Rubio’s Gift to Romney on Immigration

By National Journal Staff

Updated: April 26, 2012 | 1:18 p.m.
April 26, 2012 | 7:48 a.m.

AP Photo/Jae C. Hong

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Even if he doesn’t get tapped as Mitt Romney’s running mate, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio is well-positioned to make his mark on the race. His push for an alternate Dream Act, legalizing the children of some illegal immigrants, is getting serious consideration from immigrant advocates, including traditional Democratic allies. It’s putting the White House on the defensive over whether to oppose a measure that could end up being embraced by many in the Hispanic community.

For Obama, the calculus is complicated: The re-election campaign needs to overwhelmingly win the Hispanic vote, and portraying Republicans as insensitive to immigrants’ needs is a key part of their strategy. If they showed any support for Rubio’s efforts, it could undermine that game plan.  But if they urge Latino groups and allies in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus not to work with Rubio, it could give the perception that they’re more concerned about immigration politics than policy. It’s a stereotype they’ve already been facing among Hispanic leaders, who have been disenchanted with the administration’s lack of progress on immigration reform.

Despite the hype that the GOP moved to the hard right in the primary, immigration was the main issue where Romney himself did so, sounding a hard conservative line to position himself to the right of Rick Perry and Newt Gingrich. If there was one issue where he would “flip-flop” back to the center, it’s likely to be immigration.

Now Rubio is offering both Romney and the GOP a second chance to court Hispanic voters, and putting the White House in a tough spot.  The freshman senator may not become Romney’s running mate, but he could be giving him a bigger political gift with his immigration advocacy.

—Josh Kraushaar, Hotline executive editor

Senate Republicans fail to overturn National Labor Relations Board union election improvements

Tue Apr 24, 2012 at 12:08 PM PDT

by Laura ClawsonFollow for Daily Kos Labor

Senate Republicans failed to move forward on a resolution aimed at overturning the National Labor Relations Board's rule streamlining union representation elections and reducing frivolous litigation. Republicans lost the vote on a motion to proceed, 45-54. David Waldman had noted that:

In years past, floating a veto threat might have been enough to convince some moderate Republican Senators not to bother voting for such a resolution, since it's ultimately doomed anyway. But since there aren't any of those around anymore, a veto threat probably just signals that voting for it can make you can look like a Freedom Kamikaze, flying straight into the teeth of the President's threat.

Indeed, the resolution's cosponsors included supposed moderates like Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine and Mark Kirk of Illinois. Democrats held firm, joined by Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Joe Lieberman (I-CT). Business groups lobbied aggressively, with many claims of grievous hurt to small business. One small business owner, though, wrote in The Hill that:

I have strained to see how informing workers of their right to form a union or modernizing the outdated union election process will hurt my business. The connection simply isn’t there. These seemingly minor changes certainly do not create uncertainty for me and they will not affect my ability to create jobs. In fact, if the NLRB standardizes the election process, it seems to me that this will reduce uncertainty and turmoil in the workplace — especially for small businesses.

Don't expect this loss to stop the Republican campaign against the National Labor Relations Board, but that's one threat knocked down.

Watchdog expanding ethics probe at labor board

By SAM HANANEL

 

Carolyn Kaster, File/Associated Press - FILE - In this Feb. 16, 2012 file photo, Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md. listens on Capitol Hill in Washington. Cummings says a government watchdog has expanded an ethics probe at the National Labor Relations Board after finding more inside information was leaked to an adviser to Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney.

WASHINGTON -- A Democratic congressman says a government watchdog has expanded an ethics probe at the National Labor Relations Board after finding more inside information was leaked to an adviser to Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney.
Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings says the board's inspector general discovered additional and more serious improper disclosures by Republican board member Terence Flynn to former NLRB board member Peter Schaumber.
Schaumber is a senior labor adviser to Romney.
Cummings says the inspector general referred his findings to the U.S. Office of Special Counsel for potential violations of the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from engaging in partisan political activity.
Requests for comment were pending with Flynn's personal attorney and Romney's campaign.

Posted on Thu, Apr. 26, 2012 11:35 AM

RNC Calls for Investigation of Obama Trips

By Rebecca Kaplan

Updated: April 25, 2012 | 8:15 p.m.
April 25, 2012 | 7:49 p.m.

AP Photo/Susan Walsh

President Obama walks up the steps of Air Force One at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport in Manchester, N.H., last month.

The Republican National Committee on Wednesday requested  asked the Government Accountability Office to investigate President Obama’s use of government funds for campaign trips, crying foul over his trips to attend fundraisers and to rally support for student-loan legislation on college campuses.

“Throughout his administration, but particularly in recent weeks, President Obama has been passing off campaign travel as ‘official events,’ thereby allowing taxpayers, rather than his campaign, to pay for his reelection efforts,” reads the letter from RNC Chairman Reince Priebus to GAO Comptroller Gene Dodaro. “Given the recent excesses, waste, and abuse uncovered in the General Services Administration, the GAO should be particularly sensitive to misuse of taxpayer dollars.”

The letter itself is unlikely to lead to any official action. A GAO spokesman said that the agency, which is the investigative arm of Congress, acts only on requests from lawmakers. However, Kirsten Kukowski, an RNC spokeswoman, expressed confidence that a member of Congress, presumably a Republican, would be willing to request an investigation on the party’s behalf.

“It goes to holding him accountable,” she said.

The RNC letter cites presidential trips to North Carolina, Colorado, and Iowa, where Obama gave speeches encouraging Congress to pass legislation that will prevent interest rates from going up on federal Stafford Loans. Those events, held in front of “cheering crowds of college students,” were “widely reported to be equivalent to campaign events,” the committee alleges.

The letter also cites a campaign swing two weeks ago through Florida, where Obama held three fundraisers and one event related to Buffett Rule legislation, which would set a minimum tax rate of 30 percent on households earning more than $1 million a year. These events constitute a worsening “pattern of behavior,” Priebus wrote.

A White House spokesman said that the travel was part of Obama’s “official responsibility to get outside of Washington, D.C., hear from students, and discuss stopping interest rates on their loans from doubling in July – just like Friday’s trip to Fort Stewart in Hinesville, Ga., to meet with troops, veterans, and military families is likewise part of the president’s official responsibilities.”

Spokesman Eric Schultz said in a statement, “When there is political travel, we follow all rules and regulations that all other administrations have followed.”

In a phone call with reporters, Obama political strategist David Axelrod called the letter a political ploy and said, “We are not going to get hot and bothered by RNC stunts.”

The president’s travel is a perennial election-year issue because a president’s campaign can conceal how much money it reimburses the government for the political portion of trips. The New York Times noted in a recent article that a 2010 regulatory change may leave the political parties picking up more of the tab than ever. Campaign rules now require the president’s campaign to reimburse the government for the cost of chartering a 737 aircraft, rather than the cost of first-class commercial airfare, the previous standard.

In his letter, Priebus also took the opportunity to zing the administration about the recent scandal over luxury trips by top GSA officials. “Understandably, much of your time may be currently occupied investigating the lavish, taxpayer-funded General Services Administration Vegas vacation. And assuming your office, unlike GSA, does not employ a mind reader, we felt it was necessary to file a formal complaint,” he wrote, a reference to recent revelations that GSA officials hired a mind reader to entertain employees on one of the trips.

Romney on his dad growing up poor

FACT CHECK:

By Andrew Miga Associated Press Writer / April 26, 2012


WASHINGTON—Mitt Romney likes to talk about how his father "grew up poor." But that's not the whole story.
The father of the presumptive Republican nominee, George Romney, grew up in a family that suffered financial losses and enjoyed prosperity. The elder Romney pursued an upwardly mobile path to become chairman of American Motors Corp. before being elected governor of Michigan.

Mitt Romney's reference to his father's financial hardships provides a way to blunt perceptions that his vast personal wealth makes him insensitive to the concerns of struggling Americans. He joins a parade of politicians who have played down their wealthy pedigrees and played up their humble family roots in hopes of convincing voters they understand their concerns.

With economic concerns on the minds of most Americans, Romney and President Barack Obama already are jockeying for an edge. Obama generated a flurry of headlines last week by saying, "I wasn't born with a silver spoon in my mouth." Many viewed that as a shot at Romney despite an Obama spokesman's denials.

On Tuesday night in Manchester, N.H., after another string of primary victories, Romney recalled the hardships his father faced growing up.

"I'll tell you about how much I love this country, this extraordinary land, where someone like my dad, who grew up poor and never graduated from college, could pursue his dreams and work his way up to running a great car company," Romney told the crowd. "Only in America could a man like my dad become governor of the state in which he once sold paint from the trunk of his car."

George Romney was born July 8, 1907, in Chihuahua, Mexico, where his grandfather, Miles Park Romney, and other Mormons had moved to avoid persecution and U.S. laws against polygamy.

Miles Park Romney had five wives and 30 children, and fled to Mexico after passage of the 1882 Edmunson Act that barred polygamy. George Romney's father, Gaskell Romney, did not have multiple wives.

"At 5 years old, Dad and his family were finally living pretty well. They had a nice home and a small farm, and Dad even had his own pony, called Monty," Mitt Romney wrote in his book "No Apology: The Case for American Greatness."

George Romney's father, Gaskell Romney, was a carpenter who led a prosperous life in a Mormon colony in Mexico, according to the "The Real Romney," a book written by two Boston Globe reporters. But turmoil from the Mexican revolution later forced the Romneys and other Mormon families to flee back to the United States.

The family suddenly went from owning a large Mexican ranch to being nearly penniless, and the family moved from house to house in California, Idaho and Utah as they struggled to build a new life.

"Dad used to regale us kids with claims that one year in Idaho his family lived on nothing but potatoes -- for breakfast, lunch and dinner," Mitt Romney recounted in his book.

Over time, though, Mitt's grandfather, Gaskell Romney, became prosperous, building some of the finest homes in Salt Lake City, according to the Globe book, but along with many other Americans suffered financial setbacks during the Great Depression.

"He never took out bankruptcy, which he could have done several times," George Romney wrote of his father, according to the Globe book.

George Romney worked as a plasterer during high school and later attended four colleges, but never graduated. He spent two years as a Mormon missionary in England and Scotland. His first exposure to politics was in 1929, as an aide in Washington, D.C., to Democratic Sen. David I. Walsh of Massachusetts.

He went on to work at ALCOA and the Aluminum Wares Association. His first job in Detroit came in 1939 when he was local manager of the Automobile Manufacturers Association.

He later became head of American Motors and Michigan's governor. Romney gave up the governor's office in 1969 to become secretary of Housing and Urban Development in the Nixon administration.

George Romney's success ensured a more privileged path for his son, Mitt Romney, who was raised in the posh Detroit suburb of Bloomfield Hills and attended an elite prep school before receiving degrees from the business and law schools of Harvard University.

Senators Hear About Role of State Immigration Laws

Senate Judiciary Cmte. Hearing

Washington, DC
Tuesday, April 24, 2012

The chief author of Arizona’s controversial immigration law testified before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees & Border Security on Capitol Hill. Former Arizona Senator Russell Pearce and other Arizona officials discussed the constitutionality of Arizona’s immigration law and how it impacts the state’s Latino community. Arizona Governor Jan Brewer was invited to appear before the hearing but declined.
Gov. Brewer will be in attendance at Wednesday Supreme Court oral argument on Arizona’s law. The issue before the Court is whether Arizona has the authority to enforce its own immigration law or whether that is the exclusive role of the federal government. Arizona’s immigration law includes provisions requiring police to check the immigration status of anyone detained or suspected of being in the country illegally. Immigrants must carry their papers at all times. Illegal immigrants are banned from soliciting for work in public places and police can arrest immigrants without a warrant if an officer believes they have committed a crime that would make them deportable.
Arizona Governor Jan Brewer (R) signed SB 1070 into law in April 2010. It  gives police the authority to detain individuals suspected of being in the country illegally and it requires individuals to carry documents proving their immigration status.
The Obama administration claims that Arizonia has overreached its powers, arguing that only the federal government has the authority to enforce immigration policy.
C-SPAN will air the oral argument on Friday once it is released by the Supreme Court.

House Speaker Meets with Capitol Hill Press

Washington, DC
Thursday, April 26, 2012

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) holds his weekly news conference with members of the Capitol Hill press. Questions included cybersecurity bills, jobs legislation and the surface transportation bill.

Obama slams representatives using their own words

15

hours

ago

By NBC's Ali Weinberg

As he traveled to three swing states this week to talk about student loan costs, President Barack Obama has been turning the words of Republican members of Congress against them in order to underscore, as the president characterizes it, their indifference to the struggles of college students.
Tuesday, Obama paraphrased Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-NC, who said in a radio interview that she has “very little tolerance for people who tell me that they graduate with $200,000 of debt or even $80,000 of debt because there’s no reason for that.”
She went on to say, “I remind folks all the time that the Declaration of Independence says, ‘life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.’ You don’t just sit on your butt and have it dumped in your lap.”
Speaking at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the president said he would quote Foxx’s remarks, “because I know you guys will think I'm making it up.”
“She said she had ‘very little tolerance for people who tell me they graduate with debt because there's no reason for that,’” Obama said, even though he left out the amount of student debt Foxx said she did not tolerate students accumulating.
NRO’s Katrina Trinko pointed to a study by the New York Federal Reserve that showed the average outstanding student loan nationally was $23,300 and almost 95 percent of student loan borrowers owed less than $75,000, so Foxx’s remarks referred to a small number of debtors.
Obama also cited Foxx at his next speech at the University of Colorado in Boulder.
“She said, students who rack up student loan debt are just sitting on their butts, having opportunity ‘dumped in your lap.’”
“I can tell you, Michelle and I, we didn't take out loans because we were lazy,” he continued to laughter. “You didn't take out loans because you're lazy.”
At his final speech Wednesday at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Obama quoted from Rep. Todd Akin, R-MO, who was asked during a Senate debate (he’s seeking the Republican nomination to challenge Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill) whether he would vote on a bill to keep student loan interest rates from increasing in July.
Akin responded, "America has got the equivalent of the stage three cancer of socialism because the federal government is tampering in all kinds of stuff it has no business tampering in. So, first to answer your question precisely – what the Democrats did to get rid of the private student loans and take it all over by the government was wrong. It was a lousy bill. That's why I voted no."
Obama made use of Akin’s words today, telling the Iowa students, “You've got one member of Congress who compared these student loans -- I'm not kidding here -- to a ‘stage-three cancer of socialism.’”
“Stage-three cancer? I don't know where to start. What do you mean? What are you talking about? Come on. Just when you think you've heard it all in Washington, somebody comes up with a new way to go off the deep end,” he said.
Obama’s Iowa speech came just hours before House Speaker John Boehner announced his caucus’ plan to introduce their own bill to extend the current 3.4 percent interest rate for one year to prevent it from rising to 6.8 percent.
Boehner’s office said the extension would be paid for by re-allocating college financial aid funds that were diverted by Democrats to pay for the health care law.
“In essence, they raided student aid to pay for a health care law that is making it harder for American small businesses to hire new workers – including recent college graduates,” Boehner’s office said in a statement.

Giffords makes rare public appearance to accept award

1

day

ago

Matt York / AP file

Former U.S. Rep Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., in a January 2012 picture.

By Jason Strachman Miller, msnbc.com

Former Congresswoman Gabrielle "Gabby" Giffords made a rare public appearance Tuesday night to accept the “We Are EMILY Award” from Emily’s List, a political advocacy organization that supports pro-choice women seeking office.
“Gabby’s unimaginable courage has been an inspiration to everyone in this room tonight,” said Emily’s List President Stephanie Schriock.
While Giffords did not personally accept the award, her mother, Gloria Giffords, accepted and spoke on her behalf. Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., said Gabby’s attendance at the event was a testament of how much Emily’s list has meant to her.
Wasserman Schultz nodded at Giffords as she told the crowd, “This is an incredibly well deserved honor.”
During the presentation, Giffords smiled as she sat onstage flanked by her mother and good friend, Wasserman Schultz. Speaking before the hundreds in attendance, Minority leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., summed up the former Congresswomen’s impact in Washington.
“She spoke out courageously and quickly distinguished herself as a shining star who embodies the best of public service,” she said noting that her time in public service was far from over.
The yearly Emily's List award is given to recognize women who have changed the face of political power and provided leadership and inspiration.
The former Congresswoman’s mom said her daughter has been a constant source of inspiration during her recovery from an assassination attempt in Jan. 2011 in which Giffords’ was shot in the head.
Giffords mom took the podium on behalf of the former congresswoman and quickly addressed her role of accepting the award for her daughter.
“Obviously the ideal situation isn’t for me to be up here accepting this award on behalf of Gabby, but life’s not perfect.”
As the former Congresswoman’s mom reached the “self-sacrifice” part of Gifford’s message during her speech, she struggled to hold back tears. Gloria spoke of her daughter’s determination, saying “she’s working tirelessly on her recovery.”
Emily's List also used the event to unvail an award named in Giffords' honor: the “Gabrielle Giffords Rising Star” award.
Emily’s List states the award will “honor women who demonstrate the sort of commitment to community, dedication to women and families and determination and civility that have been the highlights of Giffords’ career."
Gloria said the former Congresswoman is “especially touched and honored” by the award. Before leaving the podium Gloria leaned in and offered hope to the crowd on behalf of her daughter.
Giffords’ mom said she is striving for a full recovery and her future remains very bright.
“She’ll be back fighting alongside of you,” she said.

Romney be4 he shakes the etch-a-sketch

Why is it I do not believe anything he says?  He would rather tell the rich behind closed doors, than tell the rest of the nation his proposals. Is it because he flip-pity-flops on everything he opens his mouth to say. His campaign people say he is like an etch-a-sketch and will move back to the middle for the general. Sure........i mean Maddow buried a time capsule on the 18th, saying the first time he changes positions on a subject she will dig up the capsule.  Well, on the 19th she had to dig up the capsule, cause he changed his opinion again. And this one on Immigration....

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Weapon-friendly attire: New $65 gun-concealing Chinos

 20

hours

ago

Woolrich

Clever or concerning? Woolrich's Concealed Carry Chinos and Elite Discreet Carry Shirt feature a hidden chamber pocket and velcro flaps to help hide and easily access a weapon.

By Jada Wong, Styleite
Have you ever thought to yourself, “Self, why don’t more brands design gun-friendly apparel?” Because if so, Woolrich can solve all your sartorial woes! Introducing the latest in “covert fashion”: the Elite Concealed Carry Collection features pants and jackets with specially designed pockets to conceal your gun and your plastic handcuffs.

 Nope, not a joke.

New York Times reports that the clothing company started selling $65 chinos with additional pockets and stretchable waistbands to hide firearms because of an increase in people with permits. Currently, 49 states have laws that allow people to carry firearms in a concealed manner.
Instead of trying to explain what Woolrich’s gun-concealing pants look like, here’s the full product description for the Concealed Carry Chinos:

These pants are ideal for situations where discretion is important. The Elite Concealed Carry Chinos have the clean profile of a standard pair of pants with no external cargo or utility pocketing, but offers the added advantage of of a hidden chamber pocket strategically constructed to reduce printing. It is made of 7.8-ounce 98% cotton/2% stretch twill fabric.

Comfort waist with elastic side panels.
3-Ply, dual chamber pocket bags.
Inner chamber is accessible through invisible zipper and allows for discreet carry option.
Outer chamber provides conventional pocket function and additional benefit of reduced printing.
Two knife openings.
Reinforced crotch.
Easycare: machine wash, tumble dry and cool iron as needed.
Even waist sizes 28"-48". Inseam even sizes 30"-36".

