Obama dampens hope for immigration reform this year; no "appetite" in Washington, midterms coming up

[Bluebear]

In a rare appearance in the press cabin on Air Force One, President Barack Obama sounded skeptical that he would sign comprehensive immigration reform this year.

Obama told reporters Wednesday night that he wants Congress to press forward with immigration reform but said he’s unsure lawmakers have the “appetite” to get it done and acknowledged it would be difficult to do without Republican support.

"So it's a matter of political will," Obama said. "Now, look, we've gone through a very tough year, and I've been working Congress pretty hard. So I know there may not be an appetite immediately to dive into another controversial issue. There's still work that has to be done on energy. Midterms are coming up.”

Obama fell short of setting a year-end deadline for immigration reform, instead saying he hopes "that we can get a working group that can move this forward, so that we've got serious legislation that solves the border problem and solves the wide range of issues that we face under immigration reform, in a way that can garner the support of the American people."

He said he has made calls to Republicans on the issue because while he believes he can get the majority of Democrats on board, he will need Republican votes to pass the measure. He singled out Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) for his current work on this issue, and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who supports the tough new law in his own state that has reignited the debate, for being a leader on the immigration the last time Congress took it up.


Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0410/36527.html#ixzz0mWkHtENS

[Igel]

1. I'm more cynical.

It's a great foil for dem rhetoric. A foil that can be used, rapier-like, to impale the repubs.

If there's actual legislation proposed, that might be a double-edged sword, and who knows which side it would cut more deeply.

Since private groups are likely to dispose of the Arizona law, or at least stop enforcement, there's no downside for dems to take a pass. Any injustice that does get committed is immaterial because it won't be laid at dems' feet.