Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Obama: Lack of immigration reform, not unemployment, is biggest failure (*BARF*)
The Daily Caller ^ | 9/20/2012 | Neil Munro

Posted on 09/20/2012 6:48:13 PM PDT by markomalley

President Barack Obama told an Hispanic audience today that his “biggest mistake” was not passing a large-scale amnesty of illegal immigrants.

The statement comes amid a continuing decline in the percentage of Americans who are working, and amid a rapid increase in government debt to $16 trillion.

“My biggest failure is that we haven’t got comprehensive immigration reform done … but it was not for lack of trying or desire,” Obama told his mostly Hispanic audience during the hour-long town hall meeting organized by the Spanish-language TV network, Univision.

The immigration issue is important for Obama, because he wants to maximize Hispanic support and turnout in November.

Obama and his campaign deputies want to maximize Hispanic support because he’s lost support from white voters who are worried about the stalled economy, high deficits and high unemployment.

Immigration reform is an important election-day factor for many Hispanics, even though new immigrants compete for jobs against established immigrants.

It is important because opposition to illegal Hispanic immigrants is seen as disrespectful by many Hispanics. Also, many Hispanic citizens and residents have close family or workplace ties ties to illegal immigrants.

Obama’s focus on immigration came after the the Univision interviewers grilled him for failing to fulfill his campaign promise to get what conservatives consider an amnesty, which is dubbed by supporters as “comprehensive immigration reform.”

“You actually broke your promise,” said co-host Maria Elena Salinas.

Obama blamed the GOP for the failure to pass reform, even though Obama had majorities in the House and Senate until early 2010.

“I’ve learned some lessons over the last four years, and the most important lesson that you can’t change Washington from the inside, you can only change it from the outside,” he said, while asking Hispanics to support his re-election campaign.

Obama also cited his July decision to defer deportation of perhaps 1.7 million younger illegal aliens.

That decision has been slammed as illegal and destructive by GOP legislators.

The decision provides work permits to at least 800,000 working-age illegals, despite very high unemployment rates among low-skilled Americans.

“I have never wavered in my support of comprehensive immigration reform,” he said, adding that Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney would pressure illegals to leave the country.

Romney “suggested the main solution for immigration is self-deportation,” Obama said.

Obama’s Univision statement came a few days after a videotape of Romney showed him suggesting that 47 percent of voters support Democratic politicians in exchange for government payments. Romney’s crude conflation of election strategy and political analysis has spurred criticism from conservatives and progressives.

Obama’s immigration comments also followed his Sept. 18 “Letterman Show” appearance, during which he said he does not know how much the government owes its creditors.

“I don’t remember what the number was precisely … however, we don’t have to worry about it short term,” he told David Letterman.

During the Sept. 20 Univision interview, Obama said the immigration failure was his greatest mistake, even though unemployment among Americans has reached record levels.

The formal unemployment rate has remained above 8.1 percent throughout Obama’s term.

Millions more Americans have dropped out of the workforce, and millions more are working part-time jobs. GOP leaders, including Romney, say 23 million Americans are unemployed or underemployed.

The unemployment rate is higher among low-skill workers.

Roughly half of black men between 18 and 30 do not have full-time jobs, according to data provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

At least 10.1 percent of working-age Hispanics are unemployed. Twenty-nine percent of Hispanics aged 16 to 19 who want a job can’t find a job.

Unemployment among university graduates is also very high. For example, in 2011, 54 percent of bachelor-degree graduates aged 25 or under were unemployed or underemployed, according to an April study by academics at Northwestern University.

Overall, unemployment is so high that four times as many people dropped out of the workforce in August as gained jobs.

The high unemployment rate has persisted despite Obama’s support for the 2009 stimulus — which cost roughly $819 billion — and massive deficit spending of more than $1 trillion per year.


TOPICS: Extended News; Mexico; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: mexico; whatatouchhole

1 posted on 09/20/2012 6:48:19 PM PDT by markomalley
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: markomalley

FU BO!!! From someone who is NOT better off than he was four years ago!


2 posted on 09/20/2012 6:52:33 PM PDT by Southside_Chicago_Republican (If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: markomalley
“My biggest failure is that we haven’t got comprehensive immigration reform done

HIT HARDER, MITT! He's handing you Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania!

3 posted on 09/20/2012 6:53:56 PM PDT by IllumiNaughtyByNature ($1.84 - The price of a gallon of gas on Jan. 20th, 2009.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: markomalley

Barry’s priority is and has always been Communist “Healthcare” so the liberals can begin their genocide program. He could care less about the illegal aliens except when election time rolls around. He’ll say anything to get their votes.


