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Subscribe to RSSDuring the presidential campaign last fall, Univision asked President Obama about his biggest failure in his four years in office.
His answer: passing comprehensive immigration reform.
But Obama, at the forum sponsored by the Spanish-language network in September, continued:
"I think that I’ve learned some lessons over the last four years, and the most important lesson I’ve learned is that you can’t change Washington from the inside. You can only change it from the outside. That’s how I got elected, and that’s how the big accomplishments like health care got done."
Mitt Romney and the Republican Party pounced on those comments. "The president today threw in the white flag of surrender again,” Romney argued. “He said he can’t change Washington from inside; he can only change it from outside. Well, we’re going to give him that chance in November. He’s going outside!”
Yet campaign rhetoric aside, Obama was admitting a simple truth about American politics at that Univision forum: The power to change policy comes from public opinion. And it also comes from the ballot box.
In other words, elections have consequences -- especially after more than 70 percent of Latinos backed Obama in the 2012 presidential election, up from 67 percent in 2008.
That explains why Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) -- who once championed comprehensive immigration reform but has opposed it ever since the '08 election -- is back on board.
"Elections, elections. The Republican Party is losing the support of our Hispanic citizens," McCain said at a news conference yesterday announcing his support of bipartisan principles to reform the nation's immigration system.
Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) put it another way. "The politics on this issue have been turned upside down," he said. "There is more political risk in opposing immigration reform rather than supporting it."
None of this is to say that immigration reform's passage through Congress is a sure thing. Already, opponents are asking that the Senate slow down consideration of any legislation. "No secret accord with profound consequences for this nation’s future can be rushed through. That means a full committee process and debate and amendments on the floor of the Senate," Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) said in a statement yesterday.
But it does point to how outside forces -- and elections -- can change politics, at least for a while, on issues like immigration and taxes.
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Obama has the Mexican votes in the bank...now Obama wants to get rid of all the Mexicans so that he can protect welfare for the Blacks and jobs for the Unions...nothing mysterious going on here...
I don't get the pro union Obama. He has this thing with the UAW, having propped up Detroit, but the rest of us union members think he is just as bad, if not worse, than the last shyster we had in the White House. Most of the jobs he is guarinteeing to illegal aliens could be union jobs. Do you think Cesar Chavez could have organized the farm workers in present day? Not a chance. The Mexicans that have picked your vegetables for the last twenty-six years are being displaced by the latest wave of illegal aliens ala-Obama. The new hires are un-organizable. The growers will keep the unions out of the fields as long as they have a never ending labor pool ala-Obama policies. We are really trying to stay civil here but if this amnasty 15.0 is granted, especially the kind where the applicants get to lie their way through the process, then you can kiss this country audious'. We will know for certain that the rich, powerfull, and criminal are in complete control.
that redhead is nuts.
While MSDNC, libs, and Obama made it about "immigration" in the election, it was anything but.
It was the FACT that 57% of non-Cuban Hispanics are on some form of WELFARE. Something that MSDNC will never point out by the way. And it was to THREATEN that welfare by putting out the suttle message that if Romney and Republicans were elected all that "free" stuff would stop.
Obama has already made it clear that strengthening and securing our border first is NOT part of the package, even though the Democrats and Republicans that announced this "reform" program said it will be.
So what are we going to get?
Why we're going to get way OVER 11 million new "citizens", the vast majority of whom are functionally illiterate, unskilled, and can barely if at all speak English.
By the way, the number "11 million" being thrown around is from research done SEVEN YEARS ago on the number of illegals in this nation. You think that number has stayed the same since then? If you do, then you're obviously a liberal that thinks that U.S. paid for commercials in MEXICO on how to get food stamps in the United States when you cross illegally actually keeps illegals out.
We're going to get MILLIONS of new "citizens" that will immediately be added to the welfare rolls, futher burdening a system that is already putting out over ONE TRILLION taxpayer dollars a year in welfare and "entitlements".
We're going to get even more MILLIONS of Americans literally enslaved in poverty, just like Democrats have always kept blacks and now Hispanics enslaved one way or the other in this nation, either through outright slavery, enslaving laws, or "entitlement" programs that enable poverty but stifles REAL education, discourages self reliance, and takes away individual responsibility.
