Whole Lotta Hypocrisy On Immigration Reform-- On Both Sides Of The Aisle

Early yesterday, President Obama addressed the House Republicans obstruction of the bipartisan Senate immigration reform bill. "Both sides," he pointed out, "worked together to pass that bill with a strong bipartisan vote. The Senate’s commonsense agreement would grow the economy by $1.4 trillion and shrink the deficit by nearly $850 billion over the next two decades, while providing a tough but fair pathway to earned citizenship to bring 11 million undocumented individuals out of the shadows, modernizing our legal immigration system, continuing to strengthen border security, and holding employers accountable. Simply put, it would boost our economy, strengthen our security, and live up to our most closely-held values as a society. Unfortunately, Republicans in the House of Representatives have repeatedly failed to take action, seemingly preferring the status quo of a broken immigration system over meaningful reform. Instead of advancing commonsense reform and working to fix our immigration system, House Republicans have voted in favor of extreme measures like a punitive amendment to strip protections from 'Dreamers.' The majority of Americans are ahead of House Republicans on this crucial issue and there is broad support for reform, including among Democrats and Republicans, labor and business, and faith and law enforcement leaders. We have a chance to strengthen our country while upholding our traditions as a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants, and I urge House Republicans to listen to the will of the American people and bring immigration reform to the House floor for a vote."

All Democratic House Members-- except 9 of the most repulsive Blue Dog racists and bigots from the Republican wing of the Democratic Party (like John Barrow, Jim Matheson and Dan Lipinski)-- have signed the discharge petition that would force Boehner and Cantor to allow an open up or down vote on the Senate legislation. There are enough Republicans in the House who back the bill for it to pass but Boehner and Cantor are too scared of their dominant Confederate wing ad crazed teabaggers to allow the vote. And none of the GOP immigration reform "supporters" have the cajones to sign the discharge petition. Not one-- not even the ones in very heavily Latino districts, like Ileana Ros-Lehinen (R-FL), whose district is 75% Latino, Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL), whose district is 70.7% Latino, David Valadao (R-CA), whose district is 65.8% Latino, Steve Pearce (R-NM), whose district is 46.9% Latino, Blake Farenthold (R-TX), whose district is 45.1% Latino, or Gary Miller (R-CA), whose district is 44% Latino. In fact, Gary Miller, a blatant and overt racist, is retiring rather than bend on immigration reform.

The DCCC is trying to pressure this GOP racists and bigots with a half-assed publicity stunt-- and without calling out their own 9 racists. Many of the 30 targets for an ineffectual, almost silly, campaign they're "mounting" are almost random and make next to no sense on any level. They certainly left Boehner, Cantor and McCarthy off, as well as Farenthold, who could actually be defeated in November with a real campaign along these lines. On the other hand, several Republicans the DCCC has been giving cover to all cycle-- Darrell Issa, Paul Ryan, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Peter King and Sean Duffy, for example-- are included. Here's the full list:

• Justin Amash (R-MI)
• Mark Amodei (R-NV)
• Spencer Bachus (R-AL)
• John Carter (R-TX)
• Jason Chaffetz (R-UT)
• Mike Coffman (R-CO)
• Jeff Denham (R-CA)
• Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL)
• Sean Duffy (R-WI)
• Renee Ellmers (R-NC)
• Tim Griffin (R-AR)
• Michael "Mikey Suits" Grimm (R-Gambino)
• Joe Heck (R-NV)
• Darrell Issa (R-CA)
• Sam Johnson (R-TX)
• Mike Kelly (R-PA)
• Raúl Labrador (R-ID)
• James Lankford (R-OK)
• Peter King (R-NY)
• Vance McAllister (R-Duck Dynasty)
• Devin Nunes (R-CA)
• Steve Pearce (R-NM)
• Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL)
• Paul Ryan (R-WI)
• Aaron Schock (R-IL)
• Chris Stewart (R-UT)
• David Valadao (R-CA)
• Greg Walden (R-OR)
• Daniel Webster (R-FL)
• Don Young (R-AK)

Of the 30 members targeted, eight told CQ Roll Call they back the principles: Amodei, Denham, Diaz-Balart, Ellmers, Heck, King, Ryan and Valadao. Pearce, who is also targeted, told us he could possibly support them; Griffin told us he doesn’t support the principles; Labrador told us it wasn’t the right time; Schock and Young said they were undecided; Carter, Nunes and Ros-Lehtinen declined to comment; and the other 14-- Amash, Bachus, Chaffetz, Coffman, Duffy, Grimm, Issa, Johnson, Kelly, Lankford, McAllister, Stewart, Walden and Webster-- did not respond to our repeated attempts to get an answer.

This is how a Republican legislator at a private GOP conclave described fake "moderate" Susana Martinez, New Mexico's governor who models her deceitful political career on Susan Collins' deceitful political career: "Nastiness, misinformation, innuendo, and flat-out lies have created a toxic political environment."

On Teachers & Hiding Her True Positions During the Campaign

Martinez told campaign staffers she would hide her opinions on teachers during the campaign, but she didn’t like teachers who “already don’t work” referring to summer school breaks.



She then laughs with her chief campaign strategist, Jay McCleskey, about ways to avoid accusations that she hid her true anti-teacher feelings during the campaign



On Democrats as "Little Bitches" and "Little Retards"

Susana Martinez laughs and plays along as an aide calls Ben Lujan (former Speaker of the House and father of NM Congressman Ben Ray Lujan) is a "little retard"



Martinez slams her former Democratic opponent as "that little bitch."



Reminder:  Governor Martinez has actively promoted her own advocacy for her developmentally disabled sister in campaign ads, media pieces and slickly-produced profiles of her. “Retard” as a descriptor of people like her sister has long since been considered inappropriate.

Belittling Hispanic Business Group and Women’s Job Program

Belitting Hispano Chamber of Commerce and Commission Helping Women Learn Job Skills and Equal Pay

Martinez dismisses the role of the “Hispano Chamber of Culture, or I don’t know what the hell it was” and Commission on the Status of Women which helps women learn job skills and advocates for policies including women in the workplace.

She laughs and agrees when her campaign manager, Jay McCleskey, makes a sexist comment suggesting one of their male campaign staffers wants to run that commission to “study more women.”

She's got a good name for political office in New Mexico though.