national legislation

What? I can't hear you!

So many House Republicans simply can't be this dumb...or CAN they?  Read the latest on S 744, the massive bill that will change our country in ways we can't even imagine.

Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) Gutierrez says that the “40 to 50” House Republicans who have expressed support for the new comprehensive immigration reform bill, have done so quietly. He suggested that there are “more than enough” GOP votes to pass the bill.

“They say, ‘Love to do the activity with you, I want to be able to vote for it, I really don’t need to draw attention to myself at this point,’ but we can count on it [their votes],” he explained. Read more about What? I can't hear you!

House Democrat Luis Gutierrez: ‘More Than Enough’ GOP Votes To Pass Immigration Reform

In an interview released Friday by The Washington Post, Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) suggested that there are “more than enough” GOP votes to pass comprehensive immigration reform.

Gutierrez says that the “40 to 50” House Republicans who have expressed support for the new bill have done so quietly.

“They say, ‘Love to do the activity with you, I want to be able to vote for it, I really don’t need to draw attention to myself at this point,’ but we can count on it [their votes],” he explained.

The interview comes a few days after Rep. Daniel Webster (R-FL.) and Rep. Aaron Schock (R-IL) expressed support for the measures – most notably a pathway to full citizenship — introduced by the proposed immigration reform.

“We’re a nation of immigrants, there’s no question about that. But we’re also a nation of laws. I think we have to honor both of those.” Webster said in an interview with the Orlando Sentinel.

Webster and Schock are part of a 20-member group comprised of Republicans in the House who have confirmed their support for immigration reform – a group that includes bipartisan “Gang of 7” members Rep. Mario Diaz Balart (R-FL), Rep. Sam Johnson (R-TX), and Rep. John Carter (R-TX).

Other House Republicans in favor of immigration reform include Spencer Bachus (AL) who stated that without a pathway to citizenship, we would create “an underclass,” Darrell Issa, and Jeff Denham (CA), who said he believes the “Senate’s done a good job.”

Rep. David Valadao (R-CA) – who also supports immigration reform – said that winning Republican House members over to reform is possible: “Once you talk to them and explain that it’s a process, where [undocumented immigrants] can work for [citizenship], appreciate it and someday become citizens – just like my parents did – most members begin to understand.”

Gutierrez says that there are at least 195 confirmed House Democrats who support immigration reform, meaning the 22 confirmed GOP House members only need one more Republican vote to pass it.

Even so, a bill has not reached the House floor.

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) has enforced the Hastert Rule, a practice that involves only bringing a bill to a vote if there is majority support from the majority party’s members.

According to the Washington Post, House Republicans have now shifted their efforts to a more “piecemeal approach to immigration reform,” focusing more on bills related to border security.

On Thursday, Rep. Jeff Denham (R-CA) spoke out against Boehner and his fellow House Republicans who refuse to express support for immigration reform, and said that he is “frustrated” with the leadership.

Asked why the process is so dragged out, Denham confirmed what many observers have been thinking: “It probably has a lot more to do with politics than policy.” Read more about House Democrat Luis Gutierrez: ‘More Than Enough’ GOP Votes To Pass Immigration Reform

Five immigration questions to ask your Congressman during the August recess.

1. How can we afford an amnesty for illegal immigrants?

We can't. Over their lifetimes, the estimated 11.5 million illegal immigrants would cost federal, state, and local taxpayers trillions of dollars, because they will consume significantly more in government benefits and services than they pay in taxes. Amnesty for millions of predominantly low-skilled illegal immigrants also will depress wages for low-skilled Americans and make a tough job market more difficult.

2. If illegal immigrants win amnesty, how is that fair to the 4.5 million who are waiting to enter the United States legally?

It isn't fair. America prides itself on the rule of law. As Americans, we should not allow those who break our laws to be rewarded-especially at the expense of those who are abiding by the rules. Rather than adequately streamlining our legalization system, some in Congress are pushing a new "path to citizenship" that grants amnesty to those who broke the law.