And we'll get MILLIONS of new "citizens" that will look for that big "D" when they go to the polling station, not realizing that the people that they vote for are the very ones that don't want to actually help them, but instead simply want to keep them enslaved for political gain and power.
And of course we'll continue to have all but wide open borders so that even more illiterate, unskilled, non-English speaking "immigrants" can flood into our nation and destroy it even more.
Colin Powell being interviewed by Bill O'Reilly right now. Should be interesting.
Obama will offer his own proposal just to put in jeopardy the BIRARTISAN Plan on the table. It will be soooo faaar Leeeeft that the Republicans will reject it. At that point he will vilify Republicans, the MSM will parrot his talking points and NOTHING WILL GET DONE. That's "mission accomplished" according BHO.
obama the POS that keeep stinking... Like a new york city sewer.
How did this ever become an issue?. How many Citizens of Mexico ( That's what they are) came across the border after a major attack on our soil?. OH Wait!, I forgot Homeland security was founded as a result of that attack in order to protect the US!. What a crock!, George Bush had el Presidente at his home ranch every other week!. Bringing in cheap labor and starting the War on the middle class and American Labor!. I see it continues!. Yes, feed, House, medicate, and educate the world and turn your backs on American seniors!. The new American Way!
"That means a full committee process and debate and amendments on the floor of the Senate." He really meant: "You have to give us time to suck the lobbyists dry and put a good spin on this!"
Cheryl LM has no idea about statistics at all. Whites receive the largest portion of welfare. Google "The Changing Color of Welfare" from a Harvard graduate, ironically also named Cheryl. "By 2000, welfare had a new name, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF),5 and the percentage of Latino recipients had grown to 25%. Over this same time period, the percentage of people on welfare who were black remained largely constant (at roughly 39%), as did the percentage of Asians (roughly 3%). Latinos, then, largely supplanted non Latino whites, whose share dropped from 38% in 1990 to 31% in 2000(U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 2002).Despite these significant demographic changes, little work has been done on the relationship between whites’ views of Latinos and their support of redistributive policies such as welfare—this despite the fact that many whites clearly view Latinos, on the whole, as welfare dependent.The 1990 General Social Survey asked respondents whether they thought various racial/ethnic groups were more likely to prefer living off welfare or being self-sufficient. Among whites 59% believed that blacks generally preferred to live off welfare rather than be self-sufficient, 46% thought the same of Hispanics, while only 18.5% and 3% attributed the characteristic of welfare dependence to Asians an"
Freddy--absolutely whites comprise a big majority of those on welfare. JUST NOT in proportion to their percentage of PEOPLE in the US.
Statisically, BLACKS have the largest percentage on Welfare, followed by Hispanics, and then by Whites.
This media push for amnasty is sickening. Despite polls to the contrary the ink slingers are again telling us what we believe. I'll tell you what is going to happen. These two parties, the one on the left of screw you little people and the one on the right of give me your money are going to posture for the illegal immigrant enablers and their constituants. The parties, the ones that have congress in single digit aprovals, are going to write this up so that it looks like a proposal. About the time it goes to committee the voters are going to crash the congressional phone system again just like they did the senate system in January 2007 when the amnasty 15.0 was introduced. They are going to threaten mayhem in the next election and the two parties can tell their illegal alien support staff that it won't work now and adjurn for spring break, go back home and beat on their chests about how they tried, "We'll get it done next year." It's nothing but Kabuki.
I don't get the pro union Obama that people talk about. He has this thing with the UAW, having propped up Detroit, but the rest of us union members think he is just as bad, if not worse, than the last shyster we had in the White House. Most of the jobs he is guarinteeing to illegal aliens could be union jobs. Do you think Cesar Chavez could have organized the farm workers in present day? Not a chance. The Mexicans that have picked your vegetables for the last twenty-six years are being displaced by the latest wave of illegal aliens ala-Obama. The new hires are un-organizable. The growers will keep the unions out of the fields as long as they have a never ending labor pool ala-Obama policies. We are really trying to stay civil here but if this amnasty 15.0 is granted, especially the kind where the applicants get to lie their way through the process, then you can kiss this country audious'. We will know for certain that the rich, powerfull, and criminal are in complete control. The workers be dammed, the parties are all that matter.
