Obama And Small-Town America (3)

Barack Obama criticized a wide swath of voters when on 4/6/08 he responded to a question in part by telling his audience of donors:

So it's not surprising then that they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.

They "cling" to "anti-immigrant sentiment?" What "anti-immigrant" sentiment in Senator Obama referring to? Is it opposition to driver's licenses for people who came here illegally? Perhaps. When the candidates were asked by Wolf Blitzer at the September 26, 2007 debate in Las Vegas "Do you support driver's licenses for illegal immigrants?" Obama eventually answered "yes."

Could it be their opposition to "sanctuary cities?" Perhaps. When at the 9/26/07 Democratic presidential debate at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, the candidates were asked "would you allow these cities to ignore the federal law regarding the reporting of illegal immigrants and in fact provide sanctuary to these immigrants" and Tim Russert followed up to elicit a specific answer from each candidate, Obama joined five of his fellow candidates in responding affirmatively.

Or could it be opposition to paying Social Security benefits to immigrants for the period of time they were here on an illegal basis? Obama on 5/18/06 voted to table an amendment which would have precluded an immigration reform bill (S2611) (not McCain-Kennedy) from granting Social Security benefits to illegal immigrants for the period of time they were here illegally.

Support for federal law, opposition to driver's licenses for individuals here illegally, and opposition to certain financial benefits for individuals who at that time were helping drive down wage rates and health and other benefits do not qualify as "anti-immigrant" sentiment but as anti-illegal immigrant sentiment. The senator from Illinois should know better. Or does.