U.S. Electoral Politics: February 2008 Archives

"sombrero" tip to the Unapologetic Mexican for this:

The pro-migrant blogosphere is buzzing about the presidential debates last night.  Culture Kitchen, Latina Lista, and the ImmigrationProf Blog all have commentary.  Everyone seems to be pretty happy about Clinton's and Obama's stance on immigration last night.  I'm going to rain on the parade. 

Seeing Clinton’s persistent lead in the polls among Latin@ voters, and drawing criticism from some initially sympathetic sources for lackluster outreach efforts, the Obama campaign decided last week after Super Tuesday to guest blog on Marisa Treviño’s site, Latina Lista.  The takeaway line for me is in the second paragraph below:

I also know that for women of all backgrounds, keeping their families together is a top priority. It is no secret that Latino families are being separated from their families every day in this country because of raids and deportation policies that do not take family and humanity into account when trying to enforce laws.
 

That’s why when I'm President, I will put comprehensive immigration reform back on the nation's agenda during my first year in office, and I will not rest until it is passed once and for all.

I will take that as a campaign promise to work during his first year to enact comprehensive immigration reform, and I hope migrants and migrant advocates hold him to it. 

One of the last anti-migrant politicians that had a chance at winning the presidency will suspend his campaign, according to CNN.  I hope I don't need to remind people of Mitt Romney's contradictory deportation-only approach to undocumented migration that he made a centerpiece of his campaign.

See the introductory post I put up just as the polls opened for more information.

Under the assumptions that (a) a Democrat will win the White House this year and (b) that whoever is crowned the “winner” by the media after Super Tuesday will be the Democratic nominee (this second assumption may be on shakier ground than the first), tomorrow’s primary election in selected states might be more important than the November general election. 

So from a pro-migrant, progressive perspective, which of the two leading Democratic candidates is preferable on the issue of immigration?  This blogger concludes that Obama—though far from perfect—is the better candidate for migrants.

Update: [Well, my assumption that Super Tuesday would be the end of the Democratic primary race was quite ill-informed.  I hope the rest of my observations hold up a little better.]