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News & ArtsFriday, June 15, 2012
2012 Just In Time for the Elections
Posted by Charles Mudede on Fri, Jun 15, 2012 at 8:16 AM
This is so obvious that it's sleazy...
The Obama administration will block deportations of hundreds of thousands of young illegal immigrants who had been brought to the country as children, ending a years-long standoff with Hispanic activists who are crucial to the president’s reelection campaign.Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano made the announcement in a statement Friday morning.
The impact of this is by no means small...
Deepak Bhargava, director of the Center for Community Change who had two tense encounters with Obama during 2010, on Friday credited the president with a “bold act to uphold our values and protect our kids.”“Approximately 1 million young people will have their dreams restored thanks to the principled leadership of President Obama,” Bhargava said.
Note: I agree with blocking the deportations, but this is something that should have been done long ago. We do not need election seasons to just be the seasons of change.
3
If he had chosen to have them deported you would have been calling him an inhuman, turncoat scumbag for doing so, and stupid for doing so right before the election.
4
Excuse me, Charles, but do you live in the same country I live in? My daughter, a junior in high school, can name without hesitation a dozen classmates who are undocumented aliens brought to the US when they were small children. Every single one faces deportation if found by the INS. I know young adults who have been deported. Mind you, some of them speak only English and most know nothing of their country of origin. Because the Dream Act did not pass, there is NO mechanism for them to pursue citizenship. For the feds to stop processing these cases is huge.
6
I had hoped Obama had ditched most of this crap when it became clear it was not buying him any Repugnantcan cooperation.
8
Haha. Love it, even as right wing talk show hosts are already going into conniptions just thinking about the fodder this provides. I hope they take it a step further and not only block deportations, but order the forced import of all the impoverished Mexicans they can find.
9
Politicians usually do the right thing for pragmatic reasons. I'm glad he's doing it in an election year, when it's riskier.
11
Oh great. Now Mitt will have to spend all weekend figuring out how to oppose this and take credit it for it at the same time.
12
Good Morning Charles,
Sure, Obama's announcement was politically expediant. I'm not sure it was "sleazy". Clearly, he's trying to shore up Hispanic votes. But, they still remain deeply divided about Obama. I noticed the NYT headline said "some" immigrants. @4 has a point. INS is still gonna "round up" other illegal immigrants. So, we'll see how much this makes a difference.
Sure, Obama's announcement was politically expediant. I'm not sure it was "sleazy". Clearly, he's trying to shore up Hispanic votes. But, they still remain deeply divided about Obama. I noticed the NYT headline said "some" immigrants. @4 has a point. INS is still gonna "round up" other illegal immigrants. So, we'll see how much this makes a difference.
15
Encourage the illegal children to come out of hiding and you find the illegal parents....just sayin.
16
@13, The administration made their big push to repleal DADT as soon as it was obvious they were going to lose the House in 2010...it's called "clamour to get the base out"
17
@ 14, remember, it's been worse and you're actively doing your part to take us back to those days.
18
@13 equally sleazy, although more likely to backfire.
It's sleazy because 'stopping deportation of vulnerable people' should be the END, not the MEANS. What this implies is that he is willing to treat vulnerable people as pawns.
If we elect RMoney, he will be the one who is (say it with me) willing to treat people as pawns.
If we elect Ron Paul, he will be the one who is (wait for it) willing to treat vulnerable people as pawns.
This is an institutional problem, and no one should be happy to elect the guy most likely to move the pawns up the board instead of sacrificing them. pawns = pawns.
It's sleazy because 'stopping deportation of vulnerable people' should be the END, not the MEANS. What this implies is that he is willing to treat vulnerable people as pawns.
If we elect RMoney, he will be the one who is (say it with me) willing to treat people as pawns.
If we elect Ron Paul, he will be the one who is (wait for it) willing to treat vulnerable people as pawns.
This is an institutional problem, and no one should be happy to elect the guy most likely to move the pawns up the board instead of sacrificing them. pawns = pawns.
21
@ 19, that's projection. As in, those dead children will feel better that you abandon our leadership to someone who will not only apply the bombings to Iran, but will do everything to strip you of your equality with straights.
Try again. I can perceive the difference between the Middle Ages and the Dark, but for you it's Renaissance or bust. Which I'd be okay with if you weren't dragging me down with you.
Try again. I can perceive the difference between the Middle Ages and the Dark, but for you it's Renaissance or bust. Which I'd be okay with if you weren't dragging me down with you.
23
One thing this does is set some precedent. Another thing it does is elevate the issue. Both will have benefits for this cause. Let's say Obama loses the election. With this action having already been taken by his administration, it will be that much harder for the nativist ("Amuricans-only") faction to resume deporting these folks. Oh, they can still do it, of course, but not without a lot more public light being shined on it than would have been before.
24
Actually, Charles, this is the entire point of elections. When politicians are subject to the polls, they have to be responsive to the people. The DREAM act is very popular, so why wouldn't a politician make that a part of his campaign?
25
A Charles post I agree with 100%. I don't know why it's wrong to call this sleazy. You can do the right thing for a crappy reason. Agreeing with your allies all the time no matter what should be left to FOX and/or Goldy.
26
There are issues with the drone attacks that both left and right would agree are completely unacceptable by any President, but you two idiots have your Obama-hate-boner on so hard that you're missing them completely. Try doing some reading.
27
I don't think any non-citizens living in this country who arrived here as children give a rat's ass whether this decision was made with malintent or during an election season. They now have amnesty from deportation (subject to whatever caveats exist in the policy).
28
Obama also announced these 8 year olds will be given drivers licenses and voter IDs...and they'd better be thankful on Election Day!!
29
well this is the democratic party way. you frame the big debate on the economy as a contest of ideas, not us against the evil one percenters, something with moral interest. it's just our policies are better than there's there's this vage stalemate which whould be undone if voters only care enough, it's nothing like an FDR message (I will master the evildoers) or a republican message small government, more freedom, less corrupt democrats pandering victims for handouts like this brazen pander to latinos).
the democratic plan is to eke it out on turnout. a few points more latinos in NC PA NV CO VA.
inspiring isn't it. and look at our track record, the last time we tried to win on a ground game was wisconsin, was that just last week? another election in which the case for bigger government was made as a contest of policies, not a blame/emotive/rid ourselves of the evildoers story.
the democratic plan is to eke it out on turnout. a few points more latinos in NC PA NV CO VA.
inspiring isn't it. and look at our track record, the last time we tried to win on a ground game was wisconsin, was that just last week? another election in which the case for bigger government was made as a contest of policies, not a blame/emotive/rid ourselves of the evildoers story.
31
If moves like this and coming out in favor of same-sex marriage are pandering, I'd like to be pandered to some more please.
32
Yep. You can bet he'll throw a bone or two a month between now and the election. Not much but juuuuust enough to enthuse the Obamabots.
Cato, you know very well by now that the Dems don't give a shit about dead children when a Dem is doing the killing.
"But...but...Romney will be worse!" By a degree or two. Maybe. I don't care which asshole you vote for, I just resent the money, time, and energy put into this sham of a democracy and the liberals who marched against Bush's wars but couldn't care less about Obama's.
Cato, you know very well by now that the Dems don't give a shit about dead children when a Dem is doing the killing.
"But...but...Romney will be worse!" By a degree or two. Maybe. I don't care which asshole you vote for, I just resent the money, time, and energy put into this sham of a democracy and the liberals who marched against Bush's wars but couldn't care less about Obama's.
35
@28 - Are you being funny, or are you just a moron? No, they will not be allowed to vote, because they are not being granted citizenship.
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