Chamber of Congress Pres: GOP has no chance if it blocks immigration reform

[Statistikhengst]

File this under: I have been warning of this moment for 5 years or more.

American Chamber of Commerce President Tom Donohue (photo source)

Chamber Prez: GOP Has No Chance In 2016 If It Blocks Immigration Reform

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has strongly supported Republican candidates and priorities in recent years. So it was notable when its leader on Monday said the GOP shouldn't even bother to field a presidential nominee in 2016 if it doesn't pass immigration reform.

"If the Republicans don't do it they shouldn't bother to run a candidate in 2016. I mean, think about that. Think about who the voters are," Chamber President and CEO Tom Donohue said at a Washington, D.C. panel about the economy and infrastructure.

Donohue said he believes immigration reform is still doable in 2014 even though it's an election year. The Republican-led House has signaled it won't act.

The Chamber supported the Senate-passed immigration bill and has called for visa reforms that make it easier for businesses to hire and retain skilled foreign workers.

Also being reported all over the place:

Chamber of Commerce gives ultimatum to GOP - Kevin Robillard - POLITICO.com

“You think Congress can get immigration reform done this year, in an election year?” moderator Eamon Javers asked Donohue.

“Yes, yes,” Donohue replied.

National Association of Manufacturers President Jay Timmons said he also thought immigration reform could pass this year, perhaps in a lame-duck session.

“This is a unified position of the business community,” Timmons said.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/adriancarra...merce-president-republicans-should-give-up-on

Donahue, a longtime advocate for an overhaul of U.S. immigration policy, has previously said the Chamber would commit major funds to pushing the topic this year.

The prospect of immigration legislation has been killed and revived often since the Senate passed a bipartisan bill. While President Obama is being pressured by activists to pass administrative changes without Congress, House Republicans are also increasingly feeling the heat on getting substantive legislation moving this summer.

“I do believe that we’re absolutely crazy if we don’t take advantage of having passed an immigration bill out of the Senate, because going back and doing it again might be harder and do something rational in the House,” Donahue said.

Donahue also tied together the need for seasonal and agricultural workers with how it helps fund entitlements spending. “If you really don’t want to do this immigration thing, you’re going to go to the nursing home and pick up your mother-in-law and bring her home.”

Jay Timmons, president and CEO of the National Association of Manufacturers, was also at the event and assured the crowd that while Donahue’s comments led to audible “wows,” he had not in fact stated a wild opinion.

“This is a unified position of the business community,” Timmons said, adding that he believes legislative action will get done this year.

Timmons said 600,000 jobs in manufacturing are going unfilled, and he pointed to a contentious part of the Senate bill that the House has repeatedly tried to avoid.

Chamber of Commerce: Pass immigration reform, or give up 2016 | MSNBC

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has a message for Republicans stalling on immigration reform: Shape up, or good luck on your own in 2016...

...“If the Republicans don’t do it, they shouldn’t bother to run a candidate in 2016,” Donohue said at a panel Monday on America’s infrastructure. “I mean, think about that. Think about who the voters are.”

The Republican Party has already acknowledged its crucial need to diversify its base after President Obama swept the 2012 elections by eye-popping margins with Latino voters. Republicans in the Senate scrambled last year to hash out a bipartisan immigration deal that easily swept the upper chamber. But reform efforts are currently held up in the Republican-led House, where lawmakers have indicated they won’t be taking up the issue very soon.

The Chamber has made immigration a prominent focus, signalling to Congress that “failure to act is not an option. ” The group played a large role in the Senate bill by bringing together big business and labor last year, striking a deal with the AFL-CIO on a low-skilled worker program.


...“Do something rational in the House and put it together, and let’s get the three or four things we really need there,” he said. “And we’ve got a lot of heat on that and we’re going to put a lot more.”

