Economy May Delay Work on Immigration Reform

WASHINGTON (By Peter Baker, NYT) January 11, 2009 — Confronted by the worst financial crisis in generations, President-elect Barack Obama and his Democratic allies in Congress are preparing to delay some of the promises he made on the campaign trail to avoid political distractions and focus on reversing the economic slide.

Although Mr. Obama has not publicly identified which priorities will have to wait, advisers and allies have signaled that they may put off renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement, overhauling immigration laws, restricting carbon emissions, raising taxes on the wealthy and allowing gay men and lesbians to serve openly in the military.

Other signature promises may be addressed in piecemeal fashion in the opening weeks of the Obama administration but then put on a long track toward more comprehensive resolutions. For example, Mr. Obama plans to include what aides call “down payments” on his promises to expand health care coverage and promote energy independence in the economic recovery package he is developing, as a sign of dedication to the broader goals.

The priority setting as Inauguration Day approaches offers a window into the emerging presidency, one shaped perhaps less by the campaign he ran than by the troubles he is inheriting. Surrounded by veterans of the Clinton White House, Mr. Obama is determined to avoid the mistakes of the last Democratic transition 16 years ago when secondary issues and a rush for change undercut a new president from the start.

The economic tumult provides Mr. Obama an opportunity as well as a challenge. While he may have to cast aside some of his goals for the moment, the magnitude of the problem awaiting him in the Oval Office has grown so overwhelming that he has a ready reason for delaying or slowing some initiatives. And as he assembles his economic package, he has the chance to tackle some of his highest priorities all at once under the rubric of restoring growth and preparing the nation for the future.

“I want to be realistic here,” Mr. Obama said in an interview to be broadcast Sunday on “This Week” on ABC. “Not everything that we talked about during the campaign are we going to be able to do on the pace we had hoped.”

Obama aides said he still planned to pursue the full agenda that undergirded his presidential campaign later this year or perhaps later in his term. “Our intent is to follow through on all of our commitments,” said his senior adviser, David Axelrod, “but obviously we have to prioritize.”

For now, though, said Rahm Emanuel, the incoming White House chief of staff, on domestic policy, only one thing matters. “Our No. 1 goal: jobs,” Mr. Emanuel said. “Our No. 2 goal: jobs. Our No. 3 goal: jobs.”

The strategy has unsettled some constituency groups and advocacy lobbies on the left that have been agitating for quick action on their top goals after eight years of a Republican administration. Advocates and lawmakers said they understood that Mr. Obama needed to concentrate on the economy at first and have tempered their grievances so far. But many expressed concern that priorities deferred might become priorities abandoned.

“A lot of people are anxious, they’re impatient,” said Representative John B. Larson of Connecticut, chairman of the House Democratic Caucus.

“They’re wondering, ‘Is this the only thing that’s going to happen?’ ” Mr. Larson added, referring to the economic recovery program.

Yet Mr. Larson also detected a willingness to be patient. “It’s understandable,” he said, “that all of the priorities they had on the campaign trail may be leapfrogged.”

Representative Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said Mr. Obama’s supporters were giving him the benefit of the doubt. “They understand we have to engage in triage,” Mr. Van Hollen said.

The issue of gay men and lesbians in the military may be the one that echoes most for those who served under President Bill Clinton and remember how he stumbled over the matter early in his tenure and wound up compromising with the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy that permits them to serve only if they do not discuss or act on their sexual orientation.

Even if there were no economic problems, some Democratic strategists said Mr. Obama would be wise to take his time repealing that policy.

Opponents of the policy said Mr. Obama had a moral commitment to act relatively soon. Many gay rights advocates were already disheartened by his selection of the Rev. Rick Warren, an evangelical pastor who opposes same-sex marriage, to deliver the invocation at his inauguration.

“I’m not talking about a first-100-days initiative,” said Aubrey Sarvis, executive director of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, which represents those kicked out of the military. “I am suggesting this is very doable in 2009.”

Robert Gibbs, the incoming White House press secretary, responded Friday to a question posted by “Thaddeus from Lansing, Mich.,” on Mr. Obama’s Web site, www.change.gov, asking if the president-elect would repeal “don’t ask, don’t tell.”

“Thaddeus,” Mr. Gibbs answered, “you don’t hear a politician give a one-word answer much. But it’s yes.”

Thaddeus did not ask, and Mr. Gibbs did not tell, when that might happen.

Mr. Obama has likewise pledged to follow through with a new immigration policy, but several allies on Capitol Hill said it was not at all certain that could happen this year.

“President-elect Obama has made clear a campaign commitment to address this issue in his first year, and we know he takes that very seriously,” said a spokesman said on a conference call organized by the National Immigration Forum, a group that advocates policies more welcoming toward immigrants. “And we plan to hold him accountable.”

Frank Sharry, executive director of America’s Voice, another advocacy group, said advocates hoped a window of opportunity would open between this September and March 2010.

On issues like immigration and climate change, Mr. Obama may focus on narrow moves first. He wants money in the economic package to double alternative fuels in the next three years, but his promise to enact a market-based limit on carbon called cap-and-trade does not appear on a fast track. “I’m not sure this year because I don’t know if we’ll be ready,” the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi of California, told reporters last week.

The president-elect does not appear ready to scrap Nafta, nor does he seem in a rush to push through a hotly disputed plan making it easier for workers to organize unions.

But Bill Samuel, legislative director of the A.F.L.-C.I.O., said union leaders were focused on the economic package, which would provide hundreds of billions of dollars for job creation, much of it road, bridge and other infrastructure construction that would benefit his members.

If it takes longer to get some of the union’s other priorities, Mr. Samuel said, so be it. “You can’t do everything in the same week.”