Enthusiasm for Obama is Gone;
Hispanics, Latinos, Liberals &
Independents must Look for Another
SANTA FE, NM
(By
Jon Garrido, The Jon Garrido Network)
January 12, 2011
―
I agree with Albert Einstein: To
do the same thing again expecting a
different outcome is
stupid.
There
is a small number of Hispanic Republicans in Florida, New
Mexico and Nevada that are obviously
stupid with the
prognosis being no hope in
treating their gullible belief Republicans will represent
their interests in Washington or home states.
Then there is the paradox Hispanic
Democrats face: A vote for Obama would
be the same as voting for a
Republican who pursues enforcement
deporting Hispanics as a major
priority and has no success in
advocating legislation to
specifically serve Hispanics.
We can't
put our hope in Obama again. We need
a national spokesman to mobilize a
constituency of Americans to support
Immigration Reform using America's
churches as the fulcrum to have all
Americans remember and accept
America is still the land of
immigrants and for all to understand
it takes as much as 20 years for
someone to enter the United States
having to use the visa process now
in place. To Hispanics,
Immigration Reform must change
draconian requirements and family
sponsored immigration must be
preserved.
As for Obama, he lacks empathy for Hispanics
and with the Hispanic population
growing as projected by the U.S.
Census Bureau, Hispanics will some
day be the majority population in America, even
if today, the border is completely sealed.
Obama is simply not a good fit for
Hispanics.
The following Idiom says it
best: Fool me once, shame on you;
fool me twice, shame on me.
I will not make the same mistake
twice. I will not vote for the
re-election of President Obama in
2012.
Unfortunately, no alternative
Democrat candidate has yet surfaced for
the 2012 presidential campaign. We
must look for another Democrat who will
represent us in Washington.
Presently, I can think of no one I
would support, but someone will
surface.
Obama's broken promises
Presidential candidate Obama in the 2008
campaign promised to make
Immigration Reform a priority during his
first year in office and with this promise, the Hispanic
vote surged from 7.8 million in 2004 to
10 million in 2008 and swung eight
percentage points toward the Democrats.
Hispanics gave 59 percent of their vote
to John Kerry in 2004 and gave Obama 67
percent in 2008. The Hispanic
vote expanded for Obama, enough to
deliver California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and
Florida — and arguably North Carolina,
Indiana and Pennsylvania.
To obtain Hispanic support in the
2008 campaign, Obama promised
Hispanics Immigration
Reform would be a priority in the first year
of his office
—
a broken promise.
Obama then promised Hispanics he
would make Immigration Reform a
priority in the second year of his
office and again
—
a broken promise.
His 2012 campaign
message will be more of the same as used
in 2008 to again promise
to make Immigration Reform a
priority but Obama has shown us his
promise will be a broken promise. Obama will try
to use us as he did in 2008.
To obtain Immigration Reform, President Obama
followed a
non cerebral strategy of increased enforcement
to win bipartisan support
but the Obama Immigration Reform
strategy failed on December 18,
2010, with the defeat of the DREAM
Act showing Hispanics increased
enforcement is a flawed approach
leaving countless Hispanic families
in anguish and pain.
On December 18, 2010, with the
defeat of the DREAM Act, coals of fire
were heaped on the heads of helpless
Hispanic students —
a broken promise to America's
Hispanic students.
The country's mood shifted on the
issue of undocumented immigration
causing support among Republicans
and some Democratic senators to
evaporate, with many decrying the
DREAM Act as backdoor amnesty for
lawbreakers.
"This law, at its fundamental core,
is a reward for undocumented
activity. This is an amnesty bill
because it provides every possible
benefit, including citizenship, to
those who are in the country
undocumented," said Sen. Jeff
Sessions (R-Ala.) the most racist
senator member of congress who led Republican
opposition to the measure.
Immigration Reform is now dead
in 2011 and 2012 given the views
of many members of the incoming
Republican majority in the House but
Obama/Napolitano continue the same
broken Immigration Reform strategy to woo Republicans
by ramping up deportations;
evidently, what Albert Einstein
would label "stupid" for using the
same approach believing a different
result would be achieved.
Hispanic leaders with disbelief
voice the obvious,
"The deportation strategy has borne no
fruits whatsoever. This administration has
unilaterally led the march on
enforcement, yet the other side has
not given even a token of
compromise."
Yet,
Department of Homeland Security
Secretary Janet Napolitano, the head
of deportations for Obama, has
repeatedly denied
the Obama administration had increased
deportations in order to bring
Republicans to the bargaining table.
The Obama Immigration Reform strategy and
why it failed
Electing a Democrat to the White House
in 2008 was all about change.
For
Hispanics, change was the means to
obtain Immigration Reform to bring an
end to the deportation of undocumented
Hispanics. In 2008, Bush set a record of
deporting 368,401 undocumented. This may
be a hard number to put your arms around
but put another way: 1,009 persons a day
were deported by Bush.
Hispanics voted for change in 2008 never
thinking Obama would ratchet up Bush's
numbers
—
but
we were wrong.
With "change" in 2009,
President
Obama deported 387,790 undocumented
Hispanic immigrants — a 5 percent jump
over the Bush administration’s record in
2008.
Obama and Napolitano have become even
worse tyrants than the infamous Sheriff
Joe Arpaio of Arizona.
All to enhance "Law Enforcement" to
cater to the Republican mantra of
"Security First," euphuism for
blatant racism directed toward
Hispanics.
To achieve "Security First," Obama uses
Secretary of Homeland Secretary's
tenacious Janet Napolitano whose
priority is all about Janet
Napolitano.
Obama appointed Napolitano primarily
because of Napolitano's "take no
prisoners" mantra to achieve a higher
position in the pecking order.
With no scruples, it is alleged
Napolitano as the U.S. Attorney for
Arizona dropped the investigation of
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio in
return for Arpaio's endorsement for
Napolitano to become
Arizona Attorney General.
Now as Secretary of Homeland
Security, Napolitano has become the key
player driving Immigration Reform via
"Securing the Border,"
euphemism for being tough using
law enforcement.
Napolitano under Obama's mandate has
expanded the number of partnerships with
local police that allow them to enforce
federal immigration laws. While
abandoning the attention getting raids
on businesses employing undocumented of
the Bush era, it has stepped up
electronic investigations of employee
records, which has led to lower-profile
but equally disruptive enforcement
efforts.
The Obama/Napolitano's tough-love approach to
immigration aims both to foster
Republican support for Immigration
Reform and to
avoid claims Obama is soft on crime
and security issues, but for some
advocates of reform, Obama/Napolitano's
right turn has gone so far it is
becoming a liability in the long fight
to pass comprehensive Immigration Reform.
“The political strategy Obama/Napolitano
are pursuing is a bankrupt
one,” said Deepak Bhargava, executive
director of the Center for Community
Change, "Tough enforcement was supposed
to give the president the 'bona fides' to push through reform.
Instead, it has only wet the
appetite of conservatives for more and
more enforcement.”
Frank Sharry, head of America’s
Voices, said, "Reform opponents will never
be satisfied. Republicans have been
moving the goal post on this
border-security-first issue for a
decade. It’s never enough and it never
will be enough. It’s a fool’s errand.”
Worse still, immigrant advocates charge,
in their zeal to demonstrate toughness,
Janet Napolitano's Department of
Homeland Security (DHS) and its enforcement partners have
dragged many law-abiding undocumented
immigrants and legitimate businesses
into the system, shattering Obama’s
promises of more humane treatment.
Seeking to reverse a steep drop
in deportations, Napolitano has set controversial new
quotas for agents. At the same time,
officials have stepped back from an
Obama/Napolitano commitment to focus
enforcement efforts primarily on
undocumented immigrants who are
dangerous or have violent criminal
backgrounds. Now, an one with a brown
face is suspect!
The moves, outlined in internal
documents and a recent e-mail by
Homeland Security Secretary
Janet Napolitano and ICE chief
John T. Morton, a senior U.S. Immigration and
Customs Enforcement official, to
field directors nationwide,
differ from pledges by Obama to focus
enforcement on the most
dangerous undocumented
immigrants.
The shift is troubling to labor
strategists and immigrant advocates, who
for years have seen accepting tougher
enforcement as a concession that would
allow them to attain their goal of
bringing undocumented workers and their
families out of the shadows.
