Obama to (mis) lead again on immigration reform?

Posted on Wednesday, June 30, 2010 at 02:37 PM

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President Obama has a major speech on immigration reform planned for tomorrow.

I won't be tuning in.

The script is already set in stone -- if only those pesky Republicans would get on side on a comprehensive bill then we could all get along.

There's a better likelihood of a man landing on Mars by the end of the year.

Obama knows it and so does everyone who has trooped through the White House in the past few days, including the Hispanic Caucus who have remained remarkably civil despite broken promises to them.

But they too, need to face facts folks.

Comprehensive reform does not have a snowball's chance in hell.

The political temperature is too high, the advocates too angry. Any effort will end in failure.

What does have a chance is passage of individual aspects of an immigration bill.

A massive comprehensive effort has too many pitfalls.

Taking issues such as the Dream Act, which would allow children brought to the U.S, at an early age to legalize their status, is a piece of legislation that even the most cold-hearted Republican should be loathe to deny.

Working with business and agricultural groups to create a proper method of bringing needed labor in at fair prices could also be agreed by both sides.

A system of allowing top level brains from other countries to come and work here would benefit all Americans.

All those kinds of provisions are eminently passable.

Sometimes I fear that advocates are as firmly rooted in the quagmire of comprehensive reform as enemies of reform are.

Everyone needs to take a step back.

Obama should tell the American people that.

Each step towards reform can be matched by one on enforcement.

Then gradually the issue of illegals can be dealt with.

But there will be no big bang, no bill that can be whisked through the legislatures.

We tried that in much more favorable times with Kennedy/McCain

It is time we all came clean including the president and followed a path of gradual change rather than a big bang which has become a big fizzle.

Does anyone have the courage to tell all the interest groups that?

I hope Obama does but I'm not holding my breath.

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peterson | Jul 12, 2010, 03:18 PM EDT

You know how you can tell Obama is lying ?? His lips move !!

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IrishAndProud | Jul 07, 2010, 11:51 PM EDT

Yeah, Dennis -- that must be it. The common, little people are STUPID, and only say what they think the pollster wants to hear. (Of course, this does not explain why they're continuing to give conservative answers to LIBERAL pollsters, too). And of course that attitude of yours toward the great unwashed masses has NOTHING to do with the near-universal image liberals have of being arrogant, elitist snobs. We all know that all the overwhelming evidence that the USA is a conservative, center-right nation cannot be the case, because liberalism is...is...just the way things are, dammit! The polls are all right-wing conspiracy (unless, of course, they agree with liberalism, then they're perfectly legit)! Oh, and yeah...I keep the illegals I've hired hidden in my attic crawlspace.

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DennisQ | Jul 03, 2010, 04:21 PM EDT

It's not about polls - people know the "correct" answers to give to a voice on the telephone. The actual measure of whether undocumented workers are welcome here is whether they can find work. The same people who claim to oppose an undocumented work force are surreptitiously hiring undocumented workers.

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McNamara31 | Jul 02, 2010, 12:37 PM EDT

ckavanerry/TexasGal Did you ever think about making commercials for FOX News? Your comment summarized every demeaning smear they get paid the "big bucks" to present each evening. Maybe you could replace Glenn Beck? Hmmmm There's an idea!

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Adoptsalot | Jul 02, 2010, 10:39 AM EDT

Intereting. Every poll taken in the last 5 months shows 70% (and growing) of Americans do not want a 'path to citizenship' for illegals. The polls show they want the jobs back... all of them. They want the work visa shut down until the economy recovers. It is the single issue that all of America seems united around right now.

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DennisQ | Jul 01, 2010, 11:05 PM EDT

Obama's the nation's chief executive, and he waits until there's real momentum behind a call for change, especially fundamental change. Most Americans don't care one way or the other about immigration - out of sight, out of mind. It doesn't make any difference how heated the arguments are between opponents, there really isn't any momentum to change existing immigration policy. This is one area where surveys don't tell the story.

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irishwxman | Jul 01, 2010, 08:12 PM EDT

Obama is nothing but a huge turd. I cannot wait for 2012 and his ass is outta here!!

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TexasGal | Jun 30, 2010, 09:47 PM EDT

ckavanerry = thank you Obama needs to be charged with TREASON AND ALL HIS PARTY THAT GO'S ALONG WITH HIM. And put Obama and he wife in Guantanamo Prison with his Muslim brothers

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ronveelik | Jun 30, 2010, 09:26 PM EDT

You folks have no idea how fed up Americans are with our government for not stopping Mexicans from flooding the US. They are covering a lot of the US in to 3ed world slums. They Tag all over the place and only 3% work in Ag. about none of the , even if they became us nationals would pay taxes. (only the top 56% of wage earners do). They have been a drag on the US for a century. Only big employers of low wage worker want then in the US. If you ever see any atricals parsing Hispanics, the author is Hispanic look at the name. 80% of the people in the US don't want them, in the US, and don't want any thing at all to do with giving them US citizen ship. Its a slap in our face. We did that in 1985 all that did was call 40,000,000 more in to the US and the Government did nothing, nothing at all. and shot down any state act that would cut the damage ( California Prop 187 in 1995 ) Thas whats going on.

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stacycowen | Jun 30, 2010, 08:46 PM EDT

I agree, Barrack Obama put himself forward as the ANTI-BUSH, ANTI-WAR, ANTI-GUANTANAMO candidate. In 2000, Bush was the PRO-IMMIGRATION REFORM candidate. Obama continues to bail out financial institutions,while he carries on strongarming small businesses, as they haemorrage from lack of credit. Jeez, I miss the GWB years. At least we knew the craic.

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ckavanerry | Jun 30, 2010, 08:18 PM EDT

Barack Obama ain`t caring about folk. He`s the big community `organiser` from Chicago, with dodgy religion connections, dodgy underground connections, dodgy birth credentials. Well, here`s the scoop, my fellow Irish friends. Obama is a fraud, and sooner or later, so-called Irish leaders in The United States, my dearest friends among them, will stop putting lip-stick on this PIG......Miss ye, lads

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ritmomente | Jun 30, 2010, 05:00 PM EDT

He didn't make birdie because the hole was filled with oil. He is not concerned about immigrants at all.

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