Barack Obama misleads, does sales job on illegal immigration (CNN Democratic "debate")

At tonight's CNN/Politico/Los Angeles Times Democratic "debate" (link), per lightweight illegal immigration supporter Marc Cooper (link):

The candidates also cautiously sparred on the potentially explosive issue of immigration with Obama rejecting a moderator's question that assumed that African-Americans were suffering because of illegal immigration. America's working poor were feeling economic uncertainty "before the latest round of immigrants showed up," Obama said. "We should not use immigration as a tactic to divide," he said.

Apparently Obama lives in a fantasy world where millions of low-wage, low-skill illegal aliens don't have an impact on our own low-wage workers. If the MSM weren't completely corrupt they'd ask him to explain the large percentage of those who are permanently unemployed, especially blacks. And, the last part is an attempt to end debate about this issue by calling those who question importing millions of low-wage workers "dividers".

CNN also asked about driver's licenses for illegal aliens, something that Obama strongly supports. However, CNN's tack was just to gin up controversy regarding possible flip-flops, it wasn't to have an actual adult conversation about whether giving foreign citizens who are here illegally driver's licenses is good public policy.

In an appearance earlier in the day, Obama corrupt nature on this issue was on full display (link):

"We have to stop letting those in power turn us against each other. No place do I see this more than in our immigration debate. I am tired of people of people using this as a political football... ...My father when he came here, he didn't look like you know - he didn't look like he stepped off the Mayflower. But we have to remember the history of immigration in this country. When the Irish first came, people were anti-Irish, when the Italians first came, people were anti-Italian and so we've got to remember our own past history... And let me remind everybody that not everybody who came in through Ellis Island had their papers in order."

There are a lot of things wrong with that statement, it's too bad there wasn't a real reporter around to call him on it (instead of CBS News' Maria Gavrilovic).

1. Once again, Obama is trying to excuse illegal activity because he's a corrupt and he wants to obtain political power.
2. He plays the race card.
3. He engages in a logical fallacy: today's immigration is not like yesterday's.
4. The bit about Ellis Island makes no sense at all, since EI was an official entry point, not an unofficial entry point such as our southern border. Everyone who made it through Ellis Island had their papers in order by definition; those who arrived at Ellis Island had no official papers to begin with (other than those related to the steamship passage).

The part she doesn't mention showed even more explicitly that he's a demagogue (link):

"What I don't like are people focusing on just south-of-the-border immigrants... I don't hear about immigrants from Ireland or Poland. It's very important that we have an intelligent debate about immigration not tinged with attitudes about what people should look like."

He's not just playing the race card, he's doing it in an extremely sleazy fashion. Most of our illegal aliens do come from Mexico, and many people have commented on Irish illegal aliens, for instance pointing out that one of their advocacy groups is partially funded by the Irish government. And, needless to say, anyone who pretends the issue is what illegal aliens "look like" is not interested in an "intelligent debate".

UPDATE: Here's another report from the last event:

[BHO] quoted a woman he'd met on the campaign trail who had despaired of getting her daughter's school to remedy a problem and who told him, "schools aren't designed for people like us. Health care isn't designed for people like us," Obama continued, "the economy isn't designed for people like us. This is our country," he said, his voice rising, "America should be designed for people like us!"

Harold Meyerson was foolish enough to think "people like us" referred to people like him.

Comments

"It's very important that we have an intelligent debate about immigration not tinged with attitudes about what people should look like." It's MORE important that we have an intelligent debate about immigration not tinged with playing the xenophobia and race cards. I am tired of politicians whose only apparent concern about immigration is whether there is resentment of who's immigrating. There has always been some of that and there always will. So cut the dialogue-killing tactics so we can actually have that debate on immigration as a POLICY, not a holier-than-though contest.

I thought the weakest media non-follow up tonight was an opportunity they've missed at many prior debates. Hillary Clinton: 12 (million) to 14 million people here -- what will we do with them? Well, I hear the voices from the other side of the aisle, I hear the voices on TV and radio, and they are living in some other universe, talking about deporting people, rounding them up. I don't agree with that, and I don't think it's practical. McManus (if I could telepathically put words into his mouth): Specifically, who are these Republican voices you refer to? The voices on TV? Are you referring to Lou Dobbs? Who's calling for 'rounding them up' and I want names with a quote or close as possible paraphrase. http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/02/01/america/31textdebate.php [note: the pol who's using the 'round up' phrase is John McCain http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=OWMwMmQ4NGMxMWUwY2ZhMWFjODgwODliYjJhMzgzMjE=

Illegal immigration is the most serious domestic problem facing this country. I agree with Dragon Horse, there's a difference between immigrants and illegal aliens. When I watched Barack Obama make his ignorant statement on the illegal immigration issue by stating, immigrants are not taking jobs from blacks, I was horrified! Senator Obama, we are not talking about "legal" immigrants, but illegal aliens. As a registered Democrat in the District of Columbia, I will not be casting my vote for any Democratic candidate in the primary on February 12th. I was going to vote for Obama in the primary, but after his ignorant remarks on illegal immigration, I will not be voting for him. For those blacks and others who don't think illegal immigration is a problem are living in the "Twilight Zone". There is no Mexican-Central American/black coalition. I suggest, go on the Congressional Black Caucus blog on illegal immigration and read the racist comments by Renegade, a Hispanic. The majority of blacks on this blog are against amnesty or citizenship for an estimate 20 million illegal aliens in the United States. I live in this madness daily in the Washington, D.C. area. I am seeing my middle class neighborhood become a Salvadoran barrio. Myself and others feel helpless, because these spineless politicians are pandering to Salvadorans-Mexicans as the chosen people. http://www.house.gov/htbin/blog_inc?BLOG,mi13_kilpatrick,blog,999,All,Item%20not%20found,ID=070523_0632,TEMPLATE=postingdetail.shtml

Awesome, awesome commentary! I couldn't have said it any better. Superb. Check out: http://terrencesays.blogspot.com/2008/02/clinton-vs-obama-on-illegal-immigration.html