"Why would
a conservative Republican vote for something if
they are already getting what they
want?" said Ali Noorani, a lead
organizer of national
demonstrations to hold President Obama
to his 2008 campaign promise to take
action.
Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez (D-Ill.) and
other immigrant-rights advocates
also questioned how President Obama
and Janet Napolitano could preside
over the greatest number of
deportations in any two-year period
in the nation's history. Obama's
answer, always the same,
"Deporting almost 800,000
undocumented immigrants might
antagonize some Democrats and
Hispanic voters but stepped-up enforcement
is
the only way to buy credibility with
Republicans and generate bipartisan
support for an overhaul of the
nation's immigration laws."
On December 18, 2010, the
Obama/Napolitano Immigration strategy was in
ruins after Senate Democrats could
only muster 55 votes in support of
the Development, Relief and
Education for Alien Minors (DREAM)
Act, a measure that would have
created a pathway to citizenship for
undocumented immigrants who were
brought to this country as children.
Under Senate rules, Democrats needed
60 votes to overcome Republican
opposition to the bill.
The House of
Representatives
after a heated debate, on December
8, 2010, passed the
Dream
act 216 to 198.
The irony of the DREAM Act's failure
is it had strong bipartisan support
before the start of the Obama administration
and advocates believed it could
generate momentum for more
controversial policy changes.
With the defeat of the DREAM Act, Immigration Reform is
now dead in
the water.
Everyone believes
immigration overhaul is not possible in
the next two years, given the views
of many members of the incoming
Republican majority in the House.
Never-the-less, Obama/Napolitano
continue to ramp up deportations.
Again immigrant-rights supporters
are second-guessing the president's
efforts to woo Republicans but there
is no empathy from Obama.
"It is a strategy which has borne no
fruit whatsoever," Gutierrez said,
"This administration has
unilaterally led the march on
enforcement, yet the other side has
not given one morsel of
compromise."
At a recent press briefing,
Department of Homeland Security
Secretary Janet Napolitano denied
the administration had increased
deportations in order to bring
Republicans to the bargaining table.
"I don't view it as a quid pro quo,"
Napolitano said. "We enforce the law
because we took an oath to enforce
the law."
But a senior administration
official, who spoke on the condition
of anonymity in order to speak
candidly, said although there was no
explicit quid pro quo, the
administration had indeed hoped
tougher enforcement could create a
new climate where legislative
compromise could become easier.
The vote by the Senate on
December 18, 2010, to
block a bill to grant legal status to
hundreds of thousands of undocumented
immigrant students was a painful setback
to an emerging movement of immigrants
and appeared to leave the
immigration policy of the Obama/Napolitano
administration in total disarray.
The result, although not unexpected, was
still a rebuff to President Obama by
newly empowered Republicans in Congress
on an issue Obama has called one of his
priorities. Supporters believed the bill
— tailored to benefit only immigrants
who were brought here undocumented when
they were children and hoped to attend
college or enlist in the military — was
the easiest piece to pass out of a
larger overhaul of immigration laws.
Obama/Napolitano have pursued tough enforcement —
producing a record number of about
390,000 deportations last year — with an
effort to pass the overhaul, which would
open a path to legal status for an
estimated 11 million undocumented
immigrants. Now, with less hope for any
legalization measures since Republicans
have now take over the House, the
administration is left with just the
stick.
The administration’s efforts to
manage its policy dilemma played
before the vote. John Morton, the head of
Immigration and Customs Enforcement,
said Napolitano had decided to continue the
brisk pace of deportations.
What the Dream Act meant for
America's Hispanics & why Obama could not prevent its defeat
Hispanic groups pushed hard for
passage of the DREAM Act, mobilizing
thousands of students to campaign
for the measure across the nation
and the Washington area. The
students went
on hunger strikes, conducted prayer
vigils, and organized holiday food
drives and Thanksgiving dinners with
citizens.
The DREAM Act would have given
hundreds of thousands of
undocumented immigrants brought to
the United States before age 16 a
chance to gain legal status if they
have been here for five years, have
graduated from high school, have no
criminal record, and attend college
or serve in the military for two
years.