4 posted on 09/20/2012 6:59:26 PM PDT by FlingWingFlyer (Proud to be a 53 percenter American.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: markomalley

GOP needs to glom on to this one. Here I’ll write the headline: Obama places illegals above unemployed Americans.


5 posted on 09/20/2012 7:02:43 PM PDT by jwalsh07 (.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: markomalley
Lack of immigration reform is what is causing the high rate of unemployment to stay at it's current rate!


Let 0m0slem at it and it will skyrocket like fuel prices! See even the Truth Fairy tells the truth occasionally!

6 posted on 09/20/2012 7:09:29 PM PDT by rawcatslyentist (I'd rather have a bottle in front of me, than a Barack 0b0tt0my!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: IllumiNaughtyByNature
And remember that when they say immigration reform, they mean amnesty for illegal aliens.

One can only conclude from this statement that Obama feels the status of illegal aliens is more important than the millions of unemployed Americans and skyrocketing debt.

7 posted on 09/20/2012 7:09:50 PM PDT by USNBandit (sarcasm engaged at all times)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: markomalley

He simply telling the audience what they want to hear and at the same time distracting them from his really big unemployment failure.


8 posted on 09/20/2012 7:16:23 PM PDT by DannyTN
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: markomalley
Obama: Lack of immigration reform, not unemployment, is biggest failure (*BARF*)

When using the word "failure" to describe Obama, one mustn't forget what the commie's goals are. Clue: they ain't what's best for America.

9 posted on 09/20/2012 7:17:11 PM PDT by ETL (ALL (most?) of the Obama-commie connections at my FR Home page: http://www.freerepublic.com/~etl/)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Berosus; bigheadfred; Bockscar; ColdOne; Convert from ECUSA; ...

Have ourselves a Merry Little Christmas...

Thanks markomalley.


10 posted on 09/20/2012 7:40:52 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: markomalley

11 posted on 09/20/2012 7:46:37 PM PDT by tumblindice (America's founding fathers: all armed conservatives)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SunkenCiv
his “biggest mistake” was not passing a large-scale amnesty of illegal immigrants...and then he... blamed the GOP for the failure to pass reform...because he...want(s) to maximize Hispanic support...

Can you get any more pathetic Zeeb?

12 posted on 09/20/2012 7:52:59 PM PDT by bigheadfred
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: Southside_Chicago_Republican

Let me translate Obama into Spanglish....

Ohla! Idotas! Yo Quiero sus Votas...una Mas Tiempo!!!!

Orale! Piasos! “Bend Over”....Ha! Ha! OLE!!!


13 posted on 09/20/2012 7:59:59 PM PDT by LtKerst
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: markomalley

But it was not for lack of trying or desire? LIAR!!! During the first two years he had both the U.S. House and the Senate locked up. He is blowing smoke up their collective arses. If they fall for that they are beyond stupid.


14 posted on 09/20/2012 8:20:01 PM PDT by Colorado Cowgirl (God bless America!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: markomalley

Obama apologizes to mexico for not leaving the border wide open?!!. On univision no less? Might as well send the border patrol home now, they have no mission.


15 posted on 09/20/2012 8:22:56 PM PDT by factoryrat (We are the producers, the creators. Grow it, mine it, build it.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: markomalley

That will play well with the illegals.


16 posted on 09/20/2012 8:49:16 PM PDT by popdonnelly (The first priority is get Obama out of the White House.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: markomalley
“You actually broke your promise,” said co-host Maria Elena Salinas...Obama gave a condescending talk about how he was the President but in our form of government that doesn't give him power to do all he would like to do - without mentioning that he had supermajorities for two years in the other branch of government that would have given him the power.......
17 posted on 09/20/2012 8:58:55 PM PDT by Intolerant in NJ
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: IllumiNaughtyByNature

HIT HARDER, MITT! He’s handing you Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania!


I’m sure you could add a few more like VA, NC, WI, MO...


18 posted on 09/20/2012 9:00:16 PM PDT by Hotlanta Mike (Resurrect the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC)...before there is no America!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: markomalley

I’m sorry I’ll get it right if you re-elect me.....


19 posted on 09/20/2012 10:51:14 PM PDT by Vendome (Don't take life so seriously, you won't live through it anyway)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: bigheadfred

The Demwits should have had Charlie Sheen do his “winning!” shtick as their keynote speaker.


20 posted on 09/21/2012 3:41:24 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson