Tag Archives: DACA

Negotiating with yourself does not constitute a ‘compromise’

Posted on January 20, 2019 by | Leave a comment

The White House alerted the media that Trump plans to make ‘major announcement’ on shutdown, and the border on Saturday afternoon.

Trump is given to hyperbole and superlatives, and this speech was no exception. This was an over-hyped PR stunt.

The speech began with Stephen Miller’s highlights of the xenophobic, racist, anti-immigrant talking points of Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, et. al., heard almost daily on conservative hate talk radio to gin up white anxiety and white grievances among Trump’s white nationalist base.

It then veered into a rehash of previous proposals (which were rejected by the prior Republican Congress) on DACA and TPS beneficiaries: a temporary stay of Trump’s policies for 3 years in exchange for $5.7 billion for Trump’s “big beautiful wall” on the Mexico border.

This was something Trump negotiated with his white nationalist racist adviser Stephen Miller, and his son-in-law Secretary of Everything, Jared Kushner. There was no effort to negotiate with the Democratic leadership in good faith. Trump’s attempt to call this a “compromise” rings hollow. Negotiating with yourself does not constitute a “compromise.”

This was another lame attempt to reframe the issue solely as a PR stunt. It was an epic failure.

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Posted in AZBlueMeanie, Budgets, Congress, Corruption, Ethics, GOP War On..., Immigration, International, Mexico Border, Party Politics, personality cult of Trump, President, Racism, Scandals, Senate

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The Arizona Republic inexplicably endorses Mark Brnovich for Attorney General

Posted on October 19, 2018 by | 2 comments

Some of the nastiest campaign ads running on television have been those airing against Democratic candidate January Contreras for Attorney General. Arizona’s attorney general race has drawn national attention. Here’s why:

January Contreras

Spending on attorney-general races nationally could top $100 million this year, according to the Washington Post, with the Republican Attorney General Association investing heavily in defending its incumbents.

“The Democratic Attorney General Association is involved, too, but DAGA just does not have as much money,” said Bernie Nash, co-chair of Cozen O’Connor’s State Attorneys General practice.

The firm analyzes attorney-general races and has rated Arizona’s contest as “Leans Republican.”

* * *

Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich has taken heat for involving Arizona in divisive national fights, such as the 20-state effort to repeal part of the Affordable Care Act. Here is the Complaint (.pdf). January Contreras argues that what Brnovich calls an issue of constitutionality is a dangerous move that would hurt vulnerable Arizonans with pre-existing health conditions.

Keep in mind that the Attorney General cannot join this lawsuit without the tacit approval of the Governor. So both Governor Doug Ducey and Attorney General Mark Brnovich have signed off on the Texas lawsuit that seeks to hold the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional, which would invalidate all of its patient  protections including those prohibiting discrimination against persons with preexisting conditions. Polling suggests that this is the top political issue for voters in this election. They are both on the wrong side of this issue.

January Contreras “said that ‘on Day One,’ she would remove Arizona from that lawsuit and join a concurrent one [by Democratic Attorneys General] that aims to keep protections for people with pre-existing conditions in place.”

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Posted in AZBlueMeanie, Budgets, Campaigns, Corruption, Education, Election Integrity, Elections, Endorsements, Ethics, Healthcare, Media, Party Politics, Scandals

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Federal courts reject Trump immigration policies

Posted on August 4, 2018 by | Comments Off on Federal courts reject Trump immigration policies

The Trump administration’s family separation policy — state sponsored kidnapping and child abuse — may result in making orphans of 572 children for whom the government has opted not to try to reunify with their parents, despite a court order, and instead passing the buck to the ACLU: “If you want them reunified so bad, you do it.”

The judge was not amused. Judge calls Trump administration family reunification efforts ‘unacceptable’:

The federal judge overseeing the court-ordered reunification of the 2,551 migrant children separated from their parents at the border blasted the Trump administration Friday for lacking a plan to reunify the remaining 572 children in its custody with their parents and the slow pace of progress.

