GOP HISPANIC OUTREACH SUFFERS MAJOR SETBACK
“RAPE” IS NOT THE SAME AS “SEX”
Tag Archives: GOP
Obsessed
37th Time’s the Charm?
Tomorrow, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives will once again vote to repeal Obamacare. If this sounds familiar it is because it is the 37th time — yes, that’s 3-7 — that House Republicans have tried to repeal Obamacare.
This obsession has not come for free, either in terms of time nor money. One estimate pegs the cost to taxpayers of these 37 repeal attempts at some $55 MILLION. What could we do with that same $55 MILLION? Here’s four ideas:
1. Restore cuts from sequestration to Title X family planning programs and Title V maternal and child health services. The National Women’s Law Center calculates that a 5 percent cut to the budgets of each program will reduce them by $15 million and $32.5 million, respectively. Rather than voting to repeal a bill that expands women’s access to preventative services, the House could use the money to expand them.
2. Double the Department of Justice’s budget for sexual assault services, which has currently been authorized a $50 million budget. The program gives money to states so that they can support rape crisis centers and other nongovernmental organizations that provide direct intervention, core services, and other assistance to the victims of sexual assault. Current funding is inadequate, as some states receive less than $300,000 and many programs lack the resources to meet victims’ needs.
3. Grant a request for $50 million to train 5,000 new mental health professionals as part of a new initiative to expand mental health treatment and prevention services. This proposal came in the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting to address gaps in the mental health system.
4. Help states implement paid leave policies. President Obama included a $50 million State Paid Leave Fund in his 2011 budget to provide start-up support for states that want to enact paid leave for workers. More than 40 percent of workers don’t have access to paid sick leave, heading to work when they or their family members experience an illness, but this funding could help give them a better option.
In terms of time, this calculation from the New York Times shows why this is one of the most unproductive Congresses in history:
That means that since 2011, Republicans have spent no less than 15 percent of their time on the House floor on repeal in some way.
The real cost, of course, comes in terms of the more than 100 MILLION Americans who would be harmed by the GOP’s obsession with taking away their health care benefits, including:
- 129 MILLION Americans with pre-existing conditions who will once again be at the mercy of the insurance companies.
- 105 MILLION Americans would see lifetime limits on what their insurance company has to cover, which Obamacare banned, put back in place.
- 71 MILLION Americans, including 34 MILLION seniors, who are currently eligible for no-cost preventive care, including mammograms and birth control.
- 18 MILLION middle-class Americans who will receive a tax credit averaging $4,000 a year starting next year.
- 17 MILLION children with pre-existing conditions who today, as we speak, cannot be denied coverage.
- 13 MILLION consumers who received more than $1 BILLION in rebates last year because of an Obamacare rule requiring insurers to spend 80 percent of premiums on actual medical care would no longer be eligible for such rebates because insurers would no longer be held to such a standard.
- 6 MILLION young adults who are currently able to stay on their parents’ insurance — 3.1 MILLION of whom were previously uninsured.
- 6 MILLION seniors who are receiving discounts — more than $6 BILLION worth so far — on their prescription drugs thanks to Obamacare.
In addition, repealing Obamacare would increase the deficit by more than $100 BILLION over the next ten years and eliminate new resources to fight fraud. These fraud fighting efforts have recouped $4.2 BILLION just this past fiscal year from those seeking to defraud seniors and taxpayers.
BOTTOM LINE: The GOP’s obsession with taking away health care benefits from more than 100 MILLION Americans is a waste of time, a waste of money, and harmful to the tens of millions of Americans already benefiting from Obamacare.
Immigration Reform Update
Today’s Immigration Top 5
As we discussed last week, the Senate Judiciary Committee has begun its work on a landmark immigration reform bill including a pathway to earned citizenship. The committee continued its work today, focusing on a new guest worker program and visas for highly-skilled immigrants.
There’s real momentum behind the bill, which is expected to be voted out of committee on a bipartisan basis by the end of next week.
Here’s today’s top five reads to help catch you up on the action:
- GOP Senator exploits immigrant deaths. Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) is one of the immigration reform bill’s leading opponents. He has used his seat on the Judiciary Committee to try and insert numerous “poison pill” provisions into the bill, but thankfully those efforts have been defeated by a bipartisan group of pro-reform senators. Yesterday, Cornyn released a bizarre video that seemed to exploit the deaths of immigrants in order to attack the Obama administration.
