Obama plan transcends political advantage

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June 21, 2012

Obama plan transcends political advantage

Anonymous Daily Star The Daily Star Sat Sep 22, 2012, 03:39 PM EDT

The dust is just beginning to settle on President Barack Obama's new immigration initiative, but the political dust-up is only just beginning.

Obama announced Friday a policy that will allow undocumented immigrants 30 or younger who came to this country when they were 16 or younger a chance to stay. Those eligible can apply for a renewable two-year period for work authorization and deferral of any deportation actions against them.

Those who meet that criteria may apply for a status that would keep them from being deported as long as they haven't been convicted of a felony or serious misdemeanor and aren't considered a threat to national security.

At least in the first blush of reaction to the president's move, it would appear to be politically brilliant. Common wisdom has it that any Republican presidential candidate must carry at least 40 percent of the Latino vote. Mitt Romney wasn't polling close to that before Friday, and now faces an even stronger headwind.

A poll by Latino Decisions published Sunday said 49 percent of Latinos support Obama's re-election more enthusiastically because of the order. A Bloomberg poll conducted after Friday showed that two-thirds of all Americans support Obama's initiative.

There are 15 million more Latinos in the United States now than in 2000, and 20 percent of them live in five swing states that could decide the election in November _ North Carolina, Virginia, Florida, Colorado and Nevada.

Romney is scheduled to speak today to the annual conference of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials. It will be interesting to see if he will bring up some of the statements on immigration he made during the Republican primaries while courting the far right elements of his party.

Will he repeat his answer to the problem of up to 13 million undocumented immigrants in this country, or will he skip all that "self-deportation" stuff? Will he still insist he would veto a "Dream Act" bill with a path to citizenship if passed by Congress?

Obama, who will speak to the same group Friday, is more likely to receive a warm welcome. We hope he will talk about what he called in his Friday announcement "the right thing to do."

The president must come forward with a long-range solution to deal with those who don't fall under the guidelines of his plan. But there is only so much a president can do. Congress, where Republicans have resisted the Dream Act, is where real progress must emerge.

Perhaps Latinos flexing their political muscle for Obama's re-election will be the only thing that can persuade Congress that meaningful immigration reform is "the right thing to do."