Chamber Of Commerce President To GOP: Pass Immigration Reform Or Sit Out 2016

Pro-immigration reform conservatives have been saying since the 2012 election that if Republicans don't get on board with an immigration bill, they will doom their chances with Latino voters, a majority of whom support reform. After GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney's disastrous result with Latino voters, Republicans quickly acted to draft and pass a comprehensive reform bill in the Senate. The Chamber of Commerce, led by Donohue, helped reach a deal on worker provisions with the AFL-CIO labor federation that was instrumental in moving the bill.

But immigration reform has gone nowhere in the House. Donohue said he believes the House could pass a bill this year, and his organization will keep up the pressure. Last week, the Chamber of Commerce announced a $3 million ad buy that will be supportive of Republican candidates, including two who have been supportive of immigration reform: Reps. Mike Coffman (R-Colo.) and David Valadao (R-Calif.).

The Tea Party is not happy about this:

Chamber of Commerce gives ultimatum to GOP: Pass immigration reform or sit out 2016 - Tea Party Command Center


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That video was from November, 2013


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It is indeed true that the American CoC (Chamber of Commerce) has been a huge supporter of the Republican party and a key endorser of Republican presidential, senatorial and HOR candidates. Usually it is the state CoCs that do official endorsements, for instance:

Ohio Chamber of Commerce

-or-

http://24ahead.com/arizona-chamber-commerce-endorses-john-mccain

And sometimes the national COC makes an endorsement, but not always:

U.S. Chamber gives its first endorsement of 2010 cycle to Sen. John McCain | TheHill

The Coc is to the Republican Party as the Unions are to the Democratic Party. The CoC is a critical block within the Republican electoral column. It was created in 1912 by Taft. Yes, this organization was created by a US President, a Republican president.


I am taking the time to delve into this part of the CoC before Righties just start to scream at Donohue as a "Socialist" and all that crap. The US Chamber of Commerce was created by a Republican as a support organization for Republicans. The only Democrat that the CoC endorsed in 2012 was Joe Manchin, the most right-wing Democrat in the Senate.

I never in my life thought I would hear anyone who is an upper-up with the US Chamber of Commerce say something like that about the GOP, ever.


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The sleeping bear that is the Latino vote is waking up, and fast. If the GOP does not act, I am quite sure that it will be locking itself out of US presidential electoral politics for a good, long while.

 

[JakeStarkey]

I think the CoC is right. We stand no chance in the presidential election against the Democratic candidate if immigration reform does not pass.

 

[ScienceRocks]

Like I said on another thread.
1. Grant 5 million amnesty for the ones working in America
2. Fine the shit out of businesses for hiring illegals after that.
3. Enforce the laws.

 

[Statistikhengst]

I concur with Jake. I believe that the Latino community is slowly losing patience and will take it out on the party that blocks reform.

Obama took 71% of the Latino vote in 2012 to Romney's 27%. Margin: Obama +44

Obama took 68% of the Latino vote in 2008 to McCain's 31%. Margin: Obama +37

Kerry took 53% of the Latino vote in 2004 to Bush 43's 44%. Margin: Kerry +9

So, the Democratic margin among this voting block has jumped 35 points over 8 years. That is an absolute catastrophe for the GOP.


If this trend continues, Hillary could easily nail 80% of the Latino vote, which locks the GOP out of New Mexico, Nevada, Florida, probably Colorado, and puts both Arizona and Texas much more into play.

President Exit Polls - Election 2012 - NYTimes.com

Exit Polls - Election Results 2008 - The New York Times

Demographics of How Groups Voted in the 2004 Presidential Election

 

[ScienceRocks]

I concur with Jake. I believe that the Latino community is slowly losing patience and will take it out on the party that blocks reform.

Obama took 71% of the Latino vote in 2012 to Romney's 27%. Margin: Obama +44

Obama took 68% of the Latino vote in 2008 to McCain's 31%. Margin: Obama +37

Kerry took 53% of the Latino vote in 2004 to Bush 43's 44%. Margin: Kerry +9

So, the Democratic margin among this voting block has jumped 35 points over 8 years. That is an absolute catastrophe for the GOP.


If this trend continues, Hillary could easily nail 80% of the Latino vote, which locks the GOP out of New Mexico, Nevada, Florida, probably Colorado, and puts both Arizona and Texas much more into play.