In a Thursday night status report filing, the Trump administration said only 13 of the parents had been located by the American Civil Liberties Union, which U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw of the Southern District of California called “unacceptable at this point.”

The parents of 410 children are currently outside of the United States, likely having been deported before reunification, according to the court filing.

The Trump administration had proposed the ACLU take the lead in locating and identifying what the judge had called “missing parents” of children still in government custody. Sabraw said that plan was not acceptable and placed that responsibility squarely on the government.

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Posted in Activism, AZBlueMeanie, Campaigns, Civil Rights, Congress, Constitution, Corruption, Courts, Economics, Elections, Ethics, GOP War On..., Immigration, International, Justice, Law Enforcement, Mexico Border, Party Politics, President, Racism, Scandals

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Republicans complete their epic fail on immigration bills

Posted on June 28, 2018 by | Comments Off on Republicans complete their epic fail on immigration bills

In other news … Republicans completed their epic fail to pretend to pass an immigration bill on Wednesday when the GOP compromise bill on immigration failed in a worse-than-expected 121-300 vote, effectively ending a months-long GOP drama that had put the caucus’s internal politics on display.

Arizona delegation: Yeah: McSally; Nay: Biggs, Gallego, Gosar, Grijalva, Lesko, O’Halleran, Schweikert, Sinema.

The Hill reports, House rejects second GOP immigration bill:

The measure won far fewer GOP votes than a more hard-line measure rejected last week in a 193-231 vote.

Only 121 Republicans backed it, compared to 193 for the earlier measure. Two Republicans did not cast votes on Wednesday, while 112 Republicans voted against it.

Votes on the bill were twice postponed to give Republicans more time to win support for the measure, which was opposed by Democrats.

But conservatives never really warmed to it, and President Trump put down the effort on Twitter, at one point saying that Republicans should stop wasting their time since the bill was seen as dead on arrival in the Senate.

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Posted in Arizona Congressional Delegation, AZBlueMeanie, Budgets, Civil Rights, Congress, Corruption, Courts, Ethics, GOP War On..., Immigration, International, Justice, Law Enforcement, Legislation, Martha McSally, Mexico Border, Party Politics, President, Racism, Scandals

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Epic GOP fail on House immigration bills

Posted on June 21, 2018 by | 5 comments

The far-right immigration bill from Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), H.R.4760 – Securing America’s Future Act of 2018, co-sponsored by Arizona Reps. Martha McSally, David Schweikert and Debbie Lesko, that the House GOP Freedom Caucus demanded a vote on by stomping their feet and threatening to hold their breath until they turned blue, as predicted went down to defeat today on a vote of 193-231.

Arizona Delegation: Yeas: Lesko, McSally, Schweikert; Nays: Biggs, Gallego, Gosar, Grijalva, O’Halleran, Sinema.

When you lose wingnuts like Biggs and Gosar on this vote, you know how “out there” supporter are (looking at you Lesko, McSally and Schweikert).

The Hill reports, Hardline immigration bill fails in the House:

Every Democrat and 41 Republicans voted against Goodlatte’s bill.

A second vote on the GOP compromise measure has been delayed until Friday as leaders seek to rally support for it.

There will also be a conference wide meeting on immigration at 4:30 p.m., which will give GOP leaders one last chance to rally the party around the legislation and convince the remaining holdouts to get on board with the plan.

The GOP compromise measure would provide a pathway to citizenship for up to 1.8 millions “Dreamers,” provide $25 billion for Trump’s border wall and other security measures, and prevent families from being separated at the border.

Good luck ever getting any of the House GOP Freedom Caucus to vote for a bill that provides a pathway to citizenship. AMNESTY! Never!

(Credit: This week’s cover of Time magazine)

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Posted in Arizona Congressional Delegation, AZBlueMeanie, Campaigns, Civil Rights, Congress, Constitution, Corruption, Elections, Ethics, GOP War On..., Immigration, International, Justice, Law Enforcement, Legislation, Martha McSally, Party Politics, President, Racism, Scandals

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