Immigration is a political land mine–any step, any move, even the wrong word–and it can explode.
But wherever you stand, can we agree on a few facts?
“You can come out of the shadows, and get right with the law,” President Barack Obama said.
Fact one: The president pleased millions of people tonight…but displeased more.
In a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, 38% supported the the executive order, but 48% opposed it, with 14% having no opinion.
Those are the numbers; this was not a popular move.
Fact two : Five million people is a lot of people.
The president’s order could affect as many people as now live in New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, Maine, and the city of Boston.
That alone makes this a big deal.
Fact three: Everything the president has done can be undone.
An executive order is not a law and is not permanent. Another president could reverse it, or a court could rule it goes too far, and throw it out.
Fact four: The president has put his legacy on the line.
If his immigration plan succeeds, he deserves another Nobel Prize. But if it fails, he fails.
The president wanted this fight: He picked the time and he set the terms.
And what’s ahead will make the fiscal cliff look like a pile of pebbles.