Obama appeals to key Latino group amid protests

President Obama on Monday urged Latinos across the country to get engaged in the political process and ahead of the 2012 elections amid protests over immigration reform from the audience at the National Council of La Raza’s (NCLR) annual conference in Washington.

Obama sparked emotions when he addressed the topic of immigration reform, arguably the top issue for Latino voters in the U.S.

The president garnered a hearty round of applause from the largely supportive audience when he referenced his campaign promise to “work tirelessly to fix our broken immigration system and make the Dream Act a reality.”

But the crowd voiced its displeasure with the lack of progress on immigration reform when Obama said he would not use an executive order to enact parts of an immigration reform bill, insisting that any measure has to go through Congress.

“Believe me, the idea of doing things on my own is very tempting. I promise you. Not just on immigration reform,” Obama said. “But … that’s not how our system works.”

“Change it!” shouted an audience member.

Chants of “‘Sí, se puede” and “Yes, you can” broke out as Obama tried to get back to his speech. A group of Dream Act students donning red shirts launched a silent protest at a table in the balcony, holding up their arms in the shape of an ‘x.’

Obama likely needs solid turnout from Latino voters, who supported him two-to-one in 2008, to win again in key swing states, especially in the West. NCLR is the largest Latino civil rights group in the U.S. and Obama is the third sitting president to address their annual conference.

But Republicans said that Obama was in danger of losing Latino voters.

“President Obama is going to have a difficult time trying to convince Hispanic voters that he has shown any leadership on the issues that matter most to them,” said Republican National Committee spokeswoman Victoria Martinez, citing high unemployment. President Obama has failed to live up to his campaign promises and voters, particularly Hispanic voters, are watching closely.”

Obama said that he is willing to take heat from Latino voters, but blamed Republicans for blocking immigration reform legislation over the past few years. He also vowed that he and his party would be on the side of immigration reform advocates if legislation comes forth.

“So yes, you are free to keep the heat on me and the Democrats … But the Democrats are with you,” he said. “I need a dance partner, and the floor is empty.”

He also touted his record on healthcare and Wall Street reform, saying that those issues are especially pertinent to Latinos, and contrasted his approach on a deficit-reduction deal to the Republicans’s.

“Are we a nation that asks only the middle class and the poor to bear the burden?” he asked. “We are better than that.”

If Latinos want to see their agenda advanced, Obama said, they need to apply political pressure on Washington.

“I need you to keep building a movement outside of Washington … one they can’t stop, one that’s greater than this community,” said Obama.

Jul 25th 2011
politics