Obama meets with "stakeholders" for amnesty propaganda push ("immigration reform")

Earlier today, Barack Obama met with a group of 70 "stakeholders" to discuss a new push for comprehensive immigration reform. The stakeholders in question represent only a small number of Americans; see the list below. The Whitehouse blurb released about the meeting is at [1], and the goal seems to have been alluded to in this part: "[Obama] urged meeting participants to take a public and active role to lead a constructive and civil debate on the need to fix the broken immigration system".

In other words, he wants those listed below to help propagandize this issue, almost assuredly using lies like the one used in the blurb (see system is broken). In the blurb he also expressed disappointment that the DREAM Act amnesty failed. That anti-American bill would have allowed the illegal aliens covered by it take college educations away from Americans.

In a better world, propaganda pushes wouldn't be that much to worry about. Unfortunately, those who might be the loudest opponents to this push lack certain qualities that make resistance more difficult. Other very loud possible opponents lack integrity and are willing to cave in exchange for various promises. Other, very loud and annoying supposed Obama opponents (i.e., the tea parties) have an even greater lack of certain qualities and are led by corrupt amnesty supporters (FreedomWorks' Dick Armey, Grover Norquist, the Koch family, etc.) Plus, the Teapartiers don't exactly have a good record when it comes to opposing amnesty, preferring to concentrate on other, less important issues. And, GOP hacks won't see the value in opposing a not-very-likely amnesty. That's despite how important it is to the U.S. to lessen illegal immigration and despite how vulnerable the Democrats are on the issue.

So, while yet another amnesty push doesn't stand much of a chance, it's chances are greater than they'd be without supposed Obama opponents who are incompetent or corrupt.

Here's a list of some of those who attended or at least were expected to attend. See their name's link for background:

* Leith Anderson, President, National Association of Evangelicals
* Michael Bloomberg
* Bill Bratton, Former Police Chief of Los Angeles and New York
* Julian Castro, mayor of San Antonio
* Michael Chertoff, Former secretary of the Department of Homeland Security
* John Engler, president of the Business Roundtable
* Eric Garcetti, Los Angeles City Council President
* Carlos Gutierrez, Former Secretary of the Commerce Department
* Raymond Kelly, Commissioner, New York City Police Department
* Mel Martinez, Former United States Senator, now with JPMorgan Chase Bank
* Greg Page, Chairman and CEO of Cargill
* Federico Pena, Former Secretary of Transportation and Secretary of Energy
* John Podesta, CEO, Center for American Progress
* Charles Ramsey, Chief of Police, City of Philadelphia/President, Major City Chiefs
* Al Sharpton, President, National Action Network
* Sheryl Sandberg, COO, Facebook
* Arnold Schwarzenegger, Former California Governor
* Richard Trumka, AFL CIO
* John Wester, Bishop, Archdiocese of Salt Lake City

Administration officials who attended include:

* Attorney General Eric Holder
* Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar
* Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis
* Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano
* Cecilia Munoz, Deputy Assistant to the President & Director of Intergovernmental Affairs
* Valerie Jarrett, Assistant to the President & Senior Advisor
* Nancy Ann DeParle, Assistant to the President & Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy
* Melody Barnes, Assistant to the President & Director of Domestic Policy Council
* Gene Sperling, Assistant to the President for Economic Policy & Director of National Economic Council
* Austan Goolsbee, Chairman, Council of Economic Advisers
* Heidi Avery, Deputy Assistant to the President for Homeland Security

[1] From whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/04/19/
readout-presidents-meeting-stakeholders-fixing-broken-immigration-system
See the list of immigration talking points for why parts of the following are misleading:

Readout of the President's Meeting with Stakeholders on Fixing the Broken Immigration System

In a meeting in the State Dining Room this afternoon, the President and members of his Cabinet and senior staff met with a broad group of business, law enforcement, faith, and former and current elected leaders from across the political spectrum to hear their ideas and suggestions on how to tackle our shared challenge of fixing our nation’s broken immigration system in order to meet our 21st century economic and security needs.

The President reiterated his deep disappointment that Congressional action on immigration reform has stalled and that the DREAM Act failed to pass in the U.S. Senate after passing with a bipartisan majority in the U.S. House in December. The President listened to stakeholders describe a variety of problems that result from the broken system, including: educating the best and brightest but then shipping that talent overseas; concerns over the ability of businesses to reliably hire and retain a legal workforce; and the need to level the playing field for American workers by ending the underground labor market. In addition, local law enforcement officers expressed concern that without reform, enforcing federal immigration laws is a distraction from their important public safety and crime fighting mandates to keep their local communities safe, and faith leaders highlighted the damage to families and communities when families are separated, including parents who are taken away from their U.S. Citizen children.

The President reiterated his commitment to comprehensive immigration reform that both strengthens security at our borders while restoring accountability to the broken immigration system, and pointed out that perpetuating a broken immigration system is not an option if America is to win the future.

The President made it clear that while his Administration continues to improve our legal immigration system, secure our borders, and enhance our immigration enforcement so that it is more effectively and sensibly focusing on criminals, the only way to fix what’s broken about our immigration system is through legislative action in Congress. The President noted that he will continue to work to forge bipartisan consensus and will intensify efforts to lead a civil debate on this issue in the coming weeks and months, but also noted that he cannot be successful if he is leading the debate alone. The President urged meeting participants to take a public and active role to lead a constructive and civil debate on the need to fix the broken immigration system. He stressed that in order to successfully tackle this issue they must bring the debate to communities around the country and involve many sectors of American society in insisting that Congress act to create a system that meets our nation's needs for the 21st century and that upholds America's history as a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants. The President further committed that his Cabinet and White House team will follow up with each participant to maximize the outcome of this meeting in order to elevate the immigration debate.