3. Can we ensure that a House-passed immigration bill doesn't become a vehicle, in a deal with the Senate, for blanket amnesty?

No, we can't. With massive costs to taxpayers and carve-outs for special interests, the Senate-passed bill eerily resembles Obamacare in its unnecessary complexity. Even House members who correctly view the Senate's "comprehensive" bill as a failed approach must be cognizant of the push to use any House-passed measure as a means to enact the Senate provisions. If conversations begin between the House and Senate on a compromise, major sections of the Senate bill-including amnesty-will be part of that deal.

4. Does Congress need to pass new legislation to secure the border and strengthen interior enforcement?

No. Current laws can be used to settle our border security and interior enforcement problems. The reason those laws aren't working is simple: We aren't enforcing them. By way of executive orders and selective enforcement, the Obama Administration has undermined efforts to fix our system and placed unwarranted burdens on the agents in charge of carrying out these laws.

5. Is there any guarantee that we won't face this problem again with millions of new illegal immigrants in the future?

No. We should keep a close eye on all proposals. In 1986, proponents of "reform" promised the American people that if Congress passed an amnesty-first immigration bill, we wouldn't have to go through this debate again. We were told to trust Congress to put together an amnesty bill that would be fair and prevent illegal immigration once and for all. Fast forward to now, and we're experiencing the same problems but on a larger scale. If Congress doesn't secure the border first to stop the flow of illegal immigration and also enforce our laws, we will find ourselves back in the same situation. The Congressional Budget Office projected that if it the Senate bill became law, millions of new illegal immigrants would be here within a few decades.

Below is a list of Republicans who have been targeted by the Democrats who want the House to pass an immigration bill.

Pick the members from your state, you know what to ask them.

I would suggest that in your message to them, either in person or at a town hall meeting, you also say that if the House passes any kind of immigration legislation that you will be demanding that they oust John Boehner as Speaker.

State

District

Member Name

Alabama

6

Spencer Bachus

Alaska

1

Don Young

Arizona

8

Trent Franks

Arkansas

3

Steve Womack

California

1

Doug La Malfa

California

8

Paul Cook

California

10

Jeff Denham

California

21

David Valadao

California

22

Devin Nunes

California

23

Kevin McCarthy

California

25

Buck McKeon

California

31

Gary Miller

California

39

Ed Royce

California

45

John Campbell

California

49

Darrell Issa

Colorado

3

Scott Tipton

Colorado

4

Cory Gardner

Colorado

6

Mike Coffman

Florida

2

Steve Southerland II

Florida

6

Ron DeSantis

Florida

7

John Mica

Florida

10

Daniel Webster

Florida

12

Gus Bilirakis

Florida

13

Bill Young

Florida

16

Vern Buchanan

Florida

17

Tom Rooney

Florida

19

Trey Radel

Florida

25

Mario Diaz-Balart

Florida

27

Ros-Lehtinen

Georgia

9

Doug Collins

Idaho

1

Raul Labrador

Illinois

6

Peter Roskam

Illinois

13

Rodney Davis

Illinois

14

Randy Hultgren

Illinois

15

John Shimkus

Illinois

16

Adam Kinzinger

Illinois

18

Aaron Schock

Iowa

3

Tom Latham

Kansas

3

Kevin Yoder

Louisiana

1

Steve Scalise

Louisiana

5

Rodeny Alexander

Michigan

4

Dave Camp

Michigan

6

Fred Upton

Michigan

10

Candice Miller

Minnesota

2

John Kline

Minnesota

3

Eric Paulsen

 

