Immigration

House GOP leaders block ENLIST Act immigration bill

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Defying House Republican leadership, Rep. Jeff Denham (R-CA) filed his bill, known as the ENLIST Act, as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that the House will consider this week. The amendment would create a path to citizenship for immigrants who were brought illegally to the U.S. as children and serve in the military. GOP congressman pushes for immigration vote:

U.S. President Obama delivers his first State of the Union address on Capitol Hill in WashingtonHis move comes three days after House GOP leaders took steps to block a vote on his immigration legislation, dealing a significant blow to efforts to overhaul a system widely disparaged as dysfunctional.

The bill “provides an avenue for those who want to perform the ultimate act of patriotism — serving their county — to earn legal status,” Denham said in a statement. “As a veteran, I can think of no better way to demonstrate your commitment to our nation.”

The Rules Committee will decide on Tuesday what amendments the House will consider and vote on as part of its work on the National Defense Authorization Act.

Doug Heye, spokesman for House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, said on Friday: “No proposed ENLIST amendments to NDAA will be made in order.”

The GOP-led Rules panel rarely breaks with the leadership, following its wishes.

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The GOP Clown Car Primary for Governor – Issues: Medicaid Expansion, Common Core, SB 1070

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ClownCarI don’t believe it! The media villagers are actually doing something besides reproducing campaign press releases and engaging in “horse race” reporting — they actually showed up at a debate and did some substantive reporting on the GOP candidates for governor.

Unfortunately, we learn that the GOP candidates for governor are lacking in substance. This is a GOP clown car primary for governor.

Joe Ferguson of the Arizona Daily Star attended the Saddlebrooke debate (Cap’n “Atomic Al” Melvin’s crazy base home turf) and filed this report, GOP governor hopefuls mostly of one mind in SaddleBrooke debate:

Unlike his rivals for the GOP gubernatorial nomination, former Mesa Mayor Scott Smith said he supports outgoing Gov. Jan Brewer’s push to expand Medicaid to take advantage of the federal government’s agreement to pay most of the cost.

With the exception of that break from the crowd, six Republicans running to replace Brewer largely agreed with one another during a debate in SaddleBrooke on Wednesday.

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House GOP has until August recess to get immigration reform done

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Two important reports in the Los Angeles Times today on immigration reform efforts. First,  Brian Bennett and Christi Parsons report, Slowing deportations could hurt chances for House immigration action:

Image: Latinos protest in favor of comprehensive immigration reform while on West side of Capitol Hill in WashingtonAfter some of President Obama’s closest political allies unexpectedly accused him of enforcing immigration laws too aggressively, the president ordered his aides this spring to find ways to ease the pace of deportations.

Now, some of those same advocacy groups are quietly urging the White House to slow that effort down, warning that ordering changes without congressional approval could spook House Republicans and kill any chances of a legislative fix this year.

House Speaker John A. Boehner’s staff has been drafting bills in a bid to offer a Republican response to the comprehensive immigration and border security bill that passed the Senate last June. Boehner has been unable to muster enough support to move any of his bills in the GOP-controlled House, however.

A White House move to scale back deportations would unite House Republicans in opposition and end the push for reform, said Alfonso Aguilar, executive director of the Latino Partnership for Conservative Principles, an advocacy group. “It would kill it right away.”

“Republicans are looking for an excuse not to do it,” agreed Angela Kelley, an immigration expert at the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank with close ties to the White House.

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Chamber of Commerce to GOP: pass immigration reform or don’t ‘bother to run a candidate in 2016’

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U.S. Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Thomas Donohue can’t make the imperative for the GOP any clearer than this: Chamber Of Commerce Head: Without Immigration Reform, Republicans ‘Should Not Bother’ To Run In 2016:

Image: Latinos protest in favor of comprehensive immigration reform while on West side of Capitol Hill in WashingtonU.S. Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Thomas Donohue said Monday that the Republican Party “should not bother to run a candidate” in the 2016 presidential election unless Congress can pass immigration reform this year. During an event on the economy and infrastructure, Donohue argued that it was necessary for the House to “do something rational” and that the Chamber of Commerce would “put a lot more” heat on Congressional members who are resistant to the idea of reform, Politico first reported.

When asked by a moderator what he deemed a “must pass bill … that’s crucial for the future of the U.S. economy,” Donohue insisted on passing immigration reform:

We’ll be absolutely crazy if we don’t take advantage of having passed an immigration bill out of the Senate. Going back and doing it again might be harder and do something rational in the House and put it together and let’s get the three or four things we really need there. And we’ve got a lot of heat on that and we’re going to put a lot more.

[…] If the Republicans don’t do it, they shouldn’t bother to run a candidate in 2016. I mean, think about that. Think about who the voters are.

Donohue’s comments prompted some audience members to say, ”Wow. Wow!” while the moderator told people to tweet the comments.

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CD2 Candidates: Where Do Barber & McSally Stand on the Issues?

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Ron Barber vs Martha McSally
Venn diagram showing where CD2 Congressional Candidates Ron Barber and Martha McSally agree or disagree. (TPP = Trans-Pacific Partnership)

Progressives have their hair on fire regarding Congressman Ron Barber’s (and Kyrsten Sinema’s) recent votes to help Teapublicans in the House of Representatives create a Congressional  witch hunt committee to re-investigate the the terrorist attack in Benghazi in 2012, when Hillary Clinton was Secretary of State. (Seriously, boys, if Benghazi and Monica Lewinsky’s article in Vanity Fair are all you have on Hillary, you’re in trouble. But I digress.)

On Facebook, Democrats and Progressives are vowing never to work or donate to Barber because of his Republican-lite voting record. Some say they may reluctantly vote for him but nothing more! I have often said that women’s issues (healthcare, choice, access to contraception, and equal pay) may save Barber, and that otherwise, he and challenger Martha McSally are pretty close in their views– particularly on the A-10.

Inspired by BfAZ blogger Donna Gratehouse’s Venn diagram earlier today, I offer the above Venn diagram to illustrate what issues Barber and McSally agree and disagree on. [Click on graphic to enlarge.] The information has been gleaned from statements, votes, news stories, and the candidates’ campaign websites. [NOTE: The Venn diagram includes an incomplete list of the “silent” issues. They also both void discussing: the environment; marijuana legalization; private prisons; undocumented workers; unemployment, food stamps, and other social safety net programs; and probably others I haven’t thought of.]

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