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Rachel Maddow followed up with KPHO's Morgan Loew on Arizona's private prison industry and on the sponsor of SB1070, Arizona Sen. Russell Pearce, who's lobbying ties run even deeper than those of their Governor Jan Brewer. An article by In These Times summed up why as Rachel noted these Arizona pols are pushing the anti-immigrant hysteria even though it is not a very smart political strategy in the long term for the Republican Party. It's a Corporate Con Game:

Yet the fact is, some backers of S.B. 1070 are wrapping themselves in the flag all the way to the bank.

An In These Times investigation shows that the bill’s promoters are as equally dedicated to border politics as they are to promoting the fortunes of private prison companies, like Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) and Geo Group, which stand to reap substantial profits as more undocumented residents end up in jail.

As Loew reported back in May, here are Pearce's plans for legislation he wants to try to push through next year.

'Anchor Babies' Could Be Ariz.'s Next Target:

E-mails to and from Ariz.state Sen. Russell Pearce reveal the immigration enforcement debate may not stop with SB 1070, the controversial immigration law.

Pearce, R-Mesa, the author of Arizona’s immigration law, has been writing to some of his constituents about what he plans to accomplish next.

In e-mails obtained by CBS 5 News, Pearce said he intends to push for a bill that would enable Arizona to no longer grant citizenship to the children of illegal immigrants born on U.S. soil.

Pearce wrote in one e-mail: "I also intend to push for an Arizona bill that would refuse to accept or issue a birth certificate that recognizes citizenship to those born to illegal aliens, unless one parent is a citizen."

CBS 5 Investigates looked through hundreds of e-mails Pearce had sent to constituents and some of their replies. The e-mails varied from praise to criticism and outlined Pearce’s future plans. Most were about SB 1070, his immigration law.

E-mails from the law’s supporters outnumbered those from critics by seven to one.

One supporter wrote, "I think it is about time we take our state and country back from the Mexicans."

One opponent wrote, "Mr. Pearce, you are a sick, racist bigot..."

Pearce replied to some opponents: "Do you not care about the deaths…maimings…billions in cost to America..."

One of the more remarkable e-mails sent to a list of supporters detailed his next steps. The e-mail, several pages long, includes articles critical of the 14th Amendment, which gives babies born on U.S. soil automatic citizenship.

One of the e-mails written by someone else but forwarded by Pearce reads: "If we are going to have an effect on the anchor baby racket, we need to target the mother. Call it sexist, but that's the way nature made it. Men don't drop anchor babies, illegal alien mothers do."

Lovely. What a guy. You can read the rest of the emails here. As the article said Pearce didn't seem to understand why anyone might be offended by that language. But then that's about what I'd expect from someone who's been palling around with Neo-Nazis. In These Times has a really great article with more on his lobbyist ties here.

Ties That Bind: Arizona Politicians and the Private Prison Industry

Go read the whole thing but I wanted to share this chart from that article here. The picture pretty much says it all. It's all about money and lining their pockets, but then what else is new? Fear mongering always seems to pay well for the ones monopolizing off of the fear whether it be wars or the prison industrial complex.

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We covered this story back when it first aired on Phoenix Arizona's KPHO and Rachel Maddow did a fine job of reporting on it here as well. Arizona's tourism industry has taken a hit from the fear mongering out of the state's politicians, but the private prison industry is making a killing.

Two of AZ Gov. Brewer's Advisers Have Ties to Private Prison Industry:

Hotel Owners: Ariz. Politicians Scaring Tourists - Private Prisons Might Gain From New Immigration Law:

Between the economy and boycotts related to Arizona’s tough new immigration law, SB 1070, tourism in the state is down 10 percent.

They said state politicians are not helping matters. Just flip on cable news, and you’re likely to see an anchor or reporter talking about an invasion at the border, or headless bodies in the desert, or a rash of kidnappings.

During this election cycle, Arizona politicians have touted the potential danger of illegal immigration. Gov. Jan Brewer is one of the loudest voices.

She has made several statements to the national media, the validity of which CBS 5 Investigates could not confirm. The governor told one media outlet that almost all illegal immigrants are bringing drugs across the border. U.S. Border Patrol officials said that statement is false.

Brewer also said law enforcement officials have found decapitated bodies in the desert. Calls to all of Arizona’s border county medical examiners revealed no decapitated bodies have been reported to them.

A look at data from the FBI shows crime in Arizona is actually down. Murders in Phoenix have dropped by 50 percent since 2003. The violent crime rate across the state has dropped every year since at least 2004. Even the number of illegal border crossers is down. Border Patrol numbers show they are arresting half as many illegal immigrants as they did in 2004. [...]

In the meantime, a CBS 5 investigation revealed that there is one business that could gain from the implementation of SB 1070 and similar immigration measures. The private prison industry houses illegal immigrant detainees for the federal government. Those companies could gain contracts with state and local agencies to house illegal immigrants arrested for state violations.

Corrections Corporation of America, or CCA, holds the federal contract to house detainees in Arizona. The company bills $11 million per month. CBS 5 Investigates has learned that two of Brewer’s top advisers have connections to CCA.

Paul Senseman is the governor’s deputy chief of staff. He is also a former lobbyist for CCA. His wife is listed as a current lobbyist for the company.

Chuck Coughlin is one of the governor’s policy advisers and her campaign chairman. Coughlin’s company, HighGround Public Affairs Consultants, currently lobbies for CCA.

Rachel talked to reporter Morgan Loew who filed that story for KPHO.

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This is the McCain Media's idea of "breaking news". John McCain is outraged... outraged I tell ya' that Harry Reid would call out Republicans for their race baiting.

Actually this looked more like some feigned outrage to me. We all know what McCain looks like when he's really mad and this ain't it.

Well, Anthony Weiner came back on Morning Joe once again to talk about the First Responders Bill that he and Peter King got into it over on the House floor and no surprise he and Joe Scarborough got into it again as well. I expected as much after Scarborough's ranting and raving and attacking Weiner and the Democrats the last time he had Peter King on.

Scarborough needs to go take a look in the mirror if he wants to know what a demagogue looks like. Someone also needs to remind Scarborough and little Russert that poison-pills do not equal an "up or down vote". If the Republicans cared more about the first responders from 9-11 than playing political games they'd have voted yes on a clean bill instead of insisting on adding amendments solely for the purpose of making political ads and fear mongering about illegal immigrants.

Man I tell you what... this show is just about unwatchable. Joe Scarborough is an insufferable, loud mouthed, bully.

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Joe Scarborough had Rep. Peter King on the set of Morning Joe to respond to Anthony Weiner's interview the previous morning and took up for King and the Republicans while going into full hissy fit mode. Did we expect anything different out of him? He claimed he's going to have Anthony Weiner back on again because he's "got some questions for him". We'll see about that.

Karoli explained very well what game the Republicans were playing here. In Joe Scarborough's world, this is "changing the rules" and the Democrats playing politics rather than the Republicans hoping to insert a poison pill into the legislation so they can run attack ads against the Democrats. Note to Joe Scarborough, you're not "changing the rules" just by deciding to use a different procedure in the House to prevent the Republicans from playing politics. I'm not sure what the definition of "playing politics" is if it doesn't include inserting provisions into a bill purely to attack your opponents in the next election cycle. Scarborough thinks it's just terrible that the Democrats don't want to allow the Republicans to have something to attack the House Hispanic Caucus with in November.

As Karoli already noted here's the game the Republicans are playing:

So to review, the Democrats bring a bill to the floor to pay the debt this country has to 9/11 responders. It doesn't have any poison pills, but the Republicