Although Senator Obama made a clean sweep in Democratic primaries held on February 9^th and 12^th and forged ahead in the important delegate count (now estimated as 1,255 for him and 1,180 for rival Hillary Clinton), the indications are that neither candidate will get the required 2,025 delegates to secure the nomination before the Democratic national convention in August.

The closeness of the race has members of the National Democratic Party scurrying. Over the past week as discussions pertaining to the role of super delegates being the tie-breaker waged, arguments against this solution outweighed those in favor. In fact, several ranking Democrats threatened to leave the party should this method be adapted, and it is obvious that the party would be seriously damaged if this solution is adapted, opening the way for Republican John McCain to be elected president in November.

For some Democrats, like Riviera Beach’s John Swaby, if there is no winning candidate by the convention, then the candidate with the advantage in the national popular votes should be nominated.

Florida Super delegates super important

With the campaign for the Democratic nomination proving to be a tight contest between Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama there is growing speculation that the final decision as to which of the two will represent the Democrats in the November 4 general elections rests on the votes of the party’s super delegates.

Here in Florida, the 185 pledged delegates and 25 super delegates will not be seated at the National Democratic Convention in August, but if it is up to the super delegates, they will definitely take their seat. Florida’s super delegates are claiming that they must be seated, as the party’s national charter protects their right to be at the convention. It is understood that of these super delegates, seven, including Senator Bill Nelson and U.S. Reps. Kendrick Meek and Alcee Hastings, support Clinton; three, including U.S. Rep Robert Wexler, support Obama, and 15 are uncommitted.

Immigration officials plan to step up raids on employers who they believe are illegally employing illegal immigrants. Workplace enforcement of immigration laws is about to come back in to the news as the DHS announced that it will release a new version of the Social Security No Match rule shortly.

For background, employers in the US are required to verify the identity and employment authorization of all new employees. The government requires that all workers complete Form I-9 on the day they are hired, presenting proof of their identity and eligibility to work legally in the US. This documentation must be provided to the USCIS if requested.

Most American workers prove identity and employment authorization by showing a combination of a driver’s license and a Social Security card. However, it becomes problematic for employers when employees present a seemingly valid Social Security document, which later is found to be fake. This is discovered by the Social Security Administration (SSA) when the employer files the required payroll reports and the social security number for the employee does not match the name in the SSA computer.

Immigration continues to be a topic of debate, especially for presidential candidates – an issue that pundits say has been used as a political football for years. Despite that, Immigration reform remains elusive, as presidents come and go. Florida Republicans will take their shot at the hot button issue.

In the state of Florida, which has long had a concern with illegal immigration, Republican State representative Gayle Harrell (Port St. Lucie) along with a number of other representatives will host a press conference under the theme “Illegal Immigration: What Florida Can Do” in an effort to bring attention to the subject.

At 34, and at the helm of the Urban League of Broward County, Dr. Germaine Smith-Baugh has taken on the mammoth task to continue to fulfill the non-profit’s mission of “assisting African Americans in the achievement of social and economic equality.”

The CEO brought together a number of people from various sectors of the community to share her new vision and direction of the Urban League at their Annual Business Meeting on January 18, 2008. Under the theme, New Leadership, New Beginning, New Journey, Smith-Baugh outlined the issues the League intends to address, with the help of various administrative and county agencies. She zeroed in on six major areas, business development, education, employment, health, housing and safety, which need to be addressed in order to improve communities in the county.