LA Times

The president's remarks present a preview with the information the White Residence intends to highlight from the midterm election: Republicans' stubborn refusal to help you fix countrywide issues.

By Peter Nicholas and Christi Parsons, Tribune Washington Bureau

6:19 PM PDT, July 1, 2010

Reporting from Washington
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In his initial big speech about the difficulty considering that getting office, President Obama claimed Thursday how the U.S. immigration procedure "offends our most fundamental American values" and blamed Republican opposition for thwarting crucially desired adjust.

It had been the third time in as a lot of days that Obama singled out Republicans as an obstructionist force, blaming them in his earlier appearances for defending oil giant BP from the aftermath on the Gulf Coast oil spill and for opposing more powerful economic regulatory legislation.

The president's remarks this week represented the clearest preview nevertheless belonging to the concept the White Property intends to highlight with this year's midterm election: Republicans' stubborn refusal to help you resolve country wide troubles.

The theme appeared to galvanize numerous supporters of immigration legislation who had been from the target audience at American University for Obama's speech Thursday.

"I believe it absolutely was a clarion call," reported Samuel Rodriguez, president in the Nationwide Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference. "He implied, 'The ball is as part of your court.'"

Republicans shot back again using a sizzling critique with the president's placement, dismissing Obama's argument how the U.S.-Mexican border was a lot more secure now than in many years.

"Half a million individuals even now illegally enter our region nowadays, most by means of Arizona, and his administration has nevertheless to lay out a approach on how it intends to bring it beneath manage," reported Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.).<br>

The immigration argument continues to be fueled by passage of an Arizona law that makes it possible for police to query individuals they suspect of becoming illegitimate immigrants right after generating an unlawful stop. The Obama administration is anticipated to announce quickly that it'll file a legal challenge to that law.

Speaking to religious and political activists Thursday, Obama recalled congressional measures toward immigration-restructuring beneath President George W. Bush, when a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers supported a detailed answer.

"Unfortunately, reform may be held hostage to political posturing and special-interest wrangling," Obama explained. "Now, below the pressures of partisanship and election-year politics, quite a few on the 11 Republican senators who voted for reform during the past have now backed away from their earlier assistance."

Nonetheless, Obama provided no new solutions, timetables or points of compromise. Instead, he outlined a longstanding prescription for transform that, furthermore to obtaining no help from Republicans in Congress, also has failed to unite his fellow Democrats.

Some activists had asked the president to speak at Ellis Island, the historical New York entry port, around the Fourth of July. But Obama chose to provide his immigration handle ahead in the Independence Working day weekend and previous to a crowd at American University.

In that sense, it had been an innately political speech, aimed by way of television in a Latino and Democratic target audience crucial towards Democratic system within this fall's elections.

"Latinos are a critical component on the equation," Eliseo Medina, worldwide executive vice president belonging to the Support Employees Worldwide Union, reported just after the correct. "We're planning to produce a distinction in Nevada, Arizona, Texas, California and Florida. So in several approaches, the Republicans are playing with fire. Hopefully they'll get that information."

Some immigration advocates who've criticized Obama previously for not treating the immigration concern with adequate urgency reported they were definitely delighted Thursday to determine him devote a countrywide speech towards the topic, even if he created no commitment to pass a bill this calendar year.

"This could be the starting of a brand new phase through this argument," reported Simon Rosenberg, president belonging to the New Democratic Network, a assume tank, who was within the American University viewers. "The Republican Party's placement now is untenable and unsustainable."

The street address came close about the heels of comments by Obama in Wisconsin this week where he referred to as out a Dwelling lawmaker who apologized to BP executives for pressure getting exerted from the White Residence.

The president also criticized Dwelling Republican leader John A. Boehner of Ohio for saying administration-backed economical regulatory legislation aimed at Wall Street practices was like implementing a nuclear weapon to kill an ant.

Throughout a White Property meeting with Latino activists this week, Obama blamed Republicans for your presence of 11 million illegitimate immigrants from the U.S., participants reported, foreshadowing the Thursday speech.

Obama's correct was closely watched across the nation. In Los Angeles, about two dozen workers, students and advocates gathered in a community center to listen. Since the president spoke, a reduced hum of interpretation followed his words.

Olga Gonzalez, 42, explained she was frustrated that an overhaul bill hadn't been enacted however and was skeptical that that would come about in 2010.

"He reported in his primary 12 months he would do it and he didn't," she stated. "Now the November elections are coming."

An illegitimate immigrant with four U.S. citizen kids, Gonzalez mentioned she worried each evening about currently being arrested by immigration agents and separated from her household. About 3 months ago, she took in two American kids of an buddy who was deported.

"Every evening, they ask, 'When is my mommy coming back again?'" she mentioned.

But Myrna Ortiz, a UCLA student and unlawful immigrant, claimed she was inspired because of the speech and had hopes that it would support kick-start the political approach.

Ortiz, 19, mentioned her undocumented status had impacted her education, her work prospects and her healthcare. Her mother and father are also illegitimate immigrants, and she features a younger sister who is known as a U.S. citizen.

"We are heading to maintain pushing," Ortiz reported. "If we do not push for it, it is not intending to come about."

cparsons@latimes.com

peter.nicholas@latimes.com

Times staff writer Anna Gorman in Los Angeles contributed to this report.