Desiline Victor was one of the props used by Barack Obama in his State of the Union Address. She has been widely celebrated in the press largely because she waited three hours to vote for Obama.
A 102-year-old woman has been chosen to sit next to Michelle Obama at the annual State of the Union address in Washington.
Desaline Victor, a naturalized U.S citizen from Miami, Florida, waited for more than three hours to cast her ballot for the President on November 6.
Ms Victor will sit in the First Lady’s box with military families, people who are championing immigration reform and victims of gun violence.
Haitian born Ms Victor, who is known as ‘Granny’ in her local community, expressed her surprise at the opportunity.
She said: ‘I know I’m going to sit with the president’s wife. I did not think I would get here. I am proud.’
White House Officials say that Ms Victor represents the minorities and immigrants who stand to benefit from the policies President Obama will discuss in his speech.
About what she said- we’ll be revisiting that.
“White House Officials say that Ms Victor represents the minorities and immigrants who stand to benefit from the policies President Obama will discuss in his speech”
They got that part right.
WASHINGTON — A determined Florida centenarian who had to make two trips and wait several hours to vote for President Barack Obama last fall joined first lady Michelle Obama for Tuesday’s State of the Union. Her resolve to cast a ballot became a symbol of early voting obstacles in the presidential election.
Desiline Victor, 102, of Miami, endured a weather-delayed flight to Washington on Monday in order to get to town for Obama’s address. She was among the guests seated in the House visitors’ gallery, an opportunity she called “a beautiful thing.”
During his address, Obama cited Victor as an example worth following, saying she was concerned about “whether folks like her would get to have their say.”
When she set out to cast her vote last year in North Miami, Desiline Victor had no way of knowing the journey would lead all the way to the White House. Tuesday night, Victor, a 102-year-old Haitian immigrant, sat in the House chamber as a guest of first lady Michelle Obama. Victor voted for the president, but it was not easy. On her first visit to the polls Oct. 28, the first day of early voting, she waited in line for three hours. Poll workers eventually advised her to come back later. She finally cast her vote that evening.
In his speech, President Barack Obama said we should follow Victor’s example.
“When she arrived at her polling place, she was told the wait to vote might be six hours,” Obama said, “And as time ticked by, her concern was not with her tired body or aching feet, but whether folks like her would get to have their say.”
And there’s lots more. The first question that popped into my mind was “What kind of people would make a centenarian wait three hours to vote?” Why wasn’t she immediately granted access to the front of the line?
I guess that what they do in North Miami.
But then I began wondering more about her. Specifically, why is she even here and how is she a US citizen?
Victor was born in 1910 and she is 102 years old. It’s admirable that she is “determined.” The problem is that she came to this country in 1989 at the age of 79. She doesn’t speak English.
“I’m very happy, very proud,” she said, communicating through a translator because she speaks only Haitian Creole. The translator is her godson, Mathieu Pierre Louis, whom she raised as her son. She moved to the United States in 1989 and became a naturalized citizen in 2005.
One of the requirements for citizenship is the ability to speak English:
General Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible for naturalization pursuant to section 319(a) of the INA, an applicant must:
Be 18 or older
Be a permanent resident (green card holder) for at least 3 years immediately preceding the date of filing Form N-400, Application for Naturalization
Have been living in marital union with the U.S. citizen spouse, who has been a U.S. citizen during all of such period, during the 3 years immediately preceding the date of filing the application and up until examination on the application
Have lived within the state, or USCIS district with jurisdiction over the applicant’s place of residence, for at least 3 months prior to the date of filing the application
Have continuous residence in the United States as a lawful permanent resident for at least 3 years immediately preceding the date of filing the application
Reside continuously within the United States from the date of application for naturalization until the time of naturalization
Be physically present in the United States for at least 18 months out of the 3 years immediately preceding the date of filing the application
Be able to read, write, and speak English and have knowledge and an understanding of U.S. history and government (also known as civics)
Be a person of good moral character, attached to the principles of the Constitution of the United States, and well disposed to the good order and happiness of the United States during all relevant periods under the law
“Be able to read, write, and speak English” Hmm. How did she gain citizenship?
And let’s examine why the President says we need immigration reform:
“Real reform means fixing the legal immigration system to cut waiting periods, reduce bureaucracy, and attract the highly-skilled entrepreneurs and engineers that will help create jobs and grow our economy.”
“attract the highly-skilled entrepreneurs and engineers”
Like Desiline Victor, right? How much has she contributed to the system? How much has she paid in income and social security taxes?
We’re going to strengthen the economy by importing 80 year olds with no skills and who cannot speak English and who are wholly dependent on the government for support?
Seriously?
Or are we merely importing elderly dependent future democrat voters who are willing to wait three hours to vote for their “son”?
DrJohn has been a health care professional for more than 30 years. In addition to clinical practice he has done extensive research and has published widely with over 70 original articles and abstracts in the peer-reviewed literature. DrJohn is well known in his field and has lectured on every continent except for Antarctica. He has been married to the same wonderful lady for over 30 years and has three kids- two sons, both of whom are attorneys and one daughter on her way into the field of education.
DrJohn was brought up with the concept that one can do well if one is prepared to work hard but nothing in life is guaranteed.
Except for liberals being foolish.