Regardless, the situation is simple. Obama’s talking point–and Democrats evolve these things with care, which is why you always see them talking about talking points, one of which is that Republicans use talking points, but that they implicitly don’t, which itself is a good talking point–is that “If Congress doesn’t act, I have to.”
The response, the obvious response, is that “The President doesn’t get to tell Congress what to do.” Period.
Expansion: if Congress decides NEVER to forgive people who came here illegally, if it chooses to treat them the way MEXICO treats illegal immigrants, that is their prerogative. The Presidents JOB, REMAINS, enforcing existing laws, which he is plainly not only not doing, but not doing FLAGRANTLY. He does not get to decide which laws he likes and which he doesn’t. Period. Anything else is incompetence or law breaking.
Added thought: Obama cannot naturalize these people even within his grossly inflated sense of Executive entitlement. This move, therefore, will NOT create legal voters, and will piss off roughly 90% of the American electorate, which is the percentage I see opposing this action.
As I understand it, what he wants to do is simply make official his de facto policy of not enforcing our immigration laws. This does not put people on welfare rolls, legally at least. And it certainly does not make them citizens.
And to the extent Congress takes this as a poke in the eye, it extends, perhaps forever, the amount of time before these people actually get American citizenship. Hispanic activists, therefore, should not only not take this as a victory–since practically little is changing–but quite possibly as a major strategic defeat. Republicans are on sound polling ground in opposing this, and that is not likely to change any time soon.
I have in the past overlooked these elements, and am assuming–perhaps mistakenly–that I have understood the situation now.
As I say from time to time, I screw up. I am not a full time media consumer, and no doubt channel some ideational version of Emily Litella on occasion.