Decoded

Yesterday, they reached a new low. We've been tracking their dog whistles for some time. But yesterday, one of them finally dropped the whistle and spoke it in plain English.

While other G-O-TEA politicians have continued with the coded language based attacks on President Obama, Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Alabama) decided to simply decode the dog whistles. Of course, supreme G-O-TEA dog whistler Laura Ingraham begged him not to decode the dog whistles to the general public. But alas, he didn't listen to her.

And now, the reason for Republicans' hardening opposition to comprehensive immigration reform (CIR) has become crystal clear.



Believe it or not, Rep. Brooks then doubled down on his "War on Whites" platform this morning. And why not? This isn't the first time Rep. Mo Brooks spilled all the beans on what the real G-O-TEA immigration plan is.



This also isn't the first time we've heard a G-O-TEA politician repeat verbatim the misleading and xenophobic rhetoric from John Tanton and the late Barbara Coe.



This was just a rare instance when a G-O-TEA politician accidentally gave us a sneak peek of what's happening behind the curtain. This is a chance for us to examine what's behind the veneer of "rebranding".

Back in April, Cliven Bundy decoded the G-O-TEA dog whistles. That's why they quickly cut him loose after that media fire storm. They stuck by him while he was bringing in dangerous Patriot Movement militia outfits to Southern Nevada to fight his "Range War" against the rule of law. They stuck by him when he brought in Richard Mack for "security". No, they only cut Cliven Bundy wanted to tell everyone "something about the negro".

Senator Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) was publicly campaigning alongside notorious anti-immigrant Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) yesterday. He's also done plenty of his own pandering to the 21st Century Know Nothings by doing everything possible to kill CIR. But when two DREAMers showed up to decode their anti-immigrant dog whistles, Senator (and likely 2016 Presidential candidate) Rand Paul ran away from them while Rep. Steve King grabbed a DREAMer Erika Andiola's arm and yelled about conspiracy theories John Tanton had whispered into his ear gibberish.



G-O-TEA politicians are all too happy all too often to communicate in coded dog whistles to their "TEA" addicted base (cases in point: Sharron Angle & Mitt Romney). But when one of them forgets to do the dog whistle and instead cracks the code to all the rest of us, the rest of them panic... Not because of the policies they're all espousing, but because their revelations make for "bad optics".

Unfortunately for them, they just decoded themselves. And we can all see what's truly behind their "tough talk on immigration".

Losing Points & Missing Sense

It looked like they were about to leave town without doing anything on the matter. After whining and screaming and crying about it for a month, they were about to leave town without bringing a single border bill to the House floor. And of course, House Republican "leaders" were planning to blame President Obama for their own failure to whip their own members into doing their job.

But hey, this has been Republican "leaders'" modus operandi on comprehensive immigration reform (CIR) all along. They've feigned interest in passing some sort of legislation, then pandered to their 21st Century Know Nothing base when they became enraged at the thought of any sort of CIR passing, then abandoned their own "ideas" and while blaming President Obama for their own shortcomings.



But late Thursday night, there was another twist. House Republican "leaders" finally emerged with two bills... That catered to the whims & fancies of their most anti-immigrant members. The first one calls for the fast deportation of #BorderChildren without providing them with their due legal process, while the second one is yet another attempt at deporting all DREAMers. Both only barely passed and did so almost exclusively along party lines. (For the record, Reps. Joe Heck [R-Henderson] & Mark Amodei [R-Carson City] voted for mass deportations of refugee children, but not DREAMers.)

In one fell swoop (and two floor votes), House Republicans gave up any last modicum of "responsible governance" with their pandemonium on the House floor. Instead of doing anything to assist #BorderChildren and alleviate this humanitarian conundrum, they set the wheels in motion for a full crisis to explode by the end of their August recess.

But why? Why would they allow for such an unnecessary crisis? Why would they want these refugee children to suffer? And why are trying to use this as an excuse to deport American kids?

Well, why do they continue taking their marching orders from these fools?



So House Republicans (Joe Heck & Mark Amodei included) vote to sue President Obama for taking executive actions, then urge him to take executive action. They attack the President over their failure to pass CIR, then they attack him when he announces plans to right their wrongs to the greatest legal extent he can. They attack the President because refugee children have arrived at our border, then they attack him because he's reminded them that these children need legal due process (along with some tender loving care).

What does this all mean? Short answer: They're just biding their time until they vote to impeach President Obama. Longer answer: They're so terrified of their own deranged base that they've stopped caring about being consistent or making any sort of sense. And of course, they don't really care about silly things like making sense. They have more important things on their minds, important things like scoring political points. (Just don't tell them they're not even succeeding at that.)

The Ugliest FAIL

Yesterday, the US House of Representatives passed its most counterproductive legislation... In the past 3+ years of passing hardly anything. Last night, the House voted to impeach sue President Obama for engaging in oral sex Arkansas real estate Benghazi IRS Bergdahl climate action workplace equality Obamacare.

Congress will adjourn for August recess tonight. And despite Congressional Republican "leaders" huffing and puffing over "border security" earlier this month, they may ultimately leave Capitol Hill tonight with no bill passed. No really, they can't even settle on a border bill.

As usual, Congressional Republican "leaders" can't even lead their own flock to water when they're all thirsty as f**k. And as usual, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Courvoisier) can't even muster enough support for his own bill. So after stripping provisions to actually deal with the #BorderChildren problem and instead larding it up with deport DREAMers drivel, Speaker Boehner tried this last ditch effort to improve his party's "optics" while saving his own behind from overly ambitious G-O-TEA politicians on the other side of Capitol Hill... And the 21st Century Know Nothings those overly ambitious politicians are pandering to.

Hell, even the ammosexuals are now jumping into the fray.



No, wait, scratch that. Ammosexuals have already been in the fray for some time. Cliven Bundy has already given his official seal of approval to the renewed "Patriot Movement" anti-immigrant campaign. And long time anti-immigrant militia leader Jim Gilchrist now suggests it may be time to "fight lawlessness with lawlessness" as he sympathizes with someone who wants to stuff refugee children into gas chambers.

No wonder why Reps. Steve King (R-Looney Tunes) & Michele Bachmann (R-Bats**t Crazy) were trying to out-crazy each other on WorldNetDaily.



And no wonder why "Basic Plumbing Lessons" Louie Gohmert (R-Idiot) felt the urge to turn up the crazy (and add more stupid to the mix). It's #BundyRanch all over again. And this time, they're fighting a "Range War" against children.

Remember when we warned you about the likes of Gilchrist and the Arizona State Militia? They're definitely back. And they're as dangerous as ever.



Now that Congressional G-O-TEA "leaders" have abandoned even the "optics" of basic governance while embracing radical rhetoric, they're inviting even more militia madness to the border. And what makes this situation even more frightening is that they don't seem to care. They don't seem to care that they're (once again) flirting with dangerous extremists who are willing to murder to "start the revolution".

Congress had the chance to properly handle this border situation. And really, Congress had the chance to pass comprehensive immigration reform to address the overall issue. But no, Speaker John Boehner didn't want to deal with reality. He preferred cheap political games instead.

Speaker Boehner can blame President Obama, Senator Harry Reid (D), and whoever else he wants, but he can't change the fact that he's letting his caucus leave for August recess without passing any kind of helpful immigration legislation. He can't change the fact that he's allowed members of his caucus to parrot misinformation direct from hate groups. And he can't change the fact that he's allowing his party to (again) encourage militia violence.

This may very yet be the ugliest FAIL we've seen emerge from this Congress.

Missed Opportunity

It's now official. They're wetting their pants. They may even be sh**ting their pants as well.

And why's that? For one, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Bad@$$) just called House Speaker John Boehner's (R-Cointreau) border games bluff. He thought he could just pander some more to his "TEA" powered base, but he forgot about that little thing called the US Senate (and its Majority Leader, Harry Reid).



