Associated Press
Ironically, as Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) makes more of an effort to raise his national profile, it's getting far more difficult to take him seriously. Comments like the ones he made yesterday are just clownish.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said the White House is trying to sabotage his version of the DREAM Act by "ordering" activists not to work with him so that President Obama can maintain his hold on the Latino vote in the 2012 election.
"One of the things that already been documented is that the White House has been, the articles that have been written, two or three by now, the White House has been calling in DREAM Act advocates and asking them, almost ordering them, not to work with me on this issue," Rubio said Thursday on the Laura Ingraham radio show.
As Rubio sees it, his proposal would have a shot at passage, were it not for Democrats and immigration-reform advocates who've been ordered not to cooperate. Why? Because the White House wants to use GOP opposition to the DREAM Act as a 2012 "wedge issue" with Latino voters.
As proof of the White House working behind the scenes to kill legislation that does not yet exist, Rubio offered ... pretty much nothing. The far-right senator alluded to "articles" showing administration officials instructing advocates not to work with him, but he hasn't pointed to any specific pieces.
Whether Rubio appreciates the larger context or not, his conspiracy theory is absurd. The White House isn't killing the senator's watered-down version of the DREAM Act; Republicans are.
Mitt Romney's chief advisor on immigration policy said Rubio's plan is a non-starter, and House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said the Florida senator shouldn't even bother with his bill because it's not going to pass.
Are we to believe the Romney campaign and the House GOP leadership are acting on instructions from Obama?
As one White House official recently told Sahil Kapur, "The notion that somehow the president or Democrats would be the roadblock to any progress on immigration is ridiculous. If this proposal fails, the reason will be the Republicans."
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Just what do Republicans stand for these days?
-Rubio seems to want a pro immigration process, while his party leaders want to finish the border fence.
-Mitt wants to let the gays adopt children, while his other party leaders condemn the sinful gay for being that way.
-Boehner condemns violent political rhetoric, while the actual Republican candidate makes excuses for it.
-Republicans claim not to be condemning contraception, yet their multi-state proposed personhood legislation would effectively outlaw it.
-Republlicans call BS on the "war on women" when multi-proposed legislation does just that.
-Republican cadidates claim to want change, but then refuse to discuss the nature of the change and the impact of such proposed change.
Other examples of this ambiguity exist, and the upshot is a delerious, unstable political force labeled Republican - a multi-faceted authoritarian juggernaut bearing down upon us as we enter the last stages of the 2012 election cycle.
We can't expect the Republican party to change for the better until it is punished at the polls! -Kevo
" ... were it not for Democrats ..." Ah that's the real GOP DREAM act, cleansing the USA of all Democrats...
The GOP hear silence and say people are plotting against them. Paranoid people as well as insecure people do not tolerate silence very well. Within these small minded people are the conspiracies of their own making. Since plots and ploys are their modus operandi, they assume it must be the way the rest of the world thinks. If they'd listen, the American people are telling them what is important. Perhaps looking at polling numbers would be a good starting point.
Some deep thinker once said "I think, therefore I am...".
Some shallow (republican) thinkers say "I believe, therefore it is...".
Remember that if you hear republican politicians talking about the government in D.C. being broker, they are not complaining; they are bragging about what they have accomplished!
I say "Don't believe everything you think".
Remember, one of the reasons nothing could be done on immigration and when the President didn't want to pursue the policy now because there was an awesome backlog. Jus touching the issue would make you stink, so no politician really wanted to deal with it. Now Obama is stinking becasue he has touched the issue just to show where the Republicans stand on this. there is no way a President with the pooor party support Obama has among his own party could have done anything else but at least enforce the law so that Republicans cannot be seen to be justfying their witch hunt since many immigrants have been deported (serious cases and non). Even the conservative democrats can't side with Obama for being soft on Latinos because he is from a minority group like them. Now that the injustices of our system is clear it should be really effective for any effort to finally address this pressing issue. What is so incredible is that Latinos like Native Americans are the real population groups of this part of the world and yet are treated as if they don't belong in this hemisphere. Those voting against Latinos in Arizona and everywhere else need to check their history again.
Has Senator Rubio met Democrats? When the President says "jump," they don't say "how high?"; they say "screw you, buddy." That's how Dems roll. Like herding cats. :) If they're not working with you, Mr. Senator, it's because they don't want to.
Politifact has ruled this guy "Mostly Stupid".
damskippy FTW
America is so far down the rabbit hole, the Republicans could put up a clown and it would be a close race. (No, that's not a knock on Obama.)
Don't believe me? Get to know any nearby Republicans. Try to talk to them. It doesn't matter your expertise, what you know, how you know it, or where you know it from. You will NOT be able to get any points across.
Weep for America, folks.
Faux News derangement .
It has destroyed their ability for rational thinking.
The minute they open their mouths , the letters they write to the editor , the posts they make on blogs , you recognize it immediately.
Faux Nooze talking points.
Direct from Faux and Friends to you.
I know exactly what you mean. They will have no part in an educated discussion, without the standard republican talking points.
Rubio is playing to the base, but at the same time making a fool of himself with the independent voters. Republicans, including Romney, don't get the concept that radical far right positions may work with the rubes who watch Fox, but not the rest of the voters. Anything they say to their constituents or on Fox is going to be used by their opponents. Recorded video and audio does not disappear into the ether.
"...the concept that radical far right positions may work with the rubes who watch Fox, but not the rest of the voters."
I don't think that's true. Do you, really? I've seen too many seemingly reasonable people get taken under by the undercurrents. The right-wing gets nonsense in the atmosphere. It shifts what is considered normal/center of political reason, and all of a sudden, boom, what used to be nutcase ideas are considered fodder for reasonable discussion. A small example: "skin in the game." Never in a million years would I think a party would hint that that was a reasonable position. Now it's fashionable to be a position to take. Republicans don't shy from it. Another example: dismissing scientists and taking the word from good-hairs on Fox about global warming. I didn't think I'd live to see the day when media types and business publications were given weight in the opinions of people over that of scientists who spend their life studying the science and scientific journals.
The right has put this country and the world in the grips of a reality crisis. How far is it from WWII Germany propaganda?
Independent voters tend to vote their pocketbook or because they are angry at one party. They do not buy into the hyperbole of either party. When they vote for a party, it is not necessarily a buy in for all the party's positions. Many times is more of a protest vote. That is how the TP got elected and will be defeated. Voters are angry at the gridlock in DC so no politician is safe.
he wants to put forth a DREAM ACT without the dream
and think Latinos won't know the difference.
it would be like, back in 1964,
Blacks were being offered the Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act
and some Dixiecrat came up offering Jim Crow lite, and didn't expect Black folks to know the difference
You really should already be aware that you're just not all that relevent and/or influential, Marco. Why on earth do most all of you republicans feel so self-important? As if the POTUS has nothing better to do than care what YOU do? Get a grip, dude.
There should be a law to ban these BS names;
Dream Act, Patriot Act....Mothers Love Act, give me a break.
Hey Rubio?????? WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAa....you're SUCH a victim!!!
Steve Benen - I'm a hard democrat, but what you write is false. White House senior advisor Valerie Jarrett and Celia Munoz both contacted a well known 'Dreamer' by the name of Gabby Pacheco to specifically ask her not to work with Senator Rubio (Google this). True, most (not all) Republicans don't want the Dream Act or any Immigration reform legislation to see the desk of President Obama for his signature, but at least be honest when you publish articles. Senator Rubio is 100% right that the White House is trying VERY hard to stop any immigration activists from working with Senator Rubio on the Dream Act. Do your research! Poor article! Keep in mind, 5 DEMOCRATIC senators killed the Dream Act in December 2010. President Obama seems to always ignore that small inconvenient fact.
Here is the link:-
http://www.salon.com/2012/05/02/dreamers_spurn_obama/singleton/
No matter what, it's the Democrats or Obama's fault. This isn't the only time the Republicans have blamed the other side for their own actions. They think people will believe anything, and unfortunately many will.