President Obama "feels liberated" after the midterm elections, according to sources in an article in today's New York Times by Peter Baker and Julie Hirschfeld Davis.
The President is a lion set free. Far from cowed by Democratic losses in the Senate, he "seems energized by the postelection actions" that he is now freed to take.
After two years of politely waiting for Republicans in the House to pass any kind of immigration reform at all, the President can now abandon efforts to make nice and instead issue carefully planned executive orders based on the executive branch's "right to 'prosecutorial discretion' in how it enforces the laws," according to another article in today's NYT by Michael D. Shear, Ashley Parker, and Julia Preston.
Titled "Millions may stay and work in U.S. in Obama's plan," the report is based on a detailed briefing (aka leak) from "administration officials who have direct knowledge of the plan."
His action "will remove the threat of deportation for millions of people in Latino and other immigrant communities" until January 2017, report Shear, Preston, and Parker.
If the elections of fall 2016 go well, that threat will be removed forever.
President Obama will have a legacy in several areas:
- first African-American president
- health care for many through the Affordable Care Act
- recovery from the Great Recession he inherited
- immigration reform
- efforts toward ending the US war of aggression in Iraq--fumbling efforts, now hampered by bombing ISIL.
Republicans threaten non-cooperation and even shutting down the federal government by refusing to pass a budget in December.
Non-cooperation? What an empty threat. They've been holding up all legislation for most of Obama's presidency.
Shutting down the government? Only if they want to guarantee their defeat in 2016.
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