One of the controversies that has been raging in this election is the allegation of Republicans, including Donald Trump, that illegal immigrants have been voting around the country. An interview with Hispanic activist group “Mitú” has now magnified this controversy after President Barack Obama appeared to say that non-citizens could vote and that there is no way that they would be investigated. Fox News’ Neil Cavuto and dozens of sites cried foul at what they saw as an explicit encouragement of such voting. The statement came in an interview with Mitú’s Gina Rodriguez who asked the President is “undocumented citizens” are at risk if they vote. The President assured them that they have nothing to fear. It is a extremely poorly crafted question from what appears an amateur interviewer. I do not believe that President Obama was trying to encourage illegal voting but both the question and answer left many incensed.
Here is the exchange (the video is below):
Rodriguez: “Many of the millennials, DREAMers, undocumented citizens — and I call them citizens because they contribute to this country — are fearful of voting. So, if I vote, will immigration [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement] know where I live? Will they come for my family and deport us?”
Obama: “Not true. First of all, when you vote, you are a citizen yourself, and there is not a situation where the voting rolls are transferred over and people start investigating, et cetera. The sanctity of the vote is strictly confidential in terms of who you voted for.”
Putting aside the contraction of an “undocumented citizen,” the answer to the question is clear: undocumented person cannot vote in this country.
I am certainly willing to give the President the benefit of the doubt that he heard “millennials” and might have thought that the question was whether their families (which might include illegal immigrants) would be at risk. Nevertheless, the President could have missed the reference. I am not entirely sure what Rodriquez meant by the question. However, the President clearly states that “when you vote, you are a citizen yourself.” The confusion is over the use of “undocumented citizen” to refer to illegal immigrants.
The Washington Post published a study on the question of the impact of voting by undocumented persons back in 2014. Given the controversy over this very issue, it should have been a misstatement that the White House corrected immediately. Conversely, if this tape is doctored, they should make such a statement on the inaccurate or false editing. I have found no statement from the White House even though I cannot understand how the answer to that question could be construed as true — unless you cut cut everything after the word “millennial,” which makes the question nonsensical since there is no reason why an actual citizen — millennial or non-millennial — would be investigated after voting for possible illegal immigrants in a household. However, it is certainly possible that the President thought that some hispanic voters might worry that giving their address during voting might lead to authorities including the address in later searches or investigations into undocumented relatives.
The U.S. government makes the exclusion of illegal immigrants clear:
Who Can Vote?
You can vote in U.S. elections if you:
Are a U.S. citizen
Meet your state’s residency requirements
You can be homeless and still meet these requirements.
Are 18 years old on or before Election Day
You can register to vote before you turn 18 if you will be 18 by Election Day. Check your state’s registration age requirements.
Register to vote by your state’s voter registration deadline
The one exception is for residents of North Dakota, which doesn’t have voter registration.
Who CAN’T Vote?Non-citizens, including permanent legal residents
For President in the general election: U.S. citizens residing in U.S. territories
Some people with felony convictions. Rules vary by state. Check with your state elections office about the laws in your state.
Some people who are mentally incapacitated. Rules vary by state.
President Obama’s comments has predictably exploded on the Internet at a time when the Democrats are also opposing voter identification laws used to confirm voter status. I am baffled why there has been no immediate correction by the White House.
States like Virginia make such acts a misdemeanor (or felony for procuring or assisting illegal voting):
§ 24.2-1004. Illegal voting and registrations.
A. Any person who wrongfully deposits a ballot in the ballot container or casts a vote on any voting equipment, is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.B. Any person who intentionally (i) votes more than once in the same election, whether those votes are cast in Virginia or in Virginia and any other state or territory of the United States, (ii) procures, assists, or induces another to vote more than once in the same election, whether those votes are cast in Virginia or in Virginia and any other state or territory of the United States, (iii) votes knowing that he is not qualified to vote where and when the vote is to be given, or (iv) procures, assists, or induces another to vote knowing that such person is not qualified to vote where and when the vote is to be given is guilty of a Class 6 felony.
Here is the interview:
Meanwhile, the Obama administration has exempted HRC from ALL penalties of law:
As secretary of state, Hillary Clinton routinely asked her maid to print out sensitive government e-mails and documents — including ones containing classified information — from her house in Washington, DC, e-mails and FBI memos show. But the housekeeper lacked the security clearance to handle such material.
http://nypost.com/2016/11/06/clinton-directed-her-maid-to-print-out-classified-materials/
Amendment 15: “The right of CITIZENS of the United States to VOTE shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.”
