The Down Range Forum
Member Section => Down Range Cafe => Topic started by: Hazcat on April 29, 2010, 07:19:50 PM
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By SUZANNE GAMBOA, Associated Press Writer Suzanne Gamboa, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 9 mins ago
WASHINGTON – Immigration reform has become the first of President Barack Obama's major priorities dropped from the agenda of an election-year Congress facing voter disillusionment. Sounding the death knell was Obama himself.
The president noted that lawmakers may lack the "appetite" to take on immigration while many of them are up for re-election and while another big legislative issue — climate change — is already on their plate.
"I don't want us to do something just for the sake of politics that doesn't solve the problem," Obama told reporters Wednesday night aboard Air Force One.
Immigration reform was an issue Obama promised Latino groups that he would take up in his first year in office. But several hard realities — a tanked economy, a crowded agenda, election-year politics and lack of political will — led to so much foot-dragging in Congress that, ultimately, Obama decided to set the issue aside.
With that move, the president calculated that an immigration bill would not prove as costly to his party two years from now, when he seeks re-election, than it would today, even though some immigration reformers warned that a delay could so discourage Democratic-leaning Latino voters that they would stay home from the polls in November.
Some Democrats thought pushing a bill through now might help their party, or at least their own re-election prospects.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, whose campaign is struggling in heavily Hispanic Nevada, unveiled an outline — not legislation — on Thursday for an immigration bill at a packed news conference. Asked when it might advance, he declined to set an "arbitrary deadline."
If immigration goes nowhere this year, Democrats can blame Republican resistance, though in reality many Democrats didn't want to deal with an immigration bill this year either.
The Democrats' draft proposal, obtained by The Associated Press on Tuesday, called for, among other things, meeting border security benchmarks before anyone in the country illegally can become a legal permanent U.S. resident.
Obama praised the outline and said the next step is ironing out a bill. He said his administration will "play an active role" trying to get bipartisan supporters.
Republican Sens. Jon Kyl of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who had been working with Democrats on immigration reform, criticized the proposal as "nothing more than an attempt to score political points."
By Wednesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi offered little hope that the issue was still alive on Capitol Hill.
"If there is going to be any movement in this regard, it will require presidential leadership, as well as an appetite, is that the word? ... as well as a willingness to move forward in the Congress," she said.
House Republican leader John Boehner was more blunt. "There is not a chance that immigration is going to move through the Congress," he said Tuesday.
Rep. Luis Gutierrez, the Democrats' leading advocate for immigration reform, has said he voted for health care reform on the understanding that Obama and congressional Democrats would move a major immigration bill.
Even though he would like to see Latinos turn out to vote for Democrats in 2010, Gutierrez said "many will probably decide to stay home." However, he added, a strict, new immigration law in Arizona may change that dynamic. The law requires law enforcement officers to question anyone they suspect is in the country illegally.
"On one hand you are not going to vote because you don't believe people you voted for are doing a good enough job," Gutierrez said. "Then you say, 'I got to vote, because the enemy is so mean and vindictive, I got to get out there.'"
The Hispanic vote is growing, largely because of Latinos' increasing population. The 9.7 million Latinos who cast ballots in 2008 made up about 7.4 percent of the electorate, according to a 2009 Pew Research Center study.
Hispanic voters helped flip the battleground states of Colorado, Florida, Nevada and New Mexico from Republican to Democratic in the 2008 presidential election.
But even though Latinos' numbers have been increasing, in some parts of the country their portions of voting populations are not large enough to affect election outcomes.
Democrats hold a 254-177 majority in the House, with four vacancies. But 48 are in districts where Republican Arizona Sen. John McCain did better than Obama in the 2008 elections.
Matt Angle, a Democratic political strategist focused on Texas, said it would be worse for Democrats to propose a bill that has no hope of passing or getting Republican support. Doing so would allow Republicans to cherry-pick parts of the bill to use against Democratic candidates, he said.
The Senate also has a number of competitive races, some in states with significant numbers of Hispanic voters, such as in Nevada, Reid's home state. Latinos are about 12-15 percent of likely voters there.
"For Democrats it is critical they can deliver if they want to continue nurturing the support they want from this community," said Clarissa Martinez De Castro, National Council of La Raza immigration and national campaigns director.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100429/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_immigration_politics
He knows what he wants is a loser so he'll hold off until after mid-terms.
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"I don't want us to do something just for the sake of politics that doesn't solve the problem,"
Yeah, right! Just like Obamacare got SHOVED down our throats and behind our backs! Chicago gangster politics, AGAIN! Only to be hidden in a "healthcare" or "PACT ACT" bill, AGAIN! This man manipulates us and thinks the "normal" folks are too stupid to understand WTF he's doing? He only wants to hush us up on the AZ immigration law they passed to quell the votes from the ILLEGALS!
