Friday, April 23, 2010

Arizona Anti Immigration Law Puts President Obama on the Spot



Earl Ofari Hutchinson

President Obama wasted no time in denouncing Arizona’s hard-nosed anti-immigration law. He called it misguided, irresponsible and a threat to civil liberties. Obama’s right. The bill is wasteful, unenforceable, and more ominously virtually a license for police to engage in racial profiling. But it’s also popular in Arizona and judging from polls and underground sentiment of millions of Americans on immigration, popular with them too.

Arizona official’s claim they had to act in large part because the federal government has dithered, stalled, and back pedaled countless times on enacting comprehensive immigration reform. This in effect dumps the immigration reform issue squarely back in Obama’s lap. In the coming days immigration reform leaders, Hispanic activist groups, and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus almost certainly will ratchet up their demand and efforts to get Obama to get the ball rolling on a reform bill in Congress. The demand couldn’t come at a worse time for Obama.
The loss of thousands of jobs, with official unemployment still nudging double digit, African-American joblessness far higher, and with low wage American workers bearing the brunt of the downturn presents a wedge for immigration foes. They will again hammer that undocumented workers snatch jobs from needy American workers. The charge has been hotly disputed but it still touches a raw nerve.
There’s still the loose network of anti-immigration organizations, and the legions of right wing talk jocks, Tea Party activists, and Fox News Network talking heads who can stir the troops to oppose any reform. The stock attack charge that any immigration reform bill is a de facto reward for breaking the law still ignites anger and passion in many Americans. Arizona governor Jan Brewer tied her signing the bill into law into another issue that ignites even greater passion and anger. And that’s crime. She flatly said that the law would help protect her state from crime from Mexico. The governor cited no evidence to show that immigration has bumped the state’s crime rate up. But then again she didn’t have to. The frightening shots of bullet riddled, hacked up bodies that have become regular news features on American TV screens from the low intensity warfare in Mexico between government forces and the drug cartels and with each other is more than enough to stir nightmare terror in many Americans that a wave of illegal immigrants flooding the country will turn America’s streets into blood drenched streets.

Immigration reform also can’t be separated from partisan politics. The two special elections slated in May in Hawaii and Pennsylvania are toss ups and a loss of either of the seats to Republicans would further add to Democrat’s fears that the three hammer blows they suffered in losing a revered Senate seat in Massachusetts, and governorships in Virginia and New Jersey were not aberrations. With November mid-term elections fast approaching and the real danger that Democrats could lose big in them, picking a fight that’s bound to be even more contentious and divisive than the health care battle is just too great a risk.
Obama has a major fight on his hands to get a financial reform bill passed. There’s the risk that the concessions he and Senate Democrats made to Republicans to quickly get the bill passed could alienate many liberal and progressive Democrats who want to see the toughest possible consumer protections in place against the ravages of big banks and financial houses. They were the driving force behind his election win and the White House banks on them their numbers and passion to help blunt the momentum of Tea Party activists in the fall, and beyond.

Obama gave immigration reform short shrift in his State of the Union back in February, and this rankled immigration reform backers. They loudly protested that the president reneged on his promise to them to make comprehensive emigration reform a centerpiece of his agenda. In the months since then they have hammered at Obama to make good on the promise with the vague hint that if he doesn’t, more than a few Latino voters may just be tempted to stay home in the fall and beyond.
Arizona may have taken the option of watch and wait caution off the White House table. And that puts Obama on the spot.

Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst. His nationally heard talk show is on KTYM-AM 1460 AM Los Angeles, Fridays 9:30 AM and KPFK Pacifica Radio 90.7 Los Angeles, Saturdays Noon PST.

7 comments:

Brittanicus said...

IF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WONT ENFORCE IMMIGRATION LAWS--STATES WILL.

