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GOP outrage over immigration will backfire come election time
JNews - Covering the S.F. Jewish Bay Area ^ | November 26, 2014 | Douglas M. Bloomfield

Posted on 11/27/2014 9:47:07 AM PST by 2ndDivisionVet

Michele Bachmann is one of those Republican extremists who will keep Hispanics voting in the Democratic column for a long time.

The Minnesota Republican said President Barack Obama’s executive order on immigration will “flood” the country with “millions of unskilled” foreigners “who can’t speak English” but will become “illiterate” voters.

Bachmann’s response was not unusual. The once and future presidential hopeful, former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.), said the president’s policy would take jobs away from good American workers and give them to illegal aliens.

These over-the-top Republican responses — and talk of impeachment, censure and lawsuits targeting Obama — can only help Democrats by telling the fastest growing segment of the population “we don’t want you here.”

Most Jewish voters support comprehensive immigration reform, including a path to citizenship. Many organizations lauded the president’s action, including the Anti-Defamation League, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, the National Jewish Democratic Council, the National Council of Jewish Women and the Conservative movement’s Rabbinical Assembly.

Not surprisingly, the reflexively anti-Obama Republican Jewish Coalition said the president “exceeded his legitimate authority” and “sets a belligerent tone” for the next two years.

There is a fundamental difference between the two parties’ approaches to immigration reform: The president and most Democrats see it as a question of keeping together families who’ve been here at least five years. To Republicans, it is primarily a security issue of rounding up the “illegals” and sending them back while more heavily fortifying the borders to make sure they and others can’t return.

Little wonder a survey by Latino Decisions shows 89 percent support for the president’s policy among Latino registered voters, including 76 percent of registered Republicans.

But this debate is about more than border security and family cohesion. It is part of the larger campaign for 2016 and beyond.

Will the obstructionism of the Republicans cost them the Hispanic vote for years to come? Will the Democrats standing up for these minorities lose votes from the white males?

Having control of both chambers of Congress, Republicans want to be able to go to voters in two years and tell them, “We can govern, and the other guys are failures, so give us the presidency, too.”

The Democrats want to tell voters, “Those guys are obstructionists and incapable of governing.”

With that mindset, don’t expect to see much cooperation — just more gridlock, bickering and accusations.

Bachmann is retiring at the end of this term but is hinting that she may make another run for the GOP presidential nomination. Immigration is sure to be a hot topic in 2016; in fact that’s part of what the dust-up over the president’s action is all about as potential GOP contenders appeal to the party’s right wing, the traditional early strategy in the Republican nomination race.

Three presidential wannabes in the Senate and outspoken critics of the president’s actions are Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and Rand Paul. Cruz and Rubio are sons of Cuban immigrants.

Rubio was one of the authors of the Senate bill, but once it started getting flak from the tea partiers he did a 180. Cruz wants to punish the president by refusing to vote on any of his nominees. And Paul, reaching for the title of “Most Hyperbolic,” likened Obama’s move to FDR’s executive order authorizing the Japanese-American internment camps.

Journalist Chris Nelson wrote in his Washington newsletter that “Obama forcing the move now would put every Republican presidential candidate in the horrible position of having to denounce his action, and stick to that line, to have any chance of winning GOP primaries and thus the nomination.”

Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) and others are talking impeachment; Rep. Raul Labrador (R-Iowa) wants Congress to “censure” the president. Alabama Rep. Mo Brooks wants him arrested for breaking a federal law he can’t cite; the Kansas attorney general and Arizona’s notorious Sheriff Joe Arpaio are preparing to file suit. Some Republicans are threatening to shut down the government until he meets their demands.

It is not as though the Republicans haven’t had a year and a half to come up with a comprehensive reform bill or give the House a chance to vote on the bipartisan Senate bill. They’re too deeply divided to come up with a bill that Democrats could support, and the chances that will change when they control both chambers appear remote.

Cruz, Bachmann and others are deliberately misrepresenting what the president did. There’s no amnesty, no path to citizenship in his executive order, and it does not grant citizenship or voting rights to anyone.

