Don't Tell Us. Show Us.

He wants it. He really wants it! Or at least, that's what Rep. Joe Heck (R-Henderson) wants us to believe regarding comprehensive immigration reform (CIR).

In an interview with the Las Vegas Sun, Rep. Heck cried about how the "Big, Bad, Meanie Democrats & Unions!!!" have been attacking him for not supporting something he already supports! Why are all the "Big, Bad, Meanie LIB'RULZZZ!!!" being so big and bad and mean?

Maybe this is due to the whole premise of this story being false? Seriously, when did telling the truth become "big, bad, & mean"?

When Rep. Joe Heck whines to local media about "LIB'RUL ATACKZZZ!!!", he fails to mention everything he can do to move CIR forward... Yet for some reason still refuses to do. While he lambasts HR 15 due to its "elements that he can not support", he fails to mention that HR 15 was modeled after S 744, the bipartisan Senate CIR bill that Nevada’s own Dean Heller (R) supported. So if S 744 was ultimately good enough for Dean Heller (& 13 other Senate Republicans) and HR 15 is good enough for 3 House Republicans to cross over to cosponsor, why isn't HR 15 good enough for Rep. Heck?

Rep. Heck also made the excuse that if he were to cosponsor HR 15, it wouldn't change anything. Actually, it would. It would bring HR 15 another step closer to officially garnering majority support. And if House G-O-TEA "leaders" were to refuse to bring HR 15 for a floor vote, Rep. Heck and other CIR supporters could then start a discharge petition.

So why isn't Rep. Heck doing any of this? Why is he instead only offering empty words? And did he really implicitly admit he's just a powerless backbencher who only does what House G-O-TEA "leaders" tell him to do?

Funny enough, the only "solution" Rep. Heck offered was the "piecemeal approach" that "leadership" approves of. Of course, this is the very approach to immigration reform that has failed to produce any actual legislation... Except for that one amendment calling to deport DREAMers. Rep. Heck voted for that amendment. Is that what he means when he says he "supports reform"?

Rep. Heck likes to tell us how much he "supports reform". Yet when it comes time to match his words with concrete action, he fails to do so. If he truly supports CIR and wants to convince Nevadans of it, he needs to stop telling us... And start showing us.