Did you hear that? - Page 4

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/7397995.html

ON THE ISSUES : IMMIGRATION
Call for reform is not likely to be answered
Passing mention acknowledges GOP priorities are economy, jobs


Obama said he will be "prepared to work with Republicans and Democrats to protect our borders, enforce our laws and address the millions of undocumented workers who are now living in the shadows."]The president's passing mention of immigration reform came as no surprise to Republicans, who control the House of Representatives. The GOP argues improving the economy and creating jobs should come first.

Rep. Lamar Smith, R-San Antonio, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee which oversees immigration reform, said "it's hard for him to talk about creating jobs and then endorse illegal workers keeping their jobs at the expense of American workers."

Smith and GOP leaders say they will concentrate on border security and workplace enforcement of current immigration laws before considering comprehensive reform.

For those of you who still think Obama gives a flying pig about immigration, this couldn't have been put more clearly. He is recycling nativist, GOP rethoric and everyone is lapping it up because he says it nicely. Give me a break.

Secure our borders = Border Security
Enforce our laws = Workplace enforcement and deportation
Address the millions of undocumented workers living in the shadows = "consider" (as in 'let me get back to you on that') immigration reform.

Alright, for the dim among you, the statements on the left are from the Dems, the statements on the right from the GOP. Someone brilliant tell me the difference that I cannot see.

The GOP knows that they can't just concentrate on border security.

Everything has to be done in a comprehensive fashion. Otherwise, they'll risk losing the 2012 presidential election. They know it full that Latino population is surging and could very well create the Western State Firewall for Democrats.

Colorado, Nevada, California, Oregon, Washington

From the 1980 elections until now, you can't win the presidential election without Nevada. From the 1980 elections until now, except the 1996 election, you can't win the presidential election without Colorado.

Republican know that full well. Republicans know that to win 2012 presidency, they'll need at least 40% of Latino votes. Continuing anti-Latino rhetoric wouldn't get them the White House.

Look, you have to acknowledge that this is the very first time since the 2008 election that Obama speaks in favor of CIR extensively in a joint congressional session. In 2009, he didn't mention CIR. In 2010, he mentioned CIR in a single sentence. In 2011, he asks congress to resume the debate on CIR.

I believe that Republicans in the House have learned their lessons in 2006. Failure in the House to pass CIR in 2006 has cost House Republicans the control of the House.

It's my belief that they won't repeat the same mistake.

I think it would be roughly 75/25 in the 2012 election. Democrats should be able to pick up about 75 to 80% of the hispanic vote, 20 to 25% for the Republicans. There's nothing to worry about there, we'll be fine.

"The president's passing mention of immigration reform came as no surprise to Republicans, who control the House of Representatives. The GOP argues improving the economy and creating jobs should come first."

The GOP must know that if the immigrants are eventually able to get residence here, they will act as a "catalyst" for job creation and work. A lot of the points I talked about are in the thread "How GDP relates to the DREAM Act" (or something like that). That's why immigration ties into improving the economy and jobs, so in the end, immigration is a win-win situation for us and for all of the American people. Now most of the Republicans opposing this either don't know this, or they know this and they ignore that reality because they're probably racist and/or they pander only to the wealthiest Americans.

haha did u se boehner and mccain clap when he was doen with that remark? it was soo funny.

Real Smooth....

Emek3k

I believe that Dems and GOP will start work on immigration, but only to see it collapse before the big election in 2012.
Both parties know that immigration is a big issue, but it is the matter of who is getting most credit for it. GOP won't let it get passed if they do not see any benefit they can get from resolving this issue.
It is going to be just tug of war before 2012 election.

S.6 is already in Thomas.gov.