Live Chat: Blue America Welcomes Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Arizona
When Arizona's accidental governor signed SB 1070 into law in April, Digby, John and I put up a new Blue America page, One America, dedicated to helping Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) fight back against Know Nothings and teabaggers in his state. Yesterday Congressman Grijalva met with President Obama at the White House to discuss comprehensive immigration reform and we invited him to join us for a chat below in the comments section.
Grijalva, as we explained at One America, is the chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and a booming voice on behalf of working families on every issue that comes before Congress. He helped lead the fight against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, helped lead the fight against Wall Street predators and helped lead the fight for equitable health care. And he was the first to step up and speak out, at great political -- and personal -- peril, against SB 1070, urging the governor to veto what is clearly an unconstitutional bill. He even called for a boycott and pointed out that "one of the first conventions to cancel was Martin Luther King's fraternity, which would have brought up to 5,000 people. It was going to have a convention in Phoenix and within a few days of the governor's signature they canceled and moved it to Las Vegas. That should have been a harbinger of things to come for the governor and the state legislature... I find it ironic that the resort industry and Chamber of Commerce are so concerned about the loss of business, but have yet to state publicly how they feel about the law.”
There's a pattern here. 1070 was the peak of a crescendo that's been building in the state for the last five or six years.
...At some point soon one out of every three kids coming into kindergarten is going to be Latino in this state. This growing population is seen as a threat. Whether it's Lou Dobbs, Glenn Beck, Michael Savage, you name it, it's just feeding and feeding. Underlying the issue of immigration here in Arizona and in other parts has been the issue of race. What 1070 did, both in Arizona and on a national level, is put the question of race front and center in the debate. It was always there, but now it's out in the open.
...We're going to look for opportunities to encourage people to come to this state, but to come with a sense that they're part of the opposition to this law, as opposed to blindly ignoring the fact that we have this law in this state. We're looking at a political change that is probably a decade away. So in the meantime what becomes the avenue to undo this law is the courts.
This year, because of his forthright stand against SB 1070, the GOP has targeted Rep. Grijalva and they and their front groups have been pouring a great deal of money into the election. This is anything but a safe seat. Although Pima and Santa Cruz counties went for Obama in 2008, Pinal, Maricopa, Yuma and La Paz counties all voted Republican. Rep. Grijalva has been popular in the district but the Republicans have their divisive engine on overdrive. Our guy doesn't whore himself out to lobbyists and corporate PACs. Digby, John and I want to ask you to consider joining us in doing what you can to retain a true tribune for ordinary working American families. That's why Raúl Grijalva is the only Member of Congress aside from Alan Grayson with his own personal Blue America page! Today marks the first of a monthly series Crooks and Liars will host with Congressman Grijalva. Help us make him feel at home.
Congressman Grijalva, welcome to C&L! We're really honored to have you here. Of course, foremost on everyone's mind today is your meeting with President Obama yesterday at the White House to discuss comprehensive immigration reform. Can you share with us what went on at the meeting and how the Administration plans to go forward with this?
Hi, everyone. The Congressman is unfortunately at votes for another few minutes. We'll get him on as soon as he returns. Thanks to everyone who's here to participate and make their voice heard. The Congressman is excited about this exchange, and he'll be answering your questions for the hour as soon as he gets back.
Hello, everybody. My meeting with the president and other members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus yesterday was a good one. We're going to focus on encouraging the Senate to move a bill in a timely way. The president brought urgency to the issue, and I was encouraged by that. In the near term we're going to focus on the main sources of opposition to reform, which right now are in the Republican Party. The president did not discuss the Arizona law or any administration response to it because of the necessity of keeping the Justice Department and the executive separate. I understand and support that decision.
and thanks for coming.
Yes, very anxious to know if the administration is going to take action on CIR.
Where do you stand on passing the DREAM Act this year, if we can't move CIR in the Senate. Without Lindsey Graham it just doesn't look like a possibility.
Based on our meeting yesterday, I have the clear impression that a sincere effort by the administration to push CIR is on the legislative agenda. The importance of having the legislative process begin is for the American people to really see who is preventing any progress on the issue. It won't be a surprise to see the GOP leadership in the House and Senate doing everything possible to stop CIR and to exploit the issue for the midterm elections.
It doesn't look like we can pass CIR in the Senate, this year, so where do you stand on passing the DREAM Act on it's own this year?
