I think Obama putting off immigration reform after the midterms is going to be

[bigdarryl]

One of the biggest political decisions he's going to regret.I have been listing to a lot of hispanics on TV and I have to say they are PISSED which doesn't bold well in 2014 or 2016

[Savannahmann]

15. Well who would you accept as a source for the information?

How about President Obama on the delay to exercise his Executive Action?

http://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/exclusive-obama-blames-border-crisis-immigration-reform-delay-n197441

Or is President Obama a source of misinformation and propaganda concerning President Obama?

[Fred Sanders]

21. I stand corrected....going for some coffee now.

[Ninga]

2. Unfortunately, most of the states that have senate seat elections do NOT have a high population

of Hispanics ... So while it may not bode well for those in direct need for immigration reform, it will not hurt Obama in the long run...voters have short memories.

This is not to,say I agree with putting off immigration reform, but everything in DC has become more complicated with every passing year.....too many tangled considerations.

[bigdarryl]

4. They just might turn on the party in 2016

[merrily]

5. Not hurt Obama because voters have short memories?? He is never going to run again.

[liberal N proud]

3. Realizing it is a stupid decision, what are the options?

Republicans have done nothing and will do nothing!

[merrily]

6. Their appeal to xenophobia was, among many other things,

short-sighted.

Can't say I'm sorry.

[Savannahmann]

22. Here be the problem.

If you promise something. You have to carry out the promise, or the threat. Let's say your loved one is a drinker, a heavy drinker. You tell them to stop drinking, get help, and get sober or you are leaving. If they don't quit drinking, and you don't leave, you have nothing else to hold over them. No threat you make will be taken seriously. No request will be heard, because you have demonstrated that you are not serious about your threats.

President Obama said that if the Republicans didn't do something, he would. He would by the end of the summer. It was a do something or else I will unilaterally do something threat. Then the polling that existed at the beginning of the summer, did not change. President Obama had some choices, before he made the threat. Then he had none.

Before he issued the ultimatum, he could have called on congressional action. He could have done speeches all over the nation calling on people to contact congress. Democrats could have held town hall meetings to highlight who they believe should be given amnesty, and why. Instead, Democrats stepped back and thought they had put pressure on the Republicans. That was amazingly stupid. The Republicans had polling on their side. All they had to do to win was NOTHING. That thing you blame them for now. The Democratic Party led by President Obama managed to out maneuver themselves while standing still. We cornered ourselves and now are breathing a sigh of relief because the President did not follow through with his threat.

You can swim against the current so to speak, politically. If you are going to do it, you have to be out there, holding town hall meetings, televised ones preferably, where you defend your choice and explain it and here is the thing, convince the people to see it your way. If you are going to swim against the current, the one thing you can't do is NOTHING. Democrats did just that. President Obama did just that. Republicans were floating with the current, they didn't need to do anything to reach the end of the river. All they had to do was nothing, and eventually the current would carry them to victory. You can blame them for doing nothing, but we are in the serious minority for that.

So what has happened? The Republican base is more energized. If they can get President Obama to back down and break a promise while they are the minority, imagine what they can do in the majority. Liberals feel disappointed, because a bold move of the President went by the wayside. Hispanics feel betrayed, and ask themselves why they should march, vote, and support Democrats when they're going to get stabbed in the back for doing so. So who wins? Not us. Nuff said.

So what can the President do to defuse this before the election? Well he's rumored to be ready to announce more stringent border protections. Yeah, because what we need is more guns and troops on the border to fix immigration. Why not come out in favor of a big wall on the southern border to keep all those brown people out if you're going to embrace the RW talking points? I mean, don't go half way, just go all the way and appoint Pat Buchanan as the head of the INS?

For the last several elections, we have had a simple plan that has worked mostly. It is to stand back and let the Republicans screw up. The problem with this plan is when the Rethugs don't put a racist idiot in front of the camera who talks about "real rape" we're the ones completely screwed. We are left without a battle plan to win the election, and it's showing in the polling. Praying that the other guy screws up is not a plan for victory. It's past time that the Party figured this out.

[lunasun]

7. Pretty much just got a dem voting bloc to stay home

I do not think they will swing R in 14 but just not vote

2016 is another story esp. If Rs offer immigration carrot sticks, spotlight on family, and candidates with brown families (jeb)or names like Cruz or Rubio .

