President Barack Obama is being sharply criticized for his decision not to visit the U.S.-Mexico Border while on a trip to Texas where he will participate in Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) fundraisers. Texas Governor Rick Perry had invited President Obama to go to the border so he could see the crisis first hand. Perry refused to take part in tarmac hand-shake photo-op when Obama lands in Texas, but has agreed to a meeting with the President during Obama’s visit to his state.
The Democratic congresswoman who heads the “Red to Blue” program for the DCCC believes the President should go to the border.
Congresswoman Donna Edwards (D-Maryland) said in an interview with USA Today that visiting the border would make sense.
“I have to tell you, I’m much more of a hands-on person. So, for me, visiting the border would make sense in terms of my ability to make decisions. People do things differently. I think if I were advising him, I’d advise him to go to the border,” Edwards said.
And then comes the evitable spin, “But I respect the fact that he’s decided otherwise. … He’s calling on Congress to do something about it. And all the visiting of the border in the world isn’t going to change the fact that Congress hasn’t done anything yet, and that is at the feet and the hands of John Boehner, of the Republican Party that refuses to bring immigration reform to the floor for a vote. It would pass,” Edwards added.
One of Edwards colleagues in the House also said it was important for Obama to make a border visit. Congressman Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) in an interview on MSNBC said, “I think a visit by the president is reaffirming that the borderlands along the southwest border are vital and important to this nation. So I think a visit would be important and very symbolic.”