Over a year ago, the US Senate passed S 744. Senator Dean Heller (R) and 13 other Senate Republicans voted for this bill. And it's been stuck in the House ever since.

Why? House Republican "leaders" always talk #4jobs, but they never come up with any real legislation. This and HR 15 (the House companion bill) gave them the opportunity to match their words with real action. Yet when presented with this opportunity to solve priblems and boost economic growth, they instead reached for more excuses for inaction.

Why? We keep wondering. And so does Senator Barbara Boxer (D-California).



The House had the opportunity to follow in the Senate's footsteps. Rep. Steven Horsford (D-North Las Vegas) and the other lead Democrats behind HR 15 even reached out to a number of Republicans for support. Yet still, there was no floor vote. Still, there was no action on comprehensive immigration reform (CIR).

Then, the national media began to pick up the #BorderChildren story, Congressional Republican "leaders" merely saw this as an opportunity... To pander to the 21st Century Know Nothings in the worst possible way. They decided to forego any real solutions to the #BorderChildren problem and instead scream about "rape paths" and birth control.



Yep, "King of Crazy" Steve King (R-Iowa?) is still calling the shots in the lower House of Congress. And not only is he blocking any kind of CIR, and not only does he want to deport both refugee children and American DREAMers, but he also wants that little thing caled impeachment.



Instead of fostering the best that America has to offer and putting our best foot forward, we're missing opportunities. Instead of ensuring humane treatment of refugee children and pursuing new economic opportunities, we're wasting time debating nonsense. Yet instead of acknowledging the missed opportunities and recommitting to pursuing them, House Republican leaders and their loyal lackies (cough- Joe Heck -cough) on the back bench are chasing after dreams of impeachment while denying their very actions to the media. They missed the opportunity to be productive, so now they must face the consequences of their duplicitous sloth.

Sore Losers

Like a thief in the night, it suddenly appeared... And shocked many. Nearly a year after SB 192 made its shocking debut in Carson City, SB 1062 rocked Phoenix. And all of a sudden, the nation endured a crash course lesson on the budding "License to Discriminate" movement and the shadowy forces behind it.

Yet even with Arizona Governor Jan Brewer (R) vetoing SB 1062, the "License to Discriminate" movement marches on. But how so? Yet another homophobic bill has been introduced in the Arizona Legislature. Meanwhile, SB 192/SB 1062 like "License to Discriminate" bills are still alive & kicking in Mississippi and Missouri. And "License to Discriminate" proponents are now crying "persecution" because they can't discriminate against whomever they want whenever they want.

Oh, yes. That's right. They're going there.

But wait, there's more. G-O-TEA King of Crazy (and still sitting Rep.) Steve King (R-Iowa) had some "words of wisdom" (/snark) on "self-professed behavior".



Perhaps he and Cresent Hardy have been enjoying some heart-to-hearts on "segregation laws"?

This is why we find it ironic that certain "TEA" flavored media pundits are urging LGBTQ Americans not to be "sore winners". Sure, new polls show growing support for LGBTQ civil rights (and more distrust of the G-O-TEA). But even as equality is winning the court of public opinion, and even as equality is increasingly winning in courts of law, we've yet to see full legal equality in practice nationwide. That's why civil rights advocates are decrying the "License to Discriminate" bills. They serve as a reminder that the beautiful struggle for equality may be turning for the better, but it's still far from over.

And if anything, anti-equality G-O-TEA politicians & pundits are the ones behaving like sore losers. They're the ones whining over the expectation that businesses with licenses to serve the public have the right to refuse basic human decency. And they're the ones crying "persecution" because society no longer smiles on their desires to persecute those who they don't like.

It's Their Choice

And it's happened again. Is anyone surprised? Late last month, Former Lt. Governor Sue Wagner caused a political earthquake here in Nevada by announcing she's no longer a registered Republican. And when Neena Laxalt soon followed, we got quite the aftershock.

