The GOP Has Something For DREAMers: Carefully Crafted Talking Points

My first tip off yesterday was press release from racist Republican congressman Darrell Issa. His office sent this out early on Tuesday:

When President Obama unilaterally created DACA, he unlawfully overstepped his executive authority and only put a temporary band-aid on a problem which prolonged uncertainty for many children brought here through no fault of their own. The Administration’s decision today puts the onus on Congress to address this challenge in the right way: for the long-haul, with respect for our nation’s laws, a desire to enhance the integrity of our borders, and a sense of compassion for those who were brought here in their childhood years ago and wish to stay as productive members of our communities. I’m eager to get to work on a permanent fix and call on Democrats and Republicans alike to immediately put political posturing aside and let this be a catalyst to achieve long-overdue reforms in this important area of concern.

Ahh, yes, the GOP talking points. When Doug Applegate, the progressive Democrat running for the CA-49 (Orange and San Diego counties) Issa bareky managed to hold onto last year, he saw Issa's statement he told me that "The only person who should be preparing to pack their bags in the next 6 months is Donald Trump. Dreamers, we'll fight for you. America under Trump, the GOP, and the 1% is NOT our future. They have proven yet once again that they cannot be trusted. Millennials, it's up to you to rise up, act, and vote in 2018. It will take every single one of us to take our country back. Darrell, you should start looking for a moving company, too." And then I saw the flood of statements come spewing out of the press offices of dozens of Republican members of Congress, basically all th same.

Paul Ryan, who will ultimately decide whether or not these 800,000 kids get deported released his own statement. Keep in mind that there are enough votes in Congress-- basically all the Democrats plus a few dozen Republicans, who are willing to vote to codify DACA. But Ryan has the bipartisan legislation buried in a subcommittee dominated by racists Steve King (D-IA), Lamar Smith (R-TX), Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) and Jim Jordan (R-OH). Subcommittee members Zoe Lofgren (CA), Luis Gutierrez (IL), Pramila Jayapal (WA), Sheila Jackson Lee (TX) and David Cicilline (RI) have been working to move the bill by Republican Mike Coffman onto the floor for a vote. It's Paul Ryan and Kevin McCarthy who have been preventing that. And that brings us to Ryan's latest bullshit statement:

However well-intentioned, President Obama’s DACA program was a clear abuse of executive authority, an attempt to create law out of thin air. Just as the courts have already struck down similar Obama policy, this was never a viable long-term solution to this challenge. Congress writes laws, not the president, and ending this program fulfills a promise that President Trump made to restore the proper role of the executive and legislative branches. But now there is more to do, and the president has called on Congress to act. The president’s announcement does not revoke permits immediately, and it is important that those affected have clarity on how this interim period will be carried out. At the heart of this issue are young people who came to this country through no fault of their own, and for many of them it’s the only country they know. Their status is one of many immigration issues, such as border security and interior enforcement, which Congress has failed to adequately address over the years. It is my hope that the House and Senate, with the president’s leadership, will be able to find consensus on a permanent legislative solution that includes ensuring that those who have done nothing wrong can still contribute as a valued part of this great country.

DACA and the fates of the 800,000 DREAMers being threatened with deportation by Trump and Sessions rests entirely in Ryan's hands. If he called a vote today, the issue would be over today. The votes are there to end the threat. Don't count on Ryan doing that though.

We asked Randy Bryce, the progressive Democrat running for the southeastern Wisconsin congressional seat Ryan has been sitting in since 1999, what he would say in a debate with Ryan. (Note: Ryan is afraid to debate and has consistently turned down his challengers' requests for debates, replying-- insulting the intelligence of WI-01 voters-- that he will only agree to goat-milking contests.) Bryce correctly sees Ryan's statement as "an abundance of absolutely nothing... typical Paul Ryan. It started off when he first heard about Trump doing something on DACA; now that he’s fighting for his political career he came out seemingly in defense of Dreamers. I thought he would show some backbone, but apparently not."