Thread: Release: Obama Steps on Political Land Mine!

Welcome to Alipac blackseabrew. Alipac is a great place to learn, to be involved and to stay alert to actions against illegal immigration.



Romans 5:8

by Frank James {Baltimore Sun} Tribune's Washington Bureau

Reporters received an e-mail today of a website posting from ALIPAC, a group that's part of Americans for Legal Immigration which opposes comprehensive immigration reform. The posting expressed outrage at Sen. Barack Obama's comments made earlier in the week at a Georgia campaign stop:

In case you missed it, Obama said the following:

"I don't understand when people are going around saying, 'We need to have English only.' They want to pass a law 'We want English only.' Now I agree that immigrants should learn English. I agree with that. But understand this. Instead of worrying about whether immigrants can learn English. They'll learn English. You need to make sure your child can speak Spanish. You should be thinking about how can your child become bilingual. We should have every child speaking more than one language. It's embarrassing when Europeans come over here, they all speak English, they speak French, they speak German. And then we go over to Europe and all we can say is merci beaucoup, right?" (crowd applauds.)

Responding to Obama, the ALIPAC posting says in part:

Barrack (sic) Obama has stepped on a political land mine by stating Americans should be forced to learn to speak Spanish.

YouTube videos showing his speech have gone viral and the new media is quickly distributing his comments, which are opposed by approximately 4 out of 5 Americans according to Rasmussen Report polling from last month, which shows Eighty-three percent (83%) place a higher priority on encouraging immigrants to speak English as their primary language. Just 13% take the opposite view and say it is more important for Americans to learn other languages.

But what looks like a land mine to some is a stepping stone to others.

First off, it's not like Obama ever had much of a chance with voters who agree with ALIPAC in being completely opposed to any path that would provide legal status to illegal immigrants. Obama, after all, favors giving undocumented immigrants drivers licenses. At least that's what he said during a Democratic debate a few months back.

But his statement about the need for teaching children Spanish will be interpreted by many as showing respect for one of the world's great cultures. It will likely play very well with many Hispanic voters who are themselves bilingual and view bilingualism as positive, not an evil.


Also, Obama was expressing what is now an exceedingly mainstream view in the U.S. that not nearly enough students are learning foreign languages. So he'll get points with many Americans who not only wish they were fluent in a second-language but hope their children will be.

One of the big realizations after 9/11, after all, was that foreign-language training had a strategic importance. The U.S. had so few Arabic speakers, for instance, that vital intelligence was stacking up because of the lack of translators.

As the Modern Language Association has asserted:

In the context of globalization and in the post 9/11 environment, then, the usefulness of studying languages other than English is no longer contested.


Well, maybe not completely uncontested.



Comments
The voters will decide whether Obama's condescending comments are important or not... not Frank James.

Posted by: Jeff | July 10, 2008 5:00 PM


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yes, heaven forbid a politician says American children should be more intelligent and talented. How dare he.

Posted by: Paul | July 10, 2008 5:00 PM


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Post a comment
(Anonymous
http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/po ... anish.html

I heard about this on the Sean Hannity Radio show on wcbs-new york yesterday. Sean does a great job pointing out ALL of Obama's associations, his flip, flops and also Mrs Obama and what she has said on the campaign trail. This guy is really dangerous for our country. God help us if this guy becomes president

Britt Hume ( FOX) did a great piece on New Haven today and how pissed off the public is, they were having a protest one guy was yelling at the illegals, this is not the providence of Mexico, this is America....

Then he showed how people were lined up at the consulates getting papers to get their kids in school back in Mexico because they were leaving. They talked to one lady whose husband was already deported and she was taking her 3 American citizen children to Mexico.....

Originally Posted by SOSADFORUS

Britt Hume ( FOX) did a great piece on New Haven today and how pissed off the public is, they were having a protest one guy was yelling at the illegals, this is not the providence of Mexico, this is America....

Then he showed how people were lined up at the consulates getting papers to get their kids in school back in Mexico because they were leaving. They talked to one lady whose husband was already deported and she was taking her 3 American citizen children to Mexico.....

Yes, the first segment was on New Haven. The second segment was Dallas.