And this week, we have another prominent Republican quitting the party. But this time, it's in Florida. And Former Florida State Rep. Ana Rivas Logan made waves by switching her registration from Republican to Democratic. But why?

"The GOP of today is not the party I joined," said Rivas Logan, who also served on the Miami-Dade School Board. "It's not the party of my parents. It's a party that has been radicalized and held hostage by a group of extremists."

Rivas Logan was welcomed to the party by another Republican-turned-Democrat: gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist. 

"Bienvenida @anarivaslogan to the Democratic Party!" Crist wrote on Twitter. "Glad you are here my friend." [...]

On Monday, Rivas Logan called the Republican Party "a party that attacks women and minorities — and one that asked me, and my former Hispanic Republican colleagues in the Florida legislature, to turn on their own people by supporting extreme anti-immigrant policies."

What else can we say? They can't say we didn't warn them. When we said that Republicans' stealth campaign to kill comprehensive immigration reform (CIR) would come back to bite them, we envisioned this happening.

After all, who would feel welcome in a party that rewards politicians who try to use xenophobia and hatred for political advantage? And sadly for those Republicans who share the same worries as Ana Rivas Logan, this trend shows no signs of letting up. Instead, (current federal Rep. and) "King of Crazy" Steve King (R-Iowa) is running victory laps around the rotting corpse of CIR on Capitol Hill.

"It's the right position and makes sense and is consistent with a majority of our conference -- a significant majority of our conference," Rep. Steve King (R-IA) told TPM in a brief interview on Monday evening.

He claimed House Republicans oppose bringing up immigration reform by "a three or four to one" margin.

The Iowa congressman said reform opponents must keep the heat on Republican leaders so that they don't change their minds.

"We still have to man the watchtowers because things could change," he said.

Wait, what?! What does Rep. King mean by "manning the watchtowers"? Perhaps he's referring to this. The House voted yesterday to raise the debt ceiling in order for the nation to pay its bills. The final tally was 221-201, with 28 Republicans joining 193 Democrats to pass it. (For the record, Reps. Mark Amodei [R-Carson City] & Joe Heck [R-Henderson] voted against paying the nation's bills, while Reps. Dina Titus [D-Paradise] & Steven Horsford [D-North Las Vegas] both voted in favor of doing so.)

So what does the latest debt ceiling vote have to do with CIR? Think two letters and a number: HR 15. It already has bipartisan support, and it's modeled after the bipartisan Senate CIR bill that easily passed that chamber last summer. Since House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has now demonstrated that bills can pass the lower house of Congress without the "TEA Powered Total Obstruction Caucus", why can't he bring to the floor legislation that achieves what several of his backbenchers (cough- Joe Heck- cough) have said they want to accomplish?

Right now, Steve King is running victory laps on Capitol Hill because he believes Speaker Boehner is too afraid of him and his fellow 21st Century Know Nothings to actually cross them & let CIR pass. But if Speaker Boehner & other Republican "leaders" want to prove they're serious about offering America a realistic option for sound governance, then they must drop the "rebranding" nonsense and actually start governing for real. And that means they must pass long awaited & sorely needed legislation that has clear bipartisan support, even if it's legislation that the 'baggers don't like.

Either Republicans can finally let CIR pass, or they can let more members like Ana Rivas Logan leave their sorry excuse for a party. It's ultimately their choice.

On Notice

Just who is he paying attention to? So far, he seems to be rejecting Senator Harry Reid's (D) helpful advice on how to be more productive. So just who is House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) listening to?

Here's a hint: King of Crazy. Oh, yes. That's right. Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) is still calling the shots.

"John Boehner has been stronger throughout this partial shutdown and the debt ceiling than most everybody thought he would be. He did serve to unify the conference better than I thought," King said in an interview with Newsmax.