How is that remotely relevant? They’re denied the suffrage because they aren’t citizens and they entered the country in defiance of the law to boot.
What Obama said is true – illegals have nothing to fear from voting. They get driver’s licenses, bank mortgages, an ITIN number from the IRS so that they can receive tax refunds and the Earned Income Tax Credit, admission to state colleges and financial aid, protection in Sanctuary Cities, and so on. There is really no significant difference between illegals and citizens at this point. And should they ever get deported, that’s just a free trip home, as they turn right around and come back. I think the only difference is in the past, the President pretended to uphold the law, but quietly ignored it. Obama openly and arrogantly “flips the bird” at the law because he knows that his Justice Dept isn’t going to do anything about it and he enjoys rubbing it in.
In 2007 Obama said the following:
” I will provide our intelligence & law enforcement agencies with the tools they need to track & take out the terrorists WITHOUT UNDERMINING OUR CONSTITUTION & our freedom. That means NO MORE ILLEGAL WIRETAPPING of American citizens. NO MORE NATIONAL SECURITY LETTERS TO SPY ON CITIZENS WHO ARE NOT SUSPECTED OF A CRIME. That is not who we are !! ”
“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”
-“I won’t stop fighting to open up government” — Barack Obama, January 2010-
-“What I want to do is clear out the press so we can take some questions”- Obama 2013-
-“Transparency promotes accountability and provides information for citizens about what their government is doing,” Obama 2009-
-“I will also hold myself as president to a new standard of openness …. Let me say it as simply as I can: Transparency and the rule of law will be the touchstones of this presidency.” Obama 2009-
-“The Founding Fathers established filibuster as means of protecting minority from the tyranny of the majority.” – Sen. Obama, 2005-
“I will also hold myself as President to a new standard of openness. Going forward, anytime the American people want to know something that I or a former President wants to withhold, we will have to consult with the Attorney General and the White House Counsel, whose business it is to ensure compliance with the rule of law. Information will not be withheld just because I say so. It will be withheld because a separate authority believes my request is well grounded in the Constitution.
Let me say it as simply as I can: Transparency and the rule of law will be the touchstones of this presidency.
Our commitment to openness means more than simply informing the American people about how decisions are made.” Barack Obama back in 2009
“If I know every single phone call you’ve made, I’m able to determine every single person you’ve talked to; I can get a pattern about your life that is very, very intrusive. And the real question here, is what do they do with this information that they collect – that does not have anything to do with al-Qaeda? And we’re gonna trust the president and the vice president that they’re doing the right thing? Don’t count me in on that.” – Joe Biden, 2006
“The fact that we are here today to debate raising America’s debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the U.S. Government can’t pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our Government’s reckless fiscal policies.
America’s debt weakens us domestically and internationally. Leadership means that ‘‘the buck stops here.’’ Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better.
I therefore intend to oppose the effort to increase America’s debt limit.”
– U.S. Senator Barack Obama (3/16/2006)
The people must be numbed down to not react to an unarmed invasion of our country.
The people HAVE reacted. Those who are opposed to illegal immigration will vote for Trump. Those who are in favor of it will vote for Hillary. Those who don’t care all that much one way or the other will vote for one of the third-party vote wasters.
base = based
Obama has been aiding and abetting illegal immigrants since he got into office. The whole Democratic vote structure is base on illegals voting, along with the dead. I have been voting since Barry Goldwater and this is the most corruption and illegality I have ever seen in an election.
Republicans wanted a “pathway to amnesty” as well; that’s why their base finally rebelled and backed Trump. The Chamber of Commerce and the corporations were in favor of unlimited legal and illegal immigration to undercut the price of labor. The Democrats wanted the same thing to secure the votes. The corporate interests were short-term; the Dems interests were long-term. And the Dems won in the long-term because by changing the demographics they have assured themselves of staying in power forever. Just remember, it was greed that created slavery. Rather than pay people to pick cotton the plantation owners imported slaves, and we have been paying the social costs ever since. Since they can no longer have slaves, the same greedy business interests have been looking for another means to undercut the cost of labor. They found it in illegal immigration. But that carries huge social costs as well, which are passed on to you, the taxpayer.