But the Obama administration
miscalculated Republican racism
toward Hispanics, said
a senior Democratic Hill staffer,
speaking on the condition of
anonymity since he was not
authorized to talk about the issue.
Even as the administration stepped
up deportations, conservatives
charged Obama with being too soft on
the country's estimated 11 million
undocumented immigrants.
Birthright Citizenship will be the
next
Immigration Reform fight
The next big immigration battle looming
on the horizon centers on undocumented
immigrants’ offspring, who are granted
automatic citizenship if born on
American soil. Arguing for an end to the
policy, long rooted in the
Constitution’s 14th Amendment,
immigration hard-liners describe a wave
of migrants stepping across the border
in the advanced stages of pregnancy to
drop what are dismissively called
“anchor babies.”
Still, Arizona — whose tough law
granting the police the power to detain undocumented immigrants is tied up in
the courts — may again take the lead in what is essentially an attempt to
redefine what it means to be an American. This time, Arizona lawmakers
intend to join with legislators from several other states to force the issue
before the Supreme Court.
This coalition of lawmakers involved in
drafting the legislation say they have decided against the painstaking process
of amending the Constitution and instead will unilaterally restrict the issuing
of birth certificates to undocumented immigrants’ children in their states. They
know a flurry of lawsuits will follow and hope the resulting legal conflict will
be resolved in their favor.
Most Constitutional scholars
consider the states’ effort to restrict birth certificates patently
unconstitutional. “This is political theater, not a serious effort to create a
legal test,” said Gabriel J. Chin, a law professor at the University of Arizona
whose grandfather immigrated to the United States from China at a time when
ethnic Chinese were excluded from the country. “It strikes me as unwise,
un-American and unconstitutional.”
Despite being called “anchor
babies,” the children of undocumented immigrants born in the United States
cannot actually prevent their parents from being deported. It is not until they
reach the age of 21 the children are able to file paperwork to sponsor their
parents for citizenship. The parents remain vulnerable until that point.
A study released in August by the Pew Hispanic
Center found about 340,000 children were born to undocumented immigrants in the
United States in 2008 and became instant citizens.
Immigrant advocates say
racism is driving the measure. “They call themselves patriots, but they
pick and choose which parts of the Constitution they support.”
Scholars who have studied
migration over the years say it is the desire for better-paying jobs, not a
passport for their children, that is the primary motivator for people to leave
their homes for the United States.
How the
Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC)
prevented Mexican Americans from obtaining Immigration Reform
in lieu of
thirty pieces of silver for Puerto Ricans.
There are
obviously many congressmen in Washington
who understand the importance of their
role to support issues or to vote to
approve federal legislation.
In order to obtain the required votes
approving Health Care Reform, votes
became a trading commodity of value and
one who was astute was
Congressman Bart Stupak from Michigan.
Congressman Stupak's playbook on trading
his one vote for Obama's Executive Order
stating no funds would be used for
abortion was central to negotiating a
compromise with the Obama administration
in passing the health care bill in
March.
Stupak had one vote to trade. He only
obligation was to the constituents of
his district.
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus had 21
votes. The mandate of the CHC was to
serve the needs of all Hispanics in the
United States.
For 90% of America's Hispanics, namely
Mexican Americans and all others from
Mexico, Central and South America who
must comply with draconian regulations
to enter the United States with a visa,
Immigration Reform is the most important
issue across the United States of
America.
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus should
have traded their votes for Immigration
Reform with a commitment from Obama to
vigorously pursue its passage with the
same intensity as he did for
Health Care Reform.
Instead of Immigration Reform, the
Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC)
traded their 21 votes to
support Health Care Reform Reform in return for
$7.3 Billion for health care benefits
for Puerto Rico.
Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez saw a
gigantic opportunity for Puerto Rico and
gleefully accepted $7.3 Billion for
Puerto Rico.
How the former
Congressional
Hispanic Caucus chairperson,
Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez, a
Puerto Rican American politician was
able to manipulate members of the
Congressional Hispanic Caucus to trade
their votes for health care benefits for
Puerto Ricans in lieu of a commitment
from Obama to pursue Immigration Reform
is a great coup for Puerto Ricans at the
expense of Mexican Americans, Central
and South Americans living the anguish
and pain of Arizona SB 1070 spreading
Apartheid across the USA as a killing
cancer.
