Aye Carumba

Overheal

Despite rising unemployment Obama is trying to push forward new legislation that will make it easier for illegal immigrants to become legal.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/09/us/politics/09immig.html?hp

“It just doesn’t seem rational that any political leader would say, let’s give millions of foreign workers permanent access to U.S. jobs when we have millions of Americans looking for jobs,” said Roy Beck, executive director of NumbersUSA, a group that favors reduced immigration. Mr. Beck predicted that Mr. Obama would face “an explosion” if he proceeded this year.
“It’s going to be, ‘You’re letting them keep that job, when I could have that job,’ ” he said.

Frankly I agree. This might be one of the worst times to invite more immigration. The only benefit I could see is this has the potential to gather tax revenue off of illegal immigrants currently working. It would also force them onto the minimum wage, which would make their employment less likely to begin with.

Pocono Joe

There is another benefit (in my opinion). Roughly 67% of the Hispanic vote went to the Democrat party, and only 31% to the Republican party in the 2008 presidential election. Legalizing millions of illegals (who are primarily Hispanic) would pretty much guarantee Democratic control for decades. Would you expect any less from the most polarizing (Mr. Obama's early approval rating among Democrats - 88%, and Republicans - 27%, is a 61 point difference) US President in the past 40 years? PARTY FIRST!

I fear this will be a year of "I told you so."

jank

Pocono Joe wrote: »

Would you expect any less from the most polarizing (Mr. Obama's early approval rating among Democrats - 88%, and Republicans - 27%, is a 61 point difference) US President in the past 40 years? PARTY FIRST!

I fear this will be a year of "I told you so."

Every Democrat president is polarizing from a republican point of view.:pac:
I think the last Bush won that one hands down. He was the text book 51% president IMO.

Anyways bush's approval ratings just sucked all round!:p

Anyway if what you say is true then it is pure politics from Obama but remember McCain and Bush tried to do similar things but werent able to muster the support from their own party. But at the end of the day something had to be done with this issue and sticking your head in the sand would have done nothing. Strange timing though.

The demographs of the US is changing. END OF!

JohnMc1

The raids were working. Obama was foolish for stopping them.

Nodin

Didn't McCain say he was going to legalise the 12 million already there...?

Didn't Bush try to get the same sort of thing through congress...?

Pocono Joe

Nodin wrote: »

Didn't McCain say he was going to legalise the 12 million already there...?

Didn't Bush try to get the same sort of thing through congress...?

I believe you are correct. I have no problem admitting that GWBush and McCain were wrong when it came to the issue of illegal aliens in the USA.

CPT. SURF

jank wrote: »

remember McCain and Bush tried to do similar things but werent able to muster the support from their own party.

This is the truth. Bush and McCain knew that the Hispanic vote would become monumentally important, but they could not get legislation past their own party. It is hard to blame Republican representatives for not supporting the legislation; their constituents (the ones that voted for them anyway) would certainly not approve of such legislation.

It is a numbers game. The Republicans lost some there. Bush and McCain are not stupid, they clearly saw the shifting demographic and they knew the leftists tendencies of South American people. The only way to combat that and garner their vote was to become a champion for them through that legislation.

They could not get it through and the chance was missed.

banquo

Pocono Joe wrote: »

I believe you are correct. I have no problem admitting that GWBush and McCain were wrong when it came to the issue of illegal aliens in the USA.

This right here is why I like Joe. A healthy blend of tension and relief

Black Swan

Overheal wrote: »

Frankly I agree. This might be one of the worst times to invite more immigration.

More Hispanic voters in favour of his re-election in 4 years?

Pocono Joe wrote: »

Would you expect any less from the most polarizing (Mr. Obama's early approval rating among Democrats - 88%, and Republicans - 27%, is a 61 point difference)

Compared to Bush*, at least someone likes him? Republicans avoided Bush like the plague during the 2008 elections, and was not polarizing, rather pushing everyone away from him? (with one of the lowest approval ratings in history?)


*Sorry, can't resist using the "B-word!"

Overheal

Blue_Lagoon wrote: »

More Hispanic voters in favour of his re-election in 4 years?

Im an independent. I don't really think doing something like this just to boost your constituency is a good call.

He has yet to earn my re-election vote, but then he has 3-4 years to sway me.

Black Swan

Overheal wrote: »

Im an independent. I don't really think doing something like this just to boost your constituency is a good call.

I'm independent too (in more ways than one, ha!), and agree with your comment.

The Mad Hatter

Blue_Lagoon wrote: »

More Hispanic voters in favour of his re-election in 4 years?

Compared to Bush*, at least someone likes him? Republicans avoided Bush like the plague during the 2008 elections, and was not polarizing, rather pushing everyone away from him? (with one of the lowest approval ratings in history?)


*Sorry, can't resist using the "B-word!"

99.999999% against to 0.000001% in favour seems a bit more polarised to me, tbh...