Obama 'confident' about immigration reform in a second term
Davenport, Iowa (CNN) – New details of President Barack Obama's plans for a second term were given in an off-the-record interview with the Des Moines Register Tuesday but made public only after the paper protested that leaving it private would be a disservice to Iowa voters.
The interview was conducted Tuesday but made public Wednesday after the Obama campaign gave permission to the paper releasing them from their off-the-record agreement.
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In the interview, Obama said he is confident his administration will pass immigration reform and achieve the equivalent of a grand bargain with Congress.
After failing to achieve comprehensive immigration reform in his first term, the president said Republicans, given the large Latino vote, will be invested in changing the system.
"I'm confident we'll get done next year is immigration reform," Obama said in the transcript of the interview posted online by the paper. "And since this is off the record, I will just be very blunt. Should I win a second term, a big reason I will win a second term is because the Republican nominee and the Republican Party have so alienated the fastest-growing demographic group in the country, the Latino community."
"So I am fairly confident that they're going to have a deep interest in getting that done," he added.
CNN has previously reported the White House met with a coalition of religious leaders in an effort to broach immigration reform next year.
He also predicted the two political parties reach an agreement over the fiscal health of the United States, buoyed by a combination of financial factors, including the Bush tax cuts expiring, the sequester and a commitment from himself and GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney to reducing the deficit. Obama said he was "confident" about an agreement of $2.50 worth of cuts for every dollar of revenue.
$1.5 trillion in taxes will likely come from allowing the Bush tax cuts to expire, but $848 billion in savings will come from winding the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, in addition to $1 trillion in cuts already agreed to in budget negotiations with Congress.
Reaching agreements on these topics in the first year of a second term, the president said, would allow a focus on "some things that really historically have not been ideological."
"We can start looking at a serious corporate tax reform agenda that's revenue-neutral but lowers rates and broadens the base," Obama said.
Romney campaign spokeswoman Amanda Henneberg said in a statement that if reelected, Obama supports "implementing even more job-destroying policies that will cost the nation over 700,000 jobs. It's clear why Americans can't afford four more years like the last four years."
Obama senior adviser David Plouffe said reaching an agreement is "the responsible thing to do."
"Obviously we want to get to work on this right after the election," Plouffe told reporters Wednesday.
The president emphasized the importance of Iowa during his visit Wednesday, telling the crowd he had to start his 48 hour "extravaganza."
"This is the first stop on our 48-hour fly around, campaign marathon extravaganza," Obama said. "We're going to pull an all-nighter. No sleep. We are starting here in Iowa."
Plouffe said "We win the election if it were held today," adding that the president has a "credible pathway to 50%" in North Carolina, Florida, Virginia, New Hampshire, Iowa, Colorado and Nevada.
"In the next 13 days Gov. Romney's got to pull voters off of the president so you know that's their task," Plouffe said. "We have to make sure voters turn out."
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Great!! 30 million more illegals taking American Jobs. This will be great for the 23.5 million unemployed American workers.
ONLY if he does take over America, as a true dictator!
Too bad the welfare president won't win.
ST - I trust him he is going to deal with Immigration in his second term. Remember Latinos, Rome was not built in one day. It took a century. He is not a person who changes positions. It was unfortunate that he could not tackle every major issue at one time.
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And this is because he has shown himself willing to sit down with the Republicans, listen to what they want, give them some of their demands and compromise???? Egads, you are SOOOOO delusional. That Obama does NOT exist.
Obama ha a super majority in congress for 2 years and he did jack for immigration. This is another whopper from Barry.
Why are the republicans posting (hateful, dissing) comments here? Thats right, Fixed news closed their comments section.
So, Obama is really saying "vote for me and I'll let your illegal family into the U.S." That's just great. What a piece of trash.
IF Obama wins he will get ZERO from Congress.... because the man has ZERO leadership skills! Just what America needs...another 4 years of FAIL!
right on track as the next SOCIALIST nation....welcome to the USSA (comrad). We took over mortages (that failed). We took over student loans (that failed). We took over green energy (75% of those companies gone...failed). We are about to take over health care (using the FAILED blueprint of medicaid...brilliant). And NOW we want to Socialize the borders....lets see...how about we have the TAX PAYERS pay for each and every illegal's medical care, schooling, and legal fees (oh wait...we ALREADY do that).
yeah...more FREE STUFF ! Europe didn't learn from THAT mentality...but THAT won't happen here. More FREE STUFF ! Yeah !
UBS, WILLARD & THE 4000+ AMERICAN AMNESTY DEAL
I'm positive immigration reform will get passed in a second term. The President will have less obstructionists to deal with and we'll be able to push his agenda and America's agenda FORWARD!!!
