Riehl World View

Why Immigration Is The Key For Obama In 2012

Combining two bits of analysis, one from the Right and one the Left, tells you all you need to know as to why Obama is now pushing the immigration issue, just as Reid played it in Nevada in 2010.

This first item via Ford O'Connell, a solid electoral analyst and friend, who blogs at Project Virginia.

So who or what does Obama need to target if he is going to win re-election? According to the recently released 2010 Census data, Obama should primarily be focused on the economy and jobs as it relates to independents and Hispanics in Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada and New Mexico. All of these states have newly minted Republican governors who are under the gun to improve the economic plight of their respective states. If these governors stumble, their constituents will be looking for a quick fix and they won’t hesitate to pull the lever again for Obama.

Then over to an item by Ezra Klein, which Ford links to, as well. The Hispanic vote in a handful of states is critical to Obama in his campaign for re-election. Consequently, his bringing it up was always anticipated and it has far more to do with his winning re-election, than performing responsibly as chief executive of the United States.

In the short term, this is very good for Republicans. But is that true in the long term? A lot of these changes are driven by Hispanic immigrants.Texas gets more seats now, but the way it's getting those seats bring us closer to the day when Texas becomes a viable target for Democrats. Same goes for Arizona -- and that's a state where Hispanics are getting increasingly radicalized against the GOP. As Larry Littlefield pithily puts it, "It seems that most of the growth is in Blue portions of Red states."

Update: McConnell Dream Act Speculation Much Ado About Nothing

Update: A previous statement (Nov 18) of priorities by McConnell here. Democrats can dream about the DREAM Act all they want. The rest of this year is likely to be focused on tax policy, as it should be given our current economic concerns. Obama and the Democrats ignored the economy, opting for obession on health care - and they paid for it at the polls. Similarly, they would be foolish to push the DREAM Act now. Fiscal policy seems to be the GOP's and McConnell's chief concern, as it should be, in my opinion.

“The deadline to prevent a tax hike on every American taxpayer is January 1, and the clock is ticking. While some in Congress have a strange desire to raise taxes on hundreds of thousands of small businesses across the country, Republicans and a growing chorus of Democrats believe that no one should have the government take even more out of their paycheck next year.”

A tweet by Democrat Mickey Kaus seemed to sound an alarm as regards potential passage of the DREAM Act in the lame duck session. It appears to center around this bit from Jonathan Strong at the Daily Caller. Based upon a careful reading and some subsequent conversation, my guess is it isn't much of an issue at all. If McConnell doesn't have to worry about Lindsey Graham on cloture, along with Democrats like Ben Nelson being opposed to it, it's likely not a priority due to its slim chance of coming to a vote.

Stewart appears to have been speaking more about what they are focused upon, as opposed to issues that may drive headlines, but are all but DOA for now. Of course, it never hurts to let folks on the Hill know we're watching. Heh!  

Unfortunately for Martinez and other advocates, Graham is still a no, excuse or not.

Potentially offering hope to the legislation’s advocates, Don Stewart, a spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, said Republicans aren’t making it their top priority to kill the bill.

“I don’t have a whip count on it…Our priority is making sure no one gets a tax hike and funding the government while reducing spending,” Stewart said.

A man who knows more than almost anyone about politics, the director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, Larry Sabato, said passage was unlikely in the lame duck.

Huge Illegal immigration smuggling cell busted in Arizona

- Jennifer of Cubachi

Liberals actually want us to believe there is no problem in border states.

On Wednesday, after a year-long operation, Maricopa Country authorities in Arizona just busted a huge illegal immigration cell that helped thousands of illegals cross the border, get sent to drop houses in Phoenix, and distributed them across the country. 

Imagine who these illegals may be. We have no idea who entered the US. This is a national security concern, yet no one in Washington is willing to do what is necessary to protect this country.

Texas A&M: Battle Over Illegal Alien Tuition Heats Up

Via an email tip. See bill passed by the Texas A &M Student Senate - here. Who should pay more to attend Texas A&M, out of state residents, or non-US citizens?

A bill to clarify what demographics receive in-state tuition and oppose measures to give in-state tuition to persons residing in the United States illegally.

A couple of items on it in Texas media here and also here.

"The bill is just saying automatic in-state tuition based on residency in Texas should not be applied to people that are in the country illegally," Pulliam said.

Wednesday night more than 60 people protested outside of the Koldus Building opposing the bill and it was standing room only inside for the student senate meeting.

