President Obama spoke Thursday night for 15 minutes, announcing executive action on immigration that will prevent five million undocumented immigrants from being deported.
And TV and social media had strong reactions.
Bill O’Reilly:
O’Reilly aired live, interviewing well-known comprehensive immigration reform activist and journalist Jose Antonio Vargas — who was the subject of a CNN documentary “Undocumented” this year.
“You and the other people here illegally don’t deserve to be here –that’s harsh — but you don’t have an entitlement to be here,” O’Reilly said to Vargas.
“Sir, I don’t feel entitled to be here, I don’t ask for any sort of entitlement, all I know this is where I grew up,” he replied.
Al Sharpton/Rachel Maddow
Sharpton, who met with the president earlier in the day before the speech, thought the speech was “excellent.” “A very moving speech, and you know it really is effective when the president has Rachel Maddow excited about scripture,” Sharpton joked.
“My four aunts who are nuns right now are actually texting me … look now I’m blushing for Jesus,” Maddow responded.
Chris Hayes
“He [Obama] quotes scripture; I found that part — because I’m a bleeding-heart liberal — particularly effective.
Newt Gingrich
“He’s simply not telling the country the truth … and to describe that as prosecutorial discretion is absolutely dishonest and this is a very dishonest speech,” CNN contributor and former presidential candidate Newt Gingrich said on CNN.
Geraldo Rivera
“He may be doing it for awful, base reasons, political reasons, I don’t know, and I don’t care. I care that he’s finally done the right thing for law abiding family, immigrants, who’ve been here for five or more years.
Of course, social media got predictably political:
Obama predictably trots out immig sob stories–he NEVER speaks so empathetically abt millions of unemployed & underemployed Americans?
– Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) November 21, 2014
Watched Pres tonight w/ sound muted. “blah, blah I’m Emperor..blah, blah, I’m rewriting the Constitution..blah, blah they’ll vote D” right?
– ericbolling (@ericbolling) November 21, 2014
“@LOLURWNJ: .@seanhannity No, he’s not a hypocrite, you’re just a carnival barker.” No u just buy his bullshit. I see through it
– Sean Hannity (@seanhannity) November 21, 2014
And the New York Post’s cover was colorful as always.
Get ready and start buying your popcorn for when President Obama takes his next executive action, most likely on climate change or gun control. That media frenzy will be a doozy.