Mississippi

1

Alan Nunnelee

Missouri

2

Ann Wagner

Missouri

3

Blaine Leutkemeyer

Nebraska

1

Jeff Fortenberry

Nebraska

2

Lee Terry

Nevada

2

Mark Amodei

Nevada

3

Joe Heck

New Jersey

2

Frank LoBiondo

New Jersey

3

Jon Runyan

New Jersey

4

Chris Smith

New Jersey

5

Scott Garrett

New Jersey

7

Leonard Lance

New Jersey

11

Rodeny Frelinghuysen

New Mexico

2

Steve Pearce

New York

2

Peter King

New York

11

Michael Grimm

New York

19

Chris Gibson

New York

22

Richard Hanna

New York

23

Tom Reed

North Carolina

2

Renee Ellmers

North Carolina

3

Walter Jones

North Carolina

6

Howard Coble

North Carolina

9

Robert Pittenger

North Carolina

13

George Holding

Ohio

1

Steve Chabot

Ohio

4

Jim Jordan

Ohio

5

Robert Latta

Ohio

8

John Boehner

Ohio

10

Michael Turner

Ohio

12

Pat Tiberi

Ohio

14

David Joyce

Ohio

15

Steve Stivers

Oklahoma

1

Jim Bridenstine

Oklahoma

3

Frank Lucas

Oklahoma

4

James Lankford

Oklahoma

5

Tom Cole

Oregon

2

Greg Walden

Pennsylvania

5

Glenn Thompson

Pennsylvania

6

Jim Gerlach

Pennsylvania

7

Patrick Meehan

Pennsylvania

8

Michael Fitzpatrick

Pennsylvania

10

Thomas Marino

Pennsylvania

15

Charlie Dent

Pennsylvania

16

Joe Pitts

South Carolina

4

Trey Gowdy

South Carolina

5

Mick Mulvaney

Texas

2

Ted Poe

 

Texas

3

Sam Johnson

Texas

6

Joe Barton

Texas

7

John Culberson

Texas

8

Kevin Brady

Texas

10

Michael McCaul

Texas

13

Mac Thornberry

Texas

14

Randy Weber

Texas

17

Bill Flores

Texas

21

Lamar Smith

Texas

22

Pete Olson

Texas

27

Blake Farenthold

Texas

31

John Carter

Texas

32

Pete Sessions

Utah

1

Rob Bishop

Utah

3

Jason Chaffetz

Virginia

1

Rob Wittman

Virginia

2

Scott Rigell

Virginia

4

Randy Forbes

Virginia

6

Bob Goodlatte

Virginia

7

Eric Cantor

Virginia

10

Frank Wolf

Washington

3

Jaime Herrera Beutler

Washington

4

Doc Hastings

Washington

5

Cathy McMorris Rodgers

Washington

8

Dave Reichert

Wisconsin

1

Paul Ryan

Wisconsin

5

Jim Sensenbrenner

Wisconsin

7

Sean Duffy


  Read more about Five immigration questions to ask your Congressman during the August recess.

Ramon Ramirez, president of Woodburn-based farm workers union, among immigration reform advocates arrested in D.C.

SALEM -- Ramon Ramirez, president of a Woodburn-based farm workers union, was arrested on Capitol Hill Thursday as advocates stepped up their campaign urging Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reforms.

"The civil disobedience action is just the beginning of many activities the group has planned for August and the fall to send a strong message to House GOP leaders that we need a just immigration reform now!" the e-mail from PCUN said. The message was accompanied by a photo of Ramirez getting arrested.

Update: Causa, the Salem-based immigrant rights group, said its director of civic engagement was also arrested Thursday on Capitol Hill.

Read the full article: http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/08/ramon_ramirez_presi... Read more about Ramon Ramirez, president of Woodburn-based farm workers union, among immigration reform advocates arrested in D.C.

Townhall opportunities coming up

Alert date: 
August 1, 2013
Alert body: 

Congress will adjourn at the end of the week for summer recess. Your elected officials will be "coming home" to their constituents and a full schedule of Town Hall meetings.

It is your opportunity and your responsibility as a citizen, to attend the Town Hall meetings and tell your Representatives, in person, how you feel about the massive amnesty bill hanging out in the House. S 744 is such a massive, horrible bill with so many loopholes and built in problems that will virtually ruin the US as we know it, that we must kill this bill before it ever gets the chance to leave the House this fall.

Please, go to your local Town Hall meetings and tell your Representatives, in no uncertain terms, that you DO NOT want an amnesty bill of any kind...PERIOD! Members of Congress MUST hear this repeatedly, loud and clear, from their constituents!