"We're against this simply because this shouldn't be at the student senate. The student senate at Texas A&M is there to help Aggies not to hurt Aggies or to cause emotional pain," said Texas A&M Senior Jose Luis.

 

Harry Reid Staffer Lied To Feds, Escaped Prosecution, Why?

Harry Reid's recently dismissed press secretary lied to authorities to conceal a sham marriage to Bassam Mahmoud Tarhini, who was being investigated by the Oklahoma City Joint Terror Task Force. Heckuva job, Harry. Heckuva job!

Diana Tejada, Reid’s Hispanic Press Secretary, admitted to receiving payment for “some of her expenses” in exchange for fraudulently marrying Bassam Mahmoud Tarhini in 2003, strictly so he could obtain permanent U.S. residency, according to court documents.

Tarhini, now 37, was held in jail and at an immigration detention center in connection with his 2009 indictment on felony charges, documents show. He pleaded guilty to entering a fraudulent marriage to evade immigration laws — a Class D felony — in November 2009, and he was deported in March 2010.

Tejada, now 28, was never charged for her role in the crime.

“We did not charge the woman, and of course we don’t discuss the reasons we don’t charge people,” said Bob Troester, spokesman for the Western District of Oklahoma U.S. Attorney’s Office, which prosecuted the case, which began as an FBI investigation out of the Oklahoma City Joint Terrorism Task Force.

Obama MIA On Texas Border Murder, Perry Steps Up

Obama seems to want to make the case that the border is a federal responsibility and states, as in Arizona, shouldn't interfere. Yet, given an opportunity to actually do something that should be his administration's responsibility, he's nowhere to be found. I imagine he's either campaigning, fund raising, playing golf, or vacationing, again. What an absolute incompetenthe's been in the WH. But then, the Obama's do have a history of no show jobs.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- The search for an American tourist reportedly shot dead on a border lake has led Texas Gov. Rick Perry to tangle with the Mexican government over the investigation and efforts to recover the body.

Perry said Wednesday that Mexico needs to use every resource available to find the body and have it returned to U.S. soil. He has asked Mexican President Felipe Calderon to call him, but no phone call had been scheduled Wednesday evening.

Tiffany Hartley says her husband, David, was shot by Mexican pirates on Falcon Lake last week as they were returning to the United States on Jet Skis. Falcon Lake is a dammed section of the Rio Grande that has been plagued by pirates who rob boaters and fisherman who wander into Mexican waters. Hartley's death would be the first killing on the lake.

Audio: Levin, Blogs Expose Allred Accomplice In Whitman Smear While AP Pleads Ignorance

As first noted in a post from September 30, Mark Levin pressed Gloria Allred on his radio show (initial audio), forcing her to expose the name of self-professed Progressive attorney, Mark Van Der Hout, who is apparently working in conjunction with Allred to produce an extremely dubious political smear on Meg Whitman. Additionally, blog Weasel Zippers has since followed up with still more on the radical Leftist and UN Narc Mark Van Der Hout.

As noted at the very beginning of the audio clip below, excerpted from Mark Levin's show last night, as recently as yesterday, the AP was pleading ignorance, having no idea who Allred's accomplice was. That, despite it having been public knowledge for days thanks to Levin's radio show and blog research. Van Der Hout only now seems to be sticking his nose out from under a rock via a new report in the San Francisco Chronicle this morning.

In the audio below, Sean Hannity joins Mark Levin a few minutes in and Levin also calls for an investigation as to how two Leftist lawyers not known to represent run of the mill illegal aliens teamed up to launch an obvious partisan political attack against Meg Whitman just prior to November's election for Governor of California. Both attorneys now seem to have exposed their mutual client to possible felony prosecution for fraud and deportation. In a press conference yesterday, Allred tried to backtrack by not revealing Van Der Hout's name, despite her being on tape having already revealed it under pressure from Mark Levin.

Van Der Hout, one of the city's pre-eminent immigration lawyers and a self-proclaimed progressive, told us Tuesday that Diaz was referred to him several weeks ago by a fellow attorney. He wouldn't identify the attorney.

"I think someone referred her to Gloria on the matter of her hours and back pay as well," Van Der Hout said.

But again, no names.

What followed was a series of meetings, after which Diaz "ultimately made the decision to go public," Van Der Hout said.

Van Der Hout said he has had "no contact whatsoever" with gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown or anyone else from the Democratic Party.

Van Der Hout, who was at Diaz's first news conference last week in L.A., declined to say who is paying his fee for trying to win legal status for the ex-housekeeper - or even if he is charging one.

He also declined to say how Diaz has supported herself and her family since leaving Whitman's employ in June 2009.

As for whether it was smart for Diaz to go public, given that she's an illegal immigrant, Van Der Hout said, "People choose a variety of ways to let the immigration bureau know their status."

Asked if the feds had called since she went public, Van Der Hout said: "I can't say."

Criminal Mexican Illegals And The David Michael Hartley Tragedy

One topic I thought we might discuss on Hannity's panel Friday had to do with Mexico complaining about our returning criminal illegal aliens. I'm glad we didn't get to it, as it would have been difficult to not get incensed at this nonsense from Mexican officials.

A coalition of Mexican mayors has asked the United States to stop deporting illegal immigrants who have been convicted of serious crimes in the U.S. to Mexican border cities, saying the deportations are contributing to Mexican border violence.

Unfortunately, Pundita posts an even more troubling bit of news involving Mexico and a criminal element they, in some cases, seem perfectly content to export into the United States. This is extremely troubling news. It seems not all of them have to cross the border to perpetrate crimes on American citizens. How long are we going to coddle what increasingly looks like a Third World country that thinks America's primary mission is to solve all their problems for them?

(AOL News - Oct. 3) -- Dodging gunfire from pirates on a Texas-Mexico border lake, Tiffany Hartley was forced to make an impossible choice: risk her life by staying with her husband or return to land and seek help.

The couple were sightseeing on Jet Skis on the Mexican side of Falcon Lake on Thursday when Hartley says several boats of gunmen opened fire, striking her husband in the back of his head.

A recording of her 911 call released this weekend and reports from law enforcement officials detail the tragic incident.

"He was thrown off the Jet Ski and I couldn't pick him up to get him on mine," Hartley, 29, told the 911 dispatcher after she safely made it to shore. "Oh, God."

 

Housekeeper Nicky Diaz Has Prominent Leftist Lawyer, Usually Linked To Terrorism Cases

Hmm, how many poor illegal alien housekeepers possibly guilty of fraud end up with such a prominent Leftist attorney? He represented Nasir Ali Mubarak and looks to have been part of Lynne Stewart's defense team. See below. Gloria Allred named Mark Van Der Hout as Diaz's immigration lawyer on the Mark Levin Show tonight.

Mark Van der Hout's political activism goes back years, this from 2004:

So far, immigrant Muslims and those from the Middle East and Central Asia have suffered the brunt of the Bush administration's attacks on civil liberties. But as NLG immigration attorney Mark Van Der Hout told me, "Going after immigrants is just the first step towards going after U.S. citizens." Indeed, a look at the past three years shows that Attorney General John Ashcroft's offensive has widened to include a range of citizens whose only real crime is their opposition to the Bush administration's policies.

He's considered a prominent national attorney with the National Lawyer's Guild. He's argued on Consular Absolutism before the 9th Circuit. Mark Van der Hout with Center for Human Rights.

He was part of Lynne Stewart's defense team. Another Van der Hout client:

A Northern California man who the government claimed had an "association" with a terrorist has agreed to be deported to his native Pakistan.

Nasir Ali Mubarak, who has been held in federal custody without bail since June 2, agreed to the settlement during a hearing Tuesday before U.S. Immigration Judge Alberto Gonzalez of San Francisco.

The surprise settlement between Mubarak and the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service abruptly ended a lengthy series of hearings challenging the government's contention that Mubarak should be held without bail pending a move to deport him for overstaying his student visa.

Mark Van Der Hout, Mubarak's attorney, said his client agreed to the settlement only because the government had broken him down by jailing him, and he faced more months in custody during a long court fight.

Van Der Hout claimed Mubarak was a victim of government overreaction to the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

Hey, Harry Reid, Your War Is Lost

Don't ask about Sharron Angle, just tell Nevada voters about Harry Reid. He's incompetent, ineffectual, divisive and a weak majority leader, even with an overwhelming majority in the Senate. Between this, his corruption and his Nevada-based land scams, there's no reason for Nevadans to re-elect Harry Reid.

Harry Reid’s botched battles

The disappointment was widespread.

Gay rights groups were upset that the process Reid employed may have undermined progress in repealing the Pentagon’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy prohibiting gays from serving openly in the military.

Hispanic groups were disappointed that they couldn’t even get a vote on a narrow piece of comprehensive immigration reform — an amendment known as the DREAM Act that would have enabled citizenship for illegal immigrant students in exchange for government or military service.

And Democrats on both sides of the Capitol are unhappy that a debate on gay rights and immigration distracted yet again from issue No. 1: jobs.