Mano a Mano: Hillary, Obama Face Off on Immigration
PJM San Diego: During their Hollywood debate, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton discussed an issue that bedevils the Democratic Party. Ruben Navarrette Jr. writes that one candidate rose to the challenge posed by immigration, while the other just rolled over.
The Democratic presidential candidates met up Thursday evening in a televised debate on CNN, and the discussion included –wait for it– immigration.
That issue bedevils the Democratic Party, which has to balance the concerns of Latinos who feel as if they’re being blamed for all the ills of society with the populist, pro-labor faction that claims that illegal immigrants decrease wages.
That is the challenge facing Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. And this
week, we got a chance to see who rises to it and who rolls over. Obama rose. Clinton rolled.
The Illinois senator was asked to respond to a question from a viewer about the “negative economic impact of immigration on the African-American community” — most notably high unemployment rates and declining wages.
Obama pointed out that American-Americans had high unemployment rates long “before the latest round of immigrants showed up.” There were, he said, “a whole host of reasons why we have not been generating the kinds of jobs that we are generating.” And he cautioned against using the immigration issue to divide Americans. Obama talked about his plan to secure the border and provide the undocumented with a path to legalization provided they meet certain conditions.
Then, in remarks that were so bold and honest as to be refreshing, Obama insisted that blaming immigrants for unemployment in the inner city amounts to “scapegoating,” something for which he said he had no appetite.
But apparently, Hillary Clinton did have an appetite for it. Now that her campaign has burned some bridges to African-American voters thanks to Bill Clinton’s clumsy race baiting in South Carolina, it was as if she was desperate to a pander a little to African-Americans — even if it was at the expense of Latino immigrants.
She was asked an altogether different question — about why she opposed driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants. She eventually got around to answering it, but not before detouring into the question that Obama was asked because, she said, “it deserves an answer.”
Diving into the muck, Clinton said we have to be honest about the fact that, in many parts of the country, there have been job losses attributable to “employers who exploit undocumented workers and drive down wages.” She said she meets “people who have been pushed out of jobs and factories and meat processing plants, and all kinds of settings.” Clinton even talked about a man that she’d met — an African-American — who told her that he used to have a lot of construction jobs and that now “it seems like the only people who get them anymore are people who are here without documentation.”
Hillary didn’t say what she told the man in response. Here’s what I would have told him: “Sir, I’m sorry you say you can’t find as many construction job as you’d like, or as much as you’d expect. But if you want someone to blame, forget the undocumented and look in the mirror. If you find yourself competing with people who aren’t here legally, who often don’t have more than a 6th grade education or speak the language, and you lose out in that competition, well, there is something wrong with this picture — something that tougher immigration laws won’t solve. Maybe you need to specialize your work, so you can demand a higher price. Or maybe you need to find another line of work. Either way, life is about competition. And it’s not the job of government to protect you from it.”
I think that was what Barack Obama was hinting at, and why — in answering that question — he performed a public service. Hillary Clinton just performed.
Ruben Navarrette Jr. is a member of the editorial board of the San Diego Union Tribune, a nationally syndicated columnist, a frequent lecturer and a regular contributor to CNN.com
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9 Comments
1. RKV:“Look in the mirror?” [expletive] The free riders cut their price Ruben. The native doesn’t. He expects safety and labor laws to be obeyed. The illegal doesn’t. He’s broken our laws and cut to the head of a long line of law abiding people who want to come here and obey our rules. How hard is that for you to get?
In case you don’t know, the United States of America is OUR PROPERTY. We get to say who comes here and who doesn’t. If I came over to your house and setup a tent on your lawn, used your water and power, you’d want me gone huh? You’d call the police. That’s the very same reason we have a Border Patrol and the same reason it is moral for us to throw illegal aliens out of our property.
Feb 2, 2008 - 4:53 am 2. craig rooney:What an eloquent article. I keep trying not to let myself get inspired by Barak Obama–with this article I was nervously clicking all of the links to get here, hoping Obama would be the one who rose, again; also, not wanting to be suckered into finding inspiration in American politics only to feel foolish later. I miss Bill Clinton (compared to W), but his Presidency left me feeling betrayed and dirty.
