April Fools!!!!
http://www.keystonepolitics.com/...
Keystone Politics has obtained a copy of a Spanish-language fundraising invitation sent by Republican Congressman Lou Barletta to Hispanic voters in the 11th District inviting them to an event the campaign has titled “¡Un Fiesta Mucho Comedico Con Su Mejor Amiga Lou Barletta!”
The event will feature Honduran-born stand-up comedian Carlos Mencia, the former host of Comedy Central’s sketch comedy series Mind of Mencia.
Recipients of the invitation were confused as to why Mencia would agree to help raise money for Barletta, who is known for his vow as Mayor of Hazleton to make the town “one of the toughest places in the United States” for immigrants.
Barletta campaign spokesman Lance Stange said that Mencia was invited to host the event as part of the GOP’s nationwide outreach plan to minority voters.
“If Hispanic Americans hear that Congressman Barletta doesn’t want them in the United States, they won’t even pay attention to his next sentence,” said Stange. “They’re tuning out the great things Lou says about abortion, assault rifles, and homosexuals.”
“We’re losing them at ‘I hate you,’” added Stange. - Keystone Politics, 4/1/13
Barletta has always been vocally anti-immigration. Today he open his bigoted mouth and had this to say:
http://abcnews.go.com/...
Rep. Lou Barletta (R-PA), for example, just compared undocumented immigrants to extra water on a sinking ship.
"Why are we even talking about a pathway to citizenship when our borders aren't even close to being secure?" Barletta told The New York Times during a discussion on possible outcomes of the immigration reform debate currently taking place in Washington.
"Let's not take on any more water on this sinking ship," he said. "Let's patch the holes. Then we'll decide what do we do with all this water that's here."
The remarks come just several days after Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) used the derogatory term "wetbacks" to refer to Latino farmworkers while he was discussing his father's ranch. He released an apology statement, but only after pressure from top Republicans, including House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio).
Barletta said he would oppose any plan that allows undocumented immigrants a chance to work legally. While a number of studies have said offering immigrants a path to citizenship would contribute to the economy's growth, some Republicans have expressed concerns that immigrants will take jobs from American workers.
This is not the first time Barletta has laid out such positions. He championed a law in Hazelton, Pennsylvania in 2006 that penalized employers for hiring undocumented immigrants. - ABC News, 4/1/13
Despite the gerrymandering, I for one would love to make Barletta a top target in 2014. I think him and Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick (R. PA-8) are the top two Republican congressmen we can still defeat next year. The DCCC is already working on getting former Congressman Chris Carney (D) to go up against Barletta next year:
http://www.politicspa.com/...
Two Democrats in the 11th district tell PoliticsPA that they received a telephone poll from the Democratic Congressional Committee testing Rep. Lou Barletta (R-Luzerne) against former Rep. Chris Carney (D-Susquehanna).
It’s the first step in an effort by Dems to recruit a challenger to Barletta, whose district is darker red than the party’s 2012 congressional targets.
“I know the DCCC is recruiting him hard,” said one northeast Pa. Democratic operative.
Carney has an attractive profile for Democrats. He served in the U.S. naval reserves for several overseas tours of duty, and has worked as a counterterrorism analyst.
He defeated an ethically challenged Republican incumbent in the Democratic wave year of 2006 and easily held on to the 10th district in 2008. But after voting for Obamacare, he was swept from office in 2010 by Rep. Tom Marino (R-Lycoming) who won by over 10 points.
Carney went on to work in government affairs for BAE systems, a defense contractor, in 2011. At the same time, Republican mapmakers were re-drawing the 10th and 11th congressional districts. Though Carney’s home in Dimock, Susquehanna County remains in the 10th district, most of his base was moved to PA-11. Barletta’s district now has 24% of the constituents of the former 10th.
The law doesn’t require congressional candidates to live in their district, so Carney could still challenge Barletta. - PoliticsPA, 2/26/13
Hopefully a strong challenger, whether it's Carney or someone else, will step forward soon because giving Barletta the boot next year would be a great this for both Pennsylvania and the United States.