# Would you immigrate to the US if Obama wins? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 9, 2008, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-immigrate-to-the-us-if-obama-wins/462856 "2008-09-09T21:56:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-immigrate-to-the-us-if-obama-wins/462856/1 "2008-09-09T21:56:20Z")
A sort of complement to [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=482329). In my case, even if he were to win (as I expect), I wouldn’t immigrate. Maybe after he’s implemented some of his policies, and implemented some form of universal health care. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-immigrate-to-the-us-if-obama-wins/462856/2 "2008-09-09T22:07:59Z")
Not that it’s really here or there, but isn’t it emigrate? ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-immigrate-to-the-us-if-obama-wins/462856/3 "2008-09-09T22:09:27Z")
I think that all the non-Yank Dopers are too polite to say _no_. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-immigrate-to-the-us-if-obama-wins/462856/4 "2008-09-09T22:23:59Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > Not that it’s really here or there, but isn’t it emigrate? Now you mention it, I’m not actually sure. I’ll stand correction if I’m wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-immigrate-to-the-us-if-obama-wins/462856/5 "2008-09-09T22:33:42Z")
Like I said, it doesn’t really matter; I knew what you meant. I’m just a word-nerd :). ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-immigrate-to-the-us-if-obama-wins/462856/6 "2008-09-10T05:38:46Z")
I don’t even want to _visit_ the US until the TSA is dust in the wind. ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-immigrate-to-the-us-if-obama-wins/462856/7 "2008-09-10T05:52:55Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > Not that it’s really here or there, but isn’t it emigrate? Depends where you are: emigration is going out, immigration is coming in. And no offence, but I wouldn’t move to your country on a bet. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-immigrate-to-the-us-if-obama-wins/462856/8 "2008-09-10T06:01:41Z")
It doesn’t matter one iota. I’ve had friends and family emigrate to the U.S. during any and every presidency in the last 30 years. McCain? Obama? Bush? Clinton? Bush? Reagan? Carter? Ford? Nixon? Really, from an immigrant’s point of view what has changed? You have guns. You have an oppressive judicial system. You have no public health care. You have nice taxation policies. You have nice weather. Weighing all these together, you’re just another country where employment opportunities exist. I’d work and live in the U.S. but any benefits would have to be weighed against my existing situation. Not much, if anything will change whether the republicans or democrats win the executive branch really. Foreign policy aside, it will still be the same country with a lot of great spots, and unfortunately a lot of shitty spots. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-immigrate-to-the-us-if-obama-wins/462856/9 "2008-09-10T06:06:57Z")
> [@Scissorjack](#): > > Depends where you are: emigration is going out, immigration is coming in. Yes. You emigrate to, and immigrate from. I can’t imagine that I would ever emigrate to the US. Having Obama as president wouldn’t make it more likely. ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-immigrate-to-the-us-if-obama-wins/462856/10 "2008-09-10T06:24:46Z")
> [@Cunctator](#): > > Yes. You emigrate to, and immigrate from. And how does one fill in the blank in “He \_\_\_\_\_ed from Britain to the U.S.”? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-immigrate-to-the-us-if-obama-wins/462856/11 "2008-09-10T06:32:21Z")
> [@Indistinguishable](#): > > And how does one fill in the blank in “He \_\_\_\_\_ed from Britain to the U.S.”? 🙂 Emigrated. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-immigrate-to-the-us-if-obama-wins/462856/12 "2008-09-10T08:38:57Z")
I’d be quite happy to Emigrate to the US regardless of who wins the election. Unfortunately, being a British Empire Firearms Historian, Writer and Former Electronics Store Assistant Manager doesn’t qualify me for a Green Card… ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-immigrate-to-the-us-if-obama-wins/462856/13 "2008-09-10T09:09:08Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Emigrated. Although it’s also “He emigrated to the US from Britain” ---
**Author:** ![Aquila\_Be](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a698b9/32.png) [@Aquila\_Be](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aquila_Be)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-immigrate-to-the-us-if-obama-wins/462856/14 "2008-09-10T09:27:34Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > A sort of complement to [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=482329). Maybe after he’s implemented some of his policies, and implemented some form of universal health care. Do you really believe that even someone with ten times Obama’s practical experience in government policy implementation can somehow cause wonderful miracles to happen? Perhaps you shouldn’t have such unrealistic expectations of your rulers, whoever they might be. Also, unless you have some very good marketable skills it’s unlikely that your life will improve by migrating to the US, whoever becomes its Prez. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 9:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-immigrate-to-the-us-if-obama-wins/462856/15 "2008-09-10T09:36:44Z")
I’ve thought of applying for the Green Card. I’ve also thought about joining the US Military (no seriously!). I don’t really think which President is next would have any impact on my choice to emigrate there if I ever decide to. The problems that the US has can’t be washed away in one term by even the greatest of Presidents and the benefits of living in the US canno be washed away by even the worst of Presidents as far as I can see. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-immigrate-to-the-us-if-obama-wins/462856/16 "2008-09-10T14:10:26Z")
Not if you paid me. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-immigrate-to-the-us-if-obama-wins/462856/17 "2008-09-10T14:14:42Z")
> [@Aquila\_Be](#): > > Do you really believe that even someone with ten times Obama’s practical experience in government policy implementation can somehow cause wonderful miracles to happen? You mean like Reagan and Clinton? ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-immigrate-to-the-us-if-obama-wins/462856/18 "2008-09-10T14:17:06Z")
Why bother, we voted in our all slogans no substance candidate last year. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-immigrate-to-the-us-if-obama-wins/462856/19 "2008-09-10T14:37:49Z")
> [@Indistinguishable](#): > > And how does one fill in the blank in “He \_\_\_\_\_ed from Britain to the U.S.”? 🙂 Speaking as someone who has migrated three times, I’d say “migrated”. And I’d say that you emigrate from a place and immigrate to a place. ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-immigrate-to-the-us-if-obama-wins/462856/20 "2008-09-10T14:46:49Z")
I can’t think of anything that would make me want to live in the US. _Shudders at the thought_ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-immigrate-to-the-us-if-obama-wins/462856.md?page=2)