Black Man Thinkin'

These comments, delivered on July 25th, 2011 before the National Council of La Raza, are chilling:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wD5Y88UWno[/youtube]

As are these, delivered to a Univision audience on March 28th, 2011:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfZ3kaKZoIw[/youtube]

and these, spoken during a February 14th, 2013 Google Hangout:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSV9n-v_0KI[/youtube]

As well as any of these other comments, uttered by the current president:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehH8KMIxntQ[/youtube]

They are chilling because now the president said this on November 19th, 2014:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeT_vu31eaw[/youtube]

Obama has now effectively exercised power he said he had not, behaved as the emperor he claimed he was not, and bypassed Congress as he pledged he would not:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBsS6kGXaYU[/youtube]

The obvious question is, “Why?” To begin to answer, one needs to determine how important immigration reform is…and to whom.

Though not on any ballots, Obama pushed immigration reform ahead of Nov 2014 midterm elections, while on-ballot Democrats simply threw everything against the wall, looking to see what might stick against Republicans; immigration reform was in the mix, but far from a main ingredient. As Democrats sought to distance themselves from a politically toxic president, Obama reminded voters that, while he was not running, every one of his policies, including immigration reform, were.

However, immigration reform was not a voter priority; even Hispanic voters seemed ambivalent.

For the record, during Obama’s presidency, immigration reform has yet to energize (legal) voters. It did not excite them in 2008, or in 2010, or 2012. The Democrat “electoral extinction event”, ongoing since 2008, would suggest that it still fails to excite the electorate.

Simply put, the American electorate is not interested in immigration reform; the majority believe the government is not doing enough to remove illegal aliens from the U.S.

Therefore, it is not surprising no immigration reform legislation has passed during the Obama presidency; not from January 2009 through January 2011, when his fellow Democrats held majorities in the House and the Senate, or since. Not surprising, either, is that the lack of an immigration reform bill has not halted Republican electoral gains, federal or state, in the last 6 years.

Nevertheless, the president disregards the people’s will, bypassing their duly elected representatives, to do as he pleases; effectively turning government “of the people, by the people, for the people” into something resembling how the colonists viewed England under George III.

So, if not the voters, to whom is the president catering? Quite frankly, it is two classes of non-voters. The day after the election, Obama gave a curious nod to registered non-participants:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4mBVL6Qz0Y[/youtube]

which inspired one reporter to ask if the president led the “Non-Voters of America” coalition, the presidential equivalent of a ventriloquist’s dummy, whose whispers can only be heard by Obama, and whose silent “voice” is subject, solely, to the president’s interpretation.

The second class of non-voters…are actually non-citizens. The Hispanic advocacy group, La Raza, which many believe supports illegal immigration, is also quite cozy with the Obama administration. The president, http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/07/23/remarks-first-lady-national-council-la-raza, and the Vice President and the outgoing Attorney General, have all attended La Raza events. By way of contrast, Obama skipped the 2012 NAACP Convention, sending Joe Biden instead.

Also, the Obama administration hired a former La Raza Vice President in 2009, and nearly tripled federal funding to the organization. Again, by way of contrast, the former NAACP member hired by the Obama administration led to Obama establishing a Gulf Oil Spill Claims facility for which the NAACP lobbied.

So, the first elected black president seems more inclined to represent the interests of America’s illegal immigrants than those of America’s blacks. He seems more sympathetic to the plight of those who would steal the right to the franchise and the American Dream than to those who bled and died to earn their rights to the same…and some of the folks are waking up to the fact:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9ixOsjut3E[/youtube]

And, make no mistake, America’s blacks will be disproportionately harmed by actions that make it easier for illegal immigrants to come or stay in the country. Interestingly, while acknowledging the coming harm to blacks, some “black leaders” actually lauded the president’s executive action.

Therefore, the president betrayed America’s blacks who overwhelmingly supported him twice, and those who should appeal on their behalf for moderation from the president have instead co-signed his treachery.

And blacks are not the only ones who will suffer; all American lower wage workers will be hard-pressed to find higher wages or more job opportunities, or even the same level of government services as the number of illegal immigrants increase…just as the president indicated…when he was a Senator.

So, the president’s about-face on immigration helps those who do not vote and those who should not be voting; it hurts all of America’s citizens, and especially those who, as a voting bloc, showed him the most support and loyalty.

What may be worse about this is that those in the federal government who oppose the president’s actions, though they soon will possess superior numbers, still likely posses an inferior level of resolve. Despite their governmental, and constitutional, being relatively clear, Republicans can’t figure out how to respond. Which is odd, since they knew, some time ago, that the president would take this action.

The situation is as follows, regarding illegal immigration:

• The American people oppose the president’s action,
• Portrayals of Obama as worthy of impeachment have gained traction among voters,
• Republicans won majorities in both House of Congress, meaning they control the agenda, and
• The Constitution provides them multiple, effective, responses to carry out the will of the people…

Yet the GOP is both hesitant and far less decisive than the electoral victory they just achieved.

Because, within D.C., the GOP are not interested in the welfare of Americans; their concern is the acquisition and exercise of power. Therefore, the interests of the party will trump the interests of the country in the fashioning of their response…as it has with Obamacare…as it has with reducing government spending.

They would rather keep the federal government running, at any cost, so they might have someone in 2016 who can wield power as Obama has, than see federal influence in the affairs of citizens decrease one iota.

And as long as the electorate believes that voting alone is enough to protect their interests and their liberty, the federal beast will continue to devour both.