My position is, and I believe the majority position of the CHC is, that if a standalone bill comes from the Senate, which would be the DREAM Act, I and others would support it and work toward passing it.
That's very good to know! We'll continue to work to get you the best that we can out of the Senate. I'm pushing Scott Brown in Massachusetts, as well as Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins in Maine.
Thank you for your courage in Arizona. We just defeated a copycat of that monstrosity here in Massachusetts:
http://www.openmediaboston.org/node/1339
SB1070 was a disaster for our communities all across the U.S. and your strong stand against it was necessary even though I know you caught heat for it in Arizona.
Kyle, the key reason for our continued insistence that the Justice Department intervene and seek an injunction against the law and test what we believe to be the unconstitutional aspects of it is the importance of holding back other equally unconstitutional efforts in other states and localities. Once the precedent is set, other efforts become moot. Maybe then the federal government and Congress will assume the federal responsibility of immigration reform.
l've been working with America's Voice and LA Raza for a while now and I proudly support them as much as I can.
Crooks and Liars has been a leading progressive and pro-migrant voice, especially since Dave Neiwert was brought on, and I thank you for taking such a strong pro-migrant stance in an online climate where progressive forums aren't always the most pro-migrant.
If we can't get CIR passed this year, which is pretty much a done deal, we need to get at least the DREAM Act and/or AgJobs passed. Any and all help towards that goal is much appreciated.
I'm a big fan, thanks for your leadership on SB 1070. I love Arizona but have no intention of visiting again until the law is repealed.
My question is on the Progressive Caucus. Is it true there will be an effort after the election to reform the caucus by having a single chair?
I think it would make a lot of sense. Is it true and will you run?
Twitter: @BobBrigham
At the beginning of the next session, the Progressive Caucus will decide, I hope, two things:
1) Single or dual chairmanships.
2) Election of leadership.
Being the closet masochist that I am, I probably will run for another leadership term.
While only members of the progressive caucus get votes, I hope there's an effort to have a big, public debate around the two questions.
Thanks for your answer and for all your work.
Twitter: @BobBrigham
Bob, as far as visiting Arizona, I believe that some communities in Arizona, like Flagstaff, Tucson, San Luis and various counties and school districts, are actively and legally challenging SB 1070. Given that, I think they merit our visits and support. The same goes for artistic demonstrations and performances that raise awareness and register voters to oppose 1070. There is an active and growing opposition to the law from various constituencies. They deserve our support. A targeted economic sanction strategy that denies economic benefits to key backers of 1070, versus grassroots support for those in active opposition, is an idea we're exploring.
I believe it is critical to punish the state to the point it serves as an example for other states. An indiscriminate economic boycott will inevitably have collateral damage when it comes to the many good people in Arizona, but by definition it will likewise harm those who support racism. Unlike the response from other targeted minority groups in recent years, I believe it is critical for us to respond with total war, to stop this in it's tracks instead of fighting it state-by-state for the next decade.
I agree with grassroots support for those in active opposition, but don't believe that a "targeted economic sanction strategy" has a path to victory.
If anything, I believe we need to escalate. I'd like to see California close state highways into Arizona and would even support the re-deployment of officers to our shared border (there is precedent from the LAPD deployment along route 66 during the depression). I want to escalate, I want it to be extremely painful with zero regard for collateral damage, and I want this to stop -- once and for all -- in Arizona.
Twitter: @BobBrigham
We need more courageous members in Congress like yourself. Taking a solid stand against racial profiling in AZ was a huge step for you becuase you could have remained mum on the issue like so many have in AZ. And because it put you in the cross-hairs of the hard right/Kris Kobach'ers that populate your state who care not for the 30% Latino population legally living in AZ, but their vote cageing priorities.
Every picture tells a story. Here's one from yesterday afternoon:
http://home.earthlink.net/~woodytus/sitebuild...
Yeah, from back home. Thanks. Always glad to see a sign of progress.
Congressman, respectfully, what is the Progressive Caucus going to do about stopping Obama's Afghan war funding supplemental
We have demanded a separate vote on the war supplemental so that all members can take this vote of conscience without being asked to vote against teachers and other necessary domestic programs and spending. The Caucus itself doesn't have a singular position, I'm afraid to say. A significant group within the Caucus is voting "no."
One America act blue page to support your re-election.
I hope our readers can spare a little change and donate to you today because the tea party crowd will do everything they can to try and replace a hard working man like yourself. One, who isn't afraid to take on the tough issues within his own state.
In my district, I have never seen or felt the polarization as much as I do now. The Tea Party, for example, has unleashed an unbridled, vocal show of hatred and fear. Even the 1070 law, as the Southern Poverty Law Center pointed out, was ghost-written by neo-Nazis. The truth and civil debate are not going to be part of this election cycle, unfortunately. When you have someone like Sharron Angle running in Nevada, with her crazed views of the world, you understand that no seat is truly safe and our progressive values are going to be tested. That's why this is no time to rest on our laurels or assume we are safe. We're going to run an aggressive and hopefully well-funded campaign that soundly defeats our Tea Party opponent. If they're trying to prove a point by going after me, we will be proving a point by going after them.
Would you care to comment on the outrageous behavior of Republicans (and some Blue Dogs) on their heartless indifference to the plight of the unemployed? If I didn't know better I would think they are consciously working to create a permanent underclass.
As Democrats, not to have a jobs bill - summer employment for youth, saving teacher jobs - is something that runs counter to everything the Democratic Party has been about. I have to wonder sometimes whether a majority like ours, where a portion of our members are Republican-lite, is really progress. I know how important a majority is, but one way to keep a majority is to distinguish ourselves from the GOP and deal with peoples' real needs. I don't think our problem is that we've done too much. Our problem in this election is that we haven't done enough to keep our promises.
I couldn't agree more. I think there will be terrible consequences for failing to address the economic needs of the people, both politically and economically.
Here's hoping the leadership is listening to your wise analysis.
Has the CPC ever considered helping progressive challengers to open seats (or GOP-seats) the way the Blue Dogs help conservatives?
Individual members such as myself donate to progressive candidates in open seats or in primaries. We have yet as a Caucus to promote intense fundraising on the scale of Blue Dogs efforts. Obviously, this is a need we should deal with in the next session. I'm asking leadership to dedicate my party dues this year to progressive candidates of my choosing.
The DCCC claims they are willing to allow campaign contributions to challengers to count towards dues. They sure allow the Blue Dogs to do it-- as they are doing right now with an exceptionally bad Blue Dog in the Florida seat Adam Putnam is giving up. The conservative Dem in that race is Lori Edwards. The progressive running is Doug Tudor. Just sayin'...
Reference recent lawsuit against Del Monte by SPLC for my concerns on H2-A & H2-B programs.
And as a side note, in the south eastern area where we live the schools are trying to resegregate which will create high poverty schools. The local black community is fighting it, but while Hispanics are ~10% of the county, there is no organized push back from them.
If they can't help homeless Vets, why are they sitting in the halls of Congress?
What Can the HOUSE do once and for all to dispel the media's talking point that Republicans support our military> We know they do when they want them to invade countries that never attacked us, but then they let them fend for themselves.
The Democratic Party these last four years has done more to fund the VA, post-conflict support for veterans returning home, and preference opportunities in employment, housing and business. As with other issues, we aren't assertive enough in making the distinction. The GOP is always wrapping itself in the flag and intoning their support for veterans when their record says otherwise. Unfortunately, too many Americans buy the lie. We can change that, but we have to make the distinction in a direct and bold way. We haven't done that.
As a child of two deceased veterans (one disabled) and the step-child of another veteran, that lack of support back under Reagan is what made me leave the Republican Party. I was in college under the GI bill at the time they canceled that part, I took it personally. ;)
Congressman, do you support the Obama administration's planned legal challenge of SB1070?
Also, are you concerned about some of the border violence against Latinos that appears to be the work of white Minuteman-style vigilantes? We reported on this last week. One of the incidents occurred in Santa Cruz County (though I don't know if it was in your district) and the other in Pinal County. Of course, this comes on the heels of last year's murder of a 9-year-old Latina girl and her father by Shawna Forde and her gang of rogue Minutemen.
Much of the media narrative about border violence that has justified SB1070 has focused on drug smuggling incidents, which means they're using immigration as a proxy for the drug war. In the meantime, I'm increasingly concerned that it's being used to foment and provide a cover for vigilante violence on the border. You know, we've got neo-Nazis out there running rogue border patrols now. Not good.
I've been absolutely adamant that the administration needs to seek an injunction. Even the most committed SB 1070 supporters would want to assure that their law passes the Constitutional test. Otherwise, worse laws will begin to appear. I'm confused about why some Democrats in Arizona are urging Obama not to intervene. It's in everyone's best interest to test the Constitutionality of the law, even for supporters. Otherwise, you're potentially supporting a law with no Constitutional merit and a horrible precedent for the rest of the country.
