Adviser: Obama wants GOP votes on immigration

[AlphaCentauri]

Source: CNN

Despite cynicism on both sides of the aisle that a broad overhaul of U.S. immigration laws will not happen this year, President Barack Obama continues to push for a bipartisan way forward on the issue, senior adviser David Axelrod said Sunday.

"On immigration, the reality is that the last time this debate occurred in the Senate there were 11 Republicans who joined in, and of course President Bush helped to lead the effort. And most Republicans are not willing to move forward now," Axelrod told CNN's "State of the Union."

Obama gave a major speech on the need for immigration reform earlier this month, but it failed to breathe life into the stalled immigration legislation. He met with members of Congress before and after his speech, and his position is that the bill can only pass with Republican help.

According to Axelrod, Obama told a bipartisan group last summer, "Look, we need to solve this problem, we need accountability in the system at the border. We need accountability among employers so they are not violating the law. We need the accountability on the part of the 11 million who are here illegally. We can do that, but we have to do it together."



Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/07/11/obama.immigration/?hpt=Sbin

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[Curmudgeoness]

1. Good luck getting GOP help with anything!

Obama could propose English as the "official language" of the US and they would be against it. Obama could try to get Christianity to be the "official religion" of the US and the "this is a Christian nation" GOPs would scream about the Constitution. Obama couldn't even reduce taxes on the wealthy to zero with the GOPs in Congress. They are just going to say no to anything, even if it is what they want. Morons.

[pinboy3niner]

2. Breaking News: GOP Filibusters Obama Flag-Burning Amendment

I think you nailed "The Party of 'NO'." :evilgrin:

[GoCubsGo]

3. He's not asking for their help

Just their votes. They don't want to vote, because they and their big donors benefit from the cheap labor of undocumented workers. They really don't want reform. They only want the benefits making political hay from it. The President wants to force their hand on it. I hope he drives home the point that the repugs are screaming about him supposedly doing nothing--despite the fact that they held both houses of Congress AND the White House for EIGHT YEARS, and didn't do a thing about it when they were in charge.

[Rozlee]

4. Plus that it's a lose-lose situation for them if they get their racist base riled up

Rethugs are treading lightly with Hispanics, trying to woo them over to their side. They lost the black vote for generations because of their blocking of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. They know that in any immigration fight, their Teabagger wingers would come out with their white hoods bleached and starched. They lost about 70% of the Hispanic vote in 2008. If Teabaggers and all these Rethugs keep trying to pass immigration laws like Arizona, they might alienate the Latino vote for generations like they did the black vote. Between blacks and Hispanics, that would be almost a solid 30% block of Americans voting against them. No, they don't want immigration being voted on. Especially during an election year.

[Alcibiades]

5. It will be easy for them to vote against it

All they have to do is insist there be some sort of provision to legalize undocumented foreign nationals. Then, they will vote against it, citing that they could not vote for any immigration reform bill that had an amnety provision.



Their voters won't know the difference.

[No Elephants]

11. 6 years. (They lost Congress in 2006.) Other than that, I agree.

[xxqqqzme]

6. And I thought Axelrod was smart!

[grantcart]

7. Well he has read the rules of the Senate and can count to 60

[depakid]

9. Too bad the GOP- and not Obama knows how to play realpolitik

Denying Obama his obsession with desire for bipartisanship has been nothing short of a brilliant political strategy for them.

They're not about to change it.

[Vattel]

8. For Obama and the Dems, this is a win-win strategy.

I believe that Obama truly wants comprehensive immigration reform. But he also realizes that he's not likely to get it because of the Republicans in Congress. Pushing for it anyway makes it clear to Latino voters which party is responsible for not getting it and so secures the Latino vote for his party.

[glinda]

10. Wake up Obama! You will get nothing from the Repubs!