OFIR will post the Townhall schedules as they become available. Check back often.

'Only you can stop amnesty'

WASHINGTON — The congresswoman and former presidential candidate could not be more clear, nor the situation she sees more urgent.

“The Republic is at stake” if “amnesty” is included in any immigration bill that becomes law, Rep. Michele Bachmann told WND last month.

Now, she says, the situation has actually gotten worse.

Bachmann and her House colleagues, Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, and Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, have a new warning: Their own congressional leaders have joined the opposition and the only one who can stop amnesty now is you, the voter.

Amnesty is the term conservatives use to describe a path to legalization for illegal immigrants in legislation such as the bill passed in the Senate last month.

Bachmann says that bill is essentially the same as the one introduced by senators John McCain, R-Ariz., and the late Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., and defeated in 2007 after a huge backlash by the conservative grassroots.

She says the 2007 bill caused her phone lines “to melt,” provoking more outrage than even Obamacare.

This time? The phones are silent.

Bachmann thinks that’s because people simply aren’t aware that the same thing is happening again.

Bachmann, Gohmert and King rallied their colleagues to put enough pressure on House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, to force him to agree to apply the “Hastert rule” to legislation coming out of a conference committee to reconcile House and Senate versions of any bill.

Sticking to the Hastert rule is a way of preventing the House from approving legislation without the approval of the majority of the Republicans.

Last month, Bachmann told WND she feared an amnesty bill coming out of such a conference would be a “Trojan Horse” because “it won’t be (most) Republicans that pass it.”

“It’ll be Nancy Pelosi leading all the House Democrats to vote for it, and just enough Republicans will vote for the bill and you’ll have amnesty.”

Now, she sees GOP party leaders unreservedly throwing their support behind amnesty.

Bachmann also warns that amnesty supporters include members of “the House of Representatives you would never think in a million years could possibly support this foolish decision, but they do.”

“Don’t assume, just because your member of the House of representatives is a Republican or a conservative, they’re going to vote against a bill that has legalization,” Bachmann warns.

She is pleading with all conservative voters to call their members of Congress in the House to demand they do not vote for amnesty.

She urges readers to call the House of Representatives switchboard at (202) 224-3121.

Speaker of the House John Boehner can be reached at (202) 225-6205 or (800) 582-1001.

He is also on Twitter and can be reached by email. Boehner’s fax number is (202) 225-5117.

WND spoke with Bachmann, Gohmert and King to find out why they believe amnesty could mean more than the end of the Republican party, but could actually mean the end of the Republic itself.

GOP LEADERSHIP SOLD ON AMNESTY

WND asked Bachmann whether she was encouraged or discouraged by last week’s meeting of GOP House members on immigration.

“It was very mixed, it was very divided, but it was very clear the leadership is completely sold on passing an amnesty bill. So, I’m very nervous about where we’re going because the 900-pound gorilla in the room is legalization,” she reflected.

She then gravely warned, “That is the only thing the president wants.”

Bachmann says they discussed four or five separate bills as opposed to one comprehensive immigration reform package, but some incorporated legalization within them.

LEGALIZATION IS EVERYTHING

“The only game in town is legalization, for President Obama and for Senate Democrats. They want that legalization status,” Bachmann declared.

She thinks the Democrats would actually accept all five Republican bills and say “Hey, great! Have any bill you want” because they could care less about what else is in the bill, all they want is legalization.

Bachmann says the reason for this is very clear: It’s all about gaining more political power. Complete power, in fact.

“Once President Obama gets legalization, then he’s got literally tens of millions of individuals he could potentially put on his voting roles to cement in place his policies for progressivism,” the congresswoman warned.

“I think people really need to be aware, the president will go for amnesty, the Senate will give us amnesty, the only brake we have is in the House of Representatives,” adding WND readers should be “very, very concerned” because resistance in the House is not very strong right now.

“And legalization is everything, it is the game changer. It changes our nation structurally forever, if this goes through.”

As Bachmann detailed to WND last month, “This is President Obama’s number one political agenda item because he knows we will never again have a Republican president, ever, if amnesty goes into effect. We will perpetually have a progressive, liberal president, probably a Democrat, and we will probably see the House of Representatives go into Democrat hands and the Senate will stay in Democrat hands.”

The lawmaker said that would create a permanent progressive class, and the country would never return to its constitutional foundations.

“That’s what’s at risk right now. It may sound melodramatic, I don’t mean it that way, but this is that big and that important.”

GOP SUICIDE WATCH

King is also worried the GOP is digging its own grave.

He says conservatives are on a “suicide watch over the Republican party.”

King disagrees with Republicans such as Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who believe the GOP needs to support amnesty in order to win Hispanic votes.

He agress with Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who says he earned 40 percent of the Hispanic vote by sticking to conservative principles rather than pandering.

“It’s unbelieveable to me that people would take that kind of bait and let the hook get set as deep as it’s been set,” said King.

He warned fellow conservatives, “Those folks who have always advocated for amnesty and open borders, and I am talking especially about people on the Republican side of the aisle, they’re reeling this in.”

“They were reeling in the four members of the Gang of Eight on that idea, ‘Well we have to grant amnesty, otherwise, we’re never going to win a presidential election again.’”

ADVICE FROM THE ENEMY

King says it’s one thing for Republican to disagree, but it’s another to take advice from the enemy.

“Barack Obama came to our conference this year in February to make the pitch that we need to pass comprehensive immigration reform, including amnesty (of course, he doesn’t use that word), and if we don’t do that, he said, ‘You’ll never win another national election,’” said King in disbelief.

“And, he said, ‘I’m trying to help you.’ Now, what Republican would hire community-organizer Barack Obama to be their political consultant?” added the congressman, incredulously.

Yet, says King, it looks to him as though much of the establishment class within the Republican party is actually accepting the political consulting advice of President Obama.

“Why would he say to us, ‘Do this’ if he believed it would be good for Republicans? That’s the last thing we’d hear out of him.”

MAKE OUR MESSAGE CLEAR

WND asked Gohmert if Republicans will pay for it at the polls if they don’t pass immigration reform.

He said the GOP could pay a price, “If we don’t make our message clear, if we don’t express our hearts and why we are doing what we are doing to preserve a country that Hispanics will want to come to,” as well as Asians and Africans.

“We could possibly pay at the polls in the short term. But, just as you’ve had more and more African-Americans realizing, ‘Wow, we have one party that’s pandered to us, doled out government benefits, kept us from reaching our God-given potential … and you have another, this Republican Party, in the case of Hispanics, that says we want you to learn English because we don’t want you to be a ditch-digger just because you can’t communicate — we know you are smart enough to be president of your company and to be president of this country, if you’re born here.’”

Gohmert painted a vision of an America with equal opportunity for all, telling newcomers, “We want you to reach your God-given potential. We want to educate you and bring out the best. We don’t want to keep you in schools that are failing you and failing America. We want the schools to be better and we want you to reach your potential.”

He continued, “If we don’t communicate that message we could pay for it in the short term. But, in the long term, I think you will see people start waking up and going, ‘Wow, these Republicans really like me and we share so much, generally speaking.’”

WE SHARE A FAITH

Gohmert sees many Hispanics as natural conservatives, observing, “We share a faith in God, a devotion to family and a hard-work ethic. Things that made America great.”

“We have more and more Hispanics starting to realize that, and some of them I’ve served with. Just incredibly wonderful people. And I expect in the future you will see more and more of that.

GOP WILL GET THE BLAME

Bachmann doesn’t mince words.

“Contrary to popular opinion, Republicans won’t get patted on the back or get new votes because of passing amnesty — they’re going to get blamed.”

She predicts Republicans would lose the House in 2014, and things would just get worse once amnesty is in place.

“Because, I think the president, even by executive order, could again wave his magic wand before 2014 and he’d say, ‘Now, all of the new legal Americans are going to have voting rights.’”