About 1/3 of the Senate Republican caucus voted for the Gang of 8 amnesty stinker. The other 2/3 preferred not to be associated with that. The remainder of the congressional Republican caucus is divided between people resistant to amnesty and people with their finger to the wind. The trouble is, amnesty advocates and trimmers have the gatekeeper positions. Republican patriots in Congress have to eject those people from those positions. The worst is Paul Ryan, who is an ideologue for open borders.
While we’re at it, one of the supporters of Chuck Schumer’s amnesty was Kelly Ayotte (having opposed it campaigning for office). The Republicans are supposed to lose about four Senate seats. If they’re fortunate, that pretty little liar will be one of the four.
If you think of them in their proper context most so called Republicans or Rinos to be more accurate are nothing more than the right wing all right of the LEFT! They do as they are told and cave on command.
Why would anybody, especially a woman, support the nations number one enabling and victimizer of women. Hillary is proof positive that not only men can victimize women. Hillary playing the woman card is a real sick joke and insult to those victims of his actions and her follow on attacks waiting for an apology and being ignored. And that goes for her enabling victimizing women supporters as well. ‘
For Shame….For Shame…..
Never mind all the other negatives.
Only a woman hater would support Hillary.
For shame For Shame.
And as for Obama comment She said she had illegals in her house. He said don’t worry about it we’ll not come bother you. Woman publicly admits committing a crime and Obeyme says You GO GIRL!
Twisting the meaning is impossible. Obama, The activist, and the illegals in her house are all criminals.
I was flipping through the Sunday morning shows. You could smell the sweat through the screen.
Obama, Jay Z, Beyonce cannot get their brothers and sisters to vote FOR Hillary. Dave Chappelle expressed admiration for Trump, and Chappelle’s thoughts are in line w/ many black folk. POTUS is therefore trying to get illegals to vote AGAINST Trump. Internal polling is scaring the feces out of Dems and all elitists.
Lots of voter suppression going on in NC.
And those sisters from NC are busy rallying blacks for Trump
Wonder what percentage of the black vote Trump gets in NC. Could you report back if is greater than 10 percent?
This is why the entire election system in the US needs to be revised, revamped, and reconstructed. Elections are sacred and must be administered by a central office that is not affected by local bias, party bias, concentrated wealth, and all the other problems that make this country one of the most dysfunctional democracies in the world, in fact and undeniably an oligarchy.
I completely disagree. We have too much centralization and if it is pure luck if the laws now centralized and under control of the Government Party are enforced, not enforced or enforced in a manner not intended by either the founders, the States or resonsible self governing citizens as intended.
Over Centralization is an extremely bad idea and should be shunned, avoided and that right not granted NOT given – unless it’s a Constitutional Amendment.
Absent an Amendment they have no rights granted which means for those Constitutionally challenged may not do what they want pending a visit by the courts or by ignoring their oath of office. The limits are clearly stated and not open to interpretation absent an amendment.
Instead go the other direction and stay away from this socialist autocracy garbage.
All States with recall, initiative and referendum for any missing any of those parts of self government.
All States run their own election systems and voting systems especially to include recall.
Instead federal officials elected, appointed or employees should start reading, understanding and supporting their oath of office. To many failures and too many problems caused to even think of giving more power to those that are incapable of managing the responsibility is NOT a good idea.
Rodriquez is a U.S. Citizen. She asks President Obama whether the authorities will come after her undocumented relatives and neighbors if she, Rodriquez, votes. The answer is no. And that is what President Obama correctly says.
She said “…undocumented citizens…are fearful of voting…will they come for us?”
Article throws shade on both President Obama and Latinos. Expect both to be on the winning side on election day. Viva Hillary!!!!!!
Why would anybody, especially a woman, support the nations number one enabling and victimizer of women. Hillary is proof positive that not only men can victimize women. Hillary playing the woman card is a real sick joke and insult to those victims of his actions and her follow on attacks waiting for an apology and being ignored. And that goes for her enabling victimizing women supporters as well. ‘
For Shame….For Shame…..
Never mind all the other negatives.
Only a woman hater would support Hillary.
For shame For Shame.
Silent hispanic majority for Trump
Are you claiming that the surge in Latino voters is due to support for Trump?
All I’m saying is that there are many Latinos who do support Trump. HRC does not own all the taco bowls.
Agreed. In the USA they are called voters. Then there are the HRC kind. In the USA they are called Illegal Voters.
