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Washington When an election is just two months away, its not unusual for the state of the economy as measured by the Labor Departments monthly job numbers to be taken as an important straw in the wind.

This time around, though, headlines stating that the economy gained just 142,000 jobs in August, well below forecasters' expectations, may not represent much of a setback for Democrats seeking to retain control of the Senate.

Yes, the headline is negative about the economy and on balance, that stands to hurt the congressional-election chances of the party controlling the White House.

But several forces serve to play down the opportunity for Republicans to gain momentum on a message that Democrats have mismanaged the economy.

Polling evidence suggests the economy isnt as big a factor in this election as it was in the past few cycles. Its still the top priority, but at a lower level of intensity. The share of Americans mentioning an economic issue as the nations most important problem has dropped from 86 percent early in 2009 to 38 percent this August, according to Gallup. That leaves more room for other factors local issues, perceptions of personal character to be decisive.

Also, the American electorate is fairly hardened in its views of the political parties and their economic performance. Most people who will turn out for Nov. 4 midterm elections essentially know which party theyll be voting for.

The role of swing voters is limited. Yes, its possible that some Senate races may hinge on which way the undecided voters break, not just on which party can turn out more of its solid base. But even there, political independents were hardly feeling sanguine about the economy before Friday. So its far from clear that a disappointing month for jobs gives Republicans new leverage against Democrats.

In short, the weaknesses of the economy are now an old and familiar story for members of both parties and those in between.

Today we learned the U.S. labor force shrank by 64k ... in August and that we have the worst labor force participation rate in decades, Ed Gillespie, a Republican seeking a Virginia seat in the US Senate, said on Twitter Friday morning.

He was reminding his followers of longstanding trends.

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Jobs report: not necessarily a job-killer for Democrats facing voters

Theodore Wafer: Renisha McBride #39;s Killer Sentenced To 17 years
Fear of a Non-White Nation: The GOP #39;s Problem With Hispanics Goes Much Deeper Than Immigration Reform: http://www.afroarticles.com/article-dashboard/Article/Fear-of-a-Non-White-Nation--The-GOP-s-Pr...

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Theodore Wafer: Renisha McBride's Killer Sentenced To 17 years - Video

President Obama tried on Friday to address concerns among Democrats and immigration advocates about how and when he will take promised executive action to overhaul the nations immigration policies.

The debate over how Obama should address immigration has caused a fissure among the presidents allies and congressional Democrats in recent weeks. The Democrats are divided over whether the president should take executive action before the elections or hold off until after so he can assess the political makeup of Congress heading into his final years in office.

Obama allowed on Friday that he would make a decision fairly soon, but his comments did little to reassure those who had been pushing him to act before the November elections, on the theory that bold executive action could spur turnout among Democratic voters and earn the party broader support from business and agricultural groups.

Increasingly, those voices appear on the losing end of a internal struggle within the party.

We get it, said Frank Sharry, founder and executive director of Americas Voice, an immigration reform group. But Sharry, a generally supportive ally of the White House on immigration matters, seemed especially frustrated Friday. Obama has a track record of making promises in the immigration arena and failure to deliver. This has the feeling of yet another promise made that might not be kept, he said.

Its such a squandered opportunity to make history, he added.

Even as Obama reviews his options, several of his top advisers, including Valerie Jarrett and domestic policy chief Cecilia Muoz, began reaching out this week to labor leaders and immigration activists to say that he is likely to wait until after the elections to announce changes.

Several Democratic senators locked in tight reelection battles have suggested in recent days that Obama should wait for Congress to act. In a campaign debate this week, Sen. Kay Hagan (D-N.C.) said Obama should not take executive action to ease deportations. And Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) said in a statement that the White House is sending mixed messages on immigration. He faulted partisanship for stalling progress on immigration, but added: That doesnt give the President carte blanche authority to sidestep Congress when he doesnt get his way.

White House aides are explaining the delay by saying that the substance of Obamas executive actions will be more important than the timing, according to several people who received calls.

Janet Murgua, president of the National Council of La Raza, said, Normally the substance does matter over the timing. But for our community, this is converging. This is now about the presidents legacy.