Recent studies say that seventy percent of drugs coming into the country are coming right on in with the lettuce ala Customs and Border Enforcement. This thing is better organized than Microsoft. You think people need to cross the desert on foot? Not if they have a car. Of course don't try it without the handshake.
With our unemployment being high. Use em to build fences or what ever they need to secure or borders. The people that have been waiting allow in if they want to pay taxes and contribute to our system. The ones that are sent back can apply under the same rules. Make a time period for full citizenship for the honest good working people. But they have to contribute to the system. Try to slowly fade out unemployment benefits with no work no freebies. No criminals allowed....It might work with a few tweeks. JMHO
Well I thought I could share some news. The Plans of India for the WORLD. The Indians form India in Addition to signing Bilateral Trade Treaties are also Insisting on signing Bilateral Agreements in Services. This is because the Indians want to go in Huge Numbers in All the countries of the World and Make Indian Human Lobbies so that these Indians can Lobby for India. for eg: The USA. There is no Spanish lobby in the USA, No German lobby in the USA, NO French lobby in the USA, NO Italian Lobby in the USA, No Chinese lobby in the USA, NO Russian lobby in the USA, NO British lobby in the USA. There is also no Latino lobby in the USA, NO African lobby in the USA, NO Catholic lobby in the USA, NO Protestant lobby in the USA. But in the USA there is the Jewish Lobby. The Indians from India also have a lobby called INDIA CAUCUS. This India Caucus lobbied for India for the Nuclear Deal inspite of India Not signing the NPT OR the CTBT. This India Caucus also lobbied for lifting of the restrictions on Dual Use Technology and lifting of Military Sanctions and many other sanctions. Thus the India Caucus is a formidable lobby in the USA just like the Jewish Lobby. Similarly the Indians from India want to go to all the countries of the world especially the USA, Canada, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Latin America, Africa and other countries of Australasia so that the Indians form India can make Indian Human Lobbies and lobby for India. The Indians also Plan to take over all the Top Positions in Multinational Companies All over the World especially the USA and Western Countries. The Indians from India also plan to take over Western Companies all Big, Medium and Small for their Technology. The Indians from India have also made their Associations in the USA and they work in Tandem collaborating with each other for their Own Needs. The Indians from India Telling lies to both the Catholics, Protestants and Orthodox Christians in the Foreign countries and in India also and USE the Catholics, Protestants and Anglo Indians in India to Go Abroad. The Indians from India also make the Catholics, Protestants, Orthodox Christians in the Foreign countries and in India Against Each other by Spreading lies against each other and then Eating all the Moolah. The Indians from India also want Indian Origin Politicians in all the foreign countries so that they can also lobby for India. for eg: There are Indian Origin politicians in Britian, USA, Canada, West Indies and Many Indian Origin People from India are also standing in local elections in most of the foreign countries of the World where there are a number of Indians from India. An Article appearing in one of the Newspapers in India. The Hindu Business Line. Date 28th Jan, 2013 Page no.19. It appears that by 2020 there will be 500 million skilled Indians in India. Out of this 200 million Indians skilled workforce will be surplus. This surplus 200 million Indians will be exported to all the countries of the world. ie.1/6 th of the present population of India. And that too by only the year 2020. What will happen by the year 2030 and beyond. This talks were given by a minister from India in an international conference held in Agra. This is the Plans of India to Make Indian Human Lobbies Around the World. One more double talk by the Indians. When an Indian died in the country of Ireland there was a hue and cry for Irelands laws to be amended and pressure was put upon Ireland to change its laws. Promptly Ireland changed its laws. But what about the change of laws in India. No laws seem to be changing. Many women are Raped, women die in hospitals during childbirth, there are children dying due to malnutrition and many problems. But what are the Indians doing about this. Why are the Indians not changing the Laws. On one side the Indians tell other countries to change laws to suit Indians but in India the Indians don't change the laws. This is the Double face of Indians from India. GOD Bless the Americans. GOD BLESS THE USA.
Kevin Valentine Moraes
Mira Road (Thane)
Kevin Valentine Moraes--what happened, did you lose a job to an Indian?
MOST of the Indians who are coming to the US are doing so as STUDENTS, and THEY are (unlike so-called "dream kids" PAYING full out-of-state Tuition to do so, and a huge percentage of them are in GRAD school.