It is important to understand, Puerto
Ricans are citizens of the United States
and they have
no hindrance entering or leaving the
United States which is polar
opposite of the way many Mexicans die in
the Arizona desert trying to enter the
Untied States or are arrested in Arizona
by Sheriff Joe Arpaio for having a brown
face.
It is important to point out it was
Mexican American voters that elected
Barack Obama President of the United
States. Mexican American and other
voters from Central and South America
delivered California, Colorado, Nevada,
New Mexico and Florida — and arguably
North Carolina, Indiana and
Pennsylvania.
Mexican Americans make up 64% of the
Hispanic population in the United States
with 9% from Puerto Rican and 3% Cuban.
Citizens from Mexico, Central and South
America all have to adhere and abide
severe visa requirements for permission
to enter the United States. Puerto
Ricans are American citizens and Cubans
have special expedited processes for
entry in to the United States. This is
why Puerto Ricans and Cubans have no
empathy for undocumented migrants.
Unfortunately, Immigration Reform was
not a concern for Velázquez or the
Mexican American U.S. congressmen of the
Congressional Hispanic Caucus resulting
in Immigration Reform not given any
consideration.
The decision to have the CHC vote "yes" on
Health Care Reform knocked down a huge roadblock
in reaching
the necessary 216
votes for final passage
by the U.S. House of Representatives.
There was no path to
216 votes without
the Congressional Hispanic Caucus
on board, and that
meant the
Hispanic Caucus was
the keystone to
Health Care Reform
approval and with
this much leverage,
the Hispanic Caucus
could have obtained
a iron clad
commitment from
President Obama to
proceed with
Immigration Reform
after Health Care
Reform:
Unfortunately,
Immigration Reform
not a priority
with
Chairperson Congresswoman Nydia
Velazquez (D-N.Y.) pushed her selfish priority
―
Puerto Rico.
It is not only Velázquez that is blame
but also Mexican American
members of congress were asleep in their
chambers as Velázquez squandered away
Immigration Reform for
$7.3 Billion worth of health care
benefits for Puerto Rico.
Immigration Reform should be the highest
Hispanic priority in the USA but other
than Congressman Gutierrez, there is no
national advocacy. None of the Mexican
American members of the CHC are national
voices for Immigration Reform. All who
do not support the Dream Act and all who
voted for Puerto Rico health care
benefits instead of demanding
Immigration Reform from Obama
should all be replaced in the 2012
elections.
In private conversations, members of the
CHC said the decision was reached after
the unavoidable realization the Health
Care bill couldn’t survive without their
votes.
“The whole yolk of defeat would be on
the 20 people in that room,” said a member of
the CHC, “And that was a fact.”
What is unbelievable is how the Mexican
American members of the CHC could have
allowed Velázquez to shanghai the votes
of the CHC for Puerto Rico in lieu of
Immigration Reform.
It is obvious members of the CHC did not
know the extent of the racism being
expounded in Arizona leading to
Apartheid in Arizona. The sadness of
this is if they did not know, then they
do not deserve to represent Hispanics in
the United States Congress.
The result of the CHC votes for Puerto
Rico in lieu of Immigration Reform is
now the vehicle for Arizona becoming an
Apartheid state as
evident of the shooting of Arizona
Congresswoman Giffords.
Arizona SB
1070 is now a
killing cancer quickly spreading across
the entire United States.
The CHC vote
for Health Care Reform was
transparent to most USA Hispanics.
None said it better than the National Council of La Raza
who
stood firm against the bill because
of the immigration language.
"The argument
everyone should support healthcare
reform because it's for the 'greater
good' has given national leaders an
excuse to brush off the concerns of
the most disenfranchised and
vulnerable communities that
desperately need results," said
Jennifer Ng'andu, deputy director of
La Raza's Health Policy Project.
"More often than not, appeals to the
'greater good' come at the expense
of the most vulnerable communities."
The United States Supreme Court
The probability is high,
the appeal of Arizona Law SB1070 will be decided 5-4 by the United States
Supreme Court
overturning a
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruling upholding Arizona SB 1070.
If Arizona SB 1070 is upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, SB 1070 becomes the law of the entire United States of America.
