Boehner Super-PAC Aides Push Senate Immigration Bill

swiftp · 08-22-2013, 04:30 AM

Quote:

Senior GOP aides of a super PAC linked to Speaker John Boehner are lobbying House Republicans to pass the Senate “Gang of Eight” immigration bill, legislation that Boehner has said he will not bring to the House floor.

The lobbying effort is coming under the umbrella of the American Action Network, a nonprofit 501(c)(4) “action tank” led by former senator Norm Coleman, which is touting the “major positive economic impact” of the Senate bill in e-mails sent to individual House Republican offices.

AAN is housed in the same office as the Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC associated with Boehner, and the two organizations share senior aides, including Brian O. Walsh, the president of both organizations, and Dan Conston, the spokesman for both.

Boehner spoke at a fundraiser for CLN earlier this summer and also headlined the organization’s inaugural event. The group’s website has posted links to numerous news stories that refer to the group as “Boehner’s” super PAC.

The AAN’s e-mail, sent to GOP offices, touts the number of jobs the group estimates the Senate bill would create for the congressional district and state of that office. The group also released an embeddable “widget” that allows users to find out how many jobs the Senate bill would create in the district of their representative.

Conston, the spokesman for both AAN and CLN, said the analysis, based on the Senate bill, is “simply about broadly showing the local economic benefits of reforming a broken visa system — a problem House Republicans want fixed.”

“If similar studies are produced showing the economic benefit of House legislation, you can be sure we’ll produce a similar product,” he added.

Still, AAN’s efforts to tout the Senate bill ruffled feathers on the Hill where some aides were not pleased to feel pressure from Boehner’s super PAC to pass legislation that Boehner and the rest of GOP leadership has dismissed as dead on arrival in the House.

“The Speaker has been clear that the Senate bill will not be considered by the House, and that we will insist on fixing our broken immigration system through a step-by-step approach that starts with securing our borders and enforcing our laws,” Cory Fritz, a Boehner spokesman, said when contacted about the AAN’s push for the Senate bill.

The American Action Forum, a third organization housed at the office where AAN and CLN both reside, 555 13th Street NW, Suite 510 West, is a 501(c)(3) think tank led by noted GOP budget guru Douglas Holtz-Eakin.

Conston noted AAN has supported the House’s step-by-step approach on immigration in the past. For example, a press release announcing an effort to push the House GOP to embrace immigration reform broadly launched at the outset of the August recess said, “We support the House’s effort to deal with immigration reform in a methodical step-by-step conservative way.” Conston also said AAN has supported immigration reform since before CLN was brought into existence in October 2011.

During consideration of the Senate bill in the upper chamber, senior GOP aides aligned with Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, John Cornyn, and others helped push the bill across the finish line, the Huffington Post reported in June.

2Face · 08-22-2013, 07:15 AM

Looks like GOP are trying to have it both ways. Make it seem like they support a bill and kill it and hope the blame goes on Democrats. Democrats not bothered at all to push the bill. This is sad.

freshh. · 08-22-2013, 08:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2Face

Looks like GOP are trying to have it both ways. Make it seem like they support a bill and kill it and hope the blame goes on Democrats. Democrats not bothered at all to push the bill. This is sad.

Their hands are tied because of the fact that the Senate bill will be Blue Slipped once introduced in the House. Our only hope on that front is that the New Democrat Coalition introduces a similar bill after Boehner misses the Labor Day deadline.

cooltalker · 08-22-2013, 11:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2Face

Looks like GOP are trying to have it both ways. Make it seem like they support a bill and kill it and hope the blame goes on Democrats. Democrats not bothered at all to push the bill. This is sad.

I don't know if anything seems likely to pass anytime soon, but I am optimistic that something will pass after the Republicans will loose many seats in the midterm elections next year. But then again, when the Democrats were the majority in both chambers, they didn't to anything.

VeryNicePerson1 · 11:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cooltalker

I don't know if anything seems likely to pass anytime soon, but I am optimistic that something will pass after the Republicans will loose many seats in the midterm elections next year. But then again, when the Democrats were the majority in both chambers, they didn't to anything.

I wouldn't be surprised if Republicans lose alot of seats next year, but I am not sure it is going to happen that soon. Maybe slowly over time?

They will just continue gerrymandering their districts like its running out of style, and continue to hold onto whatever seats they always had anyway...who knows...

alexandernigth · 08-22-2013, 02:17 PM

Umm for many they gonna lose 14 seats, the new ptogrm crossfire of cnn will be the worse nightmare of GOP

DA User · 08-22-2013, 06:30 PM

I think GOP will take the Senate bill and pass it in September.

Pianoswithoutfaith · 08-22-2013, 11:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DA User

I really don't about a CIR and really am just posting this as mockery to the whole situation. Whatever it takes

Wow DA user

WOW

DA User · 08-23-2013, 02:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pianoswithoutfaith

Wow DA user

WOW

May you please NOT post a comment that was never existed by me please?

Pianoswithoutfaith · 08-23-2013, 05:12 AM

I can't understand you, can you repeat that again?

Never existed by you? what does that even mean

lmao

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Boehner Super-PAC Aides Push Senate Immigration Bill