 

But the gun fashion doesn’t stop at your lower half; there are shirts with Velcro slits! As per the product description:

The Elite Discreet Carry Shirt may become your favorite everyday casual shirt simply for its comfort, but we think you’ll also appreciate the features that make this far more than your average shirt. What sets this shirt apart are the “breakaway” side vents and false bottom button, for easy rapid access to essential gear on the waist. Back bi-swing venting with polyester mesh for a relaxed feel, even on the hottest days.

Jennifer Silverberg for The New York Times

Bruce Larimer inspected new chinos by Woolrich at a recent National Rifle Association meeting.

Shawn Thompson, 35, who works at an auto dealership in eastern Kentucky, bought two shirts last month from the Woolrich Elite Concealed Carry line. Both, he wrote on his blog, are a step up from more rugged gear.(ALERT: Blog contains guns) (I have put this alert in for those who go to the blog and see lots of different guns and ammo. I do not want any surprises. I am not a gun person, and hopefully there are some people out there like me. )

“Most of the clothes I used in the past to hide my sidearm looked pretty sloppy and had my girlfriend complaining about my looks,” he wrote, adding in an interview, “I’m not James Bond or nothing, but these look pretty nice.” 

The shirt has a barely discernible side slit with Velcro through which, he said, he can yank his Colt 1911 from his waistband holster. Depending on circumstances and mood, he might also carry a folding knife and, at night, a flashlight in a pair of Woolrich chinos his girlfriend bought for him. 

But on a more-serious level, why is there even an increase for gun-concealing attire? According to the Times:

Gun experts suggest that there are many reasons for the growth in the number of people with concealed-carry permits. They say it is partly due to a changing political and economic climate — gun owners are professing to want a feeling of control — and state laws certainly have made a difference. 

After a campaign by gun rights advocates, 37 states now have “shall issue” statutes that require them to provide concealed-carry permits if an applicant meets legal requirements, like not being a felon. (A handful of other states allow the concealed carrying of handguns without a permit).

And we thought crop tops were the scariest trend of the season.

Boehner accuses Obama of 'campaign theatrics' in student loan fight

1

hour

ago

By Luke Russert and Frank Thorp

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) accused President Obama of campaigning on taxpayer funds in response Wednesday to the president's goading of lawmakers to act on a bill to extend low student loan rates.
In a hastily-arranged press conference, Boehner accused Obama of political theatrics in his two-day tour of three college campuses in swing states. In those stops, Obama assailed Republicans in Congress for holding up legislation that would prevent an increase in student loan interest rates.
"You know this week, the president is traveling the country on the taxpayer's dime, campaigning and trying to invent a fight where there isn't one and never has been one on this issue of student loans," the Republican speaker said on Capitol Hill.
"Let's fix the problems for young Americans and leave the campaign theatrics for the fall," Boehner added.
The speaker's press conference followed an event at the University of Iowa this afternoon in which an impassioned Obama pointedly went after Republicans who accused him of not focusing on the economy.
"These guys don't get it. This is the economy," the president said in Iowa City. "What economy are they talking about?"
The event had heavy campaign overtones, though, and, to boot, the Obama re-election campaign is in the midst of a weeklong focus on winning young voters, a core constituency for the president in 2008.
The legislation to extend the student loan breaks has been hung up on Capitol Hill due to a familiar fight over how to finance the bill. Democrats favor a version that uses a tax, while Boehner announced a vote on Friday on a Republican alternative that would divert funds from a portion of the health care reform law -- which the GOP calls a "slush fund" -- to pay for the extension.
Still, the urgency in scheduling this vote on Friday underscores the extent to which Obama has used the bully pulpit to prompt a Republican reaction on these issues. Amid the president's push, Mitt Romney, the presumptive Republican nominee, made a point of saying earlier this week that he favors extending the lower student loan rate (though Romney didn't specify how he would finance it).
Michael O'Brien contributed.