Arizona Ruling Deepens Romney’s Immigration Muddle

[babylonsister]

Arizona Ruling Deepens Romney’s Immigration Muddle
By Alex Altman

snip//

Unsupported assertions and hyperbole were just part of the story. The more interesting dynamic following the court’s decision was the scrupulous evasion from Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign, which is caught between the hawkishness of the Republican Party’s conservative base and the political imperative not to alienate Latino voters. Shortly after the court’s ruling came down, Romney’s team blasted out a statement, reproduced below in full:

“Today’s decision underscores the need for a President who will lead on this critical issue and work in a bipartisan fashion to pursue a national immigration strategy. President Obama has failed to provide any leadership on immigration. This represents yet another broken promise by this President. I believe that each state has the duty — and the right — to secure our borders and preserve the rule of law, particularly when the federal government has failed to meet its responsibilities. As Candidate Obama, he promised to present an immigration plan during his first year in office. But 4 years later, we are still waiting.”

Finely woven gossamer, constructed to resemble an actual stance. It didn’t say whether Romney agreed or disagreed with the 5–3 majority, and it didn’t answer the lingering question of whether a Romney Administration would revoke Obama’s directive to stop deporting illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. as children — let alone how he might deal with the roughly 12 million people estimated to be living in the U.S. illegally. Pressed by reporters on these points, Romney’s traveling press secretary, Rick Gorka, got roped into an excruciating exchange, the full transcript of which is available here, courtesy of Politico. It underscores the campaign’s reluctance to stake out a fully developed position on an electrified issue that could sidetrack Romney from talking about the economy.

snip//

The regulations have become “a muddle,” Romney said, because of Obama’s failure to implement a long-term solution to the immigration issue. As he did during a speech to a Latino group last week, Romney offered a vague pledge to coax Congress into a lasting solution on a complex issue. “In my first year, I will make sure we actually do take on immigration, we secure our border, we make sure that we grow legal immigration in a way that provides people here with skill and expertise that we want. This is an issue that has to be tackled. I will tackle it, not with stopgap measures but with the kind of work that’s done across the aisle by people of good faith,” he said.

The Obama campaign, sensing Romney’s desire to avoid a showdown over immigration, wants to make the Republican’s evasiveness an issue of its own. “I will always tell you where I stand. I will always tell you what I think, what I believe,” the President told a crowd gathered on Monday at a steamy high school gym in Durham, N.H.

more...

http://swampland.time.com/2012/06/26/arizona-ruling-deepens-romneys-immigration-muddle/?iid=sl-main-lede

[Rosa Luxemburg]

1. What is Romney's immigration plan?

I haven't heard it yet? Is he still building the border wall?

[babylonsister]

2. Difficult to get a straight answer out of him.

I know he wanted all the immigrants to self-deport themselves (can't remember the actual term). He won't have a 'plan' til someone hands him one, and even then, he'll flip. It's the romney way!

[babylonsister]

3. The term IS self-deport...