Legal citizens who jumped through hoops are welcome--but illegal immigrants will not get any Amnesty--leading to citizenship.
Arizona Govern Jan Brewer has more--SPINE--than the majority of our politicians, to fight the overpowering onslaught of illegal immigration. She signed the 1070 immigration bill. Arizona a border state is rampant with murders, home invasion, kidnappings, rapes, assaults and one of the highest crime rates, by illegal immigrants. Its ignorance and indifference of Washington, not to enforce our immigration laws? In fact they have purposely underfunded them.

San. Harry Reid (D-NV) is not being ousted just for health care reform, but being a puppet of open border-special interests groups? LETS MAKE THAT CLEAR. One thing for absolutely sure, desperate illegal alien families will be fleeing Arizona, for more greener pastures such as California. Seeing California is a Refuge state for illegal foreigners and already has the largest illegal population in Unites States other than New York. Now starving for billions of dollars, California will have to amend their own enforcement laws to stop the massive migration or pay a heavy price in extorting more money from taxpayers. Then there is always Utah, Texas, New Mexico or even farther states such as Washington. ONE THINGS FOR SURE, THAT THEY MAY PASS SOME FORMULATION OF IMMIGRATION REFORM. BUT AMERICA WILL FIGHT TOOTH AND NAIL THAT NO "PATH--TO--CITIZENSHIP" FOR THOSE WHO CAME HERE ILLEGALLY. I am personally a tea partier a moderate Conservative and definitely not a Democrat and Republicans.-and illegal immigration is the no.1 priority to me, and must be stopped for good.

Californian's are under financial hardship owing to the welfare programs that caters to illegal alien families, and with an outpouring of Arizona's illegals the Sacramento budget will triple in handouts. Californian's, specifically Angelino’s and San Francisco. There should be no excuse why FEDERAL SOLDIERS SHOULD BE NOT DEPLOYED TO THE 2000 MILE BORDER. They need to police the border, with the under-manned border patrol and even poorly funded law enforcement agencies. Sheriffs and deputies that are in a very dangerous area are basically armed, against heinous felons, drug cartels, skin traffickers, smugglers and the flow of unceasing indigent illegal immigrants. LET ME REITERATE, THAT IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT IS ONLY SEEN TO WORK. BUT THE TRUTH IS ITS NOT ENFORCED--THAT RIGHT NOW HOMELAND SECURITY HAS CUT BUDGETS FOR IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT. If you are--NOT--an open border extremist, join the organization that is fighting for our rights, your language, freedoms and liberty at NumbersUSA.

Personally as a Tea party member I will forward Emails to others in the growing party, to vacation in the great courageous state of Arizona.

Anonymous said...

Pete's got his work cut out for him

Anonymous said...

I'm a Nevada voter and I didn't get the memo that Sen. Harry Reid is being terminated for cause. I'd be careful making such a bold prediction after Sue Lowden had a problem with the chicken. She may have counted her chicken before they hatched. Immigration reform is a political hot button with one solution...we must enforce the law. Obama and Harry know this, but how we get there is politics. Cecil Jones Las Vegas

Anonymous said...

Dear Rita,


This is not 1960...

That is not to say many politicians don't care, but it's now all about which "pack of wolves" they join.

Sure there is power in "numbers", but careful of which "wolf pack" you
join.

Also beware of the wolf in sheep clothing especially if you are NOT also a wolf.

There are people who are still carrying the cross, but most don't have the money for their own protection or can't put principles above Party. To make things more interesting - there is the complex intermingling of races occurring in America that has transformed the entire political landscape so now it's not just black and white .

Links:
Wolf Facts

Moral:
Protect your cubs, else they will be lured by another pack.
MC Rove

Karl Rove
More on Karl Rove...
Rove on Immigration

Advanced Computer Service said...

Some of you folks sound just like your inbred kindred spirits on stormfront.org...

Study your world history. To distract you from the real issues that have dragged this country to the brink of financial ruin.

Who would be the best fall guy?
For the simps...just replace Jew with Mexican...

Stock Homes said...

Stock Homes Institute Best Stock Market Training Institute In Indore.Join To Get Affordable Courses & Get NISM Certification Diploma

Nock Code said...

Differences Between Java and JavaScript