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Subscribe to RSSObama expected to embrace Senate deal… The reason Obama is headed to Las Vegas: No state has better epitomized the power of the Latino vote… The Kabuki dance… On Rubio selling reform to the conservative base… On Schumer becoming the Democrats’ dealmaker… And Senate is set to confirm John Kerry as secretary of state.
*** Obama to embrace Senate deal: When President Obama delivers his immigration speech at 2:55 pm ET today in Las Vegas, he will hug the principles that the bipartisan group of senators outlined yesterday. “POTUS will applaud the bipartisan Senate agreement that is very consistent with his long-held view and lay out his vision for immigration reform,” top White House aide Dan Pfeiffer just tweeted. Obama also will call on the Senate to act on the legislation soon. While one publication is reporting that the White House has developed its own immigration-reform plan that’s more liberal than the bipartisan Senate outline, that information is outdated. Had the bipartisan senators NOT acted yesterday, you likely would have seen Obama offer his own plan. But the senators did act, and their plan is the plan. The last thing the White House wants to do is blow up this fragile coalition. As we reported yesterday, the White House floated the idea of doing a more liberal or progressive bill during a meeting with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus last week, as a counter to what was being offered in the Senate, and the CHC shot the idea down. The CHC’s advice to the White House was let the Senate work its will – at least for now. That said, the White House insisted last night to reporters that if the Senate coalition falters and if bill shows signs of dying, the president will step in with his own legislation.
Related: Obama’s vs. Senators’ immigration reform plan: 6 points on what overlaps, what differs
Larry Downing / Reuters
President Barack Obama speaks in the State Dining Room of the White House, Jan. 24, 2013.
*** Vegas, baby: So why is the president giving his speech in Las Vegas? There is no state that better epitomizes the power of the Latino vote in American politics than Nevada. In 2010, Harry Reid won 69% of Latinos in his race against Sharron Angle, according to the exit polls, saving his Senate seat from a GOP that was convinced was theirs for the taking. And two years later, Obama won 71% of that vote -- matching what he received nationwide. The three states that have moved the most dramatically in presidential contests since 2004 have been Colorado, Nevada, and New Mexico, and it’s due primarily to the Latino vote in all three states. (New Mexico is not even remotely a purple state anymore.) In Nevada, in particular, Latinos make up 27% of the state’s population and 19% of the voters in the 2012 election. Translation: The Latino influence in the state has even more room to grow.
*** Kabuki dance: While Obama will embrace the bipartisan Senate framework today, one Republican senator who’s part of the deal -- Sen. Lindsey Graham -- was criticizing Obama on FOX last night. “In 2008, he promised comprehensive immigration reform in the first year of his presidency, and it took all the oxygen out of the room,” Graham said. More: “In 2007, when we were trying to do immigration reform, he folded like a cheap suit because labor, the AFL-CIO, got mad at the bill to allow temporary workers... So I don't need a lecture from Barack Obama about bipartisanship; he was never very good at it in the Senate.” Moreover, top Marco Rubio staffers last night tweeted that Obama was “to oppose security and enforcement triggers,” even though the article that was cited never explicitly said that; it simply said Obama “does not favor linking legal status to border security.” So what’s going on here? This is all Kabuki theater to show that these Republicans aren’t in bed with the White House. The best way some Republicans privately believe they have to get more folks on board (or at least to convince some groups not to be overly aggressive AGAINST this plan) is to not look like they are “giving” the president a “win.” Politico also makes this point: “Whether he likes it or not, the president’s top legislative priority rests in the hands of McCain, his former 2008 rival, and Rubio, one of the GOP’s leading candidates to take back the White House in 2016.”
*** On Rubio selling reform to the conservative base: That said, this is an important test for Marco Rubio. He has spent the last several days selling comprehensive immigration to conservatives. And today, he speaks with Rush Limbaugh, who has criticized the bipartisan Senate framework. (“This immigration bill that everybody’s touting on TV is essentially the Bush immigration bill that was beat back in 2007,” Limbaugh said yesterday.) One of Ronald Reagan’s great talents was selling compromise to his party -- and declaring victory. Can Rubio pull this off, especially on an issue that base conservatives have opposed in the past two presidential elections? Rubio’s job with Limbaugh isn’t to convince him to sign on; we’re not sure that’s possible. What Rubio’s goal is today is to convince Limbaugh not to aggressively be AGAINST what he’s doing. If he can pull this off, it will be quite the feather in his hat as we get closer and closer to 2016 -- and perhaps show Rubio has some Reagan-like political skills.