“Why do I say that? He did in 2012. Do you remember? Anyone who was here as a Latino under age 30, he said, ‘You get to vote.’

“What?!? He decides you get to vote? If he did it in 2012, take it to the bank, he’ll do it in 2014.”

ONE PARTY RULE

Bachmann says after that, the Democrats will control the White House, the Senate and the House, ushering in one-party rule.

“At that point, they will change election law. And it will be almost impossible to ever see a Republican majority again.

“Do we get how important this is? I’m not crying wolf here. This is the most important vote that we’re going to take in the next two years.”

That’s why she says it is so important to call the House switchboard at (202) 224-3121 to tell Congress not to pass amnesty.

“WND readers need to understand there are conservative Republicans, self-styled conservative Republicans, that are for amnesty,” she said. “People in the House of Representatives you would never think in a million years could possibly support this foolish decision, but they do.”

She says not to assume members of Congress will vote against legalization just because they are conservative. Bachmann was too diplomatic to mention it, but even such high-profile conservatives as Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., are supporting legalization.

And once the president gets an inch, she says, he will take a mile.

“Even if it’s a guest worker bill, even if it’s a germ of a bill that gives legalization status, that’s what President Obama will take, and he’ll run a mile and we’ll have full-on perpetual amnesty with no hope of deportation, ever. We will have lost control of the border,” Bachmann predicted.

AMNESTY IS NOT DEAD

King shares Bachmann’s concern that whatever immigration bill the House approves will become a vehicle for amnesty.

“I’m still worried that if we send something over to the Senate, it might be an E-verify bill, guest-worker bill, it could be a Dream Act bill … They could attach something on the Senate side, send it back, build the political pressure, and then, if our Speaker says ‘Well, the political pressure is so great, that we have to take this up or we’re going to lose seats in the upcoming election,’ that’s how we could get to a scenario where we end up with amnesty sent to the president,” he explained.

King says, “Really, there’s no reason for the House to pass anything.”

“Why are we going through this exercise if amnesty is not going to get to the president’s desk? Because, he’s not going to sign anything that doesn’t have it.”

King warns, “The exercise just leaves us vulnerable. We’re dancing with the wrong side of the aisle here and no good can come from it.”

IMPENDING CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS

“We should tell our constituents our president is violating his own oath of office. This is an impending constitutional crisis,” predicts King.

“No amount of legislation is going to make the president do what he doesn’t want to do, which is enforce laws he doesn’t like.

“So, passing more laws that he doesn’t like is only going to exacerbate the problem. Plus, he’s not going to sign it and Harry Reid’s not going to take it up.

“No good can come from this. We should tell our constituents, ‘This is the president’s problem, he has created it and we are not going to conform with the president’s unconstitutional whims.’”

SPANK THE PRESIDENT

WND asked Bachmann if she is similarly concerned the president will do what he wants no matter what Congress does on immigration.

“Well, of course he’s going to, unless we pinch his ears back,” she observed.

She noted his penchant to rule by executive order is working for him but not the American people.

“He has a perpetual magic wand and nobody’s given him a spanking yet and taken it out of his hand,” she added maternally.

Bachmann says Congress has the power to discipline a misbehaving president, “And the way we spank the president is we do it through the checkbook.”

She says the House of Representatives has the most power in Washington because, “We have the power of the purse.”

“We’re the ones who say, ‘No, you can’t have the money.’ What’s wrong with us? What is wrong with us that we would give the president ten cents to fund Obamacare?”

IMMIGRATION BILL UNCONSTITUTIONAL

King confronted the president when the Obama administration recently decided not to enforce the employer mandate requirement in the health care law until after the 2014 elections.

“If President Obama wants to make changes to Obamacare, he must come to Congress,” King told CNS, adding, “We are a nation governed by laws written by Congress, not memos and blog posts written by bureaucrats.” King said.

Gohemert, who is a lawyer, says the Senate immigration bill has something in common with Obamacare, observing, “There is no question it’s unconstitutional.”

He says that’s because both Senate bills included funding, but only the House can do that.

