Did Obama's immigration punt backfire?
Hecklers on immigration policy interrupt U.S. President Barack Obama as he speaks in support of of Connecticut Governor Dan Malloy on November 2, 2014 in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Spencer Platt, Getty Images
The biggest Election Day question haunting the White House is this: did President Obama blow it by bowing to Southern senate Democrats and delaying action on effectively legalizing millions of undocumented workers?
Immigration activists hold banners during a rally calling for immigration reform at Lafayette Square on November 3, 2014 in Washington, DC.
MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images
Mr. Obama promised to use executive authority before the election to defer deportation of untold millions of undocumented laborers with no felony convictions and a long record of residency. The administration never said how many would qualify but estimates ranged from three million to nine million.
Under pressure from Sens. David Pryor of Arkansas, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana and Kay Hagan of North Carolina, who all preemptively opposed the president's use of executive authority, Mr. Obama decided to delay action until after the election on a flight back to Washington from the NATO summit in Wales.
After Mr. Obama delayed, Democratic Sens. Kay Hagan, of North Carolina and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire broke with the White House and backed Pryor and Landrieu on a symbolic amendment to derail any Obama moves on immigration. These Democrats all hoped to nullify immigration by publicly opposing Obama. But the issue has persisted and Pryor, Landrieu and Shaheen have struggled to credibly distance themselves from Obama--beyond asking him to stay away from their campaign rallies.
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Did Obama's immigration punt backfire?