IMMIGRATION, OBAMA, AND REPUBLICANS

I try not to comment on the politics of the moment too often. I abhor the effect of the HG Wells News Cycle, requiring analysis of events before they happen rather than after. And after an event, the floodgates open and we all drown in a tsunami of shouted opinions. Witness that today, two days after Obama's immigration speech, a Google search concerning the legality of Obama's proposed Executive Order on immigration law enforcement turns up over 15,600,000 results. Everybody has an opinion and everybody's opinion is on the interweb.

So who am I to buck that trend?

First of all, IMHO what Obama proposes to do is legal and not without precedent. Do the research and believe what you will. I go back to the actions of that darling of the Right, Ronald Reagan. You know, the guy who couldn't get elected dogcatcher as a Republican today. (He'd be swift-boated by conservatives in his own party.) Anyway, Reagan's Executive Order after the Congressional passage of immigration reform in 1986, the Order that extended the rights contained in that bill to the families of those who were eligible for legalization, directly contravened Congressional intent that was on the record and unequivocal. Congress had specifically excluded families. No question. Reagan thought that excluding families was unfair and so he included them by Presidential fiat. As did HW Bush subsequently.

Simple. Clear cut. Not debatable. But we're talking today about an action taken by Obama. So in the eyes of Congressional Republicans beholden to the fringe one-third of their party, Obama's actions are illegal, immoral, completely different than the actions of Reagan/Bush, and will lead to the decline of Western Civilization as we know it.

Speaking of the decline of Western Civilization for the moment, consider Congress. Surveys indicate that the American public has a higher opinion of cockroaches than they do of Congress. And Americans are more likely to invite a cockroach to dinner. So what are the stirrings that we hear from our newly minted Republican majority these days? Confrontation. Law suits. Even...yes...wait for
it...impeachment. Lessons of the past be damned. Government is the problem. We'll waste American's time and tax dollars. We'll shut the sucker down.

Incredible.

I wish that I could credit the commentator who pointed out that it is mind boggling that a black man with the middle name of Hussein thought that he had a chance to be elected President so soon after 9/11. Credulity strains to the max with the realization that he not only achieved his party's nomination, but that he actually became President.

How could anyone have thought that it could turn out well?