Obama, the Dictator

Americans, and Republicans in particular, are furious with Barack Obama. They are calling him a dictator because of the announcement on immigration he made Thursday, Nov. 21, an announcement by which he managed to change the situation of about five million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. with only his signature.

These are millions of people who, as Nicholas Kristof wrote this weekend in The New York Times, rather than being defined by their immigration status, are now defined by their courage and ambition for a better future for them and their families, due to the lottery that determines, who knows how or by whom, where we are born.

It is said that the five million undocumented immigrants who will benefit from this measure are those who have children born in the U.S., no criminal record and have been living in the country for some time.

What does Obama’s announcement entail?

For immigrants, it means a halt in deportations. Obama has rightfully earned the title of deporter-in-chief for the record number of deportations during his administration.

Now, as 500 days have passed since the Senate approved an immigration reform that the House of Representatives has refused to endorse, Obama’s executive action — which attempts to fix a piece of the broken immigration system — is justified.

For Obama, the announcement entails both a success and a failure. The success comes from finally being able to prove that he is fulfilling his campaign promise to do something for the Hispanic community in the U.S.

But the failure is that it is clear he simply has not had the leadership to be able to bridge the existing differences between Republicans and Democrats. Obama arrived at the White House promising he would make things work differently in Washington. But the division between both parties remains more profound than ever.

So much so that a legislative action, always the best option in this matter, ends up being surpassed by the executive action, generating the cries of dictator, autocrat and emperor that Obama’s naysayers have been wielding.

For Republicans, Obama’s announcement forces them to look for ways to moderate themselves. They are so angry with the president that these past few days we have heard some tough threats; Senator Ted Cruz, for example, wants his party to reject everything coming from the presidency starting in January, when the Senate will be composed of a Republican majority.

“Moderate ourselves or lose in 2016,” could be the slogan that defines the Republicans’ challenge after Obama’s announcement.

However, this executive action of Obama means that, for the rest of the undocumented immigrants in the U.S., the situation will not change. The immigration system remains broken.

And for the U.S. population in general, it will mean watching the divisions between Republicans and Democrats become more profound than ever.

In this action of Obama, there are good and bad points, although, ultimately, it has been a measure that is better than the prevailing status quo.