- GOP’s Florida Director of Hispanic Outreach quits job, becomes a Democrat. Citing last week’s blowup over Heritage’s now ex-researcher and his racist views, the Republican National Committee’s Director of Hispanic Outreach in Florida, Pablo Pantoja, not only quit his job but also left the GOP. “It doesn’t take much to see the culture of intolerance surrounding the Republican Party today,” Pantoja said in a note announcing his decision.
- House Republicans’ craziest arguments against immigration reform. At the very same moment a bipartisan group of senators was formally crafting immigration legislation, several Tea Party House Republicans held a press conference to denounce the bill. Among them was Rep. Steve King (R-IA), one of the few members of Congress still willing to cite a Heritage Foundation report written by a racist researcher who has since resigned.
- GOP Senator wonders why border security can’t be more like Disney World. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) proposed an amendment today that would’ve thrown up a major road block on the pathway to earned citizenship: the requirement that a biometric entry and exit system be in place ports of entry before any of the 11 MILLION undocumented are allowed to earn green cards. This expensive and technologically difficult requirement could’ve delayed the pathway to citizenship for years, if not permanently. The current bill already includes a tracking exit system in the form of a “photo tool” that expands the existing E-Verify program. Biometric information also will be collected from the undocumented applying for provisional status. But Cornyn claimed that Disney World’s system uses fingerprints, and what’s “good enough for the Magic Kingdom” should be U.S. law. Thankfully, most senators realize that the 329 U.S. ports of entry are a little bit different than the entry to Disney World and they voted down the amendment 6-12.
- Anti-reform groups stand by racist researcher. Though he may have resigned from the Heritage Foundation, racist researcher Jason Richwine still enjoys the support of numerous anti-immigration reform groups. Not only have these groups refused to condemn Richwine’s racism, they have continued to actively promote the Heritage report he co-wrote.
Evening Brief: Important Stories That You Might’ve Missed
GOP’s latest Benghazi allegation completely falls apart.
Why we need real disclosure laws.
Senate committee approves major cut in food aid, House preparing even worse bill.
The deficit is shrinking rapidly.
Another new attack on Obamacare.
The Attorney General recused himself from the leak investigation involving the Associated Press.
Brazil to become 15th country to support marriage equality nationwide.
The GOP’s problem with Latinos could get much, much worse.
A Clear Path
So Far, So Good on Immigration Bill
Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee began historic work on a bipartisan immigration reform bill. The centerpiece of the bill is a path to earned citizenship for the 11 MILLION undocumented immigrants already present in this country.
As far as today’s proceedings went, it’s so far, so good:
- Modest improvements were made to the bill, including a provision mandating that law enforcement determine whether deporting an individual would raise humanitarian concerns with regard to the individual and/or his or her family.
- GOP extremists attempted three separate times today to put up roadblocks to a pathway to earned citizenship that would have essentially guaranteed that the 11 MILLION undocumented would remain in the shadows for decades, if not forever. Fortunately, all three of these attempts were roundly defeated by Democrats and pro-reform Republicans.
Nearly three dozen amendments from both Republicans and Democrats were cleared during the largely amicable legislative markup, with 21 approved — and all but one of those on a bipartisan basis. The committee will continue working over the next two weeks until all 300+ amendments filed have been dealt with, though many of these will not actually be brought up by their sponsors or receive vote.
Today’s action only adds further positive momentum to the bill and a pathway to earned citizenship, which is supported by a whopping 83 percent of Americans.
BOTTOM LINE: The Senate immigration bill is a strong bill, but already represents a compromise for both sides. A bipartisan group of senators is making sure to hold the line on the bill and maintain a clear path to earned citizenship, despite the best efforts of some extreme, anti-reform Republicans to throw up roadblock after roadblock.
Evening Brief: Important Stories That You Might’ve Missed
GOP senators vote to spend tens of billions of dollars to militarize the border.
Minnesota House passes marriage equality.
Ex-official: Heritage Foundation has betrayed Reagan.