Cruz wrongly called the 2014 election a “referendum on amnesty,” which he misrepresented as opening a path to citizenship. “Exit poll data show exactly the opposite,” reported FactCheck.org. In fact, voters said, by a 51-39 margin, “those living in the U.S. illegally but working should be offered legal status.”

Republicans may be counting on under-voting by Hispanics, as happened in this month’s election, but that was attributed to disappointment in Washington’s inaction on immigration. Since then the president’s executive order has been enthusiastically received, as the Latino Decisions poll showed, and the uniform condemnation of Obama’s action by Republicans is expected to boost turnout in 2016, to the benefit of Democrats.

********

Douglas M. Bloomfield is the president of Bloomfield Associates Inc., a Washington, D.C., lobbying and consulting firm. He spent nine years as the legislative director and chief lobbyist for AIPAC–American Israel Public Affairs Committee.


TOPICS: Issues; Parties; U.S. Congress; U.S. Senate
KEYWORDS: amnesty; immigration; obama; tedcruz
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To: uncitizen

The GOPe are out of touch with the Middle Class. They are wealthy enough that the immigration doesn’t hurt them. They aren’t taking their jibs and the added tax burden is negligible to them.

At this point, it is not just the Tea Party that the GOPe should fear, it is all working class voters if both parties.


41 posted on 11/27/2014 10:40:38 AM PST by Eva
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
The president and most Democrats see it as a question of keeping together families ...To Republicans, it is primarily a security issue of rounding up the “illegals” and sending them back.

So one plan is to unite illegal families here and the other is to unite the illegal families back at their legal home.

42 posted on 11/27/2014 10:40:53 AM PST by DaveyB
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To: Cyman
I love it when a Jewish publication tells me what I am doing wrong when they OVERWHELMINGLY voted for Obammer who would prefer the state of Israel disappear from the world.

I guess my last post on this was removed. Many Jews are highly supportive of removing illegal aliens from Israel, yet state it is racist to do so in the US.

43 posted on 11/27/2014 10:45:12 AM PST by Hacksaw (I haven't taken the 30 silvers.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

meh

delusional kool aid drinker


44 posted on 11/27/2014 10:48:07 AM PST by Nifster
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

45 posted on 11/27/2014 10:48:21 AM PST by SoFloFreeper
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Mrs. Bloomfield’s little Dougie appears to be very concerned about the future of the Republicans. I think this commie ‘RAT advice to Republicans scheme has run it’s course. After the 2014 elections, I believe the commie ‘RATS need to worry about their ‘RAT comrades getting elected and reelected. The GOP seems to have taken care of their problems. Sorry Dougie. All of you liberals are braindead. Worry about your own political party Skippy. The GOP can take care of itself.


46 posted on 11/27/2014 11:01:46 AM PST by FlingWingFlyer (Remember! When the GOP wins, it means the stupid American voters want bipartisanship.)
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To: TexasFreeper2009

Well, we don’t have to listen to them; they can go scratch!!!


47 posted on 11/27/2014 11:05:28 AM PST by EnquiringMind
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To: C. Edmund Wright

These are the same “jews” that want to see Palestine become a state. Some of them even wish that Israel didn’t exist!


48 posted on 11/27/2014 11:08:34 AM PST by Thunder90 (All posts soley represent my own opinion.)
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To: Thunder90

Zackly right......what we know is that liberals are liberals FIRST - regardless of whatever else they are - Jews, feminists, enviro wackos, etc....


49 posted on 11/27/2014 11:13:06 AM PST by C. Edmund Wright (www.FireKarlRove.com NOW)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Republicans may be counting on under-voting by Hispanics, as happened in this month’s election, but that was attributed to disappointment in Washington’s inaction on immigration. Since then the president’s executive order has been enthusiastically received, as the Latino Decisions poll showed, and the uniform condemnation of Obama’s action by Republicans is expected to boost turnout in 2016, to the benefit of Democrats.
That is likely true. It is also true that blacks are noted (by Republicans) for being impervious to discussion of their own best interests.

