The Lie Politic » Newsmakers

Federal Prosecutions at a Record High in Arizona

theliepolitic — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 05:46:09 +0000

New data came out today to reinforce the Obama administration’s claims that they are increasing immigration enforcement: Federal prosecutions in Arizona are at an all-time high, with 20,818 prosecutions filed in the state during the first eight months of the fiscal year, according to a report released today from the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University. Immigration cases made up 84.5 percent of the prosecutions.

Immigration enforcement increased during Obama’s term, TRAC reported. Arizona mmigration prosecutions were up 90 percent in the first eight months of this fiscal year over the same period in 2008, the final year of the Bush administration:

TRAC does not give a breakdown for who exactly is caught up in immigration cases. But immigrants rights groups question whether the Obama administration is properly targeting its immigration enforcement. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have said they only have the resources to deport about 400,000 illegal immigrants per year and therefore prioritize dangerous criminals.

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EPA Outlines Efforts to Reduce Global GHG Emissions

theliepolitic — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 05:46:09 +0000

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson announced today a series of “international priorities” for the agency, including working across borders to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. The announcement comes as EPA is stepping up its role in fighting climate change, given Congress’ failed attempt to pass legislation to address the issue.

Jackson announced the priorities at a Commission for Environmental Cooperation meeting in Guanajuato, Mexico.

According to an EPA statement, other priorities include:

combating climate change by limiting pollutants
improving air quality
expanding access to clean water
reducing exposure to toxic chemicals.

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Mine Safety Chief Vows to Punish Ventilation Violations

theliepolitic — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 05:46:09 +0000

The Hill reported today that the head of the agency in charge of mine safety, the Mine Safety and Health Administration, has pledged to increase enforcement of ventilation standards, a key issue in the ongoing investigation of the deadly April explosion at the Upper Big Branch mine in West Virginia.

Mike Lillis, who did a ton of great reporting on mine safety during his time at TWI, quotes MSHA chief Joseph Main as saying:

These standards are not voluntary and every mine operator in the country is on notice that MSHA will not tolerate violations of ventilation standards.

And some context, again from Lillis:

Among the most damning charges, a number of Massey miners — both current and former — have said that company managers habitually encouraged workers to tear down line curtains, sheets of plastic designed to direct fresh air from vents into underground work chambers.

Main said last week that he still doesn’t know if methane monitors were tampered with before the explosion at the Upper Big Branch mine, which killed 29 people.

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Sheriff Joe Arpaio Continues to Delay Civil Rights Investigation

theliepolitic — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 05:46:09 +0000

Earlier this month, the Department of Justice threatened to sue controversial Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio if he did not agree to turn over documents for a civil rights investigation. But so far, the sheriff’s office has still refused to cooperate, The Washington Post reported today.

The Civil Rights Division investigation is looking into claims of “discriminatory police practices and unconstitutional searches and seizures” by Arpaio’s department, according to the Post. Arpaio has claimed since 2009 the he is being investigated for political reasons. On August 5, his lawyer accused the Justice Department trying to coerce him into cooperating with the civil rights investigation. “DOJ cannot require the reproduction of millions of pages of documents so DOJ can ’see what it can find,’” his attorney wrote.

He still has not turned over documents to the DOJ:

Arpaio’s resistance is highly unusual: Justice Department officials said even the threat of such a lawsuit is rare. They added that they plan to meet with Arpaio’s lawyers next week in a last-ditch effort to forestall litigation. If the Justice Department eventually files a broader civil lawsuit, it could result in the department terminating the several million dollars in grants to Arpaio’s office each year or a judge’s order forcing him to change his policies.

Arpaio is also being investigated by a grand jury seeking to determine whether he abused his power to intimidate political opponents. Arpaio’s lawyers told the Post he is cooperating fully with the grand jury investigation.

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Environmental Groups Keep at Senators Tied to Oil Industry

theliepolitic — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 05:46:09 +0000

The same environmental groups that launched last week a web site targeting lawmakers who have taken money from the oil, natural gas and coal industries are at it again.

This time, they are launching a web site called CleanUptheSenate.com. Oddly, the site redirects you to BobbingInPetroleum.com and includes a game that allows players to throw tarballs, wind power or a “sun blast” at former BP CEO Tony Hayward. The goal is to “save the senators” from corporate influence. It’s a bit bizarre to say the least.