By tolerating the explicit bigotry that we hear on radio and TV, we have encouraged the behavior and emboldened the actions of groups whose primary motivation is not immigration reform but racial supremacy. I wish we would spend law enforcement resources in prosecuting these hate crimes. I also wish we'd spend money where it's really needed on the border: ports of entry, underfunded courts. Throwing National Guard troops at the border, as though this is a military issue, is an expensive waste of time and makes it more difficult to enact real structural reform.
Sorry I'm coming a little late to this party, but I'd love to ask you this question:
Can you please explain why the Progressive Caucus failed progressives so badly when you all caved to Obama on the issue of "Single Payer/Improved Medicare for All"?
There were many disappointed progressives regarding the "no show" of the Progressive Caucus to stand up loudly for Single Payer.
Thanks for your response.
Abbybwood
"The US has an army of 90,000 soldiers in Afghanistan and is spending $100bn a year, but has still been unable to defeat 20,000-25,000 Taliban who receive no pay at all." - Patrick Cockburn
The decision was difficult for me. Single payer proposals and the public option were both to some extent weakened in the final bill, so the choice was to vote no and send a message that I was not satisfied or take as much as was on the table and move the ball forward. I and others would have been lost in the Republican cheering about derailing health care reform. The choice was difficult, as I say, but it needed to be made. There are lots of good provisions going into effect before the end of this year. This bill is not a policy loss. It's not as big a victory as we wanted and fought for, but killing the whole bill would have left us with a status quo we couldn't live with.
Gov Brewer has said the people crossing the border are drug mules , when the drugs lords started killing so many people it would seem most of those crossing are fleeing for their lives .
You sir , and those like you are what can make this country great again , I wish you the best of luck your not alone .
every time you throw a little mud , you lose a little ground .
I have always said, and continue to believe, that the majority of people coming to this country, whether or not they're documented, come because of economic opportunity and a lack of possibility at home, not out of malice or greed. Using dehumanizing language, calling immigrants "illegals" as a noun all by itself, and telling the public they're just a bunch of drug mules is not the way to make good public policy.
One of my grandfathers came into the U.S. under a paper name. Five generations later, we are teachers, doctors, executives, law enforcement officers, and more.
My other grandfather remained in China, hoping his wife would give birth to a male child on whose behalf the father could be brought over. He died in an uprising in the 1930's.
But some of the supporters of SB 1070 would have it where my grandfather would be deported and/or punished (he passed away some years ago, so it's moot, to some extent), and 'people like me' get sent back to China or wherever I came from.
Rick in Chugiak just became our 51st donor to the Blue America page we set up for Rep. Grijalva. Thanks, Rick and, if you can, today's the day it counts
Congressman Grijalva, David Swanson is having technical problems getting into the chat & he just asked me to aks you if the CPC would whip against the supplemental. (Actually, I think he said "whip against the war")
Made it late
Guess he had to leave
I'm in...keep the line moving.
But I'll tell you one thing... if anyone is watching the totals go up, someone just matched us all-- several times over. Looks like Congressman Grijalva has a committed supporter in Charlottesville! THANKS Patrick. And everyone else, here's the place to contribute. Let's keep the good members we have; we don't have many!
I live on less than $800 per month ( SSI ) so things dont allow for any thing other than the basics and those are slim .
every time you throw a little mud , you lose a little ground .
and that's appreciated. No need to think any more about it!
or passing an email is very valuable to us. dynknot, please take care of yourself...
Thanks to everyone for reading, writing and participating. The Congressman was just called away, and we have to wrap up the conversation. The support is much appreciated, and we'll see you again at C & L next month.
The Congressman will be back with us soon.
Keep the donations coming.
for the opportunity of learning about Rep. Grijalva...
and providing this forum...
We're actively promoting progressive causes. That's Blue America's major mission.
Unless they mean Deportation Expansion, IR is a complete loser for the Blue side. Few Hispanics will vote Republican, no matter what. Many Anglo voters, likely including myself, will be frustrated to see Obama fight for this after doing nothing more for the unemployed & people in foreclosure.
I know if the Dems continue to press IR it will be the end of my voting their party permanently. I never voted Republican again after the ridiculous Clinton Impeachment. I don’t see how I’d miss the current Blue party either.
No more immigrants PLEASE!!!
no more new citizens then?
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