White House invites Hollywood stars to immigration meeting - Page 2

Ruben Navarette: Obama using immigration to make Republicans look bad
SAN DIEGO — Latinos get no respect from either political party because they demand too much from Republicans and accept too little from Democrats.

Both are on display in the immigration debate, where Latinos are unforgiving when Republicans play politics at their expense because they've used up all their forgiveness on Democrats who do the same thing.

The Democrat being forgiven at the moment is President Obama. He recently took a break from deporting record numbers of illegal immigrants — nearly 800,000 in his first two years in office, or more than 1,000 people per day — to tell a gathering of labor, business, political and community leaders at the White House last Tuesday that he wants to find a way for more of the undocumented to stay. Really, he does.

That Obama now says it is time to restart the battle for comprehensive immigration reform must only mean one thing: Someone is getting ready to run for re-election.

Beltway pundits will say that Obama is trying to again inspire Latino voters, many of whom tell pollsters that while they still support the president, they're not sure they'll vote for him. They may still like Obama. They just no longer believe in him.

But this is just what's on the surface. The truth is that Obama is less interested in delivering immigration reform — something that the Democratic base does not universally support — and more interested in giving Republicans another chance to shoot themselves in the foot by coming off as racist, shallow and mean-spirited. And, as Republicans continue the suicide mission of pitching the GOP as the party for Americans fearful of changing demographics, many of them will step right into the trap.

Obama may not be a good leader but he has good timing: ramp up immigration reform groups in the spring; work with congressional leaders to draft legislation in the summer; propose a bill in the fall. Then he can spend early winter watching Republicans tear apart the idea — and themselves — in time for the New Hampshire primary in February 2012. Obama can waltz through next year's campaign with the confidence that he'll do fairly well with Latinos who will show up to vote not for him but against the Republican candidate.

Meanwhile, some of those who attended the White House meeting on immigration reform fell into a few traps of their own.

Yup. I don't like him period.

i might sound really stupid to ask this to some Obama lovers but shouldn't he have this meeting with the congressmen in the house and the senate who are going to vote on this matter? Obama really? Are we that retarded?

Ladies and gentleman, this is the order of the day for President Obama. I have no doubt in my mind that these are the intentions of President Obama. Not being pessimistic, instead I'm being realistic.

"Obama may not be a good leader but he has good timing: ramp up immigration reform groups in the spring; work with congressional leaders to draft legislation in the summer; propose a bill in the fall. Then he can spend early winter watching Republicans tear apart the idea — and themselves — in time for the New Hampshire primary in February 2012. Obama can waltz through next year's campaign with the confidence that he'll do fairly well with Latinos who will show up to vote not for him but against the Republican candidate."

Sad but true, damn i wish we can unite all the latinos around the USA and open their eyes to the game Obama is playing, damn im tired of being treated like a puppet fuck what can we do as dreamers??????

Oh please if democrats wanted shit passed they could just lock down the entire fucking senate until republicans would have to break. But nope, we have nobama and spineless reid at the wheel.

Yup. Why isn't the President staying up till one in the morning with Reid and Boehnner to get immigration reform, or at least the DREAM Act, resoved like he did on federal spending?

I think Latinos, in general, are pissed off at him. If only Jeb Bush ran for the presidency . . . that would be awesome. I am not going to believe anything else that nobama says.