Originally Posted by Gogo

Originally Posted by SOSADFORUS

Britt Hume ( FOX) did a great piece on New Haven today and how pissed off the public is, they were having a protest one guy was yelling at the illegals, this is not the providence of Mexico, this is America....

Then he showed how people were lined up at the consulates getting papers to get their kids in school back in Mexico because they were leaving. They talked to one lady whose husband was already deported and she was taking her 3 American citizen children to Mexico.....

Yes, the first segment was on New Haven. The second segment was Dallas.

Ah thanks didn't catch what consulate they were at, so you seen it too ...it was a good report eh!

Originally Posted by SOSADFORUS

Originally Posted by Gogo

Originally Posted by SOSADFORUS

Britt Hume ( FOX) did a great piece on New Haven today and how pissed off the public is, they were having a protest one guy was yelling at the illegals, this is not the providence of Mexico, this is America....

Then he showed how people were lined up at the consulates getting papers to get their kids in school back in Mexico because they were leaving. They talked to one lady whose husband was already deported and she was taking her 3 American citizen children to Mexico.....

Yes, the first segment was on New Haven. The second segment was Dallas.

Ah thanks didn't catch what consulate they were at, so you seen it too ...it was a good report eh!

YES, did you see the funny at the end. I was laughing so hard and so was the panel. It was hilarious.

Dear Mr. and Mrs _______,



Thank you for taking the time to contact my office to share your concerns about S. 1335, the S.I. Hayakawa Official English Language Act of 2007. Your input is important to me, and I appreciate the time you took to share your thoughts with me.

As you know, S. 1335 is a bill to declare English as the official language of the Government of the United States. I feel that all American citizens should be fluent in English. I further believe that all immigrants to our country should become proficient in English before they are allowed to become American citizens. As it stands, S. 1335 is currently being reviewed in the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Should this bill come before the full Senate, I will certainly take your concerns into consideration.

Thank you again for your letter. I hope you will continue to share your thoughts with me.


Sincerely,

Bob Corker
United States Senator

Dear Mr. and Mrs. _______,


Thank you for taking the time to contact my office regarding the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations bill, specifically two amendments regarding immigration. The first, Senator Feinstein's amendment concerning emergency agriculture workers program, and the second, Senator Mikulski's amendment regarding raising the annual cap for H-2B visa's. Your input is important to me, and I appreciate the time you took to share your thoughts.

Like you, I believe immigration is one of the most important issues facing our country, and deserves thoughtful debate. You will be pleased to know that both of these amendments were taken out of the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations bill and the bill passed out of the Senate and is awaiting further action by the House of Representatives. Should this bill come back to the Senate with immigration language, the insight you've given here will certainly help me and my staff more effectively look into this issue.

Furthermore, I strongly believe in effective immigration reform that is fair to the American people. This includes a focus on securing our borders, employer verification systems, visa exit and entrance mechanisms and other provisions that will put our country in a place to actually enforce immigration policies.

Thank you again for your letter. I hope you will continue to share your thoughts with me.


Sincerely,

Bob Corker
United States Senator

Dear Mr. and Mrs. _______,

Thank you for taking the time to contact my office regarding S. 2717, Effective Immigration Enforcement Partnerships Act of 2008. Your input is important to me, and I appreciate the time you took to share your thoughts.

I am co-sponsoring this legislation because, like you, I agree that the United States needs to address the problems with the enforcement of illegal immigration laws. S. 2717 would assist in creating a more unified enforcement plan to allow for the local and state law enforcement agencies to work with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to detain and process illegal immigrants in a timely manner. This bill would also direct DHS to provide adequate training to state and local law enforcement personnel and assist in the apprehension of illegal immigrants. Currently, S. 2717 is awaiting Senate consideration. I will certainly take your concerns into consideration as I continue to look into this important piece of legislation.

Additionally, I believe it is imperative that we, as a country, address the issue of illegal immigration as a whole. I am in favor of immigration reform that is fair to the American people and immigrants who have come to our country legally. This reform should emphasize border security, employer verification systems, visa exit and entrance mechanisms and other provisions that will put us in the position to actually enforce our immigration policy. I look forward to continuing to work in the United States Senate with representatives on both the state and federal level to come up with solutions that will benefit Tennessee and our country.

Thank you again for your letter. I hope you will continue to share your thoughts with me.


Sincerely,

Bob Corker
United States Senator