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    Super Moderator Newmexican's Avatar
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    ‘Si se puede’: Obama basks in Hispanics’ appreciation

    Nothing but a bunch of useful tools. They don't care if the rest of this country accepts or respects them as long as they get what they want everything they can get. They seem to operate on a tribal mentality and are perfect socialist pawns. In not time they have this country "Just like Home". JMO

    ‘Si se puede’: Obama basks in Hispanics’ appreciation


    By Stephen Dinan
    -
    The Washington Times
    Friday, June 22, 2012



    LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — President Obama took a victory lap Friday with Hispanic leaders, saying he moved to halt deportations of young illegal immigrants because he was tired of fighting a losing battle in Congress.

    And he pointedly attacked his opponent in November, Mitt Romney, saying Hispanics shouldn’t trust the Republican’s newfound softer tone on the issue but look back to the stances he staked out during the primary.

    “He has promised to veto the Dream Act, and we should take him at his word,” Mr. Obama said, adding pointedly, “Just sayin’.”

    Drawing repeatedly rounds of applause from the annual conference of National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO), meeting at Disney World, Mr. Obama said he had to act last week to cancel deportations for young illegal immigrants because Congress had failed to send such a bill to his desk.
    And he countered those such as Sen. Marco Rubio, Florida Republican, who said they’d been making progress on the Dream Act but contended that Mr. Obama’s unilateral move short-circuited their efforts.

    “To those who are saying Congress should be the one to fix this — absolutely. For those who say we should do this in a bipartisan fashion — absolutely. My door’s been open for 3½ years. They know where to find me,” Mr. Obama said.

    The president said his unilateral action doesn’t remove the pressure from Congress to still take action, both on the young illegal immigrants and the broader population estimated at more than 11 million.

    Mr. Obama never mentioned Mr. Romney, the presumptive Republican nominee, by name but repeatedly referred to the former Massachusetts governor’s speech to the same audience on Thursday.

    In his remarks, Mr. Romney had said the deportation halt was a stopgap measure that fell short of the president’s own campaign promises, though he wouldn’t say whether he’d leave Mr. Obama’s order in place as president. Mr. Romney instead promised a long-term solution for immigration and vowed “when I make a promise to you, I will keep it.”

    Mr. Obama on Friday agreed Hispanics should take him at his word — and pointed back to Mr. Romney’s vow during the primaries to veto the Dream Act.
    Where Mr. Romney received a polite reception from NALEO, Mr. Obama was welcomed as a hero. Far more people stood on chairs to snap photos, and the room was noticeably more crowded for the president’s speech.

    He also drew several standing ovations, including when he touted his health care law.

    Well after he left, a man was shouting, “Viva Obama!” in the conference center ballroom.

    In its official response to the president’s speech the Romney campaign ignored immigration — though Mr. Romney himself had focused heavily on it when he spoke here. Instead, the campaign said Mr. Obama has failed to improve the economic situation for Hispanics.

    “In 2008, candidate Obama promised NALEO he would create new jobs and end the housing crisis. Four years later, President Obama is back asking for more time,” said Romney spokeswoman Amanda Henneberg.

    The Romney campaign has argued that Hispanic voters won’t vote chiefly on immigration issues, but rather on the kinds of pocketbook issues the candidate is highlighting.

    Still, the issue of immigration loomed large for this crowd.

    Speaking to NALEO before the president, Mr. Rubio said some in both parties are using the immigration issue to win votes, but don’t really want solutions.
    “There are too many people that have concluded that this issue unresolved is more powerful. They want it to stay unresolved,” he said.

    He had been working on a Republican version of the Dream Act that would have granted a legal status but not a path to citizenship to illegal immigrant students and young adults.

    Mr. Romney had previously had kind words for that type of plan — though on Thursday he only talked about one specific category, saying he would grant citizenship rights to any illegal immigrant who joins the U.S. military.

    Hispanic activists for years had been pressuring Mr. Obama to take unilateral action to halt deportations. Mr. Obama had repeatedly declined, saying he didn’t have the authority to do so.

    But last Friday he reversed course and said he did have the authority, issuing a categorical stay of deportation — though each case will be reviewed independently — for those under 30 who were brought to the U.S. as children, who have completed high school or earned a GED, and who don’t have felonies or multiple misdemeanors on their records.

