Boehner Faces Backlash from Conservatives on Immigration

His calls for reform meet a mixed response

Speaker of the House John Boehner may be facing retribution from GOP members for calling on his colleagues to enact "comprehensive immigration reform," during an ABC News interview on Thursday, according to The Hill.

Louisiana Rep. John Fleming (R) issued a concerned statement about Boehner's plans, saying that he's "getting ahead of House Republicans."

Representative Steve King (IA) was more aggressively critical, claiming that establishment Republicans now want citizenship for illegal immigrants.

Boehner, who opposed immigration reform in the past, denies having made any pledges, telling The Hill that he wants a "step by step common sense approach to secure our borders, allow us to enforce the laws, and fix a broken immigration system."

Both Senator John McCain (R) and conservative talk-show host Sean Hannity support Boehner's apparent initiative on comprehensive reform.

Hannity told viewers Thursday night that he "evolved" on the issue of immigration, where he once opposed reform.

Via The Hill

Do you believe the GOP will change its stance on immigration?

[Neo_NtheMatrix]

If he caves, we're primarying him and voting him out. We need someone to stand their ground and not sell America out.

[Sonny]

Go right ahead. And your extreme right wing candidate will probably lose to a more realistically-thinking democratic candidate in the general election.

[PNWest]

What's the we stuff? I thought you and your family were moving to Canada.

[Neo_NtheMatrix]

@PNWest - I'll still have an interest in making sure America is safe. I'd still have extended family in the states.

[RobertJHarsh]

I happen to know the area where Boehner lives. West Chester is north of Cincinnati and it is the 2nd richest area in Ohio. Not making that up. His district is geographically build around the money and really old money of southwest Ohio. In short, he'll laugh at any primary. The man is going to be in Congress for another 10 years. No voting him out.

[Stop_Whining]

@Neo_NtheMatrix

You could care less if America is safe or not. You care about not loosing face, as your hardline positions are dropped from the GOP dialogue.

[Sonny]

Whether they "change their stance" or not on this or any other issue. What they really need to do is STOP letting the far right fringe element of their party dictate their extreme stance on everything. They really need to make a stance against this so-called "tea party" and take back their republican party.

[Neo_NtheMatrix]

I so wish there was a 'vote down' button.

[Sonny]

@Neo_NtheMatrix Why, affraid of ideas different than you own?

[methinks]

Also, the Democrats need to oust the far left fringe of their party as well. The Democratic party of today is NOT the Dem party of FDR and JFK.

[Sonny]

@methinks Well if you are suggesting that we need to "compromise" (Again not a Dirty word) I would agree with you...YOU just need to tell your extreme right wing counter-parts to do the same thing!

[IraqWarVeteran]

Majority of the House of Representatives is the only change for the United States. Vote him out if he is weak on immigrantion reform.

[Laradian]

Face it.... the old west, Jim Crow era that you once knew and loved is gone forever.

Welcome to the new United Integrated States of America.(UISA)

THE FUTURE IS OURS. THERE IS NO TURNING BACK.

[Jasonopolis]

I certainly think that Republicans need to change their immigration layout, like yesterday. Romney left many issues unaddressed or not clearly spelled out including this one. Someone needs to come up with a clear plan that does not alienate one of the hardest working demographics of our society. If that be Boehner, then I call it leadership.

[Neo_NtheMatrix]

Jasonopolis: " Someone needs to come up with a clear plan that does not alienate one of the hardest working demographics of our society."

Too late, the Dems have already alienated that group.

[Jasonopolis]

@Neo_NtheMatrix Hahaha. Good point.

[Sonny]

@Neo_NtheMatrix Well no, actually the republicans have that claim to fame. Don't you remember your candidates "self deport" comments...I'm sure they do....

[Jasonopolis]

@Sonny I assumed that he was speaking of hard working Americans in general, not just Hispanics.

[Sonny]

@Jasonopolis Well you are certainly free to make that assumption. But I don't think so. And, as a seasoned politician, this guy should know how to communicate to his audience and get his thoughts clearly articulated. And the fact that he hasn't done that effectively... makes me wonder why he is even in the position that he is currently in

[woodtick57]

maybe the states should just enforce the immigration laws they have? if they really made it illegal to hire illegal aliens, it would solve the problem, instead of our current approac of treating te symptoms of te problem US citizens have created themselves...

[RedFloppyShoes]

Boehner has always amazed me that he has ever been able to stand upright without a spine.

[Lpguy]

the GOP can dance around this all they want, it makes no real difference. immigration would not even be much of an issue if we just stop taxing productivity and instead taxed consumption. I understand the reluctance to let in folks who will not pay taxes, yet get freebies from the state. but dancing around amnesty or closed borders will accomplish nothing

[tomincali]

amnesty is what caused the number to go from 3 million to what we have now. it just gets another cycle of illegal aliens coming for the same rewards. huge mistake and a hurt to citizens.

[Ashstop]

I hope we stand our ground!! No other countries have open borders,( just try to cross into Mexico on their southern border!) we can't even take care of our own for taking in others! If you couldn't give your own kids the things they needed should you take even more from them to help the neighbors kids?

[Stop_Whining]

The GOP will have to either accept that most Americans are demanding a more liberal, fair and free society, or they will go the way of the dinosaurs...

Though im sure many of them wouldnt understand this, as they believe dinosaur bones are "a trick of Satan".......

[jessejaymes]

You right wingers just don't get it do you? You can't win a Presidency any longer based solely on white male far right vote. Boehner is trying to do what he knows has to be done. They HAVE to get 35% of the Latino vote to win a Prez vote today. I suggest you far right people start your own Political Party. The power structure of the GOP has gotten the message. They will be moving to the center over the next 4 years.

[MongoAPillager]

sure lets just live on emotion'screw principles and morals,if it feels good do it,everyone wear Nike's.Hey if we just live by democracy whats the need for a republican form of government.America,s new platform..if it feels good do it,if more than 50%like it,it,s law

[jessejaymes]

@MongoAPillager You're out of line on a couple of counts. I wear Reeboks for one. Secondly you can rant and rave all you want. The GOP just proved that their base is not large enough to win a Presidential election. I am a REAL conservative, not a bible belt fascist. The BBF's can't expand their base unless they expand their race. I personally couldn't care less if they want to become a fringe party. I'd prefer it actually.

[jessejaymes]

@MongoAPillager One other thing. There is a whole lot more to "morality" than being a Christian. A pox on religion.; All religion. Without exception.

[MongoAPillager]

@MongoAPillager you are not a true Conservative,sorry.i don't believe i mentioned religion?if your going to adopt the progressives platform then you are not a Conservative,you're a lib

[jessejaymes]

@MongoAPillager What I am not is a goosestepping right winger. I'm a fiscal conservative, a gun nut, pro English, anti abortion (with exceptions), pro controlling the border and anti amnesty. Call me what you like. I'm used to it from extremists on both the left and right.

[DARSB]

Isn't "getting ahead of House Republicans" in the Speaker's job description? He is the GOP Leader, after all.:-)

And now the low-information crowd will forget to breathe into their paper bags and will clog up the Intertubes with breathtakingly dumb claims and notions.

[jessejaymes]

LOL You do have a way with words

[MongoAPillager]

coming from the party of windbags no less

[tomincali]

darn shame this has failed so bad it has came to this. all it would have took to prevent this mess back in the 80s was to do what all agreed to at that time. instead fed failure to follow through on 100% enforcement. from what was said was 3 million got to close to 20 million do to that failure.
giving in and letting another shamnesty fly will have the numbers up to the billions do to the cycle will keep repeating itself all back to the failures in washington. those who hire illegal aliens will once again hire more and the ones who get the shamnesty will be angry at the new comers driving down their wages and taking jobs as it has been since the 80s.

sure the rich like it,it only has the bad effect on those who work or try to work and lose out.like the dreamers,now get to pay the same rate as those in the state,in some places will even get aid which will be taken from citizens who need that aid.

this is more about opening our borders and forcing us into the north American union,it is being done the same way it was forced on europe,underhanded slow and slimey.