The only alternative to end SB 1070 is passage of Immigration Reform that addresses the needs of all undocumented.
Due to the selfishness and ignorance of
former Chairperson Congresswoman Nydia
Velazquez (D-N.Y.) and the irresponsible
Mexican American members of congress,
this option
is dead, deportations will continue, the
Dream Act is dead, citizenship
birthright is next and Apartheid rampant
in Arizona is spreading across the
United States.Ignorance, selfishness
and stupidity are the reasons why the
Congressional Hispanic Caucus allowed
Velazquez to
shanghai the votes of the CHC for Puerto
Rico in lieu of Immigration Reform.
What is the next step for Hispanics? Hispanic News
creates Solidarity USA using the Hispanic Posada
to build a national constituency of all
Americans
Discontent presently fills the air in
Hispanic political circles, giving blame
to President Obama.
Hispanic community feelings run deep on the subject of immigration reform.
Nothing
is more painful to the Hispanic voter coalition than the vision of beloved,
upstanding children, educated in American schools, being deported to countries
they barely know because years ago, their parents brought them to the U.S. for a
better, poverty-free life.
California pastor Ryan J. Bell reflected prevailing political bitterness over
the DREAM Act defeat in his article: Still No Room in the Inn:
"It is more than a little ironic Jesus, within days of his birth, found
himself immigrating to Egypt with his family to escape the tyranny of King Herod
the Great who ordered the execution of all male children in Judea. Had he grown
up in similar circumstances in our country, Jesus would have been the perfect
candidate for the DREAM Act."
"Many of the children who come to this country without proper documentation,
come... for the same reasons Jesus fled to Egypt ― to escape poverty or
physical danger (or both) and to seek better opportunities for themselves and
their children."
"Many of the 41 Senators who voted against the DREAM Act sing
songs celebrating the birth of Jesus and shower one another with gifts they
might bear in mind Jesus lived and died for precisely the people who would
most benefit from legislation like the DREAM Act. In fact, Jesus was one of
those immigrant kids himself."
Mathew Kessler, writes in Traveling with Mary and Joseph Praying
Las Posadas :
The Bible mentions the travels of countless
personalities: Abram and Sarai left Ur and set out for
Canaan. The people of Israel traveled from slavery in
Egypt to a new life and identity in the Promised Land.
Elijah ran to escape the army of
Jezebel, who wanted him killed. Joseph and Mary traveled
to Bethlehem
for the census, where God provided them shelter as God
had provided shelter for their ancestors. And the Second
Vatican Council evoked strong biblical images when it
called the Catholic Church a “pilgrim Church” (Lumen Gentium 48).
Hispanics experience God here and now. They know God
travels with them whether they are migrants from Mexico
thinning beets in Colorado, dishwashers from Guatemala
in St. Louis, gardeners from Venezuela in Chicago, or
garment workers from Ecuador in New York.
For nine
days before Christmas, Hispanics remember the journey of
Joseph and Mary as they searched for a posada (lodging) in
Bethlehem. Throughout small pueblos and in the
neighborhoods of large cities, Hispanics relive the anxiety of
the holy couple. They also add prayers for their loved ones
who have made a trip to the north in search of a better life.
Las Posadas is a touching ceremony that can help
Christians today see the real needs of those who live
without the security of health insurance, a steady job, or a
loving family.
The adapted version of Las Posadas was written to help
make Advent a more intense period of reflection on the
God who has a “preferential option for the poor.” It can be
used to begin a meal and can provide some focus for the
meal conversation, if people are willing.
May this novena stir hearts to make room for those who
travel and do not know what they will eat or where they
will sleep tonight.
Hispanic News is organizing Solidarity
USA using America's churches to join
together to build a national
constituency of all Americans to support
Immigration Reform. The concept is being
drafted and will be placed at
Solidarity
USA.
The 2012 Presidential Election
After the DREAM Act was killed, President Obama lamented the defeat as "An
incredibly disappointing vote... It is disappointing common sense did not
prevail today... Moving forward, my administration will continue to do
everything we can to fix our nation's broken immigration system so we can
provide lasting and dedicated resources for our border security."
To Hispanic voters, President Obama's tepid words sounded like so much "blah blah blah." All pretty words, no heartfelt action, no
genuine commitment, certainly no empathy.
