Immigration and the 2012 Elections
Obama looks to immigration and the 2012 elections.
As the 2012 US presidential elections draws near, the ongoing crisis regarding the status of undocumented immigrants in the country seems to have gotten further attention as it gets entangled in political campaigns that seem to place immigration and the 2012 elections in perpetual view of each other.
When asked in an interview whether he thinks the issue of immigration would hold much water in the coming presidential elections, Obama candidly answered:
“Politically, Republicans may start recognizing, you know, the last census, and notice that, you know, they’re going to have some serious problems in the future if they don’t notice the growing power of the Latino vote inside the United States.
I believe that the American people can rally behind a strong comprehensive immigration reform effort. What we’ve done in terms of border security is unprecedented. I was a strong supporter of the DREAM act. This is something I believe is the right thing to do, and I’m going to keep working until I get it.”
While President Obama has harbored the same sentiments as those professed in The DREAM act regarding giving undocumented youth a conditional path to permanent citizenship ever since he first ran for office, his response to a question that concerns one of the most pressing, serious issues concerning the country today seems to pander more to his campaign needs rather than to that of the Latino community what with his answer beginning with the “Republicans’ lack of recognition of the census”.
Bret Baier facilitated a panel discussion on Special Report, guesting Syndicated Columnist Charles Krauthammer, Mara Liasson of Natonal Public Radio, and Steve Hayes of The Weekly Standard, which had Krauthammer laying down what was apparent to him regarding Obama’s response to the entire issue:
“Another example of the president campaigning and not governing. The problem in the last two years for him was not Republicans. He controlled with Democrats, the House and the Senate. He didn’t pass anything. And the meeting he had today with the Hispanic leaders and those interested in this issue was a charade. There’s no way of getting any comprehensive immigration reform in the next two years. It’s a way to shore up his base.”
The issue of border control was also contested and singled out by Krauthammer as having an ironic response from the President, by pointing out:
“And when he talks about border security, which would be a real way of getting Republican or conservative support, in the deal that was struck on the budget for 2011, at the suggestion of homeland security, there was a cut of a quarter of a billion in the border fence.”
“[I]t would be odd if the president was the one who suggested it if he’s that serious about border control.”
While some are happy with the way the President is handling the current problem of immigration, to others, as represented by the panel on Special Report, the issue of immigration and the 2012 elections is not likely to yield any concrete resolution for the former, simply because it is being stunted by the latter and as such, the issue of immigration – arguably still in its infant age – will continue to ride the coattail of politics if the people involved continue to turn their backs on actual solutions just to further their fronts in campaign.
Filed Under: Obama and Immigration
