Posted on 07/14/2008 9:56:24 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
Sen. Barack Obama promised yesterday that he would make overhauling immigration policy a top priority of his first year in office if he is elected president as he chided Republican John McCain for backing away from his own comprehensive immigration bill.
Obama addressed the four-day National Council of La Raza conference, which has attracted more than 20,000 people to the San Diego Convention Center. McCain, a senator from Arizona and the Republican presidential nominee-in-waiting, will address the convention today.
“I know Senator McCain used to buck his party on immigration in fighting for comprehensive reform, and I admired him for it and joined him in it,” Obama said in his speech. “But when he was running for his party's nomination, he abandoned that courageous stand and said that he wouldn't even support his own legislation if it came up for a vote.
“I think it's time for a president who won't walk away from something as important as comprehensive reform just because it becomes politically unpopular,” the Illinois Democrat said. “I will make it a top priority in my first year as the president of the United States of America.”
Obama also denounced recent immigration raids.
“The system isn't working . . . when communities are terrorized by (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) immigration raids, when nursing mothers are torn from their babies, when children come home from school to find their parents missing,” he said.
Large Latino gatherings such as the National Council of La Raza convention have become a command performance for the major-party presidential candidates because Latinos loom as a potentially decisive voting bloc in the Nov. 4 election.
Obama said he supports stronger border enforcement and stiffer penalties against employers who knowingly hire people who are in the country illegally. He also favors a temporary guest-worker program and an opportunity for the estimated 12 million current illegal residents to obtain citizenship as long as they pay a fine, learn English and wait in line behind legal residents.
“That way, we can reconcile our values as both a nation of immigrants and a nation of laws,” Obama said.
Obama's principles were embodied in the immigration bill co-sponsored by McCain and Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., that was blocked in Congress in favor of a border-security-only bill backed by most Republicans. After his bill was defeated, McCain said he supported the enforcement-first approach because that's what the American people wanted.
A McCain supporter insisted yesterday that criticism of the Republican on immigration was unfair. “The reality is that Senator McCain is the one senator that basically went against his own party, took the standard-bearer for immigration reform,” said former U.S. Treasurer Rosario Marin during a McCain campaign conference call. “I think that needs to be fully recognized. Senator McCain did it at great political peril. He did what he thought was the right thing to do.”
Obama also announced support for a proposal advanced by his vanquished rival, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, for a tax credit of up to 50 percent for small businesses providing health insurance to their employees.
“We know that small businesses are the engines of economic prosperity in our communities, especially in Latino communities,” he said.
Audience members interviewed after the speech generally liked what they heard.
Former New Mexico Gov. Jerry Apodaca said he wished Obama had addressed the war in Iraq but was pleased with his comments on immigration.
“You still have 12 million that are here now physically,” Apodaca said. “They are illegal, but they are here. You can't corral them and take them back.”
Others said they would have liked to hear more specifics.
“I hope that what he promises is actually going to happen,” said Hector Hernandez, 57, an unemployed technology worker from Chula Vista. “He talked about health care, but how are you going to pay for that? I'd like to see some of that better developed.”
Outside, a crowd of demonstrators gathered in front of the convention center – a mix of anti-illegal-immigration activists, Obama supporters and others.
According to the San Diego Police Department, there were about 260 people outside at one point, the majority of them Obama supporters, and about 60 anti-illegal-immigration protesters. There were no arrests.
Tom Farber, a high school teacher who lives downtown, carried a sign in support of Obama. “I think it's great, the expression,” Farber, 46, said of the protest. “This is what democracy is for.”
Farber said he favored immigration policies that would acknowledge the need for foreign workers.
“We still have the ability to have a proper immigration process that is fair,” he said. “As long as there are economic opportunities here, they are coming, and we need them.”
Several of the protesters, who said they planned to picket McCain's speech today, said they were opposed not only to Obama's candidacy and his position on immigration, but the National Council of La Raza.
One protester, Al Huther of Oceanside, 49, carried a sign depicting a cartoon boy urinating on the words “La Raza.” He said his sign was not a statement against Latinos but against the organization.
During his speech, Obama condemned the often harsh tone surrounding the immigration debate as insulting to Latinos.
“They're counting on us to stop the hateful rhetoric that is filling our airwaves – rhetoric that poisons our political discourse, degrades our democracy and has no place in this great nation,” Obama said. “They're counting on us to rise above fear and demagoguery and pettiness and partisanship and finally enact comprehensive immigration reform.”
Before his luncheon speech to La Raza, Obama attended a fundraiser at the El Cortez Hotel, where guests paid $28,500 to attend a VIP reception in the historic building and $2,300 for a general reception in a tent outside.
On the sidewalk outside the hotel, a small group of anti-war protesters chanted “end the occupation” just loudly enough that Obama paused in his remarks to try to hear what they were saying.
“I want to end the occupation. I do,” he said. “I was trying to figure out what they were saying. I'm for that. That's why I'm running for president of the United States.”
McCain makes his pitch today.
So Obama is supporting the most radical immigrant outfit in the country. He’s begging for their votes.......great place to be in for a potential President.
Obama to the American people: screw your majority!
