Immigration

Militarization of the Mexican border made unauthorized immigration worse

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

I previously posted about the $30 billion dollar border security "surge" amendment by Tea-Publican Senators Bob Corker and John Hoeven in the U.S. Senate "Gang of Eight" comprehensive immigration bill. The price for GOP nativism and racism: $30+ billion wasted dollars.

Our own Senator John McCain said, "I mean this is not only sufficient, it is well over-sufficient. We'll
be the most militarized border since the fall of the Berlin Wall. That's
why I think this amendment was very important." Sen. McCain: US will have 'most militarized' border since Berlin Wall.

One has to question why McCain longs for a Berlin Wall in the United States, because we are all about "freedom!" Are we now the "evil empire" of the Soviet Union in McCain's fevered dreams?

Apparently our purported military "genius" — according to the Sunday morning bobblehead shows — is unfamiliar with the famous quotation from General George S. Patton: "Fixed fortifications are a monument to the stupidity of man." The Berlin Wall is a primary example.

Last week, Ezra Klein posted about a study by Princeton University's Doug Massey, one of the nation’s preeminent immigration scholars. Everything you know about immigration is wrong:

Everything you know about immigration, particularly unauthorized immigration, is wrong.

[Massey] thinks we’ve wasted a whole lot of money on immigration policy and are about to waste a whole lot more.

The Discharge Petition Strategy for Immigration Reform

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Last week, the “New Democrat” coalition of centrist conservadem lawmakers sent a letter to Speaker of the House John Boehner
demanding that he bring an immigration bill to the House floor by the
end of September. If he doesn’t, they said, they will introduce their
own bill. Lawmakers Weigh Aggressive Tactic on Immigration:

That bill, or different variation on the sweeping immigration bill
passed by the Senate, could become the basis for an in-your-face tactic
known as a “discharge petition,” which aims to bring a piece of
legislation to the floor over the wishes of the people who run the
House.

“Once there is a House bill, if there is reluctance to bring it
forward and allow members to vote on it, then absolutely we’ll consider a
discharge petition,” said Rep. Jared Polis (D., Colo.), a co-chairman of the coalition’s immigration task force.

He said starting a petition could be an effective way to put more
pressure on Republican leaders, even if Democrats can’t gather the
necessary 218 signatures. The AFL-CIO is also considering support for
this step, calling it a “a very viable tool to force a vote” if
necessary.

But Democrats and immigration advocates are divided over whether to
employ the move in hopes of pressuring House Republicans on immigration,
or to continue pushing what they would like to be a bipartisan march to
the finish line.

Questions for Martha McSally: What is your position on comprehensive immigration reform?

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

In this new series, "Questions for Martha McSally," we pose questions to
the McSally campaign about her positions on current hot topics — I am
not going to give her a free pass until after the GOP primary like our local media did in 2012.

Preface: The "Gang of Eight" in the U.S. Senate, which includes Arizona senators John McCain and Jeff Flake, crafted a bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform bill that passed the U.S. Senate on a super-majority vote of 68-32, with 14 Republicans including Arizona's seantors voting in favor.

The "Gang of Eight" bill includes a "border surge" amendment from Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) that throws $30 billion in spending over a 10-year period at border security which would produce a financial windfall to some of America's
largest aerospace, technology and security companies, and to
border states. Sen. Corker conceded that his "border surge" is "almost overkill."

GOP rebranding fail on immigration: Rep. Steve King

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

House GOP leaders have embraced something called the "KIDS Act,"
which is basically a scaled down Republican version of the DREAM Act. It is a cynical attempt by Weeper of the House John Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor to offer something to soften the political impact to the GOP if Boehner allows the radical Tea-Publicans in the House to kill comprehensive immigration reform.

Let's  be clear: the fate of comprehensive immigration reform rests squarely in Boehner's hands and whether he will allow a comprehensive immigration reform bill to go to the House floor for a vote.

Former GOP Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott tells the Philadelphia Inquirer today that he’d
bring the Senate immigration bill up for a floor vote in the House,
even though a majority of fellow Republicans oppose the idea. Lott says he'd allow a House immigration vote. “If you don’t have the majority of your conference that you’re leading, and you do that too much, you won’t be the leader very long,” Lott said. “As for myself, I would do it even if it meant losing my job,” he added.

The Beltway media villagers’ latest man-crush: Ted ‘Calgary’ Cruz

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Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Earlier this year the Beltway media was infatuated with the village idiot Aqua Buddha, Sen. Rand Paul, over his incoherent filibuster on drones. A series of "missteps" since then, including his recent defense of his Neo-Confederate aid Jack Hunter aka the "Southern Avenger" who was forced to resign, Sen. Rand Paul defends aide with Confederate views – USA Today, has quieted speculation among the villagers over his 2016 prospects for the GOP nomination.

Next we were treated to to the Beltway media villagers declaring Sen. Marco "big gulp" Rubio the "Republican Savior." Marco Rubio, Republican Savior | TIME.com. Pravda on the Potomac, the Washington Post, wrote numerous articles and opinions praising the man-child from Florida for his role in the "Gang of Eight" in the Senate for crafting a comprehensive immigration reform bill, which he was supposed to be able to sell to his Tea Party cohorts in the House. The Senate bill was immediately declared dead on arrival in the House by said Tea Party cohorts. Oops! Sen. Rubio's 2016 presidential ambitions are now being eulogized as the "main political fatality" of the immigration reform fight. “The End of Marco Rubio.