Not all votes are naive but couple this with Obama's broken end of summer promise Depending on what else in the next 2 yrs and some will cross over .Bush II had a large Hispanic contingency if I remember almost 50% of Hispanic vote
that was not so long ago .

[merrily]

9. Dimson's sister in law is Hispanic. I think that was seen as a sign of hope,

despite some unfavorable perceptions of Poppy's remarks about his brown grandbabies.

Also, whatever anyone wants to say about Rove--and I despise him for so many reasons--he understood demographics and the need for Republicans to court members of all demographics especially Hispanic. So, Bush did that, including attempts to speak Spanish.

However, right now, the GOP has too many millstones around its neck, from its semi-insane obsession with English only to vote caging to being anti-Dreamer (as in Dream Act)

Professional Democrats (politicians and those who have a relatively direct interest in supporting them) need to impress upon all voters how much is at stake in this election, especially since the Republicans rigged the House after the last census. I haven't heard that much on TV along those lines.

[azmom]

11. Immigration is the biggest

Issue to many Hispanics. I know it is for me.

[bigdarryl]

16. So are you still voting in 2014 and what

About your friends are they sitting out 2014 or voting.I assume you are Hispanic

[azmom]

24. I will always vote and will vote democrat

I have not really spoken to anyone yet? I know that they will be very angry. Many of us have been frustrated with Obama. We had thought that finally we were going to get some relief from all the deportations and now this delay. I hope that they don't stay home, but many might feel this is the only way to express their dissatisfaction. We are very unhappy.

[azmom]

31. The feedback I'm getting is

That they are not sure if they will vote or not. Everyone is heated right now. They don't trust Obama.

[azmom]

8. Why wasn't all this taken into

Consideration before announcing that he would act this summer. As a hispanic, I am angry at the way our group is being played with. A two month delay effects many lives. We have waited a very long time and this delay is just too hard to take. Why promise something in the first place? What changed?

[amandabeech]

10. What likely changed is support for Democratic Senate candidates in states

where immigration reform is unpopular. There were stories this week that some current Senators and candidates in conservative states asked President Obama to postpone his executive actions until after the November elections to help them win. The President is afraid that unless we win those states, we will lose control of the Senate.

At least that's the only reason that I see.

[azmom]

13. Wasn't this foreseen?

Did they all of a sudden realize we were having midterm elections?

[amandabeech]

19. The way I understood it is that the races for the Dems running in conservative states

Last edited Sun Sep 7, 2014, 05:52 PM - Edit history (1)

are not going as well as had been anticipated earlier this summer. This is a correction mid-campaign. My guess would be that those Senators' and Dem candidates' internal polling started looking not so good. Campaigns don't always go the way they are expected to go.

[azmom]

26. Thank you for that.

This Is an explanation that makes sense to me. It doesn't make it any easier considering that a delay of two months mean a total of about 7 thousand more deportations. It's so frustrating.

[Liberal_in_LA]

36. it's been reported that those deportstion numbers are overblown

That the majority aren't the deportation of long termers, but mostly just sending folks back who just crossed the border. Am I wrong?

[amandabeech]

38. Yes, I've read that in several places.

The Bush II administration didn't count those caught at the border who were immediately sent back, IIRC.

[amandabeech]

37. You're welcome.

Politics can be frustrating sometimes. Hang in there!

[bigdarryl]

17. Looking at some of them like Pryor he might

Loose anyway

[amandabeech]

20. There's still time for Pryor to move ahead if he can,

but it doesn't look so good right now. I'd expect that Pryor is one of the Dems that asked Obama to postpone.

[merrily]

12. I understood your anger. However, all groups are played with by politicians.

In this country, where people from all over the world (generations ago or recently) vote, that is the nature of the beast. Give 'em hope, then hedge your bets at voting time. Or maybe it's a matter of the votes just not being in Congress now, possibly because they are worried about re-election.

If you recall, DADT was voted on AFTER the 2010 midterms. I think that was very deliberate as well. Was that Obama wanting the delay or was it Congress? Hard to know.

At the same time, look what Republicans do about Hispanics. Come January, either Republicans or Democrats will control the Senate. If Republicans do, that will probably mean they will control both houses of Congress. Not a happy prospect for Hispanics or anyone else.

[azmom]

18. I'm sure we will be patient again,

And hope he delivers in a big way. It's just so frustrating specially because of all the deportations taking place. Up to now all we have gotten is promises and more and more deportations.

[merrily]

25. No, no, no. Don't be patient. Be loud and insistent, esp. with candidates now.

But vote in November, even if you have to look at it as voting for the lesser of two evils.

I am convinced that Republicans would be far worse for Hispanics than Democrats or I would not have replied to your post.

BTW, check my journal. I criticize Democrats a lot. But I never praise Republicans or electioneer for them. Never have, never will.

[azmom]

28. It's so frustrating. Our hopes

Were high. We really thought we were finally getting some relief from all the deportations. The deportations taking place since Obama took office have been intolerable. They have hurt our communities deeply.

I will urge everyone to vote. Not voting doesn't make sense. But we are frustrated and angry. My sister just said that she doesn't believe he is going to do anything after the elections. What the hell is going on?

[merrily]

29. I can be cynical, so my answer to

"What is going on?" is "Politics as usual."

Obama, shall we say, "overpromised" on a number of things. I am not saying vote Democrat because Democrats are great. My own view is that they are less great than they used to be. But Republicans are even worse than they used to be.

This is the time when you should be demanding answers from candidates of both parties. Show up at their campaign stops, email them, whatever you can think of .

[ripcord]

14. I think it is going to backfire

The President says he is still going to act but not now, that means the republicans can say he is going to do things that there is no way he would do. They can create anything to sway voters and it will probably work.

[spanone]

23. and they will do nothing. it won't work. they are completely against reform

[vi5]

27. That's o.k. It won't be his fault.

Never is. Someone else will be to blame.

Republicans for making him kick the can down the road.

Liberals for not clapping loudly enough.

The media for reporting about him making this decision.

Whoever take your pick from the category "Anyone but Obama himself" as far as who will be to blame.

[cascadiance]

30. Another factor of immigration reform is the presence of H-1B expansion in it...

... which has NOTHING to do with "immigration", but guest indentured servitude, which doesn't necessarily lead to immigration, but to help the wealthy with the race to the bottom, that affects many Americans like me in the tech industry who make less than they did almost 20 years ago as a result of the reduction of American citizens in the global tech work force, to the point that Silicon Valley has been replaced by Bangalore as the tech world capital...

I mentioned to my own congresswoman, that perhaps the shift towards tea party Republicans in the Republican ranks, and perhaps us picking up seats in 2014, might help us take out this more corporatist plank of the immigration bill, and allow some in the true middle (not the corporatists), to support passing this bill.

If you took out the H-1B piece of this bill, I'd be right with you all in writing our congress people to pass it. Perhaps some Republicans might even feel the same way, as I don't think many rank and file Republicans like that part any more than we do (even if perhaps for different reasons).

We should replace H-1B expansion with efforts to renegotiate global "free trade" treaties to include good labor practices, and also to help encourage global labor movements that take away "the bottom" that the wealthy continue to try and "race to" with both outsourcing and programs like H-1B visas. I think that many who move here on H-1B visas would rather have decent jobs where they live where they can be close to their families rather than sending money home (away from our economy) working here temporarily and being exploited the whole time.

If they want to move here to become part of the American experience, more power to them, and that should also be emphasized in immigration reform that the path to citizenship has to be made more smooth too, so that people that want to become citizens (voting members and possible members of unions, etc.) can do so and not have to wait at times for over 10 years for this to happen like they do presently, with a system that is trying to encourage indentured servitude instead of REAL immigration.

[geek tragedy]

32. reality is in 2014 there will be more single-issue voters against reform than for it.

Hispanic turnout isn't expected to affect a single close Senate race.

[azmom]

33. Good to hear

I don't want anyone blaming us if we were to lose. We get it bad as it is.

[geek tragedy]

34. and that's the thing, what if he goes big on immigration

and then the democrats lose the senate--guess who the consultant class would blame? We all know.

[azmom]

35. President Obama was just

On the news explaining his decision. It helps somewhat, but it's very disappointing. I just hope that whatever he comes up with after the election will be worth the wait. Immigration reform is why we voted for him.