k plans in the near future (a la argentina) toward the patriotic duty of buying treasuries.....that is the endgame right at the very end just before the total detonation of our economy....
pension crisis is too massive to cover the losses they will probably just print some green stamps or whatever and send them out to pensioners....
this is why gerald celente and other smart people are predicting a huge false flag attack on american soil and much larger war to distract the public from the financial calamity that is coming at us fast & hard.......
With that move, the president calculated that an immigration bill would not prove as costly to his party two years from now, when he seeks re-election, than it would today....
"As ... than"? The writer can't write, and the editor can't edit? Or can't the AP afford an editor these days?
Regardless, it's more evidence of the imminent demise of the mass mainstrem media.
My take is that the Az law is likely to fire up conservative white voters ... and get them out to vote ...
But you are promoting the liberal narrative even so. There is no evidence she doesnt like eastern europeans, just misgivings over their numbers and impact.
You miss the point: she didn't seem to express any hatred for Poles or Eastern Europeans. Her 'bigotry' was entirely Gordon Brown's characterization of her. Make no mistake but that this is how our equally vile and equally incompetent open-borders politicians feel about us.
By the way, but does Gordon Brown saying all of this while driving away in a Jaguar remind anyone of another so-called gaffe spoken by another socialist in a home on San Francisco's Billionaires' Row not but two years ago?
Unless current immigration policies, including birthright citizenship, are reversed, the 3rd world take over is, de facto, unperturbed.
Maybe, maybe not. Not, if we can't continue to fund our generous welfare policies on which illegal immigrants' 3.75 TFR depends, and if the jobs market doesn't improve. They may find it cheaper to get along with no job back and no welfare back in Old Mexico.
In other news, I learned today that there are now 2.8 million citizens of El Salvador living in the good ole US of A. Doesn't that give you a good burning sensation in your bosom...or perhaps your chest?
Lately, a lot of your posts that have nothing to do with the budget provoke a torrent of comments about the deficit.
This is a remarkable achievement of elitist propaganda. It never seems to occur to people here that deficit hysteria is being pushed in the media by the same bipartisan elitists who bring you mass immigration.
For the real story on the deficit, see Dean Baker's article:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2010/apr/26/deficit-reduction-social-security-medicare
It's getting pretty crowded under that bus, isn't it?
Re Gutierrez and his "enemy" remark. No surprise there. I wouldn't lift a finger to help those I perceive as being to the left of me politically precisely because I've realized for some time now that they regard all those to the right of them as their enemies.
The only thing new is that they aren't even bothering to try to hide their contempt any more.
In other news, I learned today that there are now 2.8 million citizens of El Salvador living in the good ole US of A. Doesn't that give you a good burning sensation in your bosom...or perhaps your chest?
According to Pat Buchanan in State of Emergency, more Salvadorans are in the DC metro area than all the Greeks or Poles who ever immigrated to the USA. Combined, about 1 million Greeks and Poles came to the USA from the Founding to 1958.
That gives me a good burning sensation in my bosom.
BTW, one thing I've noticed about Arizona's new immigration law is the almost complete, uniform opposition to it by Hispanics.
We're hearing the same opposition, of course, from open borders politicians and cheap labor advocates, but otherwise Hispanics seem to be the entire face of the opposition and seem to be particularly shrill in voicing their objections.
This is not good...for the Hispanic community. It's openly racist, obviously: Hispanics think other Hispanics should get away with breaking the law simply because they're Hispanic.
Prior to this week I think Hispanics actually had a pretty good reputation: hardworking (if illegal), modest, kept their heads down, didn't demand too much. I think that the Arizona enforcement measure has been a disaster not for the reputation of Arizona, but for that of Hispanics. It's not good for the open borders crowd, and if a court strikes the law down it may only get worse.
BTW, one thing I've noticed about Arizona's new immigration law is the almost complete, uniform opposition to it by Hispanics.
As an example of above, Google for pictures of immigration protests, or go to the "Boycott Arizona" Facebook page, and notice the names of the people who are posting/commenting against the law. They are almost entirely Hispanic, with a fair number of blacks and Asians. The SB1070 opposition is anti-white in all but name.
I understand one of the preliminary proposals regarding immigration "reform" was to triple the amount of immigrants the nation currently admits to 3 million per year.