[tomincali]

if you read anything form wikileaks search them and north American union.i know the gov is against them and tries to discredit them all do to they pull their slimey covers.

[Penn1699]

He needs to go. I am sick of his profiteering butt. Just like Salliese student loans are raping the borrowers. Is it any coincidence they are above the law and Boehners daughter is a collections executive with them?
Both sides are obscenely corrupt. I for one am disgusted.
Term limits!!!!

[Vance1]

Our Immigration policy's have failed completely, These Mexicans are taking over.
La Raza has always said that they would take The country over and now they have.
America has made a huge Mistake, We need to start a massive deportation and get these illegal criminals out of our country.
Amnesty doesnt work, We have tried it before.
Securing our borders, and deportation is the ONLY thing that works.
Every state should have an SB 1070 policy.
Liberals will disagree But I could care less.

[jessejaymes]

Doesn't matter if I agree with you or you call me a liberal. It's not going to happen. There are too many legal Latinos here now. Reagan opened this can of worms and nobody since has done a thing about it. The war on illegal immigration is lost.

[tomincali]

@jessejaymes i don't think citizen latinos support the cause of illegal aliens,it effects them worst than it does others.a shamnesty will cause nothing but ring the dinner bell for more just like the last time.

[jessejaymes]

@tomincali Look I'm all for controlling the border. Won't happen. I'm all for controlling immigration. Won't happen. And the illegals don't care what the legal Latinos think anymore than they care what we think.

[tomincali]

@jessejaymes and neither does anyone in office who claim to be for the American people and push for open borders. what do you think will happen when there is no border.

[jessejaymes]

@tomincali You need to stop playing party politics and look at the history. Reagan gave amnesty, promised to control the border, did not. Bush the father started the NAFTA push, fast tracked it, lost the election, Clinton signed the bill when the GOP couldn't override a veto. Bush the son opened that border more than any President in history. Obama wants more Amnesty. Why both parties? Because the ultra rich want it. They want to turn America into a third world country of the ultra rich and everyone else is poor. No middle class. There will be no border control.

[DARSB]

At some point, probably after the current generation of GOP Senators and Reps dies off, the Republican party will awaken from its Tea-induced coma and start to represent all conservatives, not just the loudest ones.

In the meantime, though, Speaker Boehner will have to endure the tantrums of his Tea Party element and, I hope, educate them on compromise as a necessary feature of adult governance. Immigration reform is a good place to start.

[SoPas]

Well stated. I would also add / go a bit further, and challenge the GOP to promote conservatism as an economic model based on enlightened indivualism, and not confuse it with a social model predicated on Puritanism.

[scottidee]

US "Liberal" Democrats 'opposed' US Border Security for the purpose of growing a desperate needy political base.
*
US "Rino" Republicans 'Ignored' Open Border Security for the purpose of cheap and invisible labor .
*
Thus on the basis of my Republican party RINOs allowing millions of Central American & Mexican Migrants to illegally flood the Country, I would have to say
that non violent criminals, young mothers and helpless older illegals should be
allowed some sort of US residency ( but not with every single Federal handout)

[jessejaymes]

There is no easy solution other than one. In California it is estimated that 25% of illegals have found their way onto the welfare rolls. But when you look at the legal Latinos a full 33% of them are on welfare. The only solution is workfare. Illegal Latinos have had a hard life. Hard backbreaking work all their lives. I don't see how you can fault them for wanting to lay around on more money and benefits that they would ever have in Mexico or Central America but the truth is that this cannot be allowed to happen. Too many of them, they have too many kids. They will work if they have to work. They need to be on workfare and that goes for the blacks who have learned to live with laying around, with the white trailer trash who live their lives on welfare and everyone in between. Workfare is the only way out of this mess.