Cubans and Puerto Ricans don’t have any skin in the game when it comes to immigration. So their political outlook is significantly different from Mexicans, as well as Central and South Americans.
Along with the Latinos from Mexico who came up legally or were made legal by amnesty, made something of themselves and don’t want to see a tax spend and devalue the dollar left wing fascist liberal like the one’s they left behind steal their money. Come to think of it Comrade Hillary shows every sign of being a trained and ready dictator, licensed for mordida and everything. Imagine the wealth the Clinton Foundation will gain from a Presidency versus a mere Department Secretary. Anyone know how much gelt Obeyme has since he took office? Not counting future book and speech making deals. I’m talking right now.
I forgot to add leave a reply….
Will no one – besides Clinton – rid us of this meddlesome priest – make that fraud?
As for the military you are correct in asking why, since the Congress will not act – they are not upholding their oath of office?
Is there no honor in the oath nor decency in the country anymore?
Is it Tuesday yet. Enough already.
The Congress and the incoming President can smack this grifter if they care to. Methods:
1. A new law which makes Presidential ‘papers’ (bar diaries and commonplace books written in longhand) the property of the National Archives. No more bennies for ‘donating’ them.
2. Congress provides for the construction of a modular records center in Kansas City. The archival content in the Presidential Libraries is then transported there. The remaining material in those ‘Libraries’, as well as the plant and equipment thereof, is deeded over to the county government in which they are resident. NOTHING is constructed for the most recent incumbent or anyone thereafter. His paperwork is taken to Kansas City and that’s it. So is everyone’s who succeeds him.
3. Security details for former presidents and their wives to be discontinued 12 years after they leave office, effective retroactively, which means everyone’s is cancelled bar that of George W. Bush and Laura, who lose theirs in 2021. A special dispensation will apply to the incumbent occupying office between 2009 and 2017: no security detail. Ever.
4. Pensions for all former Presidents inaugurated after 2008 will be limited to an annuity constructed of their actual contributions from their salary.
5. A new law regulating interstate contracts for the provision of honoraria by philanthropic corporations: They’re limited according to a formula which takes into account the number of employees said institution has, employee compensation per capita, and total employees in the whole economy. As of today, you get $22,000 and your travel fare for speaking to an audience at Ohio State University, and less anywhere else.
6. Limiting the post-presidential staff to some secretaries to answer the mail.
7. An end to any ancillary benefits a former President enjoys, NOS.
8. A wickedly aggressive investigation of the IRS, the Holder / Lynch camariila at the Department of Justice, and the Clinton crew. Indictments, please.
The first indictments will have to be applied to W Bush and Reagan who disregarded the law and got rid of all of their official correspondence that was illegally sent to the GOP web site. They also deleted many of their official papers and Bush extended the exemption about disclosing relevant material past the twelve year limit of sequestration by executive order. Too bad Turley has NO problem with the right wing doing worse than any group on keeping things secret by executive orders.
Point of Interest. Defeine Left Wing, Right Wing,Center. I’m betting you can’t do it without resorting to PC, The SecProg Handbook or both. Feel free to chicken out. If George will let you.
The first indictments will have to be applied to W Bush and Reagan
You indict people for crimes. Partisan Democrats fancy you indict the opposition because they are the opposition.
Partisan Democrats are the establishment consisting of a ruling class and a bunch of useful fools..tools. whatever. Let’s see how many names does that make. Democrats, Progressives, Darwinists, Materialists, Liberals, Socialists, .secular progressives, GOP Republicans, Rinos, Dinos, Croney Leftists, Soroistas, Fascists, National Socialists, International Socialists. The name changes are so fast it’s hard to keep track some days. Still the same old same old same old…..Nothing new here. Moveon dot Org. I here Joe Mamma calling. “PC oh PC where are you!!!”
All you really need to know is they are not Constitutionalists nor Constitutional Republic supporters. End of story and a brief lesson in realpolitik.
For a POTUS, to “tell illegal aliens(who Already broke our laws) to BREAK THE LAW, and VOTE ILLEGALLY, is Truly unbelievable and Obama should be “CHARGED WITH THIS AS A CRIME AGAINST THIS REPUBLIC. He also tells them there will be NO repercussions? TREASONIST-and our Military should be ‘marching this FRAUD OUT OF THE WHITEHOUSE.’