Maine and Vermont put together do not have even 2 million people. Thats an awfully big number.
This would be like importing a small liberal blue state voting bloc (at least 2/3 of the immigrants will be Democrats) yearly.
Although just making this suggestion will probably dissapoint some of my fellow conservatives, I'd consider some sort of "amnesty" for the current illegals (who are not wanted by any law enforcement agency and have committed no felonies, and who would pay back taxes) if we could just get a real physical wall (I mean a big one-like Israel's) built on the border to stop any -more- illegal immigration in the future. In the age of dirty bombs, supposed swine-flus and other animal-to-human pathogenic risks, political instablity in Mexico, narco-terrorism, and kidnapping (there were over 200 kidnappings in Phoenix in 2009), can't we at least *control* who is here and who is not?
I mean even if we upped the legal limit to 1.5 million per year, wouldn't it be better to know who that .5 million was, have their prints, given them SS#'s, make them pay taxes, than to have 1 million legals and 800,000 illegals whose kids go straight to welfare anyway? We need a wall, even if we increase the amount of legal immigration.
A country that can't enforce its borders is "up for grabs". A country granting driver's liscences to non-citizens and allowing non-citizens to work and make money, while simultaneously avoiding income taxes, is up for grabs. When you see a taco stand operated by an illegal who isn't paying taxes, do you realize precisely what is going on in a larger sense? Its state abdication of something that should be intrinsic.
Obama doesn't care about brown people!!
anon:
"The Poles are the largest group in question and show up all over the place here (UK). Generally they get on well with the natives and this often seems to be reciprocated.
So much so that the elite are more than happy to let unhappiness over immigration be directed towards eastern europeans particularly. After all they are white and Christian, often speak good english.
To start lauding them too much could spill over, the horror, into people noticing how different that makes them from the much more vibrant incomers who have been enriching us for the last two generations.
Some people might even begin to wonder, that if we really needed all this immigration, why didnt we just get more eastern europeans in the first place. We certainly can't have people thinking along those lines."
True, but the Poles are a special case. A lot of employers who did very well out of Poles and wanted more 'eastern Europeans' were horrified to discover that eg Russian-Lithuanians do not share the same work ethic, or low propensity for drunken brawling.
Never mind the new Romanian & Bulgarian immigrants, who seem to be mostly gypsies.
Captain Jack - re Gillian Duffy. I agree, I'm sorry if my point was not clear enough originally.
To the elites and their useful idiots on the left, to even discuss immigration without categorising it as the greatest benefit to mankind - ever, is to be bigoted.
Whats illuminating is even amongst friends Brown stuck to the party line, he really does seem to believe the left/liberal bullshit.
Kylie said...
Re Gutierrez and his "enemy" remark. No surprise there. I wouldn't lift a finger to help those I perceive as being to the left of me politically precisely because I've realized for some time now that they regard all those to the right of them as their enemies.
I was talking to a 'progressive' friend recently about how the anti-war movement has gotten quiet since Obama was elected. I suggested that Left anti-war groups reach out to Ron Paul types. They're anti-war, too, I pointed out. No. Can't do that. 'Paultards' are all racist, homophobic, anti-semites who don't care about economic justice. It would tarnish the image of anti-war groups to be associated with them. There's no such concern about associating with Marxists, 'Free Mumia' nuts, etc. I guess.
@Cicero: Guiterrez isn't Mexican. He's Puerto Rican, even though he represents a district that is mostly Mexican. The geography of the area he represents is really amusing-it was created to ensure it would elect an Hispanic, so part of it goes along the 294 expressway. It makes me wonder if he gets any votes from the oasis.
One of the other funny things about Guitrrez is that he is an agitator for Puerto Rican independence. How he squares this stance with a desire for more Hispanics in the US, I don't know.
-Guy what used to live in Chicago
Captain Jack - Ive been looking at Facebook just now. Lots of British leftie types see the Gillian Duffy incident as Gordon Brown telling it like it is and being unfairly called on it by the oh-so-biased right wing media.
To these people Duffy is a bigot. They cant even seem to see through what was said or the context. They have totally internalized elite propaganda. ie to discuss immigration in anything other than the limited terms set out by the elite is to go beyond the pale.
I find it profoundly depressing.
