AZ Congressional Delegation

Rep. Matt Salmon on immigration reform – ‘no citizenship for you!’

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

At least one editor of The Arizona Republic appears to be OK with the Republican National Committee (RNC) position of "no citizenship for you!" in immigration reform. The Republic editorials have previously been supportive of the "Gang of Eight" comprehensive immigration reform bill sponsored by Sens. John McCain and Jeff Flake.

Joanna Allhands, writes Does Salmon have the right immigration answer?

It’s becoming increasingly clear that the immigration reforms most
likely to pass the U.S. House won’t involve a path to citizenship for
adults. Too many in the GOP simply won’t go for it.

But can reform still be meaningful without that piece?

U.S. Rep. Matt Salmon, one of the Republicans who remains against the
path to citizenship, is pressing to grant undocumented adults a type of
provisional status that they can renew every few years. It would allow
them to get driver’s licenses and work here legally as long as they are
employed and don’t break the law. But it would just be that: presence,
not belonging.

When asked Wednesday during a meeting with The Republic‘s
editorial board if such a status would create a second class of
citizens, Salmon answered with a question: “Well, what are they now? …
They’re not really anything.”

Offering legal presence, he said, at least moves the ball up the field.

Grijalva asks how well charter schools are serving ELL students

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by David Safier Raul Grijalva wants data on ELL students who are enrolled in charter schools. He and Rep. George Miller (D-Calif), the ranking member of the House Education and Workforce Committee, sent a letter to Ed Sec Arne Duncan asking for more information. saying that some charters aren't reporting the necessary student data to … Read more

UPDATED: Monthly Progressive Roundtables Give PDA Members a ‘Seat at the Table’ (video)

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Group-47-sig-sm300by Pamela Powers Hannley

UPDATE: This article was picked up by the national publication In These Times and by the Daily Kos Progressive Blog Round-up. Check out the In These Times version for more details: Knights of the Progressive Roundtable.

Deals are made, and bills are negotiated not only in the halls of Congress but in offices and meeting rooms around DC. Since December 2012, Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) has been conducting monthly, Educate Congress roundtable meetings with Congressional representatives and key staff.

With a give-and-take format, these meetings allow PDA representatives and allies to discuss proposed legislation and related progressive ideas and allow Congressional representatives and staffers to offer updates, insights, and strategies.

The Progressive Roundtables provide a forum to address a broad range of issues– from Wall Street gambling and hunger in America to voting rights, immigration, fracking, universal healthcare, the living wage, austerity, tax reform, mass incarceration, and more.

“One of the things I love about PDA is you stand up for ‘the little guy,’ and that’s what government’s all about,” Massachusetts Rep. Jim McGovern told the roundtable audience in July 2013. “Donald Trump doesn’t need us [Congress], but somebody who is unemployed or somebody who is working and making so little that they still qualify for SNAP [food stamps], they need us!” More roundtable details and videos after the jump.)

MoveOn Members Blast Blue Dogs Sinema & Kirkpatirck for Obamacare Vote (video)

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MoveOn.org members have launched petitions against 14 Democrats– including Arizona’s Congresswomen Kyrsten Sinema and Ann Kirkpatrick– for siding with Republicans in their vote to delay implementation of the Affordable Care Act from 2014 to 2015.

According to The Hill, these members were targeted with MoveOn.org petitions: Reps. Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.) Scott Peters (D-Calif.), Brad Schneider (D-Ill.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), Julia Brownley (D-Calif.), Sean Maloney (D-N.Y.), Elizabeth Esty (D-Conn.), Dan Maffei (D-N.Y.), Ann Kirkpatrick (D-Ariz.), Bill Enyart (D-Ill.), Bill Owens (D-N.Y.), Cheri Bustos (D-Ill.) and Collin Peterson (D-Minn.).

Video and more background after the jump.

NRCC’s ‘pants on fire’ – the $700 billion lie that will not die returns

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Liar-LiarThe GOPropaganda machine is shameless. No matter how many times the lie has been debunked and refuted, they continue with their Big Lie because propagandists know that if you repeat it often enough, there are enough ignorant dumbasses out there who are going to believe it is true because they heard it somewhere.

The GOPropaganda machine is going to try for the third consecutive election cycle in a row to recycle the $700 billion lie that will not die (up fro $500 billion in 2010). See, (Updated) Fact Check: Romney-Ryan 'pants on fire' – the $700 billion lie that will not die.

Though Republicans opposed the creation of Medicare in 1965, sought deep cuts to ensure that it “wither on the vine”
in 1990s, and now support a dramatic restructuring (vouchers) that would
substantially privatize Medicare, the National Republican Congressional
Committee is out today with ads criticizing Democrats for cutting $716 billion
from the program — the lie that will not die returns. Politicians Celebrate Medicare’s 48th Anniversary With Attack Ads:

Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick’s (D-AZ) “vote against the Republican balanced
budget isn’t the only vote that hurt Medicare recipients,” says an NRCC
release first published in Politico’s Morning Score.
“Kirkpatrick has also opposed fully repealing ObamaCare, which gutted
Medicare by $716 billion.” Similar ads will target Reps. Ron Barber
(D-AZ), Scott Peters (D-CA), Patrick Murphy (D-FL), Carol Shea-Porter
(D-NH) and others.