Obama does the right thing on immigration -- but not jobs
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Obama does the right thing on immigration -- but not jobs
It would have been easy for the Obama administration to look the other way on Arizona's draconian racial-profiling law. Polls have shown that Arizona's SB 1070 is very popular in some quarters, including white independents that the president needs to win back at least by 2012, if not this year's mid-terms. At the same time, in a strictly poltical sense, Obama's Justice Department probably didn't to file a lawsuit for the purpose of winning Hispanic votes, since thanks to the GOP's ineptiude the Dems may well have a solid Latino voting bloc for the next 100 years, anyway. They seem to be suing simply because it's time for the grown-ups to step in:
As the Justice Department points out in its complaint, the Arizona law will divert resources from the government’s pursuit of dangerous aliens, including terrorists, spies and violent criminals. It will harass authorized immigrants, visitors and citizens who might not be carrying their papers when stopped by the police. It will ignore the country’s cherished protections of asylum and will interfere with national foreign policy interests. (Already several Mexican governors are refusing to meet with their American counterparts in Arizona, a sign of the diplomatic disarray produced by the law.)
Interestingly, the New York Times thinks the feds could go a lot farther:
In the meantime, there are steps President Obama can take. He can deny Arizona access to federal databases of immigration status and refuse to allow the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency to cooperate with state officials in handling people detained under the law. The government should end the misguided program allowing local deputies to enforce immigration law after taking an educational course.
I can't imagine those things happening -- regardless of the wisdom of such steps, they would play out badly for Obama in the news cycle. Unfortunately, most of the time, the president's staff cares way too much about what TV's talking heads are saying.
They've been been watching so much cable news, for example, that Team Obama has come to believe that a loud, Fox-fueled minority mob of deficit hawks is more important that the majority of Americans who want to see much, much more done about jobs. Ironically, many things would follow from an improving jobs picture -- including somewhat less public angst over immigration.
That's why it's so frustrating to watch Obama do the right thing in one key area and act so short-sighted in the most important issue of all.
"You want to stimulate the economy, stimulate BUSINESS, not consumption. Provide more small business loans, reduce business taxes, sign trade agreements for exposure to new international markets. New businesses will start and will hire employees. Existing businesses will produce more and need to hire more employees. More paid employees will increase consumption." But only if these businesses stop sending jobs overseas...otherwise, what's the difference if the government gives them such benefits when many of the jobs aren't created here anyway? Stop corporate welfare.— RightWingHypocrite
RWH - not only do I rail against corporations sending jobs overseas I also rail against all the people who complain about unemployment but continue to buy overseas products. How can you expect to produce jobs if you don't produce product.— bird11- What is draconian about an officer verifying your identity during questioning. If a citizen cannot prove who they are they could be detained until proof is obtained. It is due diligence and not draconian by any means. That arguement is completely non-senseical!!— egmetzjr
Comment removed.- TPS - can you explain why Latinoes voting in their own best interest would vote Democrat? It seems to me that George W. Bush (I think he was a Republican) pushed for sweeping immigration reform only to have it rejected by a Democratic controlled Senate. Now I admit Senate Republicans did not support the bill but a Republican President proposed it and actually came up with a bi-partisan plan. Right now we have a Democratic President and a Democratic Congress that have proposed NOTHING! What is Obama's plan - is he going to wait until the R's retake Congress in November and then propose his plan without any bi-partisan communication that the Congress will reject so he can play the blame game AGAIN but not accomplish anything.— bird11
- Can anyone tell me if Gibbs has learned the answer to the White House reorter's question yesterday. [paraphrase] "If AZ law is unconstitutional because immigration laws are federal issues, then what about the laws of the approximately 144 sanctuary cities (and roughly 30 more cities pending). They must also violate federal law."— legatus
- Work out of my carpenters union is almost nonexistent, thanks to Mexican scabs and the scab contractors who hire them. Thanks a lot Will. I guess I could get a job washing dishes in a Mexican restaurant.— catwalks
"Provide more small business loans, reduce business taxes..." . . . . I agree, but how do you respond to Tea Partiers who think Obama's first package of tax breaks and loan guarantees for small business (i.e., the stimulus bill) are part of a socialist plot?- "What is draconian about an officer verifying your identity during questioning" . . . . Nothing. Did Arizona not have that power before?
- "They must also violate federal law" . . . . . . Really? The feds have no law requiring cities to actively enforce immigration laws. It probably wouldn't be constitutional unless the city agreed to do it in exchange for federal funds. "Sanctuary" doesn't prevent federal enforcement either, it simply means the municipality won't voluntarily enforce federal law themselves.
- Comment removed.
- "Work out of my carpenters union is almost nonexistent, thanks to Mexican scabs and the scab contractors who hire them." . . . . . Now we miss organized labor. Kinda late, eh?
- "It would have been easy for the Obama administration to look the other way on Arizona's draconian racial-profiling law. " Will, that is probably the most pathetically false statement you have ever written on this blog - and that's saying something. The Arizona law specifically says racial profiling cannot be used. The Obama lawsuit against 5207 does not even mention discrimination, and instead relies on the concept of federal supremacy. You should be ashamed of yourself, but you've repeatedly shown yourself incapable of such as you shill for the DNC as a supposedly objective journalist.— db_cooper
- db, the law doesn't take effect until July 29. Until there's an actual case of racial or ethnic profiling, the lawsuit can only address the pre-emption question as a justiciable controversy at this point. Even then, the amendments to the law may save it from constitutional scrutiny on that point, but it remains to be seen how it's put into practice. I expect AZ law enforcement will face thousands of civil rights suits not because of the law itself, but because the pressure on overburdened law enforcment to profile will still be great.
- "Nothing. Did Arizona not have that power before?" Certain cities such as Phoenix billed themselves as sanctuary cities. 5207 prevents Arizona cities from doing that - they cannot ignore immigration status. And speaking of sanctuary cities, Obama tapped former Houston Police Chief Harold Hurtt, a leading proponent of sanctuary cities (Houston was such a city), to be director for the ICE Office of State and Local Coordination. Talk about the wrong pick for the job.— db_cooper
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