ad guests on all sides of the debate. and a host willing to ask the tough questions and you'll get... the inside story ray suarez hosts inside story weekdays at 5pm et / 2pm pt only on al jazeera america >> so stop me if you've already heard this one. congress won't play ball with the president on a big issue. president says he'll move ahead without congress then says never mind. well, at least until november. the president, the midterm elections and immigration reform, it's the inside story. >> hello, i'm ray suarez. watching the policies statements

coming out of the white house over the last few months was bound to confuse anyone. the president says he wants comprehensive immigration reform but doesn't serve with the congress that is likely to give it to him in a form that he'll actually sign into law. he reminds that bulky national legislature i got my phone and my pen. inflames opponents the white house started to back off. maybe not everything, maybe not right away, and then comes the last word from the administration. we're not doing anything until the mid terms are over . >> the facts are on immigration. what we've done for accompanying

children, and why it's necessary. >> on supplied's meet the press host chuck todd pressed the president on his decision. >> what do you tell the person who is going to get deported before the election that this decision was essentially made in your hopes of saving a democratic senate. >> well, that's not the reason. what i've determined is i want to make sure that we get it right. i want to make sure all the t ts. >> it's politics. election year politics. >> the president's reversal has angered some of his supporters and critics alike. >> the president signaled that he would not move forward on comprehensive immigration reform, and we are. we are deeply disappointed. however, we should be angry. angry that this house has not had the courage to take up comprehensive immigration refo reform. >> how cynical is that, that the president is going to do something on a different date than he promised repeat lid because he's afraid if he does

it now the american people will have an opportunity to register their opinions come november. >> last year the senate passed a bipartisan bill that would overhaul immigration policy. it's still in the hands of the house of representatives. >> the reason i've said that we need to step by step common sense approach to this is so we can build trust with the american people that we're doing this the right way. >> with the house refusing to act on immigration the president said all summer he would side step congress through executive action. >> america cannot wait forever for them to act. that's why today i'm beginning a new effort to . >> how does the decision affect the upcoming midterm campaign?

all eyes are on the race of the senate, and the there are tight races in north carolina, arkansas, and louisiana. >> with this program on the obama administration's postponed promise of immigration reform we begin an occasional series of programs that will take us to the november midterm elections. when you lead an administration that is trying to limit the bleeding in the house and maintain a weakening grasp on the senate why make an announcement that makes your supporters angry and leaves your opponents angry, too. we have our guests. >> welcome to you all.

does it blunt the value of spending the late spring and much of the summer saying here comes the policy because i didn't get a bill, and then saying, no, never mind, not going to bring the policy, either. >> i think what the president said about why he took his action over the weekend, you just have to take it at face value. crowded agenda, isis, ukraine, the fact that the border crisis with the kids is not totally resolved. and i obviously midterm elections coming. i think the president made a pragmatic decision that in the long haul to build support for the policy, it would be better to do it after the election in a less political environment when the deck has been cleared of some of these other issues and lean in to make this case. he's very clear. he's worried if he does it now it will look partisan and political and it will hurt the cause in the long term, so he'll wait. >> if you're advising a republican candidate in this cycle, do they still get a free throw at the president on immigration?

even if he's taken it off the table? >> well, i am a republican who supports comprehensive immigration reform. i want to put that on the table. there are a lot of republicans who don't support the build up because they didn't trust the president, and the president's actions makes people wonder what's going on. when he promises to do something and then doesn't do it, now he takes the blame instead of shifting it to the republicans. if i'm a republican, let's focus on jobs, the economy, isis and let the president absorb all the fault on immigration, which i think is going to happen. >> did he take a weapon out of his political opponent's hands by this decision? >> i think in some red states he might have. if you look at mark pryor, and mary landrou. they were begging him.

>> others want to energy the hips base to come out and this really does not energize the hispanic base. >> there are fewer than 2% latino voter population. >> that's right. colorado, no question. the state with the highest latino electorate in the senate. but let's not forget about two important gubernatorial races florida and illinois. those are expected to be conte contested and close. but even in places like north carolina and georgia, the latino electorate is growing. it's very new. and it needs a reason to vote. and so i think people are right to be worried that there could be a drop off in latino turn out in some of those states where they're looking for the action that they saw in 2012. now not going to occur in 2013.

>> but do voters when they're taking a look at their options, even the option whether or not to show up at the polls, do they assess the same way they do in a big national senate race? >> i think what you're looking at is the decision to get out the vote. the mobilization. that means when the campaigns and the candidates and folks go door to door to knock and try to get you to get out the vote. they have one less vital piece of information to share with latino voters. that is the president to enact leadership for families who are being deport: that's something that resonated in 2012. that's a mention that people getting out the vote drive to relate. it may not be the policy of any individual candidate but it's something that is going to be in the forefront of latino voters minds when they make that

decision of how excited and enthusiastic are they to get the ballot out this year. >> pollsters ask the general public and then discrete polls of where they sit. the majority show up in every poll. they want comprehensive immigration reform. but it may be the top of mind for some voters and not for others. people who are really against it are really against it. could it be that the down side is very focused, and the benefit is kind of defuse? >> i think for the president and his party, the biggest question is do voters trust the president? do they like the president? are they energized to get out and vote for the president's party? this type of decision sows confusion. this is one of many topics.

the question is how do you feel about this president? mid terms are always referendums on the president's performance, an and all polls show that it's going down for the president and that's troubling for democrats. >> i know you want us to take the president at face value, but there are a lot of ways to skin this cat. earlier this year word was leaking out not always from the president's mouth himself, but from advisers and policymakers that something was coming. >> yes. >> and people were told to sit tight, be ready and so on. they were getting legal opinions. they were testing how far the executive power extended in this area. so people were getting primed for something. don't you have to give them something instead of nothing? >> i think the something is going to come before the end of the year. not just before november. and it's really what we're talking about a matter of weeks and a matter of months. it's in the grand scheme of things at the end of the day

it's not that big of a deal. i think what if does to pick up on what matt said democrats are going to have to work harder to get the latino vote. they'll have to hustle, spend more money, put more resources in if they want to see the level of turn out in 2014. this is a tool that has been removed but it frees up the democrats to focus on healthcare which is areas of strength. the economy is far better than compass. healthcare, it's working. it's making people's lives better. i think it's clear for democrats to focus on the area where they have much stronger advantage. >> i want to talk more about that later in the program. what the democrats have been selling in this fall campaign seems not to capitalize as much on these strengths as you would mention. we'll be back with more inside story after this short break. when we come back we'll talk more about the president's decision on immigration and the loomer midterm elections.

this is inside story. stay with us.

>> welcome back to inside story on al jazeera america. i'm ray suarez. that long awaited new policy on immigration expected from the white house turns out it's going to be even more long awaited. as we look forward to--pardon me-- as we look forward to the election nationwide, this is our focus this time on the program. as people make their decisions around things like immigration are people who are against

reform likely to be more energized than people who are for it, i don't mean latino voters because they tend to be heavily concentrated in states where there are no big contest this is time around. but the general public who is making this a majority question when you and other polling first head out and ask questions about reform. >> first of all the leading national polling indicates that a clear majority of all americans, especially among independents and moderate support immigration reform. 84% of americans wanted congress and the president to pass immigration reform legislation. the same poll indicated 65% of americans wanted those immigrants to stay in america who are currently undocumented. we know overwhelmingly there is support for this, which makes

delay more troubling. there are those who are against reform but they're going to be voting against the democrats regardless. it's not as though delay by the president is going to open up more tea party votes. those folks were never with him. it's more of a question of what it does to folks in the middle, what it does to latinos. on both sides this was an issue that was popular. there is general support on immigration reform and now we have to wait and sigh if something does come. >> john, let's talk about what happens november 5th. hold onto the senate by a hair or lose a seat or two, the landscape does in the get better for the president after the mid terms given any of the projections going on right now. >> well hope springs eternal for comprehensive immigration reform. i talked to senate leaders and

house leaders on the republican side who would like to get immigration reform done. they understand they cannot continue to have a prone system not from a policy per special or a political system. they have got to do a better job of tracking hispanic voters. no doubt about that. i think there is a shot. there is hope that republicans will pass a step by step process outlined by john boehner, so that could happen. now if the president decides he's going to do all these executive orders there is no way that the republicans will do that. they'll be frustrated and irritated they'll throw out the baby with the bath water. >> let's say the nonetheless change. a much tighter senate no matter how you slice it. a somewhat majority in the house. they come to work with the new congress in january. is that a better place to get immigration done?

>> well, it could be. could come up with a bipartisan compromise. it's not what the democrats wanted. democrats had their chance when they controlled congress in overwhelming numbers in the house and senate. they didn't do that in the first two years of the president's tenure. they have a shot to get a bipartisan compromise. it's not going to look like what they want it to look, but that's what compromise is all about. >> simon, let's talk about the difference between novembe november 5th and december 31st, and what happens whe when the new conges chronicles comethe new congress comes in. >> i think it will be more ambitious in the last few days but i think its foolhardy to believe that the republicans will change any position that they've held over the last six to nine months. this is the most anti--hispanic,

anti-latino congress we've ever seen. the only response to comprehensive bills in the house, one to deport faster and the dreamers. the response was to deport kids faster. i don't think that's leaving a lot of room for compromise. i'm not a real optimist that there is going to be comprehensive immigration reform wit in 2014-2015. they're moving further and further right on this issue, not more towards the center. >> it's doubtless that there are recommendation who would like to see this get done in some form, and the there are those who where pushing hard for it. but you can't deny what simon just said.