    Activists here said the decision earned Mr. Obama some much-needed credibility after three years of relatively little action. Still, they noted his administration continues to set records for deportations.

    During Mr. Obama’s tenure immigration authorities have deported nearly 1.4 million people, which activists here said is a dubious record.

    'Si se puede': Obama basks in Hispanics' appreciation - Washington Times
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    Super Moderator Newmexican's Avatar
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    La Raza CEO at NALEO: Obama ‘leveraged’ his immigration order ‘in a very effective way’

    Posted by Felicia Sonmez at 03:37 PM ET, 06/22/2012
    President Obama’s immigration move last week “isn’t the end of a process, but maybe the beginning,” says Janet Murguia, president and CEO of the National Council of La Raza. The organization is the country’s largest Hispanic civil rights and advocacy group.


    President Obama (Edward Linsmier/Getty Images)We spoke briefly with Murguia after Obama’s address at the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials on Friday afternoon. She said that Obama in his address effectively “leveraged” his move, and she called Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) “a transformative figure, not just for the Latino community but for the Republican Party.”

    A transcript of our interview follows:

    Q: What did you think of President Obama’s NALEO speech today?
    “I think he leveraged off of his announcement last week in a very effective way, and I think that he saw the positive response he was hoping for here. And I think it’s also reflected across the country. We’re seeing a lot of real enthusiasm being generated out of that announcement, and I think that’s translating into considerable support for him.”

    What about the argument that this is just election-year politicking?

    “Obviously, I think there is some politics to this. But it doesn’t take away from the fact that it’s the right thing to do, and people see it as a really positive step and possibly a breakthrough moment, even if it’s on a temporary basis. It’s offering folks in the community out there a little bit of hope that this isn’t the end of a process but maybe the beginning.”

    What did you think about Marco Rubio’s speech today?

    “Look, I think he is emerging as a transformative figure, not just for the Latino community but for the Republican Party, and really we’re seeing him emerge as a future national leader, there’s no question about it. This is someone who’s very articulate and very connected to the substance of which he’s talking about and therefore comes across with a lot of credibility and authenticity. And honestly, while he’s still young and new in his role, I don’t think it’s too far to say that had he not considered and worked on a draft of a DREAM-type of bill and taken the process as he did, I’m not sure we would have seen the Obama administration take this action. I think that he provided a lot of the groundwork and a lot of cover to the administration in taking this step.”

    What kind of cover did he give them?
    “I think the fact that there were Republicans who knew that this was tied to Marco Rubio’s idea and concept made it very difficult for them to come out and necessarily attack the president or reject this. And I think that’s why you’re seeing Romney struggling with this answer of whether he would repeal it.”

    So Rubio, whether he meant to or not, gave Obama cover.

    “Yeah. And I think he was doing this to try to find a way to get some relief for those young people. And I’m not sure we would have agreed on the final legislation that he would’ve done, because it looks like it would’ve given it a sense of permanency; it would’ve made the bill permanent. But because the concept was laid out by a Republican and a Hispanic, I think that gave the administration the encouragement and cover that it might’ve needed to move forward.”
    “The fact that he met with DREAMers and the fact that they were engaged in those conversations with them, this could’ve gone a different way. But the administration did the smart thing and the right thing.”

    Do you think Obama will perform as well among Hispanics as he did in 2008 on Election Day?

    “You know, people are looking at the polls and we’re seeing that he’s got a significant lead when it comes to Latino voters right now. The real question will be, will this enthusiasm be translated into folks actually going to the polls in November? And I think that, you know, there was an enthusiasm gap before. This announcement has helped with the enthusiasm gap; there’s no question about that among Latino voters. But now the issue will be, will that enthusiasm be translated to Latino voters actually going to the polls on Election Day? And I think a lot of that is going to have to do with their sense of get-out-the-vote efforts but also if they feel like President Obama is reaffirming his commitment – and as he talks about this, that will be very, very important.”

    La Raza CEO at NALEO: Obama ‘leveraged’ his immigration order ‘in a very effective way’ - The Washington Post
    Support our FIGHT AGAINST illegal immigration & Amnesty by joining our E-mail Alerts at https://eepurl.com/cktGTn

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