We had far too much news to cover. The Obama Dream Act announcement was not brought out until the last 15 minutes of our meeting, and much of our discussion was about the heckler. For those that missed the announcement here is a link to Obama's annoucement.
There was much more to this story. Ron only had a brief time to mention the political implications. Let me use this blog to bring out some points that I wish we had time to cover.
1. Did Obama trap Romney, who has yet to issue an opinion on the Dream Act?
2. Will this encourage Hispanic voter turn-out in keys states like Florida?
3. Is it more likely that Marco Rubio will be picked as Romney's running mate?
4. Was the timing of the announcement to coincide with the Supreme Court ruling on the Arizona immigration laws?
5. Is Arizona now in play?
6. Does this announcement justify Obama's crackdown at the border?
7. Can we now expect Obama to come out in favor of other immigration reform?
All good questions that deserve thoughtful response and expansion. If no one is using the room would it be possible to add 30 minutes to our Monday meeting to discuss a pre-specified topic? Norm F.
ReplyDeleteMaybe we can have an overtime period, but many people have to leave at 11:30.
ReplyDeleteIt won't hurt to ask.
I wasn't thinking about anything official. If people want to stay, it's their choice. Some people leave each week at 11:15 or so for other commitments and others continue to discuss one topic or another in the main lobby. In any case we should discuss it with Lowell because the idea may have been proposed and failed in the past. Norm F
DeleteIf the room is not being used, maybe at 11:30 we can say that for those who want to continue the discussion can get a cup of coffee and come back to the room for more discussion. If we thought of it last week we could have invited people to used the time to consume the cupcakes you brought.
DeleteWill the parents of these children also be allowed to stay here? How many Hispanics are actually eligible to vote? I assume there must be quite a few, or Obama wouldn't have done this. I hope that Marco Rubio is not selected for Romney's VP; he is another warmonger, among other undesirable things.
ReplyDeleteThere are many Hispanic US citizens that will vote and are sympathetic to the plight of Hispanic non-citizens. They could make the difference in Florida. Look at this electoral map, http://electoral-vote.com/ , to see how critical Florida is.
ReplyDeleteThere is a new Florida poll which give Obama a slight lead.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.wmfe.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=12959&news_iv_ctrl=1041