“It is unconstitutional and, actually, Obamacare is unconstitutional. I was hoping in the original case that went to the Supreme Court someone would raise the origination clause, that anything that raises revenue must originate in the House.”

“And that point was not raised. It should have been raised,” he added wistfully.

THE END OF AMERICA

All three lawmakers agree amnesty will cause many serious problems, including higher unemployment, lower wages, greater national debt.

But they see something even more serious on the horizon, something that could change everything.

They fear amnesty could lead to one-party rule and the end of America as we know it.

Bachmann paints a scenario after amnesty passes in which “you’ll see the president, just like Superman, open his shirt and there will be a big ‘S’ on it, and President Obama will become the super civil rights advocate for all the people that have new legalization status.”

She says President Obama and his “minions” will then declare, “I’m the one who’s going to give you voting rights.”

So, even if a legalization bill passes that does not include voting rights, Bachmann says the president will simply declare, “We’re America and you’re legalized and you don’t have voting status? I’m here to give you civil rights. You deserve the right to vote.”

She says that will put Republicans in an impossible position, asking what are they going to do, tell people “No, we’re not going to allow you to vote?”

She predicts the president will then say, “[T]he Republicans don’t want you to have access to the benefits you deserve, Obamacare, 80 different means-tested welfare programs, Social Security, Medicare … you deserve that, too. I’m going to be your champion to make sure you get all of these public assistance benefits.’”

“And what’s our platform going to be?” Bachmann wonders. “No, you can’t have them? We will immediately be on defense and we will be forever on defense because the president has one plan. It is open borders with ongoing, rolling amnesty and no meaningful form of deportation anywhere.”

Bachmann adds one last warning: “That’s what WND viewers need to know we’re up against. This is very serious. It is a structural change in America and it will mean there will be no meaningful way to elect again a constitutional conservative for president. It’s not gonna happen.” Read more about 'Only you can stop amnesty'

Congressman Cotton explains the catastrophic pitfalls of S744

If Congress would simply take their eyes off the next election for a moment, they might learn something invaluable from Congressman Tom Cotton in his recent letter to the editor published in the "There Shall Be Open Borders" Wall Street Journal. The immigration legislation Congress is pondering will change our country forever and in ways that will be detrimental to the country forevermore.

The importance of this legislation demands and deserves thoughtful consideration and even more importantly it deserves a NO vote.

Call and thank Congressman Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) for his strong stand. You can call him at his Washington DC office (202) 225-3772. Read more about Congressman Cotton explains the catastrophic pitfalls of S744

Ray Stevens has some fun in 'Come to the USA' video

If you want a good laugh, take a moment to watch this funny YouTube video.  We need to remember to laugh sometimes!

Watch Ray Stevens video here.
  Read more about Ray Stevens has some fun in 'Come to the USA' video

Eye-popping billboard zings famous Republican

A brand-new Georgia billboard proclaiming South Carolina’s alleged affinity for illegal aliens is raising eyebrows this week.

The sign, posted in Canton, Ga., declares: “South Carolina welcomes the undocumented. Sen. Lindsey Graham says his state has a labor shortage and wants more immigrants. For job tips, call his office at (864) 646-4090. Located in Pendleton, S.C. Only 2 hours from Atlanta!”

Sen. Graham, R-S.C., sits on a bipartisan committee that just passed a sweeping immigration-reform bill.

“These people must have been off the planet for the last five years,” said D.A. King, an immigration activist with the Dustin Inman Society who paid for the billboard. “We don’t need more workers. We need more jobs.”

King blasted the immigration bill, claiming illegal aliens will have an easier time getting jobs in the U.S., while making it more difficult for American citizens to find or hold onto employment.

“I think unemployed Georgians are already kicking and screaming,” King told WGCL-TV, the CBS affiliate in Atlanta.

“If you want an answer, go to the unemployment office and ask someone in line if they think adding 20 million more workers to the American workforce in the next several years is a good idea.”

The CBS station went to the Cobb-Cherokee Department of Labor office, and found that most people did not wish to comment on immigration, but did say they were desperate for work.