Remind me again to send some of my harded earned $$ to Kaus.
http://kaus.sitebuilder.completecampaigns.com/sbcc/blog_permalink.php?seq=1&id=689
Anonymous said...
Climate change is real, you dope."
How quaint. Very 2007. Of course, climate change is always real. But do you have any proof that it is anthropogenic?
This is yet another example of the new divide in American politics. It's no longer left vs. right, or even rich vs. poor. It's now top & bottom together against the middle.
Obama may not want to deal with immigration right now, but the issue of "who are we" is going to come up whether he likes it or not. Keep an eye on what is happening in Puerto Rico. If the referendums they have coming up result in a vote for statehood (and it appears they are being rigged to achieve that result), then the possibility exists that Puerto Rico may elect a congressional delegation and try to force its way into being admitted as a state. That will be very interesting, to say the least.
VDare's Joe Guzzardi predicted it, nearly one year ago.
Anybody have a link where we can read a copy of the new Arizona immigration law on the internet? I've read maybe 10 articles on it, but not even a single damn quote from the actual law.
Wow, that was quick. Didn't Obama just say something about immigration reform in Ottumwa, Iowa, a few days ago? And I'm seeing snide remarks about immigration patriots showing up on all sorts of normally non-political websites, looking for all the world like the talking points had gone out for an amnesty push.
Could it be that his trip through the Midwest reminded him just how many people out here still don't have government jobs, El Salvadoran nannies, or turkey processing plants? Nah, I'm being ridiculous.
Now we just have to see what the courts say about the law. I think Arizona is in the 9th circuit, which isn't good news because those guys are a bunch of crazies.
However, this is excellent news. When Amnesty falls below the taxation of gasoline in public opinion polls then you know there's been a sea change.
Anybody have a link where we can read a copy of the new Arizona immigration law on the internet?
Text of the bill is here:
SB 1070
That's interesting real-politik.
On one hand the Democrats cashier amnesty which appeases white voters.
But on the other hand Hispanics are having a Bull Connor moment and will vote against any politician (mostly GOP) supporting the Arizona law.
The Democrats are playing this smart.
"I'd consider some sort of "amnesty" for the current illegals (who are not wanted by any law enforcement agency and have committed no felonies, and who would pay back taxes) if we could just get a real physical wall (I mean a big one-like Israel's) built on the border to stop any -more- illegal immigration in the future."
Remember the last amnesty, in 1986? We were promised, cross-our-hearts, that if we'd give 'em amnesty (only the ones who are only guilty of crossing the border - no felons) just this one time, they'd really and truly, no foolin', secure the border, enforce the laws and never, never, never propose an amnesty ever, ever again. So fast forward 20 years and what have we got?
Fool me once...
"Keep an eye on what is happening in Puerto Rico. If the referendums they have coming up result in a vote for statehood (and it appears they are being rigged to achieve that result), then the possibility exists that Puerto Rico may elect a congressional delegation and try to force its way into being admitted as a state. That will be very interesting, to say the least."
Democrats may want Puerto Rico to become a state, but Puerto Ricans prefer the status quo of being a tax-advantaged dependency.
"The SB1070 opposition is anti-white in all but name."
In some cases it is all about money.
Linda Chavez is busy bashing the bill at national Review.
Linda Chavez is also the director of the largest poultry producer in the US, Pilgrims Pride. The poultry industry employs huge numbers of illegals. Follow the money.
Linda Chavez is also the director of the largest poultry producer in the US, Pilgrims Pride.
She is a director.
>I don't know, folks; this could just be a head fake. There were many such death announcements for ObamaCare by Democrats before it suddenly got sleezed through<
Ditto. NOW is the time of maximum danger.
Don't let us be so damn quick to let down our guard.
Steve, I hope you have a big article on the Arizona laws and citizenism in the works.
I effing love the newest one. HB 2281 would make it illegal for a school district to have any courses or classes that promote the overthrow of the U.S. government, are designed primarily for students of a particular ethnic group or advocate ethnic solidarity "instead of the treatment of pupils as individuals."
It also would ban classes that "promote resentment toward a race or class of people."
People who call themselves progressives are foaming at the mouth angry! They have a problem with equal treatment under the law. They want public schools to be free to promote racist propaganda and violent rebellion.
This will be a fantastic poopstorm.
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