Monday, November 25, 2013

Obama interrupted: President goes unscripted on immigration in exchange with protester



Nov. 25, 2013: President Obama gestures as he attempts to respond to a protestor who began to heckle him about anti-deportation policies, at the Betty Ann Ong Chinese Recreation Center in San Francisco, Calif.AP
In a candid exchange with a protester demanding immigration reform, President Obama Monday departed from his text during a San Francisco speech to blame congressional Republicans for not voting to support the measure.
Obama had arrived Monday in the city's largely immigrant Chinatown neighborhood expecting to deliver a solo performance in support of passing immigration reform, but was interrupted by a heckler demanding he enact the legislation through executive order.
“If I could solve all these problems without passing laws in Congress, then I would,” Obama told him.
“I need your help,” the protester, identified as Ju Hong, a University of California Berkeley senior and undocumented resident, shouted from behind the stage.
“Families are separated for Thanksgiving... . I need your help... . Mister President please use executive order to halt deportation for all 11.5 (million) undocumented immigrants in this country right now. We agree we need to pass reform. But at same time, you have the power to stop deportation.”
The president turned and told his security detail not to remove the protester and said: “Actually, I don't. And that's why we're here … The easy way out is to try to yell and pretend I can do something by violating our laws. And what I'm proposing is the harder path, which is to use our democratic processes to achieve the same goal that you want to achieve. But it won't be as easy as just shouting. It requires us lobbying and getting it done...
“Right now it’s up to the Republicans,” said the president, who restated his support for passing a reform bill in pieces.

More..........

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/11/25/obama-interrupted-president-goes-unscripted-on-immigration-in-exchange-with/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+foxnews%2Fpolitics+%28Internal+-+Politics+-+Text%29

No comments:

Post a Comment