GOD, I pray for a Fred Thompson/Sarah Palin ticket!
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This is classic American politics. Its called Crititical Realignment Theory. It goes right back to the Founding. Shorthand is this. A new political force, generally a new, politically signifiant minority of voters show up on the scene, motivated by a new issue. They demand a change in the status quo. One of four things happens.
1) both parties duck the issue, and the new voters go home or form a third party.
2) the third party works, this happened when the Federaists became the Whigs and the GOP became the replacement to the Whigs, it failed with TR.
3) both parties embace these voters and a new issue is argued about in terms of degree, not whether it wil happen (say the New Deal between Dems and the GOP).
4) one party embraces it and the other rejects it. This shifts a significant voting block more or less permenantly to one party and polarizes a new issue. Think of blacks with the Dems or Christian Conservatives with the GOP.
Now, both parties are trying to figure out what to do about immigration. Both want to add the latinos to their base by pursuing amnesty. Let us hope that both will see its a bad idea and walk away. Blacks hate it on the Dem side, and Right Wingers hate it from the GOP. But Catholic voters and multi-culltural libs like it for the Dems and the Chamber of Commerce and Farm Bureau like it from the GOP. We will hope patriots from both parties say enough and just call it a wash. If they don't, there will be great change, either the Dems becoming the party of blacks and latinos and losing the white vote (a bad idea since neither group actually bothers to vote), or the GOP figuring they can keep the Cubans and keep playing along with their corporate masters by acquiescing to amnesty like Reagan did. In which case we get bad immigration law and maybe a serious new populist paty.
FQ13 who lives in interesting times
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"I don't want us to do something just for the sake of politics that doesn't solve the problem,"
GOD, I pray for a Fred Thompson/Sarah Palin ticket!
Well, you're going to have to wake Fred up from his nap, if his '08 performance is any indication. As far as Sarah, just like Fred, she didn't really like governing. Better to quit and get paid millions to be a celeb and give speeches than actually complete her term. I'm not blaming her, its hard to reject a 7 figure salary. Still, I doubt there will be a shortage of folks (particularly in a GOP primary) asking"Why did you quit halfway through your term again? Can we trust you not to quit if you become President?". They're both done. I'd look to someone like Jindal if I were you.
FQ13
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"I don't want us to do something just for the sake of politics that doesn't solve the problem," Obama told reporters Wednesday night aboard Air Force One.
(http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm182/twyacht/Buckwheat---Little-Rascals--C100369.jpg)
Still shaking my head on that one,....
FQ:
Now, both parties are trying to figure out what to do about immigration
Everything except enforce current law. "Same As It Ever Was"......
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don't need immigration reform at the moment - they are about to get hundreds of thousands of new (democrat) voters via Puerto Rico.
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You are a smart man, FQ! :P
So how and why did this legislation get past us common folk and get passed? I pride myself, being a gun owner and 2A advocate, on KNOWING the legislation and issues that come before state and federal legislature. Since this so-called messiah has taken office, this type of legislation has been relatively hush-hush! Is this the result of his very-little experience in politics, or more from his very-little experience in FEDERAL issues? (I personnally think it's from his Chicago, gangster-style exposure to politics "in general!"
I welcome all answers, as I have never been exposed to this type of deception in my 46yrs.
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What legislation? I thought we were talking about immigration reform, the one that is NOT going to get voted on?
FQ13
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The healthcare issue that got passed? The PACT ACT that got signed and passed? All of these "hidden" issues that seem to go through that us "general public" don't seem to hear much, if ANYTHING, about? Is that not a gangster style tactic?
And they say the mafia/gangsters don't exist anymore!
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I have zero good to say about either. Yeah it is a sleazy tactic. We just got ultrasound abortion crap here in Fl.. It was crammed inside a nursing home reform bill, right where you'd expect to find abortion law >:(. Don't tell me the GOP's hands are clean here. Ganster, damn straight. Do you prefer the Crips or the Bloods? f..k them both.
FQ13
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I think I would prefer Uncle Tony and Uncle Guido! >:(
I tired of this sh&t going between our fingers before we can even get a friggin' grip on it!
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Deal with Uncle Barry and Aunt Nancy the same way you would Uncle Tony or Uncle Vito, if they violate the code , whack the Motherf&%$#.
In this case the "code" is the Constitution.
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To those that don't know what the PACT ACT is:
The Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking Act of 2009 ("PACT Act") (S.1147) has now been signed by President Obama. We now have 90 days until the bill takes effect (June 30th). This legislation contains a provision which will make ALL cigarettes, RYO, MYO and smokeless tobacco products nonmailable. (checking on international orders)
This law means you will no longer be able to purchase these products by mail-order, telephone order, or the Internet, because the United States Postal Service, along with UPS, Fed-Ex and all other carriers will be prohibited by law from delivering your orders to you.
