Obamas Amnesty Further Fractures America

Is Obama using executive power to satisfy a constituency and put it

above the rule of law?
By Peter Morici, November 25, 2014
Credit: LaMarr McDanielwww.shutterstock.com

President Obamas decision to ignore the law by granting de facto amnesty to millions
of illegal immigrants brought to the United States as children and those who are parents
of children with legal status was a terribly foolish act. It will only serve to exacerbate
racial tensions in the country.
Polls indicate the overwhelming majority of whites view illegal immigration as
threatening. Many see immigrants as taking jobs from native-born Americans, pushing
down wages and contributing to cultural decline.
Opposing Viewpoint:
Why Obama Is Right on Immigration
By Joseph Conteh
While many may silently harbor racial bigotry, the adverse economic consequences for
white Americans are real and palpable. Illegal immigration increases the supply of lowskilled workers and that drives down wages for less educated whites and AfricanAmericans.
Under Obamas plan, millions of illegals will qualify for work permits and will be able to
take more visible, better-paying jobs. As a result, native-born Americans will face more
competition for positions paying significantly above the federal minimum. An example is
those positions paying between the averages for the hospitality and construction
industries $17 and $25 per hour, respectively.
Also at the top
It would be an error to assume that racial tensions are prevalent only in the lower rungs
of the U.S. income scale. They can also be experienced among the ranks of future
highly skilled professionals.
Elite universities, reflecting years of pressure from the U.S. Department of
Education, divide admissions along informal racial quotas and that practice
disadvantages white applicants.
A group called Students for Fair Admissions has brought suit in federal court against
Harvard University and the University of North Carolina. The suit charges that the

current practice discriminates against Asians, who tend to be the best academically
qualified racial group.
If this suit is successful, given the inclinations of the Obama Administration to pressure
schools to admit African-Americans and Hispanics, even more white applicants would
be squeezed out of top universities their forefathers founded and endowed.
Already, many academically qualified children of successful white professionals find that
they are denied admission to universities of the same status their parents attended.
Consequently, they face diminished career and lifetime earnings prospects.
In a nutshell, President Obamas recent actions will increase the pools of Hispanic and
Asian college immigrants and applicants. And they will further exacerbate
intergenerational downward economic mobility among whites.
Last fall, when asked if he had the authority to end the deportation of illegal aliens,
Obama responded,Actually, I dont and that he could not appease immigrant
advocates by violating the law.

It is only fitting in this context that many Hispanics and Asians now in the United States
come from countries with recent histories of authoritarian governments or governments
where a single party has maintained control. In those countries, national leaders simply
do what populist sentiments requires the law be damned.
Appeasement in action
Appeasing Hispanic and Asian voters is exactly what President Obama did with his
executive order granting de facto amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants.
It is not difficult to see why many white Americans would perceive illegal immigration as
undermining their culture and the rule of law. No wonder either why they increasingly
see Democrats as opportunists prepared to trash the U.S. Constitution in order to
maintain their grasp on power.
No one should be surprised that large majorities of white Americans voted for
Republican Congressional candidates in the mid-term elections in November 2014 and
for Governor Romney in 2012.
Given the concentration of Hispanics, Asians and African-Americans in New York,
California and several swing states such as Virginia, the Democrats have a good shot at
winning most presidential elections in the years to come.

However, given that white voters still account for about 70% of eligible voters in the
United States, there is a countervailing factor in place.
Given the Republican Partys particular dominance in more-sparsely populated states
around the country as well as in the south and their over-representation in the u.S.
Congress, Republicans will likely continue to hold the House and Senate most of the
time.
While that creates a suitable political balance, the U.S. Constitution still does not
provide white Americans with a remedy when a President bypasses Congress. Thus,
they cannot challenge Obamas abuse of executive power to satisfy a constituency that
puts its agenda above the rule of law.
Impeachment is not a viable option, and Republican lawmakers face uncertain
prospects at best for successfully challenging executive orders in federal court.
Conclusion
White Americans face a federal government that is explicitly working against their
interests, the economic prospects of their children and democratic processes they have
spent more than 200 years defending.
If that is not a recipe for racial animus, I dont know what is.