Peter Nicholas of the LA Times reports:
Obama's immigration speech echoes Bush in policy, rhetoric
Though he is quick to deride former President George W. Bush's performance in office, President Obama seems to think his predecessor gives a pretty good immigration speech.
Obama's widely publicized speech on the controversial topic Thursday closely tracks, in rhetoric and basic policy, a speech Bush gave on the same subject in May 2006.
Speaking at American University, Obama delivered an address intended to rally the nation behind a plan that would strengthen border security while providing a path to legal status for the estimated 12 million people living in the U.S. illegally. ...
But in fundamental ways, the speeches carry the same message. The parallels show the two presidents — one a Republican, the other a Democrat — have staked out basically the same centrist position on immigration.
The speeches also reveal similarities in ways presidents of both parties communicate with the public.
After reading a transcript of Obama's immigration address, former Bush speechwriter Matt Latimer said in an e-mail that "this speech could almost word for word have been delivered by George W. Bush on the exact same subject. Do they just copy our old speeches?" ...
A White House official said Friday he did not believe that anyone examined Bush's old speeches while drafting the Obama address. Rather, the speech was written by a member of the president's speechwriting team, with Obama providing "a good deal of writing," the official said.
Both speeches talk about immigrants who "live in the shadows." Both mention immigrants who came to the U.S. in search of "a better life." Both describe the U.S. as "a nation of immigrants" and reject calls to "round up" people who are here illegally.
And both use the same language about business. Obama said businesses "must be held accountable" for hiring undocumented workers; Bush said, "We need to hold employers to account."
Plunging into the body of his speech, Obama discussed how "in recent days the issue of immigration has become once more a source of fresh contention in our country." ... Bush, in his speech, alluded to a wave of street protests in favor of an immigration overhaul, saying, "The issue of immigration stirs intense emotions, and in recent weeks, Americans have seen those emotions on display."
Neither Bush nor Obama wanted to be seen as neglecting border enforcement. Obama said that "government has a threshold responsibility to secure our borders," whereas Bush said that securing the border is "a basic responsibility of a sovereign state."
Each president laid out steps they'd taken to prevent illegal crossings, using the same multipliers. Bush said he "doubled" the size of the Border Patrol; Obama said that he "doubled" the personnel assigned to border enforcement security "task forces."
Yet neither claimed that the borders are impregnable. Bush said, "We do not yet have full control of the border." Obama said that the Mexican border is more secure than ever, but acknowledged that "that doesn't mean we don't have more work to do."
Both speeches use a device in which they rejected what they portrayed as extreme positions — blanket amnesty on the one hand, and deportation of all illegal immigrants on the other.
Instead of those extremes, each president said, the country should adopt a more moderate alternative in which illegal immigrants could gain legal status by meeting tough requirements.
Bush said immigrants must "pay their taxes" and "learn English." Obama used the same language — "pay their taxes" and "learn English," among other things.
And at some point in each speech, the president told an inspiring story of an immigrant who came to the U.S., joined the military and gained citizenship.
Bush mentioned Guadalupe Denogean from Mexico, who joined the Marines and was wounded in Iraq. Obama's example was Perla Ramos, who came to the U.S. from Mexico after the Sept. 11 attacks, joined the Navy and became a citizen.
peter.nicholas@latimes.com
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14 comments:
Steve,
Have you looked at per capita GDP lately?
It's amazing how many nations Mexico is ranked above. Notice the map. Mexico is colored among the rich nations!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(PPP)_per_capita
Can Obama write anything on his own? I'm starting to think this is not the case.
why do we have a mercenary army?
Well no one should be surprised, the two parties are almost identical, they just have to appeal to their bases occasionally which fools most people into thinking that we have an actual choice when the reality is precisely the opposite.
Obama's example was Perla Ramos, who came to the U.S. from Mexico after the Sept. 11 attacks, joined the Navy and became a citizen.
Did she come to the US legally? One wonders. And exactly how did she 'become' a citizen? Wasn't it via the deliberate policy of the government and military to grant expedited citizenship to (qualifying) non-citizens who enlist? Which is kind of like a bribe (or backdoor amnesty, in the case of illegals): risk your neck in some hellhole like Iraq and we'll make you a niece or nephew of Uncle Sam. Which as policy is closer to disgusting than laudable.