there were two groups, one to kick the dreamers out and the kids coming up, not much to run on . >> i do think there are plenty of things that john boehner could do with the senate majority that is controlled by republicans. they could do something to bring to the president. going back and forth the president might veto a couple of bills but hopefully they'll find a bill will thanksgiving will secure the borders and legalize the folks who are here, and fix this. >> matt, you just heard simon a few moments ago say this is the moist anti-hispanic congress and so on . do hispanic voters feel that way? >> when this comes to the hospital of represent representatives, he's absolutely right.

there was compromise in the senate with 14 or so republicans in favor of the bill. but on the house side all we've seen is legislation that targets latinos and targets immigrants. when we've had people in our polling, in our questions what their attitudes are, they have a very low favorability of republicans in the house. we have not registered lower numbers. those with the mitt romney numbers, if they continue on this trajectory on the votes to support the dreamers and make it easier to deport kids at the border, they're going to do worse. i think they absolutely need to recapture this issue. the president in some ways has given them an opportunity by not acting. if they don't, they're going to be in big trouble. >> we'll have more inside story after this short break. when we come back we'll talk about whether the split between

mid terms and general election years is going to get even wider. we're talking about this being the lowest turn out midterm election in history. this is inside story. stay with us.

real... news...

>> welcome back to inside story on al jazeera america. i'm ray suarez. november 4th, the day of the midterm election is about eight weeks away. after prolonged over the limits of executive action at the white house in the emotional realm of immigration law, it seems that there weren't going to be changes to the immigration law until after the ballot ing. with us, our guests.

>> john, for a lot of voters this is not front of the line issue for a lot of voters but is there something of a national impression that gets made even during a midterm that you need to worry about the carry over in 2016? >> there is no doubt about that. you said about the lowest turn out in the midterm, that helps republicans this time around, but with these impressions you're talking about, in 2016 it could come back and really bite them. they have to be really careful. that's why i've been urging republicans to pass a comprehensive bill the first thing they get back because they need on a national stage they need to be for fixing a broke system, and not for promoting a broken system.

>> is there an upside there? not just playing even but to say the president couldn't get it done, we did it. >> i think there is a huge chance to open the conversation with latino voters. you have to have that ability to have that conversation and talk about other issues that are near and dear to both of our hearts, but you can't have that conversation unless you get over the immigration discussion. and if you don't deal with this prone system you'll never get to that discussion. >> are we in a sort of wacky era in our politics? it looks like it's coming broader so you could have counts and make up of committees and decision making in the two big legislative bodies. >> i think its hard to explain to anybody who lives in the united states how the democrats in two presidential elections could have their best showing in 70 years since fdr and not

potentially not be controlling congress? something like that would be impossible in most electoral systems around the world. it's making our country hard for governor because the congress is stronger than in fdr firms and i think in congress we could lose the election. in 2005-2006 when the republicans in the house did not accept a senate bill and focus on deportations is when the big shift in the vote happened in american politics, 2006. the house republicans talking about deportation is what put the republican party in a bad place, and the latinos could be doing it again and they could drive their numbers down to the low 20s. >> and it happens in california with pete wilson. this is where it really started. the republicans played a blunder.

they should have taken that senate bill but they couldn't because their members were hearing from their constituents. if you're the chamber of commerce and want to get something done, you need to educate th the constituents. >> matt, i really want to hear from you how to smooth out latino participation so they and other minority voters don't disappear mid terms and then come back surging in polling places in national years. >> simon said it earlier. you need to invest in that. there needs to be an increase in the investment. latinos are three times less likely to report that someone from a campaign contacted them or asked them to get out the vote. it's not just the issues. it's not that the president needs to put issues on the table to mobilize latinos, but the campaigns need to look at at thitheir old models,er go into

these communities and talk to latinos and make us feel like we have a seat at the table and they're interested in our vote. if they do that, the candidates are rewarded with high turn out. it will take time, effort and resources but they can turn out the latino vote if they start trying. >> matt, from the university of washington in seattle. simon and john here with me at "inside story" in washington. thank you all for being with us. that brings us to the end of this edition of the program. the program may be over but the conversation continues. we want to hear what you think about the issues raised on this or on any day's show. so log on to our facebook page or send us your thoughts on twitter. our handle is a.j. "inside story" am or reach me directly or follow me at ray suarez news. do it. see you for the next inside story. for washington, i'm ray suarez.

>> this is what the wests' historic drought looks like. in california, farmers are struggling to irrigate their crops, but not far away sits this... the vast pacific ocean. and so here in carlsbad, north of san diego, the largest desalination plant in the western hemisphere is under construction at a cost of a billion dollars. and farther up the coast... >> we are in the lovely city of santa barbara at our desalination facility that was built during the last drought and we are looking at reactivating the facility to help meet the demands of this current drought. >> twenty plus years ago this facility was state of the art, but time and technology has changed, recommissioning this plant is a huge undertaking, but without it, the region could likely run out of water.

protests in yemen as police fire on anti-government demonstrators. ♪ hello and welcome. i'm jane dunton. coming up, a new report sheds some light on what brought down a malaysian airlines flight in eastern ukraine. last minute complain ahead of a hotly contested referendum to decide on scotland's independence. and the wait is over