[scottidee]

@jessejaymes WORKFARE is another scam - they show up to some office - throw out paper baskets - hang out in the break room - sign off on an attendance sheet and BAM - the company gets a tax credit for paying someone that would never have been hired and the illegal keeps all his medicaid housing and food stamps

I SAY MILITARY

[jessejaymes]

@scottidee I think two years in the Military is an excellent solution for those seeking citizenship but what if they are 70 years old? Workfare works in some countries doesn't in others. We need to make it work. In Germany welfare people have to both work a few hour a week for the offices that administer their welfare and they have to sweep their own block five mornings a week. Do you have any idea the cost and overhead of one of those street sweeping machines that the big cities use? More than a million a year on average for the lifetime of a street sweeping machine large enough to work 8 hours a day sweeping up after ghetto people.

[scottidee]

@jessejaymes always care for the injured the hungry and the helpless and the elderly.

US Military 16-50 men 16-40 women various basic training and administration jobs for the non fighting or physically weak

[jessejaymes]

@scottidee I don't want amnesty. But I am simply telling people what is going on in California. They are suffocating the welfare rolls more as citizens than they are as illegals. That's a can of worms.

[DABurroughs]

the chest thumping by the far right on here is sad when you consider the right wing just had their back cheeks handed to them. The message is clear that America is hispanic, black, asian, gay, women, men, youth and every other demographic. it is no longer the servants to old white men. Republican leadership knows that this message means start dealing with people from this century and not from the 1950s and maybe your party won't just die out. Boehner knows this but too many in his caucus listen to Limbaugh and Hannity who tell them the elections means nothing and that the old white guys still rule the earth.

[ya_right]

"far right" lolzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz watch msnbc much ?

[Cheenoguy]

@ya_right
You could just read the election results and see that the far right got their butts whipped so hard that CPS is investigating their parents.

[DABurroughs]

@ya_right Listen to Rush and Sean much? Lose elections much? lol

[ya_right]

I think the far right didn't vote.

[DABurroughs]

@ya_right I heard that like 3 million republicans did not vote and that could have delivered the election to Mitt. I guess the smarter right wingers figured out that even if you take a Mass liberal and dress him up like a conservative, that doesn't make it so.

[ya_right]

Let it cave, raise tax to 100% for all I care, I just want Obama to be shamed along with his "followers".Close all the coal mines down right now and stop making gasoline, who cares.

[Romney2012]

If liberalism keeps seeping into it, then yes!!

[martydotcom]

They should chage their entire leadership and message. Same old agenda won't win an national election. The PAC's spending proved even with unlimited $s people aren't buying.
What ever happened to Reince Prirbus?

[tomincali]

same old agenda that is a stand for the American way of life will not stand when open borders groups have their way,globalist was a north American union which means no more USA.

[martydotcom]

@tomincali This an exercise in creative writing? Who may I ask is promoting open borders? a north Anerican union ? Why would Canada want to join with us?
Rick Perry Tx It's a good investment to educate our immigrate population we get paid back. Drop the paranoia, they fight to come to the USA for your American Way I work hard and there are no limits

[tomincali]

@martydotcom i think wikileaks checks double checks then checks again before putting things out.like when they leaked the kill list.

[martydotcom]

@tomincali Guess this is your chain of paranoid ramblings. unless you're an Al Qaeda I think you can sleep.. Apparently you don't even know what Wiki leak is. You don't score point by flaunting you lack of knowledge.. Don't you listen to Fox, Rush, Mark, etc. FYI Wiki LEAKS steals or stole secret documents,from Internet transmission and LEAKS THEM Duh ...The fact check nothing they release the actual document at times according to Feds putting innocents at risk.. I await a courts decision on Julia Asange and Bradley Manning

[tomincali]

@martydotcom so you are ok with giving the jobs of citizens to illegal aliens? walk off and give them your then?