What if President Bush had gone to Louisiana in September 2005 to attend a fundraiser rather than follow up with Katrina? I think that you know the answer to that one.

Well, President Obama is in Texas but not the border. 

To be fair, fundraising is part of the job but this administration is tone deaf to the core.

Why isn't he down where the action is?

My guess is that he does not want to own the problem or be seen with kids on the border. At the same time, his refusal to go down reinforces his lack of leadership.

The bottom line is that he loses both ways and you are hearing from Democrats like Rep Cuellar of South Texas:

"Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas, for instance, has charged that the White House was "not reacting fast enough."   

The timing of the Democratic fundraising events, planned long in advance, couldn't be worse for the president politically.  

More than 50,000 unaccompanied children, mostly minors from Central America, and another 40,000 women with children have been apprehended at the border this year, straining U.S. border resources to the limit. 

If Obama goes, his presence there would give both liberal and conservative critics further ammunition as they argue Obama's policies are to blame for the influx. It might even make it more difficult for Obama to marshal public support for any executive actions he may soon take to reform current federal immigration rules. At the same time, being seen at a detention facility among children that face deportation could make him appear uncaring.  

But not going makes the president look like he's avoiding something that is increasingly being called a crisis."

President Obama is losing big on this issue.  More and more people are looking at their TV and seeing what happens when the country does not enforce immigration laws. The net result is that immigration reform is dead and President Obama's ratings will keep going down.

P. S. You can hear CANTO TALK here & follow me on Twitter @ scantojr.