But King, a staunch opponent of immigration reform, said he may feel differently about Boehner's future if the speaker pushes for a vote on comprehensive immigration reform.

"We'll have to see how the future issues play out," King said. "For example, if immigration comes before the House, it would be the most divisive thing that could be brought up by Republicans in the House. Then I would have a different answer to that question."

Again, this is why we had to endure that 17 day long manufactured crisis full of unnecessary drama. And this is why comprehensive immigration reform (CIR) is still going nowhere in the House despite easy Senate passage. House Republican "leaders" are too afraid to lead.

There's ample evidence that CIR can pass the House if it's given a floor vote. That's why three House Republicans have broken the G-O-TEA party line to cosponsor HR 15. And that's why SEIU just dropped a new ad here in Southern Nevada. Once again, Rep. Joe Heck (R-Henderson) is on notice.



As we had discussed earlier, civil rights is the issue at heart of the current G-O-TEA Civil War. Passing CIR would make a major difference in helping the Republican Party become more compatible with 21st Century America. But as long as they continue taking orders from the 21st Century Know Nothings, nothing will be accomplished.

So now, CIR advocates have no choice but to put Republican Congresscritters on notice... Especially the ones who have yet to match their pro-reform rhetoric with actual votes (cough- Joe Heck- cough). Steve King may be relishing the great accomplishment of nothing, but the rest of America demands action.

Get on the Floor.

Last week, a glimmer of hope appeared. Rep. Joe Heck (R-Henderson) seemed to change his tune on comprehensive immigration reform (CIR). He made some promising comments Monday last week, then prayed with immigrants rights activists last Wednesday.

So does this mean we'll finally see the House pass CIR next month? Not so fast. While Rep. Heck did say some encouraging words, he still hasn't (yet?) called on his House Republican leaders to schedule a floor vote on the CIR package that passed the Senate overwhelmingly back in June.

And then, there's this.



In Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Josie Molina asked Rep. Scott DesJarlais (R-Tennessee) what could be done to stop her father's deportation. He essentially just said he should be deported. And the 21st Century Know Nothings in the audience cheered.

So there's that. And then, there's "The Gatekeeper" of any and all House immigration legislation, Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Virginia). Last night, he doubled down on his opposition to any path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.

Last month, many Republicans said they disapproved of the incendiary words of Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa). Yet despite that, they're still letting Rep. King dictate their party's immigration policy. For all the Republicans' talk of "change", it's increasingly looking like the House G-O-TEA will settle for more of the same old FAIL...

But it doesn't have to be this way. Rep. Heck and other House Republicans who say they're "pro-reform" can actually stand up and call for a floor vote. Will they?

Yet another conservative backed report shows how CIR benefits the economy. We've known for some time it's in our best economic interest to pass CIR. So when will Rep. Heck and other House Republicans call for a floor vote on CIR?

Match Point

Yesterday, we examined Republicans' conundrum when it comes to trying to spin away their plot to kill comprehensive immigration reform (CIR). They're facing the dilemma of trying to balance G-O-TEA primary politicking with sound policy and smart general election politics. And now, they're having to learn the hard way that they can't kill CIR to please the 21st Century Know Nothings while simultaneously pleasing everyone else with mere, empty talking points.

Now some Democratic and Republican (pro-CIR) Senators have not given up on passing something this year. In fact, they're already floating ideas to try when Congress reconvenes next month. Perhaps if House G-O-TEA "leaders" can be convinced to allow just enough piecemeal bills to reach the House floor, those bills can pass and be taken to conference with the Senate's S 744 CIR bill.

There's just one problem that remains: the G-O-TEA base (and all the Republican politicians pandering to them).



But on the other hand, we are seeing more pushback. It happened on Capitol Hill before Congress went to recess...



And it's now happening here at home. Go ahead and ask Rep. Joe Heck (R-??!!).



In order to save CIR, something drastic has to occur. That's why immigrant rights activists are staging 40 days of protests, rallies, vigils, and more action. They just won't allow House G-O-TEA "leaders" to sweep this under the rug.

