Obama's paying the price for inaction on immigration reform

House Democrats’ priorities were the stimulus package, Obamacare and cap-and-trade legislation to address supposed global warming. They passed all three despite negative polling — and even though cap-and-trade had no chance in the Senate.

In the short run Barack Obama paid no political price for the Democrats’ decision to sidestep immigration. The only time he got pressed on the issue was a grilling by Univision’s Jorge Ramos in September 2012. Obama carried 71 percent of Hispanic votes in November.

But he missed the chance to pass comprehensive immigration reform—on which, unlike the stimulus, Obamacare and cap-and-trade, he might have had significant Republican support—by his own choice.