It is difficult to find a force more powerful to make one want to projectile vomit, than politicians pandering to illegality, corruption and against the will of the REAL American people -— all for votes.
Encouraging the breaking of our laws, the disregard for the majority mandate from the American voter, the protection of our soverignty, the security of our nation against those that would harm us, the list goes on.
Your POLITICIANS in action. How are they really any different than the CRIMINALS they are pandering to???
“You still have 12 million that are here now physically,” Apodaca said.
More than that amigo.
“They are illegal, but they are here.”
That’s right—here, in violation of our laws.
“You can’t ... take them back.”
Si se puede.
Obama’s speech to La Raza:
(La Raza (The Race), Largest Hispanic organization in the U.S.
Lobbies for racial preferences, bilingual education, stricter hate crimes laws, mass immigration, and amnesty for illegal aliens )
Obama pimps illegal aliens. Shameful, considering the additional violent crime, third word diseases they bring into this country and the billions of dollars it cost us to take care of them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEITOQfKVmo
“I walked the walk. I talked the talk. I marched with you for “civil rights” of “immigrants”. (!!)
Obama said the recent Senate immigration debate “was both ugly and racist in a way we haven’t see since the struggle for civil rights.”
Obama told La Raza that the mass protests lately of for immigration rights of Mexicans is equal in greatness to the civil rights protest of the past!
Omama supports La Raza’s, the “DREAM Act,” which would mandate states to offer in-state tuition rates to illegal aliens — thus providing them with benefits not available to U.S. citizens from other states.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070723/NATION/107230063/1001
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1870205/posts
http://www.miamiherald.com/campaign08/story/201957.html
“I will stand with the Muslims and protect them..” Obama. Barack Obama
http://www.freedomsenemies.com/_more/obama.htm
Get the facts on the life and career of Barack Obama
that the media covers up:
http://www.theobamafile.com/
CHECK THIS OUT, PEOPLE:
http://immigrationcounters.com/
http://www.texasborderregulators.org/
The Heritage Foundation ^ | 10/25/06 | Robert Rector
The National Academy of Sciences has estimated that each immigrant without a high school degree will cost U.S. taxpayers, on average, $89,000 over the course of his or her lifetime.[3] This is a net cost above the value of any taxes the immi*grant will pay and does not include the cost of educating the immigrant’s children, which U.S. taxpayers would also heavily subsidize. In this way, the roughly six million legal immigrants without a high school diploma will impose a net cost of around a half-trillion dollars on U.S. taxpayers over their lifetimes
Crime Statisitcs
95% of warrants for murder in Los Angeles are for illegal aliens.
83% of warrants for murder in Phoenix are for illegal aliens.
86% of warrants for murder in Albuquerque are for illegal aliens.
75% of those on the most wanted list in Los Angeles, Phoenix and Albuquerque are illegal aliens.
24.9% of all inmates in California detention centers are Mexican nationals here illegally.
40.1% of all inmates in Arizona detention centers are Mexican nationals here illegally.
48.2% of all inmates in New Mexico detention centers are Mexican nationals here illegally.
29% (630,000) convicted illegal alien felons fill our state and federal prisons at a cost of $1.6 billion annually.
53% plus of all investigated burglaries reported in California, New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona and Texas are perpetrated by illegal aliens.
50% plus of all gang members in Los Angeles are illegal aliens from south of the border.
71% plus of all apprehended cars stolen in 2005 in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and California were stolen by Illegal aliens or “transport coyotes”.
47% of cited/stopped drivers in California have no license, no insurance and no registration for the vehicle. Of that 47%, 92% are illegal aliens.
63% of cited/stopped drivers in Arizona have no license, no insurance and no registration for the vehicle. Of that 63%, 97% are illegal aliens.
66% of cited/stopped drivers in New Mexico have no license, no insurance and no registration for the vehicle. Of that 66%, 98% are illegal.
Birth Statistics
380,000 plus “anchor babies” were born in the U.S. in 2005 to illegal alien parents, making 380,000 babies automatically U.S.citizens.
97.2% of all costs incurred from those births were paid by the American taxpayers.
66% plus of all births in California are to illegal alien Mexicans on Medi-Cal whose births were paid for by taxpayers.
Last Updated ( Friday, 20 July 2007 )
__________________
The truth that the leftist media won’t tell you:
http://www.freedomsenemies.com/_more/obama.htm
“So Obama is supporting the most radical immigrant outfit in the country. He’s begging for their votes.......great place to be in for a potential President.”
McCain is doing the same thing.
“Obama vows immigration reform, rips McCain for backing away from bill (La Raza convention speech)”
Good. If someone is going to destroy this nation let it be a Dem.
“Your POLITICIANS in action. How are they really any different than the CRIMINALS they are pandering to???”
They get more TV time?
So why is Osama for ending the occupation of Iraq but not of his "own" country, the USA?
Obama is becoming the chameleon candidate - he changes his position to pander . . . . . . er, match whichever group he’s speaking to.
Staticles be’s racist!
Just like McCain.
They are both absolutely despicable people and neither is worthy of the office.
I REALLY hope you're not expecting an argument from me . . . . . . . . . I agree with you!
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