To get here, a HUGE majority of them had to pay MAJOR bucks to fly here, plus the costs of their Visas etc, in addition to IN-state-tuition.
And here's the REAL kicker--MOST of them already speak ENGLISH before coming here, albeit with that pesky modified British accent.
And PLEASE don't talk about India's crimes, death rates etc--it still does not compare to the inherent graft, violence, etc. in MEXICO, and I don't see you requiring THEM to change.
And there may not be a 'Hispanic' lobby, but there SURE is an active group of policy wonks (Led by Lois Guitierrez, among others) and by La Rasa, that have been pushing for the US to IGNORE the lawbreaking of HISPANICS who came here illegally.
Amnesty is NOT reform. At this point the illegal aliens who are in the United States have no incentive to go back to their own country or to follow our laws. So let's give them one.
Immigration reform should give only 2 options:
a) Get documented, return to your country of origin, then follow US laws to return to the US legally. If you do this then the only penalty is paying any back taxes you owe
b) Get documented, stay in the US, pay all back taxes you owe and you NEVER can become a US citizen.
BREAKING OUR LAWS HAVE CONSEQUENCES. Either those who broke them acknowledge that they did something wrong by going back to where they started and then coming to the US legally OR let them stay but without the ability to have citizenship...EVER.
The only exception should be made for minor children of the illegals who were either brought here without a say in the matter, or were born here.
That's right because people who've been in hiding for decades are more likely to reveal themselves if:
A. They're forced to return to a home country they don't know for an indefinite period of time.
B. They have the option to live/work in this country with no more rights than they have now.
1. The idea of "anchor babies" is a immigration policy worldwide. And yes, you should be able to stay in your child's homeland if you choose.
2. We are enforcing our borders and deporting undocumented immigrants more than at any time in history.
3. Neither of these does anything about the 11 million people currently here.
There you go. Facts aren't facts unless they're conservative facts or prove that Obama is someone wrong.
Then they say anyone left of THEM is irrelevant even though that means 60-75% (they don't know they hold the minority view on almost everything)
Last, they give an obscure factoid that they believe proves their point even though their factoid is the outlier not the norm.
Can we trade 11 million illegals for one worthless president.
As usual, we have good policy with bipartisan support and the extreme right opposes it based on their ideology rather than reality.
There are approximately 11 million undocumented immigrants in this country right now. Like most things, there isn't one easy way to deal with these people so we've ignored the problem for a long time (actually since Reagan's amnesty plan).
1. Border security=CHECK
2. Deport those who break the law once here=CHECK
3. Provide a path to citizenship/legal residency=Working on it
No matter what the extreme right says, this is the only viable plan to resolve this issue. Leave the loony right to stomp their feet...let the rest of America work to fix problems while the children cry.
Our nearest neighbors along with Canada and the former proprietors of several of our south-western states and THEY are being held at bay? It has never made sense to me; not for one moment! As the POTUS so correctly pointed out; "everyone else came here by way of Ellis Island or Angel Island so we are all immigrants"; except blacks of course who were brought here in chains and against their will. All others migrated here, to these shores, in search of a platform known as "freedom!" The Mexican people deserve far better than the way they've been treated. I fought with them as a Marine during Vietnam and they were fierce freedom fighters; they are a strong people who are willing to take jobs that few Americans even want.
Why keep them out? Why slight those whose lands we occupy? It simply doesn't make sense. Americans claim they fear for their jobs. Fear the GOP because they are those who are giving our jobs away to overseas vendors. At least the work the Hispanics do remain upon and within our shores, on American soil.
In time, Mexicans will pay taxes as do all other Americans and to that end, their migration to the U.S. will become additional revenue! I say bring them by train, buses and planes and any other method or mode of travel.
The Italians, the Asians, the Polish, the Germans, the Jews and many more; are now very productive, tax-paying, citizens and we are a better and stronger nation for their contributions. Again I say, "Let hem come...let them ALL come!"
Right on...
The name calling is not necessary just because we have differing views. Don't do it again! Our gov't is set up to reward those at the bottom for years of hard work and is meant to make successful outcomes for all. A survey was conducted to see just how many Americans would perform these back breaking jobs in the agricultural field and there were few takers. (I will look it up for you since you are incapable of it).
