Why I Love Orgies of Recrimination, Part XVIII: Ruben Navarette, Jr. may have discovered some heretofore unpublicized weaknesses in the Great Comprehensive Immigration Coaliton. Or maybe he’s just been liberated by its failure to talk about them in public:
And do you know who else doesn’t want immigration reform? At least three elements of Obama’s liberal base: labor unions who live under the fantasy that illegal immigrants who tar roofs, pick peaches, build homes, clean horse stalls, and do other hard and dirty jobs are stealing gigs from Teamsters; African-Americans — who after generations of blaming whites for their misfortune, mistakes, and misdirection — have now taken to blaming Latinos for taking jobs; and classic liberals who only care that the Democratic Party keeps winning elections so it can fry the big fish (universal health care, redistribution of wealth, turning U.S. foreign policy into a war-free zone, and giving peace a chance, etc.) and who worry that immigration reform will cost Democrats the support of white voters.
I hope he’s right. … I don’t understand, though, why the reaction of Latino immigration activists to this bracing slap of reality isn’t to say, ‘We’re just not going to win this the way it’s going. We have to switch strategies.‘ Maybe in part because theirs isn’t a coalition built around a proposal for reform so much as around ethnic pride? If you’re lobbying for a law, it’s easy to retreat and regroup. Plan A didn’t work? Try B. If it’s a question of pride, retreating means accepting something you consider disrespectful. Just a theory. … P.S.: Navarette also says
Obama never wanted immigration reform to begin with. He only uses the issue like a carrot dangled in front of a burro pulling a plow.
Mr. President, they’re catching on! Time to a) recognize that your political strategy for winning Latino votes has hit a dead end; or b) organize another White House conference! .. [via Instapundit]
Update: Gran Marcha Desgano “May Day March: 10,000 Expected Downtown to March for Immigration Reform.” Nope.
Only a few thousand people showed up for the nine-block march that started early and ended quickly. Los Angeles police declined to issue a crowd estimate, but marchers didn’t even fill the intersection of Broadway and 1st Street, where the demonstration ended.
Overexcited local station KABC actually said “an estimated 50,000 people are expected to march,” but then apparently removed the embarrassing prediction when the demo turned out to be a bust. …