Heritage Foundation may be forced to hire PR firm to deal with backlash from anti-immigration report.
Racist author of Heritage Foundation’s anti-immigration report also wrote for white nationalist website.
Leader of GOP witch hunt on Benghazi admits he learned nothing new in hours-long hearing.
GOP Senate nominee caught using $281,500 “tax scam.”
GOP senator tries to impose anti-woman agenda on citizens of Washington, D.C.
Unemployment would be a point lower had we not been fixated on the deficit for the past two years
That Happened
10 Crazy Things the Right Did This Week
Another week, another 10 helpings of crazy brought to by the right wing.
- Heritage Foundation puts out shoddy report claiming immigrants are takers not makers, conservatives pounce. In a remarkable display this week, the Heritage Foundation put out a study claiming that immigration reform will cost $6.3 TRILLION over the next ten years (Ed. note: it won’t). Immediately, conservatives like Grover Norquist and groups like the American Enterprise Institute and Cato stepped up to trash the report.
- Heritage Foundation report co-written by racist who has previously written for white nationalist websites. The co-author of the aforementioned report, Jason Richwine, wrote his PhD dissertation about how racial minorities like Hispanics have inherently lower IQs. In addition to these obviously racist views, he also wrote for a white nationalist website and appeared at a conference alongside a well-known white nationalist. Richwine resigned from Heritage late Friday afternoon.
- Senator proposes ‘Downton Abbey amendment’ to immigration reform bill. Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) is an avowed enemy of immigration reform including a pathway to earned citizenship, but he appears to have found some jobs he approves of undocumented immigrants being allowed to have: domestic workers. Lee proposed an amendment to allow undocumented immigrants to be hired, but only as domestic workers, specifically including cooks, waiters, butlers, governessess, maids, valets, gardeners, footmen, grooms, and chauffeurs.
- Shadowy conservative group cuts ad featuring New Hampshire moms, except the moms turn out to be GOP activists. Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) has seen her standing with Granite Staters plummet since she voted against expanded background checks. AnIowa-based secret money group rode the rescue this week with an ad backing Ayotte that purported to show regular moms supporting her. It turns out these regular moms were actually regular GOP activists.
- House GOP stages Benghazi hearing, learns nothing new. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) continued the GOP’s Benghazi witch hunt this week with a dramatic hearing. After the hearing, however, Issa admitted that the only thing we learned is that it was a terrorist attack — something President Obama acknowledged in the Rose Garden the day after the attack happened. In other words, we didn’t learn anything new at all as a result of the hearing. In fact, many of the GOP’s star witnesses actually debunked various right-wing conspiracy theories.
- GOP senate nominee claimed a $281,500 deduction that the IRS has referred to as a “tax scam.” Massachusetts GOP senate nominee Gabriel Gomez made an agreement with a local conservation association not to alter the facade of his historic home, something which earned him a $281,500 tax deduction. It turns out that he was already legally barred from making any changes. The IRS and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) have both highlighted this practice as an egregious “tax scam.”
- Tea Party activist calls for armed march on Washington, D.C. A Tea Party radio host called for protesters carrying loaded rifles to cross into the District of Columbia, which has very strict gun laws, from Virginia. After the police indicated they would meet the gun-toting protesters at the D.C. line, the host then called for mass lawbreaking in addition to the armed gun march.
- GOP demands budget process then prevents said process from happening. For the past few years, the GOP has demanded that the Democratic-controlled Senate pass a budget and then confer with the House under the “regular order.” Democrats passed a budget in March, but now Senate Republicans are blocking Senate Democrats from starting an official conference committee with the House, since that would expose the GOP’s unwillingness to compromise. “I think for us to after four years of complaining about Harry Reid’s failure to bring up a budget and then we do one and block conference is something that’s incomprehensible,” said Sen. John McCain (R-AZ).
- Fox News brings on convicted cover-up expert to discuss alleged Benghazi cover-up. Following the aforementioned House GOP hearing on Benghazi, Fox News brought on Oliver North to discuss the alleged cover up. North himself was of course actually convicted of participating in the Iran-Contra cover-up.
- NRA makes some suspicious suggestions. At their national conference last weekend, the NRA suggested that parents store their firearms in their children’s rooms (in case of a home invasion). And the NRA’s youth magazine suggested that children build their own indoor, at-home shooting ranges.