The site, which says it is “calling out our oil splattered senators,” identifies 46 senators — mostly Republicans, but some Democrats, like Sen. Mary Landrieu (La.) — who the environmentalists say have been influenced by the oil industry.

Groups involved in the campaign include: True Majority, 350.org, MoveOn, Public Citizen, and Greenpeace.

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Dueling Opinions on the End of the Bush Tax Cuts

theliepolitic — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 05:46:09 +0000

Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, in a New York Times opinion piece, suggests holding off on letting tax rates rise for wealthy Americans:

The president supports permanently extending the current tax rates for all except the highest-income households, while Congressional Republicans want the entire basket of cuts to be made permanent. The prudent middle ground would be to forestall any tax increases in 2011 and to phase in higher rates on upper-income households in 2012, when the economy will be on firmer ground.

The president’s plan would be taking an unnecessary gamble with the struggling recovery. Businesses have only recently begun to add jobs, and they appear to be a long way from hiring fast enough to reduce unemployment. Even under the best of circumstances, the unemployment rate will remain near 10 percent well into next year. The high rate of joblessness has cast a shadow on the collective psyche that will only worsen with higher taxes, raising the already uncomfortably high odds that the economy will suffer a double-dip recession.

In most times, raising taxes on the wealthy by such a modest amount has had little impact on the economy. But these aren’t most times.

Jared Bernstein, chief economist to Vice President Joe Biden, speaking with The Huffington Post, argues wealthy Americans can afford the tax increase:

“There are many good reasons not to extend the high-end parts of the Bush tax cuts having to do with the fear that a temporary extension could be made permanent,” Bernstein said. “What you are talking about — a $30 to 40 billion range in terms of adding to the deficit by extending the high end — could easily become $700 billion over a ten-year budget window.”

“I think the phase out suffers from that vulnerability,” he went on. “You are exposing yourself to the risk that it could be made permanent. The president, [Treasury Secretary] Tim Geithner have been very articulate on this point. If you wanted to, and we do, provide more help to the economy that is about the worst way you could do it. Those folks tend not to be liquidity constrained and therefore the kinds of multipliers associated with that type of spending are the lowest. So it simply is not good stimulus policy and it is not good budget policy.”

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Politicians Still Scoring Points Over Abramoff Scandal

theliepolitic — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 05:46:09 +0000

The U.S. Department of Justice investigation into former House Majority Leader Rep. Tom Delay (R-Texas) might finally be over, but the fallout among other political figures over their ties to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff continues:

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) recently launched a new ad linking his right-wing primary challenger, former Arizona Republican Rep. J.D. Hayworth, to Abramoff. And Missouri Democratic Senate candidate Robin Carnahan used McCain’s attacks as a renewed opportunity to hit her Republican opponent Roy Blunt for his ties to the lobbyist-turned-convicted-felon.

Hayworth and Blunt are not the only active politicians to have accepted donations from the tainted lobbyist. In all, 37 current congressional candidates and sitting members of Congress received money from Abramoff, according to a review of campaign finance data by the Center for Responsive Politics.

It’s the same strategy that Republicans are attempting to employ in the case of Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.), tying every Democrat who’s received contributions from the embattled representative to his present alleged ethics violations. And with all the mileage that politicians have gotten out of the Abramoff scandal, it looks to be a pretty effective one.

For a full breakdown of all Abramoff’s beneficiaries, the Center for Responsive Politics has a spreadsheet you can download here.

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Forecast Says GOP Takeover More Likely

theliepolitic — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 05:46:08 +0000

The Cook Political Report raised its House forecast “from a Republican net gain of between 32 and 42 seats to a gain of between 35 and 45 seats, with the odds of an outcome larger than that range greater than the odds of a lesser outcome.”

Republicans would need a net turnover of 39 seats to take control of the chamber.

“At this point, only 214 House seats are Solid, Likely or Lean Democratic, while 181 seats are Solid, Likely or Lean Republican, and 40 seats are in the Toss Up column. While this would imply an advantage for Democrats, given the continuous erosion we have seen in dozens of contests so far this cycle, races shifting from Solid and Likely Democrat to Lean Democratic and Toss Up, we would be surprised if there was not more movement over the 78 days from now until Election Day.”
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Bonus Quote of the Day

theliepolitic — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 05:46:08 +0000

“Let us be clear about one thing: The tea party movement is not seeking a junior partnership with the Republican Party, but a hostile takeover of it.”

