In the continuing series dealing with real world Democrats attacked by the nutroots, I present the example of what's happening to Rahm Emanuel, Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer, and Heath Shuler in regard to illegal immigration. Recall my earlier post about the fix the Democrats are in over the issue. The recent attacks are the result of two new efforts by Democrats to take positions more in line with the majority of the people and common sense. First there's this reported in an article from Congressional Quarterly:
Tensions between Hispanic Democrats and House leaders exploded Friday when a bloc of Hispanic lawmakers voted to derail a major tax bill, relenting only after an angry confrontation on the floor with Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer, D-Md.Next there's news of a bill introduced by freshman Democratic Congressman Heath Shuler called the SAVE Act, which is touted as "enforcement-only" legislation:
The rebellion was a response to votes by 36 Democrats Thursday night in favor of a non-binding Republican motion Hispanic members called offensive. It instructed House conferees on an appropriations bill to accept a Senate-passed provision prohibiting the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission from suing employers over certain English-speaking requirements.
That motion was the latest in a series of immigration- and language-related votes that Republicans have used to splinter Democrats, some of whom are nervous about GOP attack ads that could portray them as “soft” on illegal immigration.
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Hoyer was toe-to-toe with the much shorter Joe Baca, D-Calif., chairman of the Hispanic caucus. According to one Hispanic Democrat, Hoyer jabbed his finger at Baca and yelled, “How dare you destroy this party? This will be the worst loss in 10 years.
”That same Hispanic lawmaker reported that Pelosi said, “You see this on the board? This is against me, this is against me personally.”
November 11, 2007: Rep. Heath Shuler (D-N.C.) introduced legislation last Tuesday emphasizing the principles of Attrition Through Enforcement. The SAVE Act (H.R. 4088) will broaden and enhance border security and interior enforcement. With a number of border security Democrats and Republicans already agreeing to co-sponsor, this bipartisan effort may be Congress’s best chance to achieve substantial immigration reform this Congress.How is the reality based community reacting to these developments? Here's Daily Kos: Is Rahm racist, or merely scared?
It's got to be one or the other, because Rahm Emanuel is behind efforts to build Democratic support for the Shuler/Tancredo "enforcement-only" bill currently winding its way through the House.
Think about it -- our House leadership is strong-arming Democrats into backing a bill which is the central agenda of the biggest racist xenophobe Tom Tancredo.
Crooks and Liars has this one: Is Rahm Emanuel in bed with the Racist xenophobe Tom Tancredo?
Tancredo’s racism is such that he’s the darling of the Malkin wing of the GOP. Americans want to secure the borders, but they also understand that we need true immigration reform and not some whacked out policy initiated by a man that called Miami a “Third World country.”Chris Bowers at Open Left has coined a new term similar to the "Bush Dog Democrat" label: Introducing the Rove Dogs
So, instead of calling them Bush Dogs, I think the more appropriate term would be Rove Dogs. The term "Rove Dog" should apply to any Democrat who votes and act in ways that are harmful to the long-term political standing of the Democratic Party, just as Karl Rove would like them to do.Last but not least we have Jane Hamsher from FireDogLake: Hoyer and Pelosi Draw Rahm's Line - Hispanic Caucus Gets Shaft
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These Rove Dogs are undermining positive feedback loops for Democrats and progressives, and any other Democrats who do the same should also earn the Rove Dog label.
Only a pack of amateur monkeys would take the issue that fractures the Republican party every time it comes up and use it against their own. You have to wonder at the genius that inspires Democrats to personally and forcefully stab their Hispanic caucus in the back.Here again we have people attacking fellow Democrats simply because they don't believe requiring employees to speak English or that emphasizing enforcement of illegal immigration laws amount to racism. Think about it a minute; these hacks, holed up in their echo chambers in which they only read other people agreeing with them (they delete comments left on their blogs that disagree), are actually suggesting that Democrats who agree with Republicans on anything are racist or at the very least are betraying their cause. Can it be any clearer that their cause is simply blind, insane partisanship?
Rahm is personally whipping for the Shuler/Tancredo bill. And he’s obviously continuing to tell freshmen that they need to get “tough on immigration” or lose their seats because so many of them have signed on as co-sponsors (immigration is, as you’ll recall, the excuse Rahm uses to cover up for his abject failure to pick good candidates or allow them to speak openly against the war — the Democratic majority happened in spite of Rahm, not because of him).