BONUS: An exhibitor at the NRA’s national convention was selling a female zombie target that bleeds when you shoot it, which the company called “the ex-girlfriend.” After outcry from groups like UltraViolet, not only did Amazon drop the product but the company agreed to stop making it.
100 Billion More Reasons for Immigration Reform – TP
New Deficit Reduction Plan: Immigration Reform
Last week, we discussed how immigration reform including a roadmap to earned citizenship for the 11 MILLION undocumented immigrants already here would be an $832 BILLION cumulative boost to the economy over the next ten years. Today, there’s even more evidence that immigration reform is just what the economy needs.
Official government estimates show that reforming our immigration system to increase legal immigration will be a huge boost to deficit reduction efforts. A chart highlighted today by ThinkProgress and Quartz shows why immigration reform might be one of the smartest and most effective deficit reduction plans out there:
The OMB estimates (pdf, p. 56) that increasing immigration by 300,000 people a year, to 1.3 million, would be the equivalent of 0.6% of GDP in deficit reduction, or about $100 billion, each year between 2014 and 2088. Sounds like plan to tackle the debt to me.
In addition to underscoring the benefits of immigration reform, this also shows that deficit reduction does not have to come exclusively from the kind of painful austerity spending cuts championed by the GOP. Smart policy changes in areas like immigration can also help reduce our deficit and grow the economy.
BOTTOM LINE: Immigration reform will boost the economy, reduce the deficit, and help create new opportunities for all Americans, no matter where they were born.
Evening Brief: Important Stories That You Might’ve Missed
Sequester cuts start causing massive delays at major airports, so of course the GOP unfairly blames President Obama.
Top Senate opponent of immigration reform loses it during hearing.
Amazing New York Times interactive on the Boston bombings.
Republicans who voted against Sandy aid now want it for West, TX explosion.
Kansas governor signs sweeping anti-abortion law, writes “JESUS + Mary” in his notes on the bill.
Former White House chief of staff, Chicago mayor: Sen. Heitkamp (D-ND) betrayed me on gun bill.
White House backs online sales tax plan.
GOP immigration dead-ender says DREAMers should self-deport.
Canadian police derail terror plot targeting New York-Toronto rail line.
Today is Earth Day — and the last day for comments on a draft environmental assessment of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline.
A Changing Landscape
Key States Set for Dramatic Increases in Size of Latino Electorate
Spurred on by their historically poor performance with Latino voters in last year’s elections, some Republicans are getting on board with immigration reform that includes a roadmap to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants in a bid to avoid permanently alienating this key voting bloc. The so-called Gang of 8 in the Senate (four Democrats and four Republicans) could introduce an immigration reform bill as early this week. And supporters of reform including a path to earned citizenship are holding a major rally here in Washington D.C. on Wednesday afternoon.
New research out today from our Center for American Progress colleagues underscores one reason why Republicans may finally be eager to deal with the issue: the challenges associated with the GOP’s reliance on a base of older, whiter voters. The size of the Latino electorate in key states is set to increase dramatically over the next two election cycles, further complicating the GOP’s efforts to successfully contest national elections if they continue to rely almost exclusively on white voters.
The report groups the politics of immigration into four categories: the past (California), the present (Virginia, Florida, Colorado, and Nevada), the near-term future (Arizona, North Carolina) and the long-term future (Georgia, Texas). The report’s conclusion of how these politics will continue to play out is very clear:
Even leaving California out of the picture, the states analyzed in this issue brief comprise 137 electoral votes. In 2012 Democrats won 332 electoral votes to the Republicans’ 206, but if Arizona, Texas, North Carolina, and Georgia were to shift Democratic, that would bring the grand total of electoral votes to 412—an insurmountable margin.
Whether these states flip from red to blue is an open question. But two things are abundantly clear: In each of these states, voters of color, particularly Latino voters, are becoming an ever-larger share of the total voting population. These voters care deeply about how both parties talk about immigration, and use it as a litmus test for how candidates from either party feel about their communities as a whole. In fact, immigration reform has become the number one political issue for Latino voters. The voters have spoken, and the message is clear: Getting right on immigration and getting behind real and enduring immigration reform that contains a pathway to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants living in our country is the only way to maintain electoral strength in the future.
