Paul Ryan Is Still Blocking Action On DACA

Yesterday, House Democrats demanded an instant vote on the DREAM Act. Ryan laughed at them-- and laughed at every Latino in America. He said NO. Why? Well... Ryan's in a pickle (en un aprieto). Wednesday evening, Robert Costa reported that the Freedom Caucus, egged on by Bannon, called him out on the carpet to bitch at him about his poor leadership skills. Three neo-fascists, Jim Jordan (R-OH), Scott Perry (R-PA) and, of course, Caucus chair and Bannon crony Mark Meadows (R-NC), chastized Ryan "and warned Ryan that they and others in the House Republican conference could desert him in the coming months if the leadership fails to enact conservative policies." But the big news in DC out of all this is that...

Several people close to Bannon and Meadows said on Wednesday that the two men, who met on Monday on Capitol Hill, have begun to discuss who could replace Ryan as speaker, should conservatives rebel against him. But they stressed that those discussions remain speculative and informal, with no plan yet for action.

...[A] conservative lawmaker who is close to the Freedom Caucus did provide a statement to the Washington Post.

“I’ve talked to countless Americans who are fed up with Congress’s inability to get anything done. They see Mitch McConnell and Speaker Ryan as the biggest impediments to enacting President Trump’s agenda,” wrote the lawmaker, who requested anonymity due to sensitivity about directly speaking out against Ryan. “If things don’t change-- and fast-- the American people will demand new leadership in Congress.”

Now that Nancy and Chuck are best friends with Señor Trumpanzee and he's all pro-DREAMer, he appears prepared to see if forcing Ryan and McConnell to work with the Democrats will do anything to move his-- or at least an-- agenda along in Congress. Just a couple of hours ago Trump forced the Turtle to work with Schumer to pass a Harvey aid package that included the Democrats' version of extending the debt ceiling. Only 17 Republicans voted against it-- including many Trump-haters, like Jeff Flake, John McCain, Bob Corker, Ben Sasse, Jerry Moran, Rand Paul, Lindsey Graham and Mike Lee. Last time there was a vote on the DREAM Act it was killed because 5 racist conservative Democrats crossed the aisle and voted with the GOP. What Democrats would do that?

• Mark Pryor (AR)
• Mac Baucus (MT)
• Jon Tester (MT)-- still in the Senate; will he screw us again?
• Ben Nelson (NE)
• Kay Hagan (NC)

The 3 Republicans who crossed the aisle in the other direction and voted for it-- Robert Bennett (UT), Lisa Murkowski (AK) and Richard Lugar (IN)-- were as chastised by their party as the Democrats who voted against were by their party. Murkowski, though, is known for having far more political courage on her worst day than Jon Tester does on his best-- and they were the only two aisle-crossers who will be voting on the DREAMers' fate this time... at least in the Senate. (Gutless Blue Dog Joe Donnelly, now an Indiana senator up for reelection next year, was in the House last time the DREAM Act was voted on and he voted with the GOP against it.)

The disastrous election of 2010 had just destroyed the Democrats but Pelosi was still calling the shots in the lame duck session and on Dec,ever 8, 2010, the House, passed it 216-19810. There were 38 Democrats who crossed the aisle and voted with the Republicans against the DREAMers. I've bolded the ones who had just been defeated for reelection the month before and had little to fear by voted their consciences, their hearts, their souls-- by crossing the aisle and backing the racists and xenophobes:

• Jason Altmire (Blue Dog-PA)
• Mike Arcuri (Blue Dog-NY)
• Brian Baird (New Dem-WA)- one of his last votes before retirement
• John Barrow (Blue Dog-GA)
• John Boccieri (Blue Dog-OH)
• Dan Boren (Blue Dog-OK)
• Rick Boucher (VA)
• Bobby Bight (Blue Dog-AL)
• Chris Carney (Blue Dog-PA)
• Ben Chandler (Blue Dog-KY)
• Travis Childers (Blue Dog-MS)
• Jerry Costello (IL)
• Mark Critz (PA)
• Kathy Dahlkemper (Blue Dog-PA)
• Joe Donnelly (Blue Dog-IN)
• Brad Ellsworth (Blue Dog-IN)
• Brain Higgins (NY)
• Tim Holden (Blue Dog-PA)
• Paul Kanjorski (PA)
• Marcy Kaptur (OH)
• Larry Kissell (Blue Dog-NC)
• Frank Kratovil (Blue Dog-MD)
• Dan Lipinski (Blue Dog-IL)
• Jim Matheson (Blue Dog-UT)
• Mike McIntyre (Blue Dog-NC)
• Patrick Murphy (New Dem-PA)
• Glenn Nye (Blue Dog-VA)
• Bill Owens (New Dem-NY)
• Collin Peterson (Blue Dog-MN)
• Nick Rahall (Blue Dog-WV)
• Mike Ross (Blue Dog-AR)
• Kurt Schrader (Blue Dog-OR)
• Heath Shuler (Blue Dog-NC)
• Zack Space (Blue Dog-OH)
• Bart Stupak (MI)- one of his last votes before retirement
• Gene Taylor (Blue Dog-MS)
• Pete Visclosky (IN)
• Charlie Wilson (Blue Dog-OH)

The only Democrat who ducked out of voting that day-- and who is still in Congress today-- was then-Blue Dog/now New Dem Adam Schiff (CA), who is eager to rewrite his out of step conservative history as he gets ready to run for Feinstein's Senate seat as the TV news anti-Trump.

And that brings us to yesterday's parliamentary maneuvering by the Democrats on behalf of DACA. This was the memo all House Democrats got from the Democratic Whip operation in the morning:

SAMPLE VOTE RECOMMENDATION for PROCEDURAL VOTE TODAY:

VOTE NO TO SUPPORT THE DREAM ACT (Previous Question Vote Today!)

Today, the House will be taking a procedural vote on the Dream Act. If members vote yes, they will be voting to reject the Dream Act. If members vote NO, they will be voting to SUPPORT THE DREAM ACT. Please urge your Members of Congress to vote NO on the Previous Question to the Rule.

Sample vote recommendation below:

Dear Member of Congress, we urge you to vote NO today on the Previous Question to the Rule. Yesterday, President Trump and his Administration crossed a moral line in terminating the DACA program. DACA was a promise to 800,000 young immigrants that the American Dream is achievable. Over the last five years, DACA recipients have become parents, doctors, served in the military and as police officers, rescued Harvey flood victims, and taught our children in our schools. All DACA recipients have lived in the United States for at least 10 years and they have been paying working, studying and paying taxes. Six months from now, every day, 1,400 will lose their ability to work legally and stay in the United States. We call on Congress to support the Dream Act now. Business cannot wait, schools cannot and most of all, Dreamers shouldn't have to wait for Congress to act. Now is the time for Congress to prove it will protect and defend Dreamers. Vote No to the Previous Question to the Rule. Support the DREAM Act.

It came up for a vote late in the day and all 188 Democrats voted against it; they were joined by 3 libertarian-leaning Republicans, Justin Amash (R-MI), Walter Jones (R-NC) and Thomas Massie (R-KY). So it passed 230-191, putting 230 Republicans on the record in favor of deportations of the DREAMers.

Meanwhile, over in the Senate, Elizabeth Warren made a speech on DACA and the DREAM Act... worth watching as she puts it all into much needed context: