Jim Geraghty
National Review Online
11/20/2014
Hugh Hewitt offers an unexpected argument: The quasi-amnesty the president offers tonight may actually make it tougher for illegal immigrants to find jobs:
The people in the country illegally will know shortly that this stunt tonight does not help them and may in fact hurt them –badly. The collision of what is in essence a letter of recommendation from the president to employers with their genuine worries about liabilities under state law and about their fiduciary duties to their customers is going to be instant, and not to the good of the illegal population. Employers are going to flee the president’s testimonial that, if he were king of the forest, not queen, not duke, not earl, he’d let this person have a green card. Because he’s not king, he cannot bless this person’s employment in the real world of tort liability and state law. He cannot solve the issue of Social Security and unemployment insurance withholding. What he can –and will do tonight– is mark the illegal as someone not worth the trouble of hiring.
The president simply cannot bestow a green card. Just a blessing. An Obama blessing. The blessing of a cheater…
The article continues at National Review Online.
Related: What You Need to Know About Obama’s Executive Move on Immigration (video)
Obama challenged Congress to pass a bipartisan immigration bill to replace his actions and “fix the whole system.”
“To those members of Congress who question my authority to make our immigration system work better, or question the wisdom of me acting where Congress has failed, I have one answer: Pass a bill,” Obama said.
The Republican National Committee posted its own rebuttal video just hours before the speech..
Update: Charles Krauthammer joined Bill O’Reilly to break down Obama’s immigration speech. He said it’s very clear that Obama’s message to the people who are waiting to get into the U.S. legally is that “they are chumps.” Watch the video here.
Brutal: Allahpundit declares Obama’s amnesty speech ‘lowest moment of his presidency’
…Lowest moment of his presidency? But there’s so very, very, very much material from which to choose. The whole administration has been a scandalpalooza from the beginning. And sure, the executive amnesty speech blew holes in the Constitution while simultaneously engaging in shame tactics like accusing Americans of “ripping children from their parents’ arms.” …
Obama: U.S. Taxpayers Must Pay For Illegals’ Children
Illegal immigrants will receive huge payments from American taxpayers under rules now being imposed by President Barack Obama’s unilateral amnesty…
Complete text of President Obama’s remarks on immigration
