Posted on 12/21/2005 5:55:52 AM PST by smithone
Several members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) and their allies off Capitol Hill were furious that House Democratic leaders urged some of their colleagues to vote for an immigration-enforcement bill.
Democratic leaders encouraged members of the Democrats’ Frontline program — which aids the party’s 10 most at-risk incumbents — to vote for the bill to avert Republican attacks that could paint the vulnerable members as soft on illegal immigration, Democratic aides and lobbying sources said. Every Frontline member ultimately voted for the immigration bill, which enjoyed the support of 36 Democrats overall.
The move by Democratic leaders troubled Hispanic activists.
“We were disappointed in leadership on both sides of the aisle. Republicans brought up a bill that was extraordinary in its ugliness … but frankly there is also some real disappointment at Democratic leadership, particularly those urging Frontline members to support this bill,” said Cecilia Munoz, vice president for policy at the National Council of La Raza.
“There was no evidence to suggest that this was the correct political move,” Munoz added, arguing that anti-immigration candidates have performed poorly at the polls. “We intend to hold both sides accountable.”
The bill, sponsored by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) and opposed by the CHC and many Hispanic groups, would expand detention facilities and border controls, and would impose work-force restrictions on employers seeking to hire illegal immigrants.
CHC members had been speaking passionately against the bill all last week.
“The Sensenbrenner bill is a vicious and vile attack on our nation’s hardworking immigrant community,” Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) said Wednesday. “This horrible piece of legislation is not only ill-conceived and fundamentally flawed, but it also will not fix our nation’s broken immigration system.”
All the CHC members voted against the bill save one, Rep. John Salazar (D-Colo.), a Frontline member who voted to back the bill after being lobbied on the House floor by Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), the House Democrats’ campaign operation, and by Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), House sources said.
Emanuel and Hoyer themselves voted against the bill, as did a number of Hispanic Republicans who bucked their party’s leadership.
“Mr. Salazar was certainly in one of the most difficult positions because this bill did damage to his community,” Munoz said. “It was pretty clear he was pressured by the DCCC in very hard-hitting way.
A spokeswoman for Salazar defended the Coloradan’s vote.
“Congressman Salazar believes that this bill was an important step forward in opening up the conversation on comprehensive immigration reform,” said Nayyera Haq. “Congressman Salazar doesn’t vote according to pressure from either party. He votes his district,” she added, noting that another Colorado Democrat, Rep. Mark Udall, had also backed the measure.
A spokeswoman for the DCCC, Sarah Feinberg, disputed the notion that party leaders were working to switch votes.
“That’s not at all an accurate portrayal of the leadership’s activity on this bill,” she said. “It’s ultimately up to members to decide how they are going to vote on a certain bill.”
Although few CHC members were available for comment yesterday, several Democratic aides confirmed that some Hispanic lawmakers were concerned when they saw leaders urging Democrats to support the bill.
“Here is a seminal issue for their caucus, and leadership was whipping against it,” said a House Democratic aide. “They were livid.”
After the vote counts became clear during the roll call on the bill late Friday night, Reps. Joe Baca (D-Calif.) and Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), both CHC members, confronted Emanuel about his actions.
“It was very clear they were angry about it,” said a House Democratic aide familiar with the encounter.
Emanuel had said privately earlier in the week that he did not wish to spend money defending Democrats who had voted against the enforcement bill, a House source said.
Despite the dust-up over the leaders’ actions, one CHC member reached yesterday, Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-Calif.), said he did not believe that the Frontline members responded to the leaders’ encouragement but rather to their own belief in the bill.
“From everything I know, everyone voted their conscience,” he said. “I spoke to Frontline members because many were undecided right up until the vote. From everything I can tell, they made a decision based on conscience.”
The dims screw their own too! Thats new? same ole same ole
But sooner or later, the ethnic minorities are given a bitter lesson in betrayal because the Democrats will sell their ethnic constituencies down the river if they come between them and maintenance/expansion of their power. They have done it repeatedly to the blacks on the education issue by siding with the Teachers Union and now they have demonstrated their willingness to do it to Hispanics.
I'm pleased to see that the Hispanics just got a taste. Maybe they will learn that principles trump ethnicity. At least a few will and those are the only ones we want in the Republican party.
ping
Protect our borders and coastlines from all foreign invaders!
Support our Minutemen Patriots!
Be Ever Vigilant ~ Bump!
Another threat by the OBL. First Vicente, now Cecelia of La Raza.
Time for our "leaders" to speak up and let Mexico know that we're no longer taking orders from them, and tell them to mind their own business, to butt out.
From all the squealing we're hearing, I have to believe it will have an effect on "our nation’s broken immigration system".
It is a shame that this is considered a political issue at all. National security should never be politicized - debate the issues and approaches, but don't use national security to grandstand for political gain, IMHO.
Just tilt your head and listen:
We are now one of the largest Spanish-speaking nations in the world. We're a major source of Latin music, journalism and culture.
Just go to Miami, or San Antonio, Los Angeles, Chicago or West New York, New Jersey ... and close your eyes and listen. You could just as easily be in Santo Domingo or Santiago, or San Miguel de Allende.
For years our nation has debated this change -- some have praised it and others have resented it. By nominating me, my party has made a choice to welcome the new America.
George Bush from a campaign speech in Miami, August 2000.
Can't you just hear her talking about the "new America"?
One already has:
We are now one of the largest Spanish-speaking nations in the world. We're a major source of Latin music, journalism and culture.
Just go to Miami, or San Antonio, Los Angeles, Chicago or West New York, New Jersey ... and close your eyes and listen. You could just as easily be in Santo Domingo or Santiago, or San Miguel de Allende.
For years our nation has debated this change -- some have praised it and others have resented it. By nominating me, my party has made a choice to welcome the new America.
George Bush from a campaign speech in Miami, August 2000.
I'd like to tell El Presidente Bush that I've been to Los Angeles, I've listened, and what I've heard is Spanish being spoken and gunshots within earshot. Not a nice place to be anymore. If he thinks this is good, then he's NUTS!
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