Amnesty by Obama would have consequences for Democrats

The words “deportation relief” jumped out at me from Greg Sargent’s Washington Post blog posting titled “Get ready for a titanic battle over immigration.” Those two words seem so benign compared with “amnesty” — the preferred usage in the GOP lexicon — but that is their meaning.

President Barack Obama was dangling a promise to issue an executive order to shield millions of undocumented immigrants from deportation before the end of the summer; the order would be so big, an aide boasted, that Republicans might try to impeach Obama. Then the White House had to revise the promise — with a new plan to act after the midterm elections. This is a pledge the White House should delay again. As a lame-duck Congress convenes, it would be a big mistake for the president to legalize the presence of millions of undocumented immigrants with the stroke of a pen.

Now the president has to deal with a cold wind come to Washington. The latest Gallup poll shows that a modest 36 percent of voters have a favorable view of the Democratic Party. Republicans enjoy higher numbers — 42 percent — for the first time since 2011. It’s time to back off. As Obama himself famously said, “elections have consequences.”

House Speaker John Boehner told reporters, “I’ve made clear to the president that if he acts unilaterally on his own outside of his authority, he will poison the well, and there will be no chance for immigration reform moving in this Congress.” Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell warned that an executive order would be “like waving a red flag in front of a bull.”

Some Democrats are pushing for the president to sign a big order now and seal the party’s hold on Latino and Asian voters. An ABC News/Washington Post exit poll found that 64 percent of midterm voters favor a policy to allow employed undocumented immigrants to apply for legal status. So these partisans may think that a White House action would enhance their standing with most voters.

If so, I don’t think the good feelings would last long. After the president signed his Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals to shield from deportation undocumented immigrants who came here as children, there were 68,000 unaccompanied minors apprehended at the border in fiscal 2014. Then polls showed that 53 percent of Americans wanted the government to speed up deportation of asylum seekers. What happens if the president, by the stroke of a pen, legalizes the presence of millions of undocumented adults? You make something legal, you get more of it. Surge 2.0.

Obama argues that though he prefers to work with Congress, “what we can’t do is just keep on waiting.” He doesn’t have to wait; he can work the issue — for once.

In two years, there will be a new president, perhaps a Republican. Do Democrats want to have bolstered the argument that presidents may act unilaterally — and bypass laws passed by Congress — because they cannot get Congress to play along?

George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley warned this summer about an “uber-presidency”: “The president’s pledge to effectively govern alone is alarming, and what is most alarming is his ability to fulfill that pledge. When a president can govern alone, he can become a government unto himself, which is precisely the danger the Framers sought to avoid.”

Email Debra J. Saunders at dsaunders@sfchronicle.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Opinion

Initiative promoter Tim Eyman takes a selfie photo before the start of a session of Thurston County Superior Court, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021, in Olympia, Wash. Eyman, who ran initiative campaigns across Washington for decades, will no longer be allowed to have any financial control over political committees, under a ruling from Superior Court Judge James Dixon Wednesday that blasted Eyman for using donor's contributions to line his own pocket. Eyman was also told to pay more than $2.5 million in penalties. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
Editorial: Initiative fee increase protects process, taxpayers

Bumped up to $156 from $5, the increase may discourage attempts to game the initiative process.

toon
Editorial cartoons for Thursday, March 28

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

Washington state senators and representatives along with Governor Inslee and FTA Administrator Nuria Fernandez break ground at the Swift Orange Line on Tuesday, April 19, 2022 in Lynnwood, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Editorial: Community Transit making most of Link’s arrival

The Lynnwood light rail station will allow the transit agency to improve routes and frequency of buses.

Protecting forests and prevent another landslide like Oso

Thank you for the powerful and heartbreaking article about the Oso landslide… Continue reading

Boeing’s downfall started when engineers demoted

Boeing used to be run by engineers who made money to build… Continue reading

Learn swimming safety to protect kids at beach, pool

Don’t forget to dive into water safety before hitting the pool or… Continue reading

An image of Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin is reflected in a storefront window during the State of the City Address on Thursday, March 21, 2024, at thee Everett Mall in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Editorial: State of city address makes case for Everett’s future

Mayor Franklin outlines challenges and responses as the city approaches significant decisions.

FILE - The massive mudslide that killed 43 people in the community of Oso, Wash., is viewed from the air on March 24, 2014. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)
Editorial: Mapping landslide risks honors those lost in Oso

Efforts continue in the state to map areas prone to landslides and prevent losses of life and property.

Comment: Why shootings have decreased but gun deaths haven’t

High-capacity magazines and ‘Glock switches’ that allow automatic fire have increased lethality.

toon
Editorial cartoons for Wednesday, March 27

A sketchy look at the news of the day.… Continue reading

Burke: ‘Why not write about Biden, for once?’ Don’t mind if I do.

They asked; I’ll oblige. Let’s consider what the president has accomplished since the 2020 election.

Comment: Catherine missed chance to dispel shame of cancer

She wasn’t obligated to do so, but she might have used her diagnosis to educate a sympathetic public.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.