The DPOC has spoken — now what will the OC GOP say about immigration reform? (What is it *allowed* to say?)
As readers may recall, as a member of the Democratic Party of Orange County I supported my friend Jeff LeTourneau for DPOC Chair earlier this month. No regrets there, but also no recriminations; I’ve never doubted that Henry Vandermeir, the person who succeeded him, could do a great job in the role. This morning, Henry showed what a more activist, grassroots Democratic Party, like the one he promised to bring into being, can do. It’s a good sign for the future.
Part of the county Democratic Party’s problem has stemmed from it’s relatively low visibility. Former Chair Frank Barbaro, who got the DPOC through the past dozen years, is progressive (and has long emphasized issues of race and ethnicity), but he was also burdened by the fact that he’s an extremely successful and busy attorney. Frank has wide-ranging interests in politics, but they’re not what he lives and breathes over the course of his day. With Henry at the helm — and in a nice show of conciliation he announced at the monthly Central Committee meeting Monday night that he had appointed LeTourneau as the head of the important Resolutions Committee — we can expect more and quicker responses from the party about the issues of the day — and, in this case, news that was only about a day old.
This has two benefits: (1) telling people what local Democrats stand for and (2) putting the burden on Republicans to tell the public what they stand for. Readers won’t be surprised to know that I love both of these. I think that they set up contests that we can win. And the public — partisan or not, so long as they care about civic issues — should appreciate it as well. In much of the country, Orange County and Maricopa County (Phoenix) are probably tied in the public’s eyes as being synonymous with the anti-immigration movement. (Seriously, it’s sort of unsettling how people think of us.) So this is a gutsy move — and it’s also the right thing to do. I hope that people appreciate the party taking a stand on the merits.
So, I’ll be happy to post what strike me as worthy press releases here. What I hope to see is people calling on Scott Baugh and the OCGOP to speak up in reply, especially on the issue of immigration — if they think that they can get their story straight. What do you know — an “adult conversation on guns” last week, and now one on immigration! Not a bad time to be watching politics!
| The DPOC Commends President Obama On HisImmigration Reform Speech |
| January 30, 2013, Santa Ana, CA – The Democratic Party of Orange County (DPOC) commends President Obama on his speech yesterday regarding comprehensive immigration reform.
DPOC Chair, Henry Vandermeir stated, “The president’s insistence that any proposal include a clear path to citizenship for the nearly 11 million undocumented immigrants already living in the United States is proof we are moving in the right direction on this important issue. As the President has pointed out, undocumented immigrants are in many ways already U.S. citizens. They contribute to our economy through hard work, pay taxes, support their local communities, love the country they live in and share the same hopes and dreams of any other American. The president understands the shared values of building a brighter future for all of our children.”Vandermeir continued, “The truth is, America was built by immigrants who came to our shores with a dream and a desire to work hard. It’s who we are as a nation and why the rest of the world looks to us for inspiration. It’s important that our immigration policy embraces that.”While the president’s plan includes proposals for cracking down on employers who hire undocumented workers and unclogging the legal immigration system to encourage highly skilled and educated workers already in the country to remain here, it also addresses key humanitarian concerns to better protect vulnerable immigrants. The president’s proposal addresses victims of crime and domestic violence as well as those fleeing persecution. Another important part of the president’s proposal – which should be incorporated by any plan coming out of Congress – includes keeping families together by allowing individuals to seek a visa on the basis of a permanent relationship with a same-sex partner.
It’s time our country tackle comprehensive immigration reform and the DPOC is proud that President Obama is leading the way with an inclusive vision that incorporates the best of America. |
Isn’t it the Senate’s proposal?
It’s whatever Obama talked about yesterday in Las Vegas.
I’m trying to be on leave for two weeks while I work on a trial, so I’m not doing any digging right now.
You better be serious about your work buster… if we see you here doing your repartee thing we will call you on it
*Church mice….come to mind…. Quiet as Church mice…..
Since Immigration Reform is a national issue, the local Republicans have little to say or influence over it. Frankly, I would rather see my local Republican Party focusing on developing a modern 21st Century Statement of Values reflecting positions that stakeholders can support. I want to see that stakeholder base expanded to include input of all people and to bringing them into the Party tent. I want to see the Republican Party recruiting new voters, not resting on past laurals. I want to see discovering new local political candidates, supporting and growing them into future office positions. Most importantly, I want to see an end to the infighting within the Party, where people are branded and cast aside because they might not agree with the bosses. So the moral of the story is let Congress deal with the much needed Immigration Reform and let’s stick to local business here in Orange County.
Scott Baugh recently attended a meeting with Los Amigos. According to the OC Register he addressed Immigration reform, and heard the grievances of latinos against the OCGOP. The conservative Breitbart website describes the situation of the local GOP in this manner: “ Orange County, California, which for decades has been emblematic of conservatism and a Republican stronghold, has changed significantly demographically with the influx of Latinos and Asians, and the OC GOP is rethinking their political stance on immigration in order to start winning elections again. Both in 2008 and 2012, Irvine, which was a well-known bastion of conservatism, voted for Barack Obama, and in 2012, GOP Assemblyman Chris Norby, an outspoken conservative, was defeated by Latina schoolteacher Sharon Quirk-Silva.
Scott Baugh, chairman of the county’s Republican Party, explained the losses by citing the OC GOP “not fully appreciating the demographic shift and not seeing it in time.” But Baugh feels that the GOP can win Latinos back because that constituency appreciates the GOP’s emphasis on faith, family, education and hard work. Baugh said that once Congress finds a solution for the immigration issue, “It’s game on again in terms of a competition of ideas and values. You could wipe out a decade of declining registration by demonstrating to the Latino community that the values they have are the values we have.”
The GOP Congressional delegation may play a significant role in this national issue. A discussion at our county level,on immigration, may provide some valuable feedback.
BTW, you raised interesting points about the future of the GOP. We have had recently two threads dedicated to it. One is still going on.
America lost control of its borders when Congress passed the North American Free Trade Agreement, NAFTA.
A mandatory National E-Verify system is the vital first step for Comprehensive Immigration Reform. The E-Verify System matches the prospective employee’s true identity with his/her Social Security number or Work Permit ID number. There was no mention of E-verify in either Obama’s or the Senate’s plan. (Obama Unveils Plan to Overhaul Immigration, OC Register, 1/30/2013 FrontPage).
A mandatory National E-Verify system means more jobs for US Citizens and less employment for the undocumented. Absent E-Verify, employers have no sure way of knowing if he/she is hiring illegal immigrants or those that over-stayed their Visa.
Congress needs to pass mandatory National E-Verify.
Hopefully Mexico will challenge the legislation before the World Trade Organization, arguing that free trade, (North American Free Trade Agreement – NAFTA) requires open borders, the free flow of workers across borders. The litigation might result in Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement Reform.
NAFTA destroyed Mexico’s small farms, destroyed livelihoods, and drove impoverished farmers across our southern border.