President Exit Polls - Election 2012 - NYTimes.com

Exit Polls - Election Results 2008 - The New York Times

Demographics of How Groups Voted in the 2004 Presidential Election

The reason the republicans lost Florida, Nevada, and Colorado in 2008 and 2012 was the Latino vote. Same thing is going to happen in 2016 at this rate...The latio vote is growing every election.

 

[Statistikhengst]

I concur with Jake. I believe that the Latino community is slowly losing patience and will take it out on the party that blocks reform.

Obama took 71% of the Latino vote in 2012 to Romney's 27%. Margin: Obama +44

Obama took 68% of the Latino vote in 2008 to McCain's 31%. Margin: Obama +37

Kerry took 53% of the Latino vote in 2004 to Bush 43's 44%. Margin: Kerry +9

So, the Democratic margin among this voting block has jumped 35 points over 8 years. That is an absolute catastrophe for the GOP.


If this trend continues, Hillary could easily nail 80% of the Latino vote, which locks the GOP out of New Mexico, Nevada, Florida, probably Colorado, and puts both Arizona and Texas much more into play.

President Exit Polls - Election 2012 - NYTimes.com

Exit Polls - Election Results 2008 - The New York Times

Demographics of How Groups Voted in the 2004 Presidential Election

The reason the republicans lost Florida, Nevada, and Colorado in 2008 and 2012 was the Latino vote. Same thing is going to happen in 2016 at this rate...The latio vote is growing every election.

I concur with you. And it is likely to grow again in 2016, perhaps very substantially, if immigration reform is not passed.

The Latino vote was 10% of the entire electorate in 2012. Obama got 71% of the Latino vote. So, of the 51.01% he got nationally, 7.1% (or 13.92% of his total vote percentage) was the Latino vote. The other 43.91% came from other groups.

This link:

AP: Interactive exit poll shows gender, age split - The Denver Post


is VERY good for the exit polling 2012, because it's an interactive graphic that compares the national stats with key battleground states, starting with Colorado.


For instance, in Colorado, the Latino vote was OVER the national average, it was 14% in that state, and Obama got 75% of the vote. 14 * .75 = 10.5%.

Obama won Colorado 51.5 to Romney's 46.1 (margin: Obama +5.4). 10.5% of that was the Latino vote for Obama, the remaining 41% came from other groups.


In Ohio, by comparison, the Latino vote was only 3% of that electorate (right in line with the demographics of the Buckeye state), and Obama "only" won the Latino vote by +12, 54-42. So, 1.62 of his total 50.58 points in Ohio came from the Latino vote, the other 48.96% came from other groups. Obama won Ohio by +2.97%, under his +3.86% national margin (very typical for a Democratic candidate in this state), but had he won the Latino vote, even of this small 3% of the electorate - with 71% of the Latino vote instead, then the margin would have shifted 0.52% upward, to +3.49%. As Latino immigration into Ohio continues to increase (it was 1.9% in 2000), that demographic will probably go up to about 4.3% in the 2020 census. Even for such a small group in Ohio, in a close election, the Latino vote makes a difference.


The Latino vote could easily jump to about 13% in 2016. Easily.

 

[LoneLaugher]

Nah! All the GOP has to do is get voter ID laws passed. That will take care of the problem. Right?

 

[Statistikhengst]

Nah! All the GOP has to do is get voter ID laws passed. That will take care of the problem. Right?

Not so sure about that one....

 

[zeke]

Nah! All the GOP has to do is get voter ID laws passed. That will take care of the problem. Right?

I thought all the GOP had to do was repeal Obamacare. Then Repubs would be elected President in perpetuity. Because almost 100% of us Americans are really upset when other Americans have health insurance.

Then again, I thought Ross Perot was gonna be President.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

I think the CoC is right. We stand no chance in the presidential election against the Democratic candidate if immigration reform does not pass.

You're confused, Jake

 

[Statistikhengst]

Nah! All the GOP has to do is get voter ID laws passed. That will take care of the problem. Right?

