100 Days Out, Dems Need “The Talk”

It’s no secret that I’ve been calling out Democratic candidates who are falling short when it comes to the unaccompanied minors crisis. Whether it’s Wendy Davis’ call for a “law enforcement” special session or Hillary Clinton’s “deport ’em now!” attitude, the current de facto leaders of the Democratic Party are leaving much to be desired when it comes to this particular issue. And I’m not the only one calling them out.

This week, Arturo Carmona of Presente.org, let Democrats have it in an op-ed in The Hill because of their indifference during this crisis. You see, many of my hard-core Dem friends easily point out that Republicans are the problem. As if we didn’t know they would be a problem from Day 1; or as President Obama should have known before he made the “Year 1, Term 1” promise to pass immigration reform?

The botton line is that we can argue until we’re blue (forgive the pun) in the face, if Democrats simply brush off the commentary and concerns of Latino leaders, in favor of a “at least we’re not as bad as the Republicans” defense of our leaders, then Democrats are just as bad at Latino engagement and outreach as the Republicans.

Carmona hits the nail on the head:

As the unaccompanied minors crisis continues to grow and the calls for executive leadership escalate, it’s shameful that the president has not ceded to the calls for him to visit the border and see the living conditions of these children. He needs to meet with the children we are sending to Latin America to their likely death. According to Latino Decisions, a major Latino polling firm, mass deportations are leading to a hemorrhage of support from the Democrats, particularly among young Latino voters. And according to a recent gallup poll, no other community has lost more faith in Obama than Latinos in the last year.

And if Democrats think that President Obama’s decisions (or lack of) do not affect the Democratic ticket in 2014 and 2016, they are living in la-la land. So,  if what an Obama aide said is true–that an executive order on immigration will be a cause for impeachment–then I would hope that President Obama makes it count.

Of course, the same could be said of Texas Democrats on the 2014 ballot who want to “talk tough” on immigration when the issue is child refugees. But that’s for another op-ed.