And funny enough, neither will other Republicans! Even they're demanding House Republicans change course and take more queues from their Senate colleagues (well, the sane ones, that is). And perhaps this is already having an effect. We have been seeing a change in rhetoric lately.

However, it's still rhetoric. Ultimately, House Republicans will have to match rhetoric with action. Ultimately, Reps. Joe Heck and Mark Amodei (R-?) will have to match their sweet talk with their votes. Ultimately, House G-O-TEA "leaders" will have to match their big talk with real action.

Will they?

Insani-TEA Strikes Again.

It's the end of the month. It's the final week before Congress goes to August recess. And the House still hasn't passed comprehensive immigration reform (CIR).

This is a problem. Even some top Republicans now recognize this. And they're trying to pressure the House into passing CIR.

The effort was organized by Carlos Gutierrez, who was secretary of commerce under President George W. Bush and was a founder of a “super PAC,” Republicans for Immigration Reform. The letter is the beginning of a campaign to lobby Republican lawmakers in favor of a broad immigration bill as they return to their districts for the August break.

“What tends to happen during the month of August is that members go home and they go to town hall meetings and they check up on their offices in terms of phone calls and letters, and that’s where they get bombarded,” Mr. Gutierrez said in a phone interview. “So Republicans who are for immigration reform — and I believe there are many — we need to make our voice known in August.”

A cross-section of Republican donors and fund-raisers signed the letter. They include Karl Rove, a deputy chief of staff in Mr. Bush’s White House; former Vice President Dan Quayle; Tom Stemberg, a founder of Staples; and Frank VanderSloot, the founder of Melaleuca Inc.

They're clearly feeling compelled to do something. Especially now that Rep. Steve King (R-Crazytown) is whipping the 21st Century Know Nothings into a frenzy while Groundswell tries to quell any remaining momentum for reform on Capitol Hill, they will have to do something to stop the House from destroying S 744 (and whatever tiny chance Congress has left to pass CIR this year) once and for all. It certainly doesn't help them that a slew of local and national Republicans have been lining up behind King.

And it doesn't stop there. Early last month, almost all House Republicans lined up to support King's amendment to deport DREAMers. Both Rep. Mark Amodei (R-Carson City) and Rep. Joe Heck (R-Henderson) voted for King’s amendment. Both had expressed willingness to support CIR early this year, but Heck now seems content with letting his fellow House Republicans kill CIR this year.

So the Senate passed S 744 on a strong bipartisan vote, and people who were once considered "Republican leaders" are now demanding that the House do the same. And yet, the House is about to go to recess without passing any kind of CIR. After all, "pure" insani-TEA matters more (to them) than economic stimulus, smart politics, and/or even basic common sense.

Crazy Groundswell

Back in May, we asked what's turned out to be a very critical question. We asked if the worsening Republican Party civil war would ultimately blow up the emerging consensus for comprehensive immigration reform (CIR) in Congress. Now, the answer becomes clearer every time Rep. Steve King (R-insani-TEA) opens his mouth in front of a microphone.

And it's not just Steve King. Yesterday, Mother Jones uncovered a new G-O-TEA campaign to attack President Obama... And other Republicans.

There was much more on the agenda for the March 27 meeting than a single talking point. The group routinely addresses an ambitious to-do list for its campaign against the left. At that session, Groundswellers discussed several immigration-related "action items." These included attempting to link the pending reform bill to Obamacare and collecting health care reform horror stories to provide to Cruz, a leading opponent of the Senate immigration reform bill. (Cruz has repeatedly compared the legislation to the health care reform law.)

Groundswell members saw immigration as a life-or-death issue. "If we lose on immigration," the post-meeting memo noted, "we lose on every other issue. The key to defeating this bill is Sen. Rubio. He can gracefully remove himself from the 'gang of 8' and still save face…The messaging on this issue has to be 'we can't trust Obama' to enforce immigration laws after the amnesty." [...]