But unless blacks are really, really thick it will sink in that saturating the bottom of the labor market with Hispanics doesn’t do a thing for blacks.


50 posted on 11/27/2014 12:20:24 PM PST by conservatism_IS_compassion ("Liberalism” is a conspiracy against the public by wire-service journalism.)
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To: jospehm20
Why should anybody think they are right on this?

Why, indeed.

Democrats Defy Logic The Hispanic vote is only influential in a few states: California, New Mexico, or Nevada to name a few. They tend to congregate in large numbers in a small number of states. The Black vote is wide and deep, especially in the South and Northeast. Hispanics are approximately 16 percent of the nation’s population, but only 10 percent of eligible voters. Even worse, only 7 percent vote.

The Hispanic population of eligible voter is smaller than any other group (voting age population or VAP). The VAP for Whites is more than 77 percent, for Blacks 67 percent, and for Asians 52 percent.

51 posted on 11/27/2014 12:33:57 PM PST by MurrietaMadman
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
In fact, voters said, by a 51-39 margin, “those living in the U.S. illegally but working should be offered legal status.”

It all depends how you ask the question. Ask "should the border be secured and immigration laws vigorously enforced", and you will get about 80% yes.

52 posted on 11/27/2014 12:40:47 PM PST by Hugin ("Do yourself a favor--first thing, get a firearm!",)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

And we know there will be backlash. Just look at dem ruled Oregon to see how badly they wanted illegals to get driver’s licenses. Oh wait!


53 posted on 11/27/2014 12:58:55 PM PST by Waryone
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To: af_vet_1981

Talk about blind. Did you not see where this article comes from? It’s called JNEWS. I’ll stand by my statement.

And by the way, when did God give you the right to judge me? And are you in charge of this forum? I didn’t know that.

Merry Christmas and leave me alone.


54 posted on 11/27/2014 6:24:02 PM PST by VerySadAmerican
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Constitution amendment needed? We need a Constitution amendment to stop presidents like Obama from abusing the power of executive action. Something like this:

"Majority votes of both the Senate and the House can overturn an executive order."

55 posted on 11/27/2014 10:11:35 PM PST by john mirse
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To: VerySadAmerican

Talk about blind. Did you not see where this article comes from? It’s called JNEWS. I’ll stand by my statement. And by the way, when did God give you the right to judge me? And are you in charge of this forum? I didn’t know that. Merry Christmas and leave me alone.

Blind; It is an opinion post by one Jew in a San Francisco weekly called www.jweekly.com. Tagging all Jews as blind in a myopic political-religious diatribe is incredibly foolish, as well as unspiritual. Leave the Jews alone and I will leave you alone.

Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him.

Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?

56 posted on 11/28/2014 5:50:10 AM PST by af_vet_1981 (The bus came by and I got on, That's when it all began.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

So basically what it means is that any one who knows what they are talking about and tells it like it is probably will not be nominated much less elected as president.

Recent history shows that we need to nominate some one who don`t know what they are talking about and lies faster that a fox can trot.


57 posted on 11/28/2014 12:41:57 PM PST by ravenwolf (` Does the scripture explain it in full detail? if not how can you?)
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To: ravenwolf
THIS is what will backfire !

 photo 0265028a-9e9f-4028-8398-d8f14f69e6c4_zpsb69c13bd.jpg

 photo 7f822ce8-090c-4c38-a0da-9893a4750fa3_zpsa75955c4.jpg


58 posted on 11/28/2014 12:50:33 PM PST by timestax (American Media = Domestic Enemy)
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To: pocat

ping


59 posted on 11/28/2014 12:55:22 PM PST by timestax (American Media = Domestic Enemy)
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To: timestax

I hope so.


60 posted on 11/28/2014 6:06:18 PM PST by ravenwolf (` Does the scripture explain it in full detail? if not how can you?)
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