Link:
As Obama weighs moves on immigration, issue is splintering Democrats

September 5, 2014|1:30 pm

Dr. Russell Moore speaking at an Evangelical Immigration Table press conference, Washington, D.C., July 24, 2013.

The Evangelical Immigration Table's efforts to build support for immigration reform have achieved modest success, according to new research.

White Evangelical Republicans have moved more in the direction of supporting immigration reform, especially in the states where EIT bought radio ads, Michele Margolis, assistant professor of political science at the University of Pennsylvania, reported. Her paper, "What are the reaches and limits of religious influence? Religious messages and immigration attitudes," was presented Saturday at the American Political Science Association Annual Meeting.

Between February 2013 and February 2014, Evangelical Republicans became slightly more supportive of immigration reform while non-Evangelical Republicans became more opposed to immigration reform. The differences among white Evangelicals were even more pronounced in the states that had EIT radio ads, despite the fact that white Evangelicals in those states started out more opposed to immigration reform than white Evangelicals in the states that did not have EIT radio ads, Margolis found.

The EIT is a coalition of Evangelical groups and leaders from across the political spectrum formed in 2012 to call for reform of the U.S. immigration system based upon a set of six principles. The coalition includes Bread for the World, National Association of Evangelicals, National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, Sojourners, the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, World Relief and World Vision.

As part of the EIT's mobilization efforts in 2013, radio ads featuring Evangelical pastors were bought in 16 states. Some congregations also participated in EIT's "40 Day Prayer Challenge," by spending 40 days reading and praying about 40 Bible verses related to immigration.

Immigration reform appeared to have some momentum in the summer of 2013 after the U.S. Senate passed immigration reform legislation. In the U.S. House, however, supporters of reform have produced some legislation in committees but have so far been unable to bring any of those bills to the floor for a vote, despite the fact that Speaker of the House John Boehner supports reform.

Margolis used The American Panel Study, a nationally representative sample of 2,000 adults who were first interviewed in February 2013, while the EIT was still young; again in September 2013 after the radio ads and "prayer challenge" began; and again in February 2014.

Among white Evangelical Republicans, she found, opposition to immigration reform that includes a path to legal status for unauthorized immigrants dropped 12 percentage points, from 62 percent in February 2013, to 55 percent in September 2013, to 50 percent in February 2014. During the same period, non-Evangelical Republicans moved in the opposite direction, becoming more opposed to immigration reform.

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Evangelical Ads Changed Attitudes on Immigration, Study Finds

US president Barack Obama speaks during a news conference at the end of the Nato summit in Newport, Wales. Mr Obama said he will soon announce his plan to address US immigration reform. Photograph: Doug Mills/ The New York Times.

US president Barack Obama today said he will soon announce his plan to address US immigration reform, but sidestepped questions about whether he would wait until after November midterm elections to take action.

Polls show Americans are concerned about the impact undocumented immigrants have on the nation, and Democrats nervous about keeping control of the Senate have urged the White House to hold off on changes until after the elections.

Reforms would be a significant boost for the estimated 50,000 Irish people living and working illegally across the United States. In July, the then minister for foreign affairs Eamon Gilmore said it was far more a case now of when rather than if there will be immigration legislation in the US.

Speaking at a Nato summit in Wales, Mr Obama said he has received some recommendations from his homeland security secretary and attorney general on measures he can take without congressional approval.

I suspect that on my flight back, this will be part of my reading, taking a look at some of the specifics that weve looked at, and Ill be making an announcement soon, Mr Obama told reporters at a press conference.

He first emphasised more enforcement for illegal immigration was needed, and reiterated that he wished House Republicans would have passed legislation to reform the system.

In the absence of congressional action, I intend to take action, to make sure that were putting more resources on the border, that were upgrading how we process these cases, and that we find a way to encourage legal immigration.

Mr Obama also said he wanted to give undocumented immigrants who have been living in America for years some path so they can start paying taxes, pay a fine, and learn English, and be able to not look over their shoulder but be legal since theyve been living here for quite some time.

Reuters

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Obama to reveal steps to reform immigration soon