For all of the details, you can check out the entire report HERE.
Evening Brief: Important Stories That You Might’ve Missed
Study: blacks waited twice as long as whites to vote in 2012.
Conservative groups marginalizing anti-immigration reform Heritage Foundation.
Senate Majority Leader: shame on GOP senators who want to deny gun violence victims a vote.
The modern GOP would not embrace Margaret Thatcher.
Culture wars don’t really pay off for conservative any more.
10 pro-gun myths busted.
Louisiana Gov. Jindal dumps highly unpopular plan to raise taxes on the poor, slash on the wealthy.
Media coverage of a female candidate’s appearance hurts her chances of winning.
Senate delays vote on judicial nominee so Senate Minority Leader can attend a basketball game.
Americans Like Equality
Evening Brief: Important Stories That You Might’ve Missed
Leading conservative commentator says DOMA is unconstitutional.
GOP Congressman: “The best thing about the Earth is if you poke holes in it oil and gas come out.”
Starbucks CEO: If you don’t like marriage equality then feel free to sell your Starbucks stock.
Michele Bachmann: Obamacare is “literally” killing people.
A GOP senator’s latest attack on immigrants.
Speaker Boehner promises another manufactured debt ceiling crisis in two months.
House Republicans pass budget plan that ends Medicare as we know it, raises middle class taxes in order to slash taxes on the rich.
Obamacare has saved seniors over $6 BILLION on their prescription drugs.
A Trillion Dollar Boost
How a Path to Citizenship Will Boost the Economy
Reforming our broken immigration system and offering the 11 million undocumented immigrants already here a path to earned citizenship is morally right thing to do, but it’s also the economically smart thing. A new report out today from our colleagues at the Center for American Progress outlines how immigration reform will offer a tremendous boost to the economy — especially if reform includes the vital pathway to citizenship.
Here are some of the key numbers to know:
- Cumulative increase in GDP of $1.1 TRILLION.
- Cumulative increase in the income of all Americans of $618 BILLION.
- Increase in federal taxes paid by undocumented immigrants of $91 BILLION.
- Increase in state and local taxes paid by undocumented immigrants of $53 BILLION.
- Earnings of undocumented immigrants would increase by 25.1 percent, a cumulative increase in earnings of $515 BILLION.
- Average annual increase in jobs of 159,000.
(All figures are the gains over ten years based on undocumented immigrants acquiring legal status in 2013 and citizenship 5 years later.)
As this handy chart shows, the sooner undocumented immigrants become citizens, the bigger the boost to the economy:
It’s hard to appreciate what some of these figures mean in real life, so here are some examples of the economic benefits of immigration reform:
- Education: The GOP budget cuts education funding per capita by 47 percent; taxes from new citizens would fund 1.5 MILLION special education teachers.
- Infrastructure: While the GOP budget slashes spending on roads, bridges, schools, airports, and other infrastructure, taxes from new citizens could rebuild the San Francisco Bay Bridge 23 times over.
- College Affordability: The $91 BILLION in additional federal tax revenue paid by new citizens would fund more than 16 MILLION additional Pell grants over the next ten years.
- Teachers: The $53 BILLION in additional state revenue paid by new citizens would fund more than 1 MILLION new K-12 teachers over the next years.
For more information on how immigration reform will boost the economy, check out the full report HERE.
BOTTOM LINE: Undocumented immigrants are makers not takers and putting them on a path to earned citizenship will help these new citizens and their communities and boost the economy by over $1 TRILLION.
Evening Brief: Important Stories That You Might’ve Missed
The GOP still won’t own up to its real problems.
Local TV news shows the painful consequences of the sequester cuts.
Another football player accused of rape, another community blames the victim.
Why Sen. Reid must include universal background checks in the Senate gun violence prevention bill.
Colorado governor signed gun law reforms today, will sign civil unions tomorrow.
Senators parrot NRA talking points to oppose gun violence prevention laws.
Not everyone is terrible: Steubenville-area women’s shelter receiving donations from around the world.
Iraq War architect says it’s “unreasonable” to question whether the war was worth fighting.
