Opinion: Overwhelming Victory For Obama And Holder In Arizona Immigration Decision
On Monday, the United States Supreme Court handed down its decision on Arizona's sweeping legislation on immigration. Hailed as a model by right wing anti-immigration zealots, the law would have empowered state officials with powers to target Hispanics in Arizona.
In essence, the law was intended to allow state officials to racially profile and demand to see the papers of Hispanics in Arizona. It was popularly referred to as the "Show Me Your Papers" law.
Arizona's Governor Jan Brewer is lionized by the Tea Party zealots obsessed with immigration and intolerant of any solution short of mass deportation, or "self deportation" in Mitt Romney's world, of millions of multi generational Hispanic communities.
Following the decision, Governor Brewer claimed that the heart of her law had been upheld in the decision.
She could not have been more wrong.
President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder won an overwhelming victory in court.
In a decision written by Justice Kennedy, a Republican nominee to the Court, every aspect of the Arizona law was thrown out. The only piece that was not tossed was the provision which the Court could not rule on because it had not been enforced yet and there was no victim to claim damages.
In the ruling, the Justices said in essence, the first case sent to us will be the end of that provision as well.
Now that is a total and decisive Supreme Court defeat.
It is amazing that Governor Brewer could, with a straight face, claim victory in the face of such a stunning rebuke from the highest court in the land.
Coincidentally, Republican Presidential nominee Mitt Romney was raising money in Arizona on Monday when the ruling came down.
As the decision on the Arizona law was expected this week, this was another opportunity for Romney lay out his Secret Immigration Plan.
Again, he offered nothing of substance in his reaction, just the same tired platitudes about the administration that even Republicans have grown tired of.
Romney, of all people, should have more sense about the U.S./Mexico border. His family, after all, crossed it for their protection. His Grandfather, a polygamist, fled to Mexico during a crackdown on men that married multiple wives. It was in Mexico that Romney's father George was born.
That is right, George Romney, a one-time Republican Presidential candidate in 1968 was born in Mexico.
Yet, in spite of his family's history of border crossing, Romney offers nothing but platitudes and a belief that, like his Grandfather's decision to return to the United States, eventually people will decide to self-deport and return to another country.
Of course for millions of Hispanics, America is the only country they have ever known. It is unclear where Mitt Romney would have them go.
The Supreme Court of the United State and the President have staked out a clear position on the issue while Romney dithers.
About Bill Buck
Bill Buck is a Democratic strategist, President of the Buck Communications Group, a media relations and new media strategies consulting business based in Washington, DC, and Managing Director of the online ad firm Influence DSP. He has over twenty years of international and national communications experience. The views and opinions expressed in this post are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of CBS Local.