You are like so many ignorant whites who believe that all other nationalities are living on your dole. All they want is free stuff, right? Of course they are NOT willing to work because ONLY whites work for what they want and everyone else survives on handouts and free-bee's, right? Poor folk don't want to go to college to better themselves, they just want their next free case of food stamps because Barack Obama is the 'food stamps' president and it is because he promised us niggas and wet backs all manners of free stuff that the whites folks will pay for with their hard earned; that's why we voted for Barack Obama in the first place and in the second place and will NEVER VOTE FOR YOUR KIND EVER AGAIN!
Right on...
"Elections, elections. The Republican Party is losing the support of our Hispanic citizens," McCain said at a news conference yesterday announcing his support of bipartisan principles to reform the nation's immigration system."
Senator McCain's comment is as delusional as the faith he placed in the Tea Party when he recanted long held beliefs on immigration reform when he was a Presidential candidate. The GOP long ago lost the support of Latinos.
One need only follow the various postings on the subject that explain Latino political opinion not on the violent xenophobia of the far right but on their alleged inherent need for Government largess (Willard's gift giving analysis). Of course, oil subsidies and corporate welfare never count as "gifts." One need only hear the rantings of Governor Jan Brewer to begin to understand the thousands of ways Latinos (even those born in this country) are targeted solely by color and language. The GOP obsession with those they slur as "anchor babies" (would that include Bobby Jindal?) is a direct result of that bigotry. The Birthers, the Truthers, Trump and Sununu, the attacks on President Obama's birthright, all that the GOP stands for, is familiar to Latinos and the various Latino cultures and colors of our country.
But the modern GOP still relies on a Palin-like lack of erudition and historical understanding in their base. They count on little more than ignorance, hate and fear and until the advent of this President they have been very good at inspiring such destructive emotions. This effort, laudable as it may be, will be attacked and circumvented by the Tea Party the GOP itself has created, funded and given the self-absorbed authority to determine who may be recognized as truly "American.""
By your logic, the same should be true about Republicans and white male and the wealthy. Are Republicans pandering to white men (specifically rural white men) and the wealthy?
I expect the response to be "NO, we are about liberty and the truth and anyone can be part of what we're doing BLAH BLAH BLAH". Except that means Blacks and Hispanics are somehow less capable of making informed decisions than whites UNLESS of course, they are Republican.
Logic fails you!
The 14th amendment to the Constitution defines how we become citizens and has NOTHING to do with slavery.
None of them really care about the well being of these illegal aliens. It is all about votes. They should be ashame of themselves.
Ask the Arizona farmers if they want Immigration Reform....Hmmmm!
We have several guest worker/student programs. Guess who is too ignorant to understand that?
If the government knows how many illegals are in the country then they know where to find them.It is not hard to deport them.The only change needed for illegals who have children in this country is to not allow those children to become automatic citizens of the U.S.
Amendment 14 - Citizenship Rights. Ratified 7/9/1868.
1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
Wanna change Washington from the outside? Stop voting for the same idiots!
I use the ignore button pretty freely. I really don't want to read paranoid and irrational rants from either side. There is no point in listening to someone fantasize about imagined communist or fascist takeovers of our government. I am always interested in a dissenting opinion offered in a reasonable manner. I am even occasionally persuaded when the information is well presented and factual.
But I am not interested in name calling, insults, or bastardizations of the names of political parties or positions. It's childish, offensive and counter-productive. It persuades no one. It cites no new information. It is nothing but a strange form of verbal masturbation, full of sound and fury and signifying nothing.
On another note, I would love to deport gangbangers, but I suspect that most gangbangers are second or third generation Americans. It is unfortunate, because I would love to make them someone else's problem.
Immigration reform is needed. Not enough busses to send illegals back from where they came. Dont want to reward lawbreaking of immigration law. Process is very long the legal way. We arent able to absorb anyone that wants to be in US now with the lackluster economy. People say Americans wont do the work that the illegals will. Not sure about that....perhaps as a part of workfare? May need to change the idea of automatically making the children of illegals born in US as citizens. Maybe don't provide free services. Some of this free services stuff is myth.
The jobs illegals are taking would be perfect for the (able to work) welfare and free food card recipients. If you are in this country illegally you are breaking the law. The liberal mindset is to get rid of laws (or ignore them) that take away from their self serving voting base. This country really is hanging by a thread even if feisty-red says otherwise.