NY Times: U.S. Military Will Offer Path to Citizenship
your neck in some hellhole like Iraq and we'll make you a niece or nephew of Uncle Sam. Which as policy is closer to disgusting than laudable.
And we know, statistically, that most of these new citizens will not actually be combat troops at all. So, not even risking their necks.
Did she come to the US legally? One wonders. And exactly how did she 'become' a citizen? Wasn't it via the deliberate policy of the government and military to grant expedited citizenship to (qualifying) non-citizens who enlist?
Is she of Castilian/Hapsburgian blood, or of aboriginal blood?
And if the latter, did she pass the AFQT, with a score which would put her more than a standard deviation above her peoples' average?
Or was the AFQT waived for her?
Yes, but now the Republican congressmen are free to attach Obama full bore - something they wouldn't have been able to do had McCain been at the helm. And Democrat congressmen are under huge pressures at this point just to get elected. I don't know what Team Obama's plan here is, but it's not to get legislation passed, because the chances of that are about nil. Probably it's just a last ditch attempt to get the La Raza hispanics to the polls. And even that doesn't seem very likely, since any Hispanic citizen is probably more worried about his job being taken by illegals than about getting his cousin across the border when there aren't any jobs to begin with.
More sob stories about people wanting a better life, immigrants built this country, etc. Somebody should notify these folks that the country has been built for awhile. This is 2010 with 300 million people and growing. Mexico is dumping it's marginal millions on the USA with the intent of colonizing parts of the country, a hostile act, yet the Mexican president is feted as a visiting king by Obama. As the clock ticks the USA is slipping away from us, each minute, as our leaders blather on endlessly. We need regime change in Mexico and the USA, right here at home,not in some obscure countries. Suffer the pain now and stage a massive deportation program or let it go on and face eventual extinction.
I listened to Obama's speech and agree with the columnist. It sounds like the president is proposing exactly the same comprehensive immigration plan that aroused such public outrage in 2007 when Bush tried to ram it through in 2007. Obama does not appear to recognize the unpopularity of that legislation, except to note that passing it will require courage and Republican votes--meaning that he can't count on his Democrat majority to hold together on this stinker.
Why did Obama refer three times to our "11 million undocumented workers" when Bush always referred to 12 million? What happened to the missing million Mexicans? Also, I noticed that the 12 million figure was in use for nearly 10 years, never growing despite the continuing influx of illegals. Perhaps if we are unwilling to actually reduce the number of illegals here, the president can merely refer to them with a lower figure every time he addresses the subject, thereby making the problem go away by itself.
Also, I notice that Obama usually brushes aside costs or practical problems with any programs he proposes with his "we can't afford NOT to" rhetoric, but with border control he simply says we can't do it. Chant along: "No, we can't." He says we'll never be able to seal the border if we're wasting time looking for people who only want to work, in addition to terrorists and drug dealers.
How absurd is Obama's fierce insistence that illegals "will have to learn English." Does anyone think anyone's going to be kicked out of this country because they don't speak English?
By the way, I understand the "value" of illegals to sectors of the economy, because they act as a sort of slave class to whom we pay substandard wages, and who are often reluctant to complain about conditions or sign up for welfare. But once they are legalized, this sole advantage disappears, it seems to me. So, until we can get rid of them through attrition, we're much better off having them "live in the shadows."
Since the immigration reform Obama is proposing sounds pretty much like McCain-Kennedy, will born-again-border-controller John McCain vote for it or against it? If the former, could he let the people in AZ know that before the primary? If the latter, could he explain what has changed since he was pushing this legislation three years ago?
I heard a sound bite of Obama at the 4th celebration, he stuttered over some "yay let's party" line. It seemed like the sort of thing a natural politician wouldn't do. It seemed like the sort of thing a Nixon would do. I doubt he's enjoying his job.
I'm not surprised that Obama sounds like Bush on this issue. Their handlers both ran focus groups and learned which words provoke the least hostile reaction. Of course, only maybe 30% will allow themselves to be lulled by Obama's drivel. If Obama spoke clearly and honestly about his plans, only 10% would accept them.
Given Obama's mysterious academic record, and in particular his refusal to release ANY transcripts, is it any surprise he relies on Cliff's Notes?
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