12/26/2013
Kevin McCarthy’s Bakersfield district has, in my view, suffered from immigration, but there are a number of Republican donors who would say they've benefited, and they're normally who McCarthy would listen to.
Laura Meckler writes in the WSJ that some other people have been shouting so loud he can’t hear his donors:
His California district is 37% Hispanic. It is dominated by big farms that rely on immigrant labor. Mr. McCarthy has strong ties to Silicon Valley, where companies are eager for more high-tech visas. His perch as No. 3 House Republican gives him a voice in leadership and sway over what legislation comes to the floor.
But an aggressive campaign to win his support appears to have backfired.
Immigration-Bill Pressure Backfires | Overhaul Backers Target Majority Whip, but Tactic Provokes Response From Opponents, December 25, 2013 (This is subscriber content, if the link doesn’t work try clicking on the first result here)
"Aggressive campaign to win his support" means harassing him, "occupying" his office, harassing him at his home, and everything short of actual violence.
In the interview, Mr. McCarthy focused on the pressure from pro-immigration forces, saying they had protested at his house, confronted him at the grocery store and made it impossible for his staff to work because the protests were so loud.
"I can’t go anywhere in the community without being protested," he said. "I don’t see how that is productive."
So now he’s personally upset with the reconquistas, which is good. (Patriotic immigration reformers have also protested him, but decently.) I talked about one of these protests in a post called Feeling The Heat? GOP Whip Kevin McCarthy Says No House Votes On Immigration This Year.
A Republican Congressmann has to worry about two kinds of pressure, from donors and from actual voters. It’s the second kind that is starting to worry McCarthy. According to the WSJ "People close to Mr. McCarthy say the conflicting pressures made him wary of getting involved with the issue at all."
That option is not available.
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