June 01, 2008

Scott Aust/Rapid City Journal helps Obama hide behind kid to support illegal immigration

Scott Aust of the Rapid City Journal offers "Mom proud of teen's moment with Obama" (link) about seventh-grader Steven Cady who asked Barack Obama about immigration in Rapid City, South Dakota yesterday. That article has the heartwarming backstory, with everyone thinking everything was just great. However, to get the actual question we turn to another story also by Aust ("Obama stresses differences between himself and policies of Bush-McCain", link):

"Doesn't everyone outside of America deserve to come to America and have the freedom that they deserve?" Cady asked to a round of applause and cheers.

Now, if someone asked me that I'd point out that there are billions and billions of people who'd like to come here and for various reasons we can't invite them all. So, we have to have limits. And, I'd point out that allowing people an "out" of coming here could (and does) cause them not to fix the problems at home, and it's best that we avoided that. And, I'd point out that, for instance, allowing massive immigration from one country gives the sending country political power inside the U.S., and that's something we have to avoid.

Needless to say, Obama took a different tack by simply playing back what he's said many times before. After some small talk about Cady's interests:

Obama remarked again about how smart Cady was, and a woman in the crowd, Linda Mallory, stood up and yelled, "I'm his teacher." The crowd roared.

In response to Cady's immigration question, Obama said as a nation of immigrants, America should encourage immigration, but it should be done legally. He advocated for secure borders, better surveillance and sanctions for companies that knowingly recruit and hire undocumented workers.

For the 12 million undocumented workers here already, Obama said his administration would require them to register, pay back taxes and learn English so they can assimilate.

"When we've done those thing,s we give them a pathway to earn citizenship and become part of broader American community," he said.

It isn't that very difficult to find several examples of Obama saying those same things. For just one example, here's an Obama editorial from April:

Second, we must require the 12 million undocumented immigrants who are already here, including more than 300,000 in North Carolina, to step out of the shadows and onto a path that includes the ability to earn citizenship by demonstrating a sound character, a commitment to America, and a strong work ethic... While it's unrealistic to deport them, illegal entry cannot go unpunished. That's why we must require them to pay a fine, learn English, and get to the back of the line for citizenship behind those who came here legally... We are a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants, and we must reconcile those traditions...

I don't expect a seventh-grader to know how to look up Obama's immigration positions and his past statements on the internet, although I'm sure many can. But, if Aust were a real reporter he would have spent less time on letting Obama hide behind yet another kid and more time on pointing out how Obama used the kid as just an entree to a recitation of his talking points. And, if Aust were a real reporter and not just a hack, it would have been him who had asked a question, and it would have pointed out a few of the endless things wrong with Obama's positions on this issue.

UPDATE: Rapid City is in South Dakota, not Iowa as previously stated. However, they still get the internet in both states, so finding out that Obama simply launched into his stock speech and pointing that out shouldn't have been difficult.

Posted to Immigration2008a at June 1, 2008 11:38 AM