*** On Schumer becoming the Democrats’ dealmaker: For those who closely follow American politics, Chuck Schumer is an easy target to mock. The running joke, for years, has been that the most dangerous place in DC is to be between Schumer and a TV camera. Perhaps lost in this caricature, however, is that Schumer has become the Democrats’ mover and shaker on key legislation -- dare we say the most effective dealmaker on the Democratic side of the aisle right now. On immigration, he’s reaching across the aisle to work with John McCain, Lindsey Graham, and Marco Rubio. And on guns, the legislation that has the best chance of passage is Schumer’s (on universal background checks) where he just might MIGHT convince Republican Tom Coburn to come on aboard his bill. What made Ted Kennedy a lion of the Senate was that he had influence with his Democratic colleagues (if he was backing something, they had cover to get on board) but also the ability to reach across the aisle. And so it’s worth asking: Is Chuck Schumer the closest thing to that right now? And we haven’t even touched on how relentless (and effective) Schumer has been the Senate Democrats’ de facto political director. Is there anyone better at candidate recruiting and clearly primary fields right now than Schumer?
*** Senate set to confirm Kerry: In non-immigration news, U.S. Senate today is expected to vote on John Kerry’s nomination to be secretary of state, and he’s a sure bet to win an easy confirmation. As one of us reported yesterday, if Kerry is confirmed and if his letter of resignation is received tomorrow, Massachusetts will set the special general election for June 25 -- with the primaries to take place on April 30. Also, Gov. Deval Patrick (D) is expected to announce his pick of an interim senator to fill the seat until the special election.
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I going to go to the taco vender down the street for lunch today. Welcome him to Obama Land. If I give him a $5 tip, I'll bet I can get him to vote Republican.
Ask Shelton Edelson or the Koch Brothers how much it costs to buy a Republican candidate.
Lol. Too bad they can't buy a winning candidate.
What if I give your Mom 5 bucks? Then what?
@ Ulysesses: LOL. Good one. But seriously... Where is a mental defective such as yourself coming up with $5?
For many on the far right there is no substitute at all for deportation. Much of their political philosophy is driven by a desperate fear of the demographics which show that by the next generation, minorities of color will outnumber White America. Given that reality, their goal is to find some way to achieve "white minority rule," which cannot include ANY illegal immigration solution other than sending them all back to the countries from which they came.
stone, you sound like you have white mans guilt. I can assure you that "white people" won't get the same benefits that today's minorities get. And how will all your failed social programs be paid for when now "whites" are the minority? Good luck with your utopia.
Stone6 - Or maybe just maybe many Republicans think the LAW should be followed. Maybe it has nothing to do with color? Maybe the far left has a problem with white people? I know your president does. But your allowed your opinion as am I. Illegals are Illegals, seems pretty simple to me. Please tell me which "race" is first in having kids they cannot afford? Tell me the "race" year after year that have a majority of that "race" live in poverty?
Read below
What part of not wanting to reward illegal behavoir do you not understand? You already admit it was illegal. If it was illegal, punish them to the full extent of the law - don't give them something!
That's what this is all about @!$%# fore brains. Legalize so they can do the jobs you lazy @!$%#s don't want to do. They just want to work.I'm sure if their government took care of them they wouldn't even look in this direction. And you would go hungry and you would lose wait and you wouldn't be Obese cause you would have to go and do the dirty work they do.Really now!!
From my perspective, it is the far-right that is suffering from "White Man's Guilt." I could care less...I am simply presenting you with demographic facts.
We are not going to round up 11+ million people, with their families and send them back to their countries of origin (most of which would go to Mexico). For one thing, economically, we need them here to boost the labor force, which is aging dramatically due to the low birth rate of White America. For another it is impractical and would overwhelm law enforcement, which is growing smaller due to the Red State drive for smaller and limited government. And, finally, it is immoral.
Opposing practical Immigration Reform is an excuse for doing NOTHING. For keeping them here, in illegal status, working in the "underground economy" and not being illegible to vote.
On punishing them? This "path to citizenship" is not direct "amnesty" in that there are penalities and they must go to the "back of the line."