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Delusional. You must be Dutch posting on your 16th different name now.
I'm confident that the Republicans will never allow Obama to reform immigration. I confident Romney will not only wait for immigrants to "self deport" he will put them in concentration camps.
I'm "confident" he won't even get the chance.
Now that is a WHOPPER. Obama FAILED to even address it or propose it when his party had control he will say anything just to get a vote
Lets analyze facts here without getting emotions involved.
When Obama took office the national debt was 9 trillion, In 4 years its 16 trillion, thats 7 trillion in 4 years. Even Bush took 8 years to get to 9 trillion. The success of a nation is based on wealth building and saving, NOT spending, spending and distributing wealth amongst classes of people. Prices at the gas pump have doubled, true unemployment is much higher.
Obama does not have the skill set to improve, save and flourish the ecomony, thats a fact. In 4 years, a successful president would have either kept the debt at the same levels or reduced it, thats a sign of success. Obama supporters can keep rationalizing that the country would have gone in recession and the bailout money was needed etc etc. Companies that dont have sound business policies will and should be allowed to be failed and reemerge victorious.
Giving people unemployment, aid, food stamps for a long long time, is going to increased their dependency and reduce their motivation to work and be productive. IF you want to help, teach people to make money not just give money.
Please remember America, the tax hikes will affect us all, gas prices, housing slump, economic stagnation, overwhelming debt will affect us all.
Romney is a successful businessman, he will turn America into a wealthy nation, increase jobs, help people of all classes, create jobs, not simply play Robinhood
WAKE UP AMERICA, its not too late, we have elected a President who is learning on the job, we cant afford this, Had it been Hilliary Clinton I would have a different view, Dont let Obama, Michelle and Oprah show go on and on.
SAVE AMERICA, VOTE ROMNEY RYAN, ECONOMIC SUCCESS increases global respect for a country.
Thank you
Sincerely
So will he blame his election night defeat on his bumbling idiocy? Or are the American people just too stupid to understand his greatness?
If you are a military person, or your son or daughter is in the military, this debate was very important. If you see the views of Mitt Romney or President Obama you see that one is willing to go to war on a whim where the other wants to use all measures first. So if you think this debate didn't matter, tell that the the family who is seeing their son or daughter getting on a plane to go to war.
Off the record, 47% of Americans trust him...
There is a choice you have to make America – go backwards or forward. Listen I have no doubt that Mitt Romney love his country – but what I do doubt is that he understand the MIDDLE CLASS.
How many times in the RNC did you hear Mitt Romney speak on the Troops? (ZERO). How in the world are you to become President and you don't mention the people that have sacrifice for this country and have gi
ven their lives. But what really gets me, is that I have FB friends who are Soldiers and they get behind someone that doesn't recognize them but they want their vote.
I as a Soldier, find it hard to vote for someone that doesn't respect what some 6,000 plus Soldiers have sacrifice for him (THEIR LIVES). Shame on you Mitt.
Me in Houston- "a congress that will work with him"? Like he had his first two years? Not enough time? Funny, he had enough time to hijack and reconstruct a socialist health care system in a few weeks time...how's that Kool-Aid taste Houston?
@Borderless – "...making some adjustments in terms of the corporate tax side that could actually bring down the corporate tax overall, but broaden the base and close some loopholes. That would be good for our economy, and it would be good for reducing our deficit."
Um, isn't that Romney's plan?
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Um, NEWSFLASH: – Romney doesn't have a plan! That's the problem. He has a vague 5-point Reaganesque talking point. No substance, no meat. Designed to be lapped up by right wing lemmings who let Faux Noise tell them how to vote.
You guy's are total nuts, as a lame duck president he will be able to use the full power of the position.
He would be able to push real hard on this issue weather they like it or not. a very strong bargaing position
This is a GOOD THING !!
Our entire screwed up immigration policies have caused so much trouble.
They have a whole number of double-standards and allow employers to hire illegals with impunity.
That has to stop. Employers have imported millions of illegals into the country with false promises of citizenship. And that is fraud. Cargill, Monsanto and many others.
.
I agree with you, Critical Thinking
I was researching some of Obama's other campaign promises made in 2008. He told the Planned Parenthood Action Fund in 2007 that the first thing he would do as president would sign the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) which he supported as senator. Then in an April 2009 press conference he believes in a woman's right to choose but passing FOCA was not a legislative priority. Are we all supposed to believe that Obama will be effective with Congress for another 4 years?
Hmmm...seems pretty underhanded by the De Moines paper to pressure the WH to release this report, when it was OFF the record. It's great news for the President, wrt the Latino vote, but as a rule, an off the record interview, is off the record.,