“With less income coming in, I have two kids to take care of, a husband and a household so it’ll be a struggle,” said Tangela Roach, who recently lost the second part-time job she had.

“I’m very concerned,” said Brooke Daugherty. “I’m a single parent. I’m very concerned to find a job immediately.”

King is hoping his billboard brings national attention to immigration reform and the negative impact it could have.

“Most of us want our borders enforced, our laws enforced and our jobs back,” King said.

King’s activist group was named for Dustin Inman, a 16-year-old American boy killed by an illegal alien in a traffic crash on Father’s Day weekend in 2000.

Dustin was on his way to a weekend of fishing in the North Georgia mountains with his parents.

Despite being in the U.S. illegally, the driver of the car that killed Dustin, Gonzalo Harrell-Gonzalez, was able to obtain a valid North Carolina driver’s license using his Mexican birth certificate and a Mexican Matricula Consular ID card.


Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2013/07/billboard-has-eye-popping-message-on-illegals/#97j4e6KUmqKZxMxD.99 Read more about Eye-popping billboard zings famous Republican

Boehner Aims to Move Immigration by Capitalizing on a Conservative Rift

John Boehner wants immigration reform to pass. To get it done, the House speaker will have to capitalize on the widening gap among conservatives, and he’s preparing the groundwork to do it.

The rare split inside the conservative wing of Boehner’s Republican conference offers him an uncommon opportunity to bring a bill to the floor without facing an insurrection among his members. It also means convincing enough conservatives that passing some immigration measure won’t be preamble to the Senate using compromise negotiations to jam a more liberal version down the House’s throat.

As a senior GOP leadership aide put it, “Our conference is all over the place. Our goal here is to try and find that little slice of land where we can walk through and we’re not crucified on either side.”

Republicans on and off the Hill say Boehner, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, and House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy all want to do something on immigration. Boehner “really wants to get that done but he has to be real quiet about it because if he puts his name on it and his brand on it, like he did with the big (fiscal-cliff) deal, then it’s probably going to die under its own weight,” a former GOP leadership aide said.

So House leaders have been meeting privately with members, making the case that inaction on immigration will be more costly than doing something. Weeks into the debate, it remains a hard sell among reform opponents, particularly members who do not want to offer citizenship to people here illegally. They worry that any House legislation—such as a tough border-security bill most of them are after—will ultimately be watered down in negotiations with the Senate.

“What will have to happen, and is happening in private discussions, is that we have to convince these guys if we’re going to go to conference, we’re not going to cave on our principles,” a senior House GOP aide said. “That is the sales job you have to make to those guys.”

But it’s a hard argument to win—and not only because Republicans don’t think Democrats have much incentive to accept anything other than the Senate bill.

Plaguing House leadership is a fear among conservatives that immigration reform could be one of those few pieces of legislation that Boehner might value enough to bring to the floor knowing it would pass even though it fails to get the majority of House Republicans to back it.

“This is one of those issues where they may only get 80 to 100 Republicans to vote for it on the House floor, but there won’t be the huge internal backlash,” the former aide said. “And that gives (leadership) some room to maneuver and they have some conservative cover. They have (Sen. Marco) Rubio and (Rep. Raul) Labrador,” who are two key conservative Republicans pushing reform.

Some in leadership scoff at the notion of bringing anything to the floor without majority Republican support. “I just can’t see that happening,” a House GOP leadership aide said.

Boehner spokesman Michael Steel said, “Our goal is always to pass legislation with strong Republican support consistent with our principles.”

A number of influential congressional Republicans believe that giving the 11 million people living in the country illegally a path to citizenship opens up a new pool of voters who share the GOP’s entrepreneurial, family, and religious values.

“There’s no reason why these people can’t be our voters except for the fact that you have (GOP Rep.) Steve King out there talking about electrifying our border fence,” the senior GOP aide said.

But before that happens, Republican leaders need to convert more skeptical lawmakers into believers. Read more about Boehner Aims to Move Immigration by Capitalizing on a Conservative Rift

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