The outline being presented appears to make some sense, but its only a matter of time before Obama and the liberal loons turn this into a 26,000 page law filled with loopholes and exemptions, Liberals the cancer thats killing America.
This is a bi-partisian proposal.
It needs to pass the republican controlled house and survive a filibuster in the Senate.
Ha ha! Stone6, who cares what liberals like yourself think? You think you'll get treated differently because you're a liberal democrat? In 25 years all the politicians will be Hispanic and they'll be telling you to learn Spanish. You fools! You've probably never been outside the CONUS so you wouldn't havea clue what other countries even look like.....
Ah...you assume "they" are as racist as youself. Another element of your fear? They'll treat you as you treated them?
Perhaps, I consider the values espoused in the U.S. Constitution as applying to everyone, regardless of color.
Keep dreaming Stone Head! You don't have a clue what the real world is like....and it's not fear, it's reality. Birds of a feather kind of thing...
I think you'll find that education and money tend to overcome those differences.
martin - very true. I look forward to the fight in the House...assuming the Senate can maintain a bi-partisian majority necessary there to get by a filibuster. Best outcome would be to get it passed. Next best thing is to make it crystal clear who blocked it.
So what is the @!$%#en fix? What is the plan? I say all immigrants should stay home for about two weeks and see what happens. LOL I believe that if an illegal immigrant can show that they have lived here for 5 yrs plus without any wrong doing with with police or any organization and with out government assistance they can stay. That means that they have been productive even so more then some of the Lazy no good for nothing so called citizens we have around us.
Hey, first smart thing I've seen this clown do, that we when the disaster hits he can say
"It wasn't my idea, I just went along because I thought that's what everyone wanted".
No...it's to align both the Executive Branch and the Senate against the crazies in the House, who will try and block ANY Immigration Bill.
Stone,
Let me think about that cause maybe I was wrong.
Hmmmmmmmmm............
OKAY............
Soooo.........
Hmmmm....
No, my mistake I was right.
Try taking the tin foil off JJD.
Sorry BBB,
No tin foil. Just a real good track record of getting things right.
But thanks for the humor.
IDIOT /\
Start by deporting himself first, then the rest..........jmo...........
Once again, we set our laws aside and accomodate what is easiest by allowing those illegas to stay. It is just one thing after another to water down or eliminate all together our national values. it is a whole new country that is overtaking the one our parents fought to protect. I wonder how those former immigrants feel who went through the PROPER channels to become U.S. Citizens? It is like everything else....just let them in! We have lost our moral backbone. Hey, I have an idea: Maybe when illegals enter the country, we should immediately give them citizenship papers, grandfather in Social Security, Medical, and Educational benefits, and even give them a new house and car just to get them on the same playing field as the rest of us who worked for it! And, while we are at it, maybe we could change the National Anthem to be sung in a language other than English since we are probably going to surrender our language as well.
....60% of the "illegals" entered this country from 2000 to 2008 and the other 40% were already here. Because of the economic collapse(you do remember that, don't you?) and a much-increased border presence, the total has not increased since 2008, as there are still about 11 million in this country.
The GOP should support immigration, as their inaction certainly contributed to the problem.
If the Idiot obama makes all the illegals legal will he then want to confiscate all of the (what he calls)assualt weapons that he has already given them through the Fast and Furious program?
I thought assault weapons were a right granted under the US Constitution.
Maybe not?
AND, this is NOT about Obama alone! This is every politician who is playing to the reelection masses. Even our own Congress and Executive Branch cannot do the right thing any more....they stand for nothing but themselves.
Obama latched on to the bill because he could get his name and face out in public and be adored again. Now NM might not be purple right now but if you pass too stringent legislation on gun control you'll see it pass thru purple and go right back to red. Something needs to be done to assimilate the illegals who have been here for years but they need to get in back of everybody who's done immigration legally and is on the path of citizenship. They should allowed to work as they perform jobs that Americans will not do. However, the illegal parents with legal US kids born here do not deserve any kind of bonus treatment
Budget, get the budget done so we can see how messed up we really are.
OBAMA...
To Agree..on BORDER SECURITY..as Prerequisite..
to Immigration..
Obama Promises ..a vast ......MIME... FIELD..to Discourage Illegal entry...
ILLEGAL Entrants will be met ..
By many New Agents ..in Pancake face make-up..
All acting out..In Silence ...To focus attention on ...Interpretation..of new Laws..
HEY MSNBC --JUST LIKE YOU LOOK FOR GUN CRIME TOO PUSH YOUR AGENDA -----REPORT THE REAL STORY ON MEXICAN GANGS CRIME AND DISEASE----29% higher aids rate TB back with new strains .generations of non vacinated STD infested pepole muleing drugs across the border.sex gangs child porn.In towns in mexico when they try to enforce laws they kill the cops families..MOST CANT READ....I bet you think you can fix them.MAN YOU ARE STUPID
Now you know why it's called Dumb Fux news. Watch too much of it, and you become one.
Bob the slob
I haven't seen so much whoring around by our politicians since the Heidi Fleiss scandal....
I heard last night that the best thing for Obama to do was to oppose this as the "McCain Plan" knowing the right would knee jerk support it and the House would pass it (in opposition to him). Then he could sign it into law and get what he wants without rightwing fringe pushback.
I thought it was genius.
And again come the hate filled red-necks, spouting their doom and gloom philosophy's! The only immagration you idiots want, is total deportation of all immagrants, period! They're taking Americans jobs, you wail. No, they are taking the jobs YOU morons refuse to do. Take your ignorance elsewhere, 51% of us do not want to hear your whining, bitching, pissing and moaning!
Ignorance, hatred, intollerance, see also Conservaturd!!!
Who hates America most? See Conservaturds!!!
you are stupid--they are taking jobs we cant afford to do.they need removed cause they lower wages you ever try to pay into social security and pay property tax ect on 6 bucks an hour--stupid
well idiotfromSpencer- can you point to a single bill ever proposed by a conservative in the Congress to deport ALL immigrants?
Why are so many liberals so mentally disordered?
hey go down to thier neighborhood---see they take them over and get your self robbed and mugged rtard---youll be yelling help me red necks the cops dont come to this neighborhood . i wonder why
Donald Trump's hair is definitely here illegally.
That gerbil pelt on his head should be deported.
The only thing that will make this even more special is if Romney moves back to Mexico where his grandfather went so he could keep his 5 wives when polygamy became illegal in the state they were living in here.
Romney lies and says his grandfather moved there to be a missionary. It was more like, to do the missionary position with five different women.
Romney should go to Mexico and be a Mormon missionary to make up for the lies he told about his old 60 year-old grandfather who was sleeping with 10 year-old girls.
John ,Romney will do that when Obama goes back to Kenya
"obama supports Reid" Well, no @!$%#. Let's take our "assault' rifles to the border. That's the only thing that gets obamas attention. It will get the drug dealers attention also.
I thought Vegas no longer welcomes Obama after the speech he made afew years back regarding what to do, during this economy. and one of them was not to visit vegas. It was all over the news people posting up signs and commenting that he isnt welcomed there.
LOL.......
Problem with our President and the Liberal Congress is this proposal doesn't address any of the issues. It will do nothing to curb human or drug trafficking. All it does is say atta-boy to 11 million law breakers, add 11 million to the welfare rolls. Great job, Mr. President, for using people who aren't suppose to be here as political pawns.
That would make sense if this wasn't John McCain's bill.
any proposal that will hurt America Obama is ok with ... so his attempt and the dems attempt to call right wrong and wrong right is part of this package and the constant lies concerning it by the liberal press will continue until we have millions of illegals voting for more government handouts ... this is not racist but of course that' the first arguement from Obama about anything ... he is hell bent on destroying America and he has the foolish that voted for him to prove it .. I've worked with thousands of illegal hispanics and they are mostly here stealing anything they can get and sending the lions share back to Mexico .. this is completely different then the hispanics that came earlier and truely became Americans .. we can't support this foolishness
The republican's are on board with this proposal.
HEY KIDS..
You Know what..?
we STILL Have a CONSTITUTION..
we STILL Have a Second Ammendment...
It is STILL THE LAW...
Maybe this leads ..to Weeping and Crying..and ......Gnashing..of Teeth..
YET..It IS..THE LAW of The Land ..as of NOW...
"Shall Not be INFRINGED " Means> "Shall not be Infringed"...
Oh..the Weeping and Woe ...of The Tribulative Left...