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FQ:
Now, both parties are trying to figure out what to do about immigration
Everything except enforce current law. "Same As It Ever Was"......
Agree................ Enforce our current law(s) it's not that hard but apparently it is ???
Everyone one of them is spineless and worries more about being PC than they do of dying.
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FQ:
Now, both parties are trying to figure out what to do about immigration
Everything except enforce current law. "Same As It Ever Was"......
Agree................ Enforce our current law(s) it's not that hard but apparently it is ???
Everyone one of them is spineless and worries more about being PC than they do of dying.
These aren't the same Legislators to which BHO wants the SCOTUS to deffer, are they?
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Remember he said it would be back after the 2010 election all he want is to save his butt in the 2012 election to hell with America
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Should read:
"We don't want to take this on until I can convince my bro's in Congress to shove this one down Americas' throat like we did Obomacare."
2010 first then 2012. We have to clean house.
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Should read:
"We don't want to take this on until I can convince my bro's in Congress to shove this one down Americas' throat like we did Obomacare."
2010 first then 2012. We have to clean house.
Clean house ? The only way to get rid of the vermin is total fumigation.
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Clean house ? The only way to get rid of the vermin is total ropefumigation.
;D ;D ;D
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Harry Dingie Reid said today amnesty is BACK and he is still full of shit, Vote them all out, but then Reid will go to work as a lobbyist and make 10 time more money. Pure BS
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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100501/ap_on_re_us/us_arizona_deputy_shot
PHOENIX – A sheriff's deputy was shot and wounded Friday after encountering a group of suspected illegal immigrants who apparently had been hauling bales of marijuana along a major smuggling corridor in the Arizona desert — a violent episode that comes amid a heated national debate over immigration.
State and federal law enforcement agencies deployed helicopters and scores of officers in pursuit of the suspects after the deputy was shot with an AK-47 on Friday afternoon. The officer had a chunk of skin torn from just above his left kidney, but the wound was not serious and he was doing fine.
The shooting was likely to add fuel to an already fiery national debate sparked last week by the signing of an Arizona law aimed at cracking down on illegal immigration in the state.
The deputy was found in the desert Friday afternoon — after a frantic hourlong search — suffering from a gunshot wound from an AK-47, Pinal County sheriff's Lt. Tamatha Villar said. He was flown by helicopter to a hospital in Casa Grande, about 40 miles south of Phoenix.
Villar said the deputy had been performing smuggling interdiction work before finding the bales of marijuana and encountering the five suspected illegal immigrants, two armed with rifles.
"He was out on his routine daily patrol in the area when he encountered a load of marijuana out in the desert. He obviously confronted the individuals and took fire," Villar told The Associated Press. "I was speaking with him just a bit ago, and he's doing fantastic."
The deputy was alone about five miles from a rest stop along Interstate 8, about halfway between Phoenix and Tucson. The area is a well-known smuggling corridor for drugs and illegal immigrants headed from Mexico to Phoenix and the U.S. interior.
"Over the past 12 months we've seen an increase in the amount of drugs, and an increase in violence that has been going on in this particular corridor," Villar told KPNX.
"We've had increasing concerns in this area about being outmanned and outgunned, and unfortunately this evening, this is coming true," he said.
The shooting came as Arizona grapples with backlash over its enactment of a tough new law targeting illegal immigration. Civil rights activists, concerned the law will lead to racial profiling, have called for a boycott of the state.
The law signed by Gov. Jan Brewer last week is supported by many in the state, which has become a major gateway for drug smuggling and human trafficking from Mexico.
Its passage came amid increasing anger in Arizona about violence, drug smugglers, drop houses and other problems caused by poor border security.
Villar said the search for the suspects involved numerous helicopters from state and federal law enforcement agencies and scores of officers near Interstate 8 and Arizona 84 about 50 miles south of Phoenix.
"The deputy is a search-and-rescue deputy, so its not uncommon for them to work those areas A) looking for drugs and B) looking for people who need assistance out there," Villar said. "Obviously its a high-traffic area for drug- and human-smuggling."
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A very unfortunate incident, and I'm glad the deputy is ok. However, it dos go to show, at a critical juncture, just why Az. passed its law and what is at stake. That and the shooting of that rancher will hopefully galvanize Az. to stick to its guns and other states to follow suit. Why isn't Fl. doing the same since the GOP controls the legislature? Oh, wait, the Cubans vote GOP, the farmers and contactors and developers don't like it and a guy named Rubio is the party's new golden boy. Silly me, and shame on us.
FQ13