It was one year ago today that “Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day” presented its original profile of the now four-term U.S. House Representative from Pennsylvania’s 11th Congressional District, Lou Barletta. While he was still mayor of Hazelton, Pennsylvania, Barletta made a name for himself back in 2006 by passing a city ordinance to curb illegal immigration, the draconian “Illegal Immigration Relief Act”. He immediately defended charges of the law being racist by saying, “This isn’t racial, because ‘illegal’ and 'legal’ don’t have a race.“ Of course, it’s hard to believe that when you consider Barletta was proudly touting it’s "success” by the most interesting measurables… bankrupting Mexican restaurants, adding, “I see illegal immigrants picking up and leaving – some Mexican restaurants say business is off 75 percent. The message is out there.” Well, racist or not (it’s racist), within less than a year, the courts overturned the law as unconstitutional, to Barletta’s chagrin. He did not, however, cease to demonize undocumented workers to advance his political career, and rode anti-immigrant fever into Congress in a mining town that was ironically built by Italian and Irish immigrants into a hub a century ago. He has cemented an alliance with the Federation of American Immigration Reform, whose idea of reform is actually “kick 'em all out” and has earned itself the attention of the Southern Poverty Law Center, who classify FAIR as a hate group. In April of 2014, FAIR was hosting their “Hold Their Feet to the Fire” event in Washington, D.C., where they invite conservative radio hosts to the capitol to interview members of Congress, and push for extreme actions to be taken against undocumented workers. Lou Barletta was more than happy to give interviews to the most radical and xenophobic of loons. Perhaps the most disturbing quotes included his discussion with the rabidly anti-Islamic activist, Frank Gaffney, where he called Barack Obama a “dictator”, his chat with Lars Larson to say that “Sanctuary Cities are making us a Third World Country” and his chat with former chief of staff to Allen West, Joyce Kauffman, where Barletta compared undocumented workers to the terrorists who hijacked planes on 9/11.
“Many undocumented immigrants come to the US as an 'act of love’ for their families. You know, sometimes we need to remind everyone about September 11. The pilots of those planes, it was an act of love to a different God that took American lives. And not everyone who is here illegally is all here for an act of love for their families.”
Pretty disgusting examples, right? Well, Barletta doesn’t have much self-awareness for cause and effect, as he has also managed to whine about how the GOP cannot win over Latin voters. He really has no idea why they can’t get behind a Republican Party that demonizes Latinos as much as they do, and probably doesn’t help them make any more headway like when he refers to them as “not skilled” or “not having high school diplomas”, and their eagerness to just take government handouts. Which, he assumes would make them Democrats, so why push for immigration reform, when they’re just going to join the opposing party, right? Lou Barletta is against any and all actions involving immigrants short of a boot to their ass that he began actively talking about impeaching President Obama for his executive orders on immigration in June of 2014, insisting that House Republicans had the votes to successfully do so (they didn’t, not that it was an impeachable offense, anyway).
Outside of being a xenophobic bigot, what else is there to know about Lou Barletta? In his last debate against Paul Kanjorski, back in 2010, Barletta denied climate change science. He has twice already voted to defund Planned Parenthood, as well as having been a consistent vote on anti-choice measures, has repeatedly voted to try and repeal the Affordable Care Act, has voted against raising the Debt Ceiling limit, and voted for the 2013 Government Shutdown. Barletta was also one of the first Republicans to endorse Donald Trump for president, and was a part of his transition team. (no word on whether or not he had secret conversations with Russian envoys before or after the election… yet.) For a time, he was even rumored to be a potential pick for Secretary of Labor.
After the 2010 elections, the Pennsylvania GOP re-districted the Congressional map and booted large swaths of Democrats out of Pennsylvania’s 11th, making its Cook Partisan Voting Index shift a whole 10 percentage points more conservative than it previously was, and is such a mangled mess that it features an elementary school on the map that’s cut in half. It’s part of the GOP’s gerrymandering shenanigans in the Keystone State that show Democrats won 44% the votes in the state in the 2014 elections, buts still somehow only get 27% of the state’s seats in the U.S. House. And that probably has a lot to do with how Lou Barletta coasted to victory with 64% of the vote in the 2016 elections against Mike Marsciano. Over the past calendar year, these have been some of his more obnoxious moments as a legislator:
- May 25th, 2016: Barletta votes against of House Amendment 1128, which would have prohibited the use of fedreal funds for discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. That’s right, he voted in favor of LGBT discrimination, out right.
- March 16th, 2017: Lou Barletta votes for HR 1181, which would allow veterans deemed mentally incompetent to continue to own firearms, and not have them taken away without a judge’s written order. We feel safer already.
- March 28th, 2017: Rep. Barletta votes for SJ Res 34, which allowed internet providers to sell the data information of their customers’ internet usage to businesses. Well, so much for privacy.
Now, we’re admittedly frustrated that an anti-immigrant wanker like Lou Barletta manages to keep getting re-elected, but with the number of Trump transition team members who suddenly are ducking out of the limelight as reports from the investigation into Russian interference in the American election trickles in… well, let’s just say we’re keeping our fingers crossed and that he also manages to get a rude awakening from the FBI or CIA at some point in the near future.
One Year Ago, May 1st, 2016: Lou Barletta (PA)… Original Profile
Two Years Ago, May 1st, 2015: Joan Farr Heffington (KS)