I think it has more to do with party than race. Republicans don't like Obama because he is a democrat. However they do attack him in a racist way, they probably wouldn't do it if he was a Republican though. Just like some people attack black Republicans in a racist way, they wouldn't do if they were Democrats. Racism is wrong no matter what side does it for whatever reason.

You quote from the gospel, book of Reagan 86: 11-6

Did people wholeheartedly embrace it? Did a majority of the people line up and cheer that Reagan had taken the action?

The law was suppose to fix the border and crack down on employers

none of that happened

That is reasonably consistent with the polling results today. Interestingly at the time, Organized labor objected to it claiming it would replace American workers with Mexican workers. The employer sanctions were opposed by the Hispanic community because of fears of discrimination on all Hispanics.

Here is a outtake of a book on the issue. The book cost a hundred bucks or so, probably if I was bored enough to get it I'd try and find one used on ebay or Amazon.

http://books.google.com/books?id=0BfcwmuNyRoC&pg=PA93&lpg=PA93&dq=poll+support+Reagan+amnesty+plan&source=bl&ots=fPl-Eph0SZ&sig=GZ6YR87kJvGbR2WbxYc8Fkfyxt4&hl=en&sa=X&ei=hZJvVPPMNISgNp3Jg8AL&ved=0CCwQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=poll%20support%20Reagan%20amnesty%20plan&f=false

The Immigration reform of the era was also intertwined with a national ID card, guest worker, and employer sanctions. I remember it because I'd just gotten to California and it was a hot topic in Current Events, so we all discussed the newspaper articles on the issue.

congressional approval?

had passed a law that granted legal status to about 3 million IIRC. Then Reagan signed the executive order that affected about 100,000 families so the children of the people falling under the legislation were granted deferred deportation.

The GOP seems to be suffering from short-term memory loss they remember Benghazi but forget the number of attacks on, and deaths of, US personnel during the GWB administration. Or, it could just be selective memory. Either way, the GOP/TP have a buffet-type approach when arguing Obama's plans, or defending their arguments.

and 60 deaths under Bush, and we never heard much about those at all. Welcome to DU

I look forward to some great discussions.

in Feb 2002. I hope to return for a visit one day, if only for poutine

Most English-speaking people want to leave. I think you can get poutine, just about anywhere now.

because it provides a comparison that republicans can't tolerate.

Geez, what are you thinking.

doesn't necessarily reflect what the members want.

But using race to differentiate between the two makes a much hipper meme.

They used the same words, the same ideas:

http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/20/politics/obama-immigration-bush/index.html?hpt=po_c1

But CNN faults President Obama for "changing the rules" instead of giving up the way Bush did.

new Union Members. Hispanics and African American as well as Asian folks that are doing the shit many of our so called White Americans think is beneath their privileged status. Lots of moving parts to our Democracy isn't. Now step up and make it work,it does know one any good bad mouthing progress,either lead follow or get the hell out of the way.

in recent memory.

The implication is that the republicans are racists, right? They're okay when Reagan does it, but hate it when the "black guy" does it?

If they're really racists, they won't care WHO is signing an EO that lets millions of "brown people" stay in the US, because if they're racists, they hate the "brown people" too.

It was the thing they always cited as his one big 'mistake'.