I thought all the GOP had to do was repeal Obamacare. Then Repubs would be elected President in perpetuity. Because almost 100% of us Americans are really upset when other Americans have health insurance.

Then again, I thought Ross Perot was gonna be President.

 

[JimH52]

I concur with Jake. I believe that the Latino community is slowly losing patience and will take it out on the party that blocks reform.

Obama took 71% of the Latino vote in 2012 to Romney's 27%. Margin: Obama +44

Obama took 68% of the Latino vote in 2008 to McCain's 31%. Margin: Obama +37

Kerry took 53% of the Latino vote in 2004 to Bush 43's 44%. Margin: Kerry +9

So, the Democratic margin among this voting block has jumped 35 points over 8 years. That is an absolute catastrophe for the GOP.


If this trend continues, Hillary could easily nail 80% of the Latino vote, which locks the GOP out of New Mexico, Nevada, Florida, probably Colorado, and puts both Arizona and Texas much more into play.

President Exit Polls - Election 2012 - NYTimes.com

Exit Polls - Election Results 2008 - The New York Times

Demographics of How Groups Voted in the 2004 Presidential Election

WOW! That should slap some in the GOP very hard...but it won't. They still have their dream of a return of the white majority. It isn't going to happen, but they will keep dreaming.

I know some people like that. They have fought progress, the internet, cell phones, and anything that seems to be replacing the "good old days." They are destined to be very disappointed. It is nothing but demographics making the changes that it will.

 

[Stephanie]

Nothing like cutting off our own nose to spite our country and ourselves face

Just amazing, we have no jobs now and they want to bring in another 30million people who are basically, criminals....they can break the laws and then get rewarded...But now we have to bend over for the, Latino community....We aren't the United States of Amercian, we are now...the Un-united states of GROUPS of People we all need to bend over for

Your government looking out for you LEGAL CITIZENS....wow

 

[ScienceRocks]

Nothing like cutting off our own nose to spite our country and ourselves face

Just amazing, we have no jobs now and they want to bring in another 30million people who are basically, criminals....they can break the laws and then get rewarded

Your government looking out for you LEGAL CITIZENS....wow

The bad news is the ones that can vote are going to vote against you. There's enough of them to keep the democrats in the white house..

 

[bedowin62]

Democrat "immigration reform" = PANDERING AND AMNESTY


idiots and hypocrites

 

[bedowin62]

Nothing like cutting off our own nose to spite our country and ourselves face

Just amazing, we have no jobs now and they want to bring in another 30million people who are basically, criminals....they can break the laws and then get rewarded

Your government looking out for you LEGAL CITIZENS....wow

The bad news is the ones that can vote are going to vote against you. There's enough of them to keep the democrats in the white house..

that really is bad news; a Dem in the White House has been TERRIBLE FOR EVERYBODY EXCEPT the super-rich corporations on Wall Street

 

[candycorn]

If you're going to pass a bill, pass one that actually has some sort of practical means of acceptance. The issue has been dead for a while but the last I heard was that it would take honest contributors to society who have been here undocumented, working jobs, putting down roots, and telling them, "Look, we want you to become a citizen but you have to apply, go through the process, and in about 10 years or so, you can too be a citizen." Hopefully my understanding is wrong because it's not practical and if you're going to have to rely on buy-in; impracticality is a no-go.

 

[The Rabbi]

Well, the GOP controls the House. To pass, legislation must pass the Harry Reid-controlled Senate and be signed by the Democrat HNIC. So the only way for the GOP to do that is to write a bill that reflects exactly what the Democrats want. Which isn't going to happen.
Who the fuck is this guy that we should listen to him? He is pimping for big companies who want cheap labor.

 

[ScienceRocks]

Democrat "immigration reform" = PANDERING AND AMNESTY


idiots and hypocrites

Do you really have a choice?

 

[bedowin62]

Democrat "immigration reform" = PANDERING AND AMNESTY


idiots and hypocrites

Do you really have a choice?

are you saying we MUST pander and give amnesty?