On one occasion, [Danielle] Cutrona promoted a column from the conservative site RedState.com. Headlined "Who is Going to Put an End to the McCain/Graham Circus?" this RedState.compost excoriated Republican Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham as "Benedict Arnolds" for retreating on their opposition to Chuck Hagel's nomination as defense secretary and for "their treachery on the issue of illegal immigration." Cutrona, [the chief counsel to Senator Jeff Sessions (R-Alabama)] who occasionally used her official Senate email to communicate with Groundswell members, was encouraging this band of conservatives to spread the word that two party colleagues of her boss were ideological traitors. A spokesman for Sessions says that this blog post did not reflect Cutrona's views and "was simply one of scores of diverse news and opinion pieces she emailed on immigration."

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

As we've said before, this is bigger than just Steve King. This is the G-O-TEA id unleashed, and the Republican egos and super-egos have yet to figure out how to fully check the G-O-TEA id. And now, the id is out to consume the entire rest of the party alive.

So this is what's happening to CIR legislation in Congress. We're down to talking about cantaloupes, mules, and Groundswell. And thanks to G-O-TEA insistance upon pandering to its base at all costs, nothing is getting done.


How much more of this can we take? It's more than just one crazy politician. It's about the crazy taking over an entire party. And we're all suffering as a result.

King of Crazy

Here we go again. Never mind the personal stories, the office visits, the big rallies, or even the cold, hard political reality. House Republicans are still determined to kill comprehensive immigration reform (CIR)... And try to mask it with political stunts.

Yesterday, we saw the birth of yet another G-O-TEA political stunt. Yet now, even this is on its way to being derailed. Even as they released their stunt with plenty of pomp and circumstance, it was being castigated... By many of their own.

And that's not all. Oh, yes. That's right. Queue Rep. Steve King (R-Crazytown).

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

Last month, we looked at G-O-TEA efforts to win future elections by simply winning over more white voters. So far, it seems like they're deciding this is their path of least resistance. And they still fail to see how this is already coming back to bite them in the ass.

It's already happening now. The 21st Century Know Nothings are even objecting to Republican induced immigration stunts! And again, they're already succeeding in forcing House Republican "leaders" to keep away from CIR. Even though they claim to reject Steve King's xenophobic stink bombs, they're ultimately letting him call the shots on immigration policy.

To be sure, House GOP leaders eventually got around to criticizing King's comments last night, just as they did in March when another House Republican lawmaker used the "wetbacks" slur.

But soon after, King doubled down on his remarks, appearing on an Iowa radio show to say, "It's not something that I'm making up. This is real."

And while King keeps talking, and party leaders keep wringing their hands, it's worth appreciating the political circumstances that have brought us to this point. Note, for example, that the right-wing Iowan may come across as a racist buffoon that the American mainstream finds repulsive, but at this point, he's winning -- King has been fighting to kill comprehensive immigration reform, and by all appearances, House Republican leaders intend to hand him and his allies the outcome they prefer.

In other words, as ridiculous as Steve King appears, he and his kooky friends are shaping the House Republican caucus' position on immigration policy, largely because Boehner and his friends are too inept to lead.

They're not interested in sound policy. And at this point, they're not even interested in smart politics. At this point, the inmates are taking over the asylum.

But then again, House Republicans have even been objecting to basic governance. Is it any surprise they don't mind seeing bipartisan immigration reform legislation die on their vine? As long as they keep surviving G-O-TEA primaries and feeling good about ginning up more xenophobia to scare more older straight white Christian voters (aka "Sarah Palin's Real America") onto their side, that's all that matters.


They still don't realize they're in for a(nother) rude awakening. I guess this is what happens when one party panders relentlessly to crazy people.

La Decisión

Today wasn't supposed to be like this. But with most of the nation's attention still focused on the Boston Marathon tragedy, the US Senate Gang of 8 comprehensive immigration reform (CIR) plan. Yet nonetheless, it's finally been revealed today.