President Obama must do
more than provide cheap and easy talk to continue to draw Hispanic voter support.
Obama must be seen walking the walk of humanitarian Immigration Reform,
not border security, to be re-elected in 2012.
Obama will have
to persuade Hispanics
―
who turned
out for him in record numbers in key
states in 2008
―
to do so again,
despite the lack of progress on
Immigration Reform.
As for
Immigration Reform, in 2008,
when Obama was elected president,
Democrats controlled both Houses of
Congress. if Obama could not win
Immigration Reform when Democrats
were the majorities in both houses
of congress, the probability of
Immigration Reform approval in 2013
will need much more than Obama.
We can't
put our hope in Obama again. We need
a national spokesman to mobilize a
constituency of Americans to support
Immigration Reform using America's
churches as the fulcrum to have all
Americans remember and accept
America is still the land of
immigrants. All need to understand
it takes as much as 20 years for
someone to enter the United States
using the visa process now
in place. To Hispanics,
Immigration Reform must change
draconian requirements and family
sponsored immigration must be
preserved.
As for Obama, he lacks empathy for Hispanics.
The Hispanic population
growing as projected by the U.S.
Census Bureau, will some
day be the majority population in America, even
if today, the border is completely sealed.
Obama is simply not a good fit with
Hispanics.
As for
2012, Hispanics
don't
have to switch sides on election day
―
they just have to abstain from
voting for Obama as they vote for
members of congress that boldly
support Immigration Reform.
Obama will not have a second term in office without enthusiastic
Hispanic
voters voting for him at the 2012 polls.
I endorsed President Obama in 2008 but I
will not vote for the re-election of
President Obama in 2012.
I think
Hispanics need to support someone other
than Obama on the 2012 Democratic
ticket.
Lastly, all congressional members of the
Congressional Hispanic Caucus who voted
for health care benefits for Puerto Rico
in lieu of having Obama make Immigration
Reform a priority need to be identified
and replaced in the 2012 elections. As
stated above, if
Arizona SB 1070 is upheld by the U.S.
Supreme Court, SB 1070 becomes the law
of the land and everyone needs to
understand, SB 1070 is euphuism for
Apartheid as practiced once in South
Africa.
The only alternative to end SB 1070 is passage of Immigration Reform that addresses the needs of all undocumented. Due to the selfishness and ignorance of
former Chairperson Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez (D-N.Y.), this option is dead, deportations will continue, the Dream Act is dead, citizenship birthright is next and Apartheid is rampant in Arizona and
spreading across the United States similar to an unstoppable fire spreading across the prairie of America's heartland.
In regards to all
members of the United States House of
Representatives and the United States
Senate who have a significant population
of Hispanics in their home state or home
district, these
elected officials must now come off the
sidelines and boldly become involved in
representing all their constituents, not
just some of them.
It is not acceptable
for members of congress whose home
districts or states have significant
populations of Hispanics not be members
of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus
supporting legislation to benefit
America's Hispanics. What benefits
America, benefits home states and
congressional districts.
It is not enough for
some members of congress to be only
members of caucuses and committees of
their own interests. In my home state of
New Mexico, Senator Jeff Bingaman is
chairman of the Senate Committee
on Energy and Natural Resources.
New Mexico's
Hispanic population is 45.1%
(2008, Pew Hispanic Center) and growing.
Senator Bingaman is not a member of the
Congressional Hispanic Caucus. He should
be. Does he mistakenly think membership
on the CHC is only open to Hispanic
legislators? It appears Bingaman does
not understand senate rules on how
caucuses work or he just does not care
about the issues the CHC thinks
important.
For those who are
silent, not visible and who do not
boldly articulate, advocate and
represent all their constituents on
issues important for all constituents
back home and in Washington D.C.,
the 2012 elections should be used to
replace them with those who will
represent all constituents of their
districts or states.
Lastly, regarding the 2012
presidential election: How does
enthusiasm become re-kindled? For
starters, Obama must:
1. End deportations.
2. Fire Janet Napolitano and John
Norton.
3. Not run for re-election for a
second term.
If you agree with this article, help
spread it across the USA. Click
Jon@JonGarrido.com then add
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