Real Leadership Wanted

Independent key swing voters want real leadership, not politicians who buckle under pressure.  As such, it is a well known fact that Americans want immigration reform fixed.

These are the 4 Senators our independent voter group will be hawkish on:

1. Sen. Kay Hagan of North Carolina (who has a record of not voting for the DREAM Act in 2010).
2. Sen. Mark Pryor of Arkansas (who has a record of not voting for the DREAM Act in 2010).  This is where Bill Clinton should give him political cover while holding his hand in the 'deep south' with regard to this issue.  Else, Pryor should take one for the Democratic Team.
3. Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana who did vote in support of the DREAM Act in 2010, yet, should remember the Mexican immigrants the Republican Governor had clean up the gulf.  Or Landrieu can simply remind the voters of Louisiana how immigrants cleaned up more messes as they were exploited while big companies hid behind subcontractors in order to line their pocket with public money.  
4. Sen. Mark Begich of Alaska (needs to remember that even his Republican counterpart via Sen. Lisa Murkowski voted in support of the DREAM Act in 2010).  Indeed, Begich should remind himself Sen. Lisa Murkowski's habit of breaking with the GOP on several key votes could give him some political cover ahead of 2014.

If Sen. Kay Hagen continues to be on the wrong side of the immigration debate, we have no choice but to give her a thumbs down for helping Speaker Boehner stall on immigration reform.  Key swing independent voters have had it up to our ears on gridlock in Washington.  We are seeking real leadership.

New National Poll and 26 State Polls Show Voters Want Immigration Reform This Year

On July 9th, the Partnership for a New American Economy, the Business Roundtable, and the National Association of Manufacturers released the findings of a national survey and 26 state surveys.

Findings include:

• Voters across the country recognize the immigration system is broken: By a 12 to 1 ratio, voters believe the system is in need of fixing versus those who think the system is functioning the way it should. 86% of Republicans believe Congress should take action to fix the immigration system. 79% of Independents agree.
• Voters overwhelmingly reject the argument that President’s unwillingness to enforce laws is grounds not to pass immigration reform: Nearly 3 out of 4 voters (72%) reject the argument that the Administration’s unwillingness to enforce laws is a reason for Congress not to act. 2 out of 3 Republicans reject this argument as well. That number increases to 69% among Independents.
• Voters don’t want Washington to wait to fix the immigration system: 80% of voters want Congress to act this year, with nearly half calling it “very important” they act this year. In every region, at least 73% of voters believe it is either very or somewhat important that Congress act on immigration reform this year. 77% of Republicans say it is important that Congress act, while 53% say it is very important. 74% of Independents believe it is important for Congress to act this year.
• Voters support the principles outlined by House leadership: More than 60% of voters support the basic immigration plan laid out in Speaker Boehner’s “immigration standards.” 54% of Republicans support an immigration reform plan that secures our borders, expands visas for high-skilled workers and farm workers, provides an employer verification program, allows young persons brought to the U.S. illegally by their parents an opportunity to earn citizenship, and provides visas to live and work here legally to undocumented immigrants without a criminal record who pay penalties and pay back taxes. Only 37% oppose. Among Independents, 62% support and only 26% oppose.
• Voters support establishing a legal status for undocumented immigrants: 2 out of 3 voters support legal status for undocumented immigrants. A majority of Republicans (54%) support legal status.
• Republicans want their next presidential candidate to support immigration reform: Republicans would rather vote for a presidential candidate in 2016 that is from a party that supports reform (71%) than one from a party that opposes it (15%).

The Interactive Voice Response (IVR) automated national telephone survey was conducted between June 24^th and June 28^th, 2014 by Harper Polling, Inc. The sample size for the national survey is 1,000 likely voters and the margin of error is +/-3.1 percent.