Demagogue: a leader who makes use of popular prejudices and false claims and promises in order to gain power

Or here is the definition from another dictionary: a person who tries to stir up the people by appeals to emotion, prejudice, etc. in order to win them over quickly and so gain power

Sooo, in a joint press conference with the Mexican President and the Canadian Prime Minister, Potus was asked if he thought he would be able to keep the promises he's made to Pres Calderon on amnesty for illegal aliens considering how much trouble he is having with the healthcare bill and his slipping numbers.

He gave, of course, a long, rambling response but I thought this part was pretty telling:

“This is going to be difficult; it's going to require bipartisan cooperation. There are going to be demagogues out there who try to suggest that any form of pathway for legalization for those who are already in the United States is unacceptable."

This set off quite a complicated set of thought processes for me. First off, I thought, "Hmmm, demagogues eh?" Now, if we look at the definitions I've listed... who does that sound like? Is it just me or has the president just called his opponents a bunch of democrats? Puts a whole new twist on the pot calling the kettle black doesn't it? And NO that wasn't a racial remark, Nancy! It's just a saying. And doesn't democrat come from the same root word? Nancy Pelosi painting the citizens practicing their basic freedom of speech at townhall meetings as "astroturf" and "carrying swastikas" doesn't smack of demagoguery at all!

Okay, sorry, the English major in me kicked in for a minute there.

Now, I am slightly cheered by this particular story overall. Confused? Well, so am I most times. But see, unlike my husband and most of my friends, I am not opposed to "any form of pathway for legalization for" illegals. I don't have any problem all with decent, hard-working people from other countries coming here. I think they enrich us as a country. I don't think it should be automatic for those who happen to have lucked into their illegal perch during the Obama regime. I don't think it should even be easy. But I do think it should be possible for an illegal who really wants to be here for the right reasons and is willing to work hard, learn the language and follow the rules to attain citizenship, pay their taxes and take on the rights and responsiblities the rest of us carry.

I don't, don't, don't believe that we should have to cater to their language, culture etc but rather they should have to adapt to the one they have chosen. We should not feel guilty or apologetic for not having signs, documents etc in their language. And I personally think that the drive to make more things available in Spanish is playing favorites and eventually we would be charged with not making those documents available in ________ (fill in the blank - every language in the frickin' world!)

So I am a tiny little bit cheered by the fact that a plausible compromise on something the Potus has proposed doesn't terrify the crap out of me. And the fact that he realizes that he is slipping and that everything he wants isn't going to fall into his lap simply due to his fabulousness, well, that cheers me more than a tiny little bit8O)