– Former House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R) and Matt Kibbe, in a Wall Street Journal op-ed.
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Traylor Could Force Vitter into a Run Off

theliepolitic — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 05:46:08 +0000

A new Market Research Institute poll in Louisiana shows primary challenger Chet Traylor (R) could stop Sen. David Vitter (R) from capturing the GOP nomination in Aug. 28 primary election.

Vitter leads Traylor, 46% to 34% with 21% still undecided, but below the 50% he would need to avoid a run off.
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Nelson Wants Unused State Aid to Pay Down the Deficit

theliepolitic — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 05:46:08 +0000

Via The Hill, Sen. Ben Nelson (Neb.), the most centrist Democrat in the Senate, has introduced legislation requiring that any unused funds from the $26.1 billion state-aid bill go to paying down the deficit. His office released this statement:

“For states that can meet their state’s education needs without the additional federal funding provided by the new education jobs law, my bill will direct the unused funds to reducing the federal deficit,” said Senator Nelson. “The new law will keep thousands of teachers on the job across our country and I’m pleased that it is fully paid for by cutting other federal spending and closing foreign tax loopholes for businesses.

“If a state or states, however, don’t need the additional money, we should make sure the unused funds aren’t shipped off to other states. Instead, the unused funds should pay down the federal deficit.”

Even if a state’s senators did not vote for the measure, the state will receive some of the funds — $10 billion to keep teachers working, and $16.1 billion for Medicaid. States had initially requested much more than that to help them close their fiscal gaps and to avoid layoffs.

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Will the Border Security Bill Keep Border States Safe from Spillover Violence?

theliepolitic — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 05:46:08 +0000

Obama signed into law a $600 million border security bill last week, part of a months-long effort to show his administration is serious about safety along the U.S.-Mexico border. Pro-reform groups and enforcement advocates wrote off the bill as a political stunt, arguing either that it was unnecessary or too small to curb illegal immigration. But there is also a third criticism of the bill: It may not be enough to tackle spillover violence from Mexican drug cartels.

Although so far the U.S. side of the border has not seen an increase in violence due to cartels, the situation in Mexico is getting worse: 28,000 people have been killed in drug-related violence since Mexican President Felipe Calderón took office three years ago. This is primarily due to turf wars between drug cartels, who also engage in kidnapping and human trafficking.

So far, this violence has not spilled over the border, but residents of border states fear it will. “If we don’t get control of it, you’ll see vigilantes in these states,” Don Elder, the mayor of Katy, Texas, told TWI. “We’ll see fighting in the U.S. on the street.”

Along with its funding for additional Border Patrol agents and unmanned drones, the border security bill includes funds specifically aimed at maintaining safety in the border region, with $30 million for law enforcement activities targeted at reducing the threat of violence. Obama also recently deployed an additional 1,200 National Guard troops along the border.

These are positive developments, but long-term work is also needed to remove the threat of spillover violence from Mexico, Bob Killebrew, a fellow at the Center for a New American Security, told TWI. “We can react to crises with pinpricks, like sending more National Guard troops, but the real solutions are more complicated,” he said.

Killebrew is the author of a CNAS report on national security and criminal drug networks that will be released in September. He said the administration has made the right moves for border safety so far by adding patrols and refocusing drug enforcement on prevention and treatment. The next steps should be to expand the Drug Enforcement Agency’s efforts at curbing Mexico’s drug cartels both within Mexico and in the U.S., where they sell drugs wholesale to American gangs, and to work with the Mexican government to fight cartels. “The focus of our war against these guys isn’t a war against drugs, it’s a war against the cartels,” Killebrew said.

The Daily Caller reported today that two former law enforcement officials had a similar take on border security:

In an interview with The Daily Caller, former Drug Enforcement Agency Task Force and Arizona State Narcotics Strike Force member Bill Richardson said he doubts Washington understands the scope of the problem. [...]

Former El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC) director Phil Jordan told The Daily Caller he thinks Washington needs to make a concerted, full-scale effort to attack drug cartels.

“Our focus should not change from organized crime to going after illegal bus boys and maids,” Jordan said. “Yes, they are illegal, but the priority should be going after organized crimes.”

In other words, increasing border security is not as simple as ending illegal immigration. Immigrants rights advocates have attempted to disentangle the two issues, but to little avail: Republicans continue to call for increased border security before they will consider comprehensive immigration reform.

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