Millions of immigrants living illegally in the United States could earn a chance at citizenship under a sweeping Senate proposal to be released Tuesday that would represent the most ambitious overhaul of the nation's immigration system in three decades.

The highly anticipated proposal from an eight-member bipartisan group also aims to stem the flow of undocumented immigrants into the country by creating tens of thousands of new visas for foreign workers in low-skilled jobs, according to a 17-page summary of the bill obtained by The Washington Post.

In addition, billions of dollars would be invested in new border-control measures, including surveillance drones, security fencing and 3,500 additional federal agents charged with apprehending people attempting to enter illegally from Mexico.

Steve Benen lists more details of the Gang of 8 CIR bill, so let's quickly summarize here what's in it. Basically, most undocumented immigrants will be subjected to a 13 year path to citizenship. Meanwhile, a border security goal will be set to achieve "90% effectiveness" in securing the US-Mexico Border. In the mean time, DREAMers will only face a 5 year path to citizenship while the H-1B work visa program is expanded and a guest worker program is created. That's basically the gist of the Gang of 8 CIR plan.

While the hubbub surrounding today's big reveal has been fairly subdued, civil rights advocates at Voto Latino still held a press conference minutes ago with several House Democrats to speak on this latest CIR development. Nevada's own Rep. Steven Horsford (D-North Las Vegas) was among the Members of Congress speaking at this event.



So far, most progressives are sounding at least cautiously optimistic about today's big news. But of course, what everyone is waiting for is reaction from the right. Here's Jamelle Bouie to explain the complicated CIR politics for conservatives.

What ties all of this [Gang of 8 CIR bill] together are a series of border security triggers, to assuage Republicans who fear a new wave of illegal immigration. The first requires the Department of Homeland Security to establish strategies for border security before any unauthorized immigrant can be given "Registered Provisional" status. The second, then, keeps those with said status from becoming eligible for "Lawful Permanent Resident" status until DHS and the Comptroller General can confirm that an employment verification system has been implemented and new border security measures are in place.

There is also a requirement for the federal government to create -- within ten years --an electronic system for checking foreigners as they enter and leave the country through airports and seaports. Overall, these triggers would require DHS to spend $5.5 billion over ten years to enhance enforcement and further extend fencing along the border with Mexico.

All of this should satisfy the various demands and concerns made by Republicans over the last several months. More to the point, it fits broadly with what Republican voters want.

According to a newly released poll from the Public Religion Research Institute and the Brookings Institution, 62 percent of Republicans support a path to citizenship if it includes specific requirements like paying back taxes, learning English and passing a background check.

In other words, most Republican lawmakers have no real reason to oppose this based on what they've outlined as their concerns. Which is to say that, with this immigration bill, we'll see if Republicans are actually interested in governing, or if they're still completely invested in an approach of constant opposition to anything proposed or supported by President Obama and the Democratic Party.

If only it actually worked that way. Already, "tea party" darling, US Senate candidate, and current Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) has not just announced his (expected) opposition to this CIR deal, but he even tried to tie that to yesterday's tragedy in Boston by claiming that the Boston Marathon Bombing "proves" that "national security should be the focus and a path to citizenship should be put on hold". What?! We don't know yet who did this and why, but most likely yesterday's explosions had nothing to do with CIR. But of course, that won't stop "tea party" radicals from drumming up xenophobic reactions to yesterday's tragedy in hopes of killing CIR.

Now, we must wait to see how other Republicans react to the Gang of 8 plan. Will they embrace the proposal offered by top Republican leaders like Senators John McCain (R-Arizona) and Marco Rubio (R-Florida)? Or will they follow Steve King and the rest of the "tea party" down the rabbit hole of xenophobia powered excuses for further inaction?

The choice is theirs. And once again, whatever Senator Dean Heller (R-46%) decides will be critical to the future of this comprehensive immigration reform legislation. So what will he do? And who will he listen to?