Immigration won't be top issue for either Obama or McCain

12:00 AM CDT on Tuesday, August 26, 2008
By TODD J. GILLMAN / The Dallas Morning News
tgillman@dallasnews.com

DENVER – Mindful of Hispanics' growing clout, Barack Obama has vowed to push for comprehensive immigration reform as president.

But energy, the economy and Iraq get top billing at the Democratic National Convention. Immigration won't get prime-time airplay – and that's fine with many advocates.

"There's going to be a lot of meat cleavers that McCain can use on Obama," said Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., who represents 300 miles of border. "He can drag that bloody rag of immigration around if he wants to. But we're not going to hand him the rag."

Just as Sen. John McCain placated the GOP's right wing by promising to control the border before pushing a guest worker program he has long supported, Mr. Obama would alienate swing voters by coming off as too enthusiastic about amnesty for undocumented workers.

So both prefer not to see immigration become a major campaign issue, said Tamar Jacoby, president of ImmigrationWorks USA, a business group that promotes comprehensive reform, which includes border security and a path to citizenship.

"Obama wants to make some promises and not have the conversation go any further," she said.

The New Democrat Network think tank hosted a forum Monday in Denver about immigration reform. One attendee noted that it was the only event focused on the topic this week

"In the platform, they didn't evade it at all," said the group's president, Simon Rosenberg. "I don't think the Obama campaign is running away from immigration. I think they're running towards issues that they think are more salient."

At appearances in June before leading Hispanic groups, Mr. Obama and Mr. McCain both promised to keep pushing for comprehensive reform. Both sides are airing Spanish-language ads, and analysts say Hispanic voters hold the key to winning battlegrounds such as Colorado, Florida, New Mexico and Nevada.

"They are competing for the constituency that cares about the issue the most, and that constituency could well determine the election," said immigrant advocate Frank Sharry, executive director of America's Voice. "How the Latino vote breaks will have a big influence on whether immigration reform is a first-term issue or not."
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