Feb 2, 2008 - 4:55 am 3. Mike M.:A shill for ‘only the bottom-line matters’? You seem to be encouraging US companies to hire illegals on the basis that it is a ‘good thing’ for real citizens, real citizens living a high US standard of living, one that we all want for ourselves, – to have to compete with people who snuck in here from some place where their family is living at 1/10 that standard. No! These people are dishonest from the get-go and, on average, cost us several thousand dollars each, (most do NOT work). Send them all BACK wherever they came from and severely punish the employers who hire them. Would Ruben crow as loudly if he lost his job to an illegal?
Feb 2, 2008 - 5:38 am 4. Little Much:so was hillary using the “necessity is the mother of invention?” meaning, upgrade your skills if you’re having a tough time being unemployed. That may be a good point and the influx of of illegals is forcing that “necessity” upon legal americans, however, this thinking does nothing to benefit slave labor. presently and without regulations the ones benefiting are the lawbreakers, cheapskate employers using exploitation tactics – none of which is of any benefit (in the long term) to our economy or our soul? well, at this point who really cares about the American soul. money talks. and in that sense illegals sending american money back to their countries = a zero in terms of economic benefit to the US.
my bet is on Romney to have a realistic view on what the present illegal-lawlessness-employer-exploitation has done and is doing to this country.
Feb 2, 2008 - 8:44 am 5. Josh:Let me get this straight. You think that ILLEGAL workers are nothing more than competition? You are serious about this? It’s not a joke? I just want to make sure that I’m interpreting you correctly. If I am then you are making the case that we really should round up all of them and ship them back. I really hope I’m wrong and you didn’t mean that. It’s the most ridiculous claim in defense of illegals to date.
Feb 2, 2008 - 9:30 am 6. David Thomson:Victor Davis Hanson has just coauthored The Immigration Solution: A Better Plan Than Today’s. The evidence makes it abundantly clear that the welfare benefits available to illegal immigrants have resulted in the unintended consequences of establishing a new permanent underclass. The more recent Hispanic illegal aliens have extremely high illegitimacy rates, arrest records, contempt for education, and care little about becoming assimilated Americans. To be blunt, these people are often very dangerous and destructive.
The United States should eagerly seek new immigrants—who have something to offer. We should care less about their race or ethnicity. The 1965 immigration act regrettably established the tacit notion that America is a racist nation and must be punished for its past sins. We therefore have no right to deny anyone possessing brown skin. This nonsense must cease as quickly as possible.
Feb 2, 2008 - 11:56 am 7. Curly Smith:I think both Obama and Clinton are right, as is David Thompson. Here’s how/why:
- Illegals aren’t taking jobs away from blacks in the inner cities because there is no job growth in the inner cities. The Dems have destroyed economic development and there is net loss of jobs in those areas.
- Illegals are taking “construction” jobs away in suburban areas but generally only the lower, entry level type of job. Some of the higher-skilled jobs (maybe backhoe operator) can also go if it’s cheaper to hire 8 illegals with shovels versus a guy with a backhoe.
- Illegals are flocking to the inner cities because it’s easier to capture welfare benefits, whether one is entitled or not, in the big cities than in small town USA. San Francisco has a homeless problem because they’re make being homeless in San Francisco a rather attractive opportunity.
How illegals impact you and how you see their impact varies widely with where you live. It also depends on your occupation.
Feb 3, 2008 - 10:02 am 8. kiwi:Why our/your grand parents were welcome to US, while new comers aren’t?
Have problem with illegals – make them legal. Think about 11 mln more people paying taxes!
Furthermore, a lot of them have MS degrees and they work as XXI century slaves. When this huge workforce find legal employment, who will you blame when you still can’t find a job?
Feb 3, 2008 - 4:22 pm 9. Phineas Worthington:It doesn’t matter how bad Hillary or Obama foul up. The Latino vote is solidly democratic. If you rob Peter to pay Pablo, you will always have the support of Pablo.
The fundamental, systemic problems are legal wealth transfers and multiculturalism, not immigration.
And Ruben’s notion that Obama is some kind of advocate for free trade and the free exchange of labor is just plain silly.
Vota temprano y vota mucho!
Feb 5, 2008 - 8:18 pm