Obama at CHCI: A Promise of a Next Big Moment, If It Comes

By Victor Landa, NewsTaco

Thursday night was the latest big moment in U.S. immigration politics.

There have been several, so when President Obama took the podium at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute’s (CHCI) black-tie gala, all ears were tuned to what he would say. For those of you keeping score, we’ll take two steps back to set this up.

At the end of Spring Mr. Obama said he would act on immigration, with the strength of executive action, by the end of the summer season. That was a big moment, and the President was applauded.

As the end of summer approached Mr.Obama changed his tack. This was another big moment. He said the promised planned action on immigration would have to wait. Like a coach explaining x’s and o’s to a weary team, he said the timing was not right to launch an executive immigration offensive because there was a lot at stake in the November mid-term election. This was the reasoning: if he moved on immigration the conservative opposition would be riled into tossing Democratic Senators and House members out of office. This makes tactical sense, until you consider that anything Mr. Obama does will rile the opposition.

So this wasn’t about the the Obama detractors. The anti-Obama phalanx is safely predictable. They’ll rise in indignation whether the President acts on immigration or walks into a room. This was about his partisans, it was about using immigration as political action bait – a classic enemy-at-the-gate scenario where immigration reform proponents (many of whom are vowing to boycott the mid-term election) would be moved to mobilize.

There was a firestorm. Promises not kept will do that. But it was also a terrific set-up for the third big moment – the CHCI speech. Mr. Obama walked into a room filled with black-tied Latinos and pled his case. From what I understand it was tense. And it was also punctuated by the interruption of an irate DREAMER who took the President to task over promises made and people deported. The DREAMER, named Blanca Hernandez, made her loud point, and kept making it until she was escorted (removed) from the premises.

Back on point, the President who balked on promises twice, asked the room of bow ties and shimmering gowns to “have his back.”

Forward the video to 23:54 to hear the President’s 13:41 minute speech.

Sounding like a general who looks over his shoulder before he leads a charge, Mr. Obama said the anti-immigration front will be aggravated after he acts sometime between the November election and the end of the year – and he’ll need Latinos to stand by him.

Think of it as a month’s worth of speculation, punditry and high-decibel opinion. It’s sure to come and ramp up until Obama takes his pen and signs an executive order.

That’ll be the next big moment in immigration politics, and given the result of the last two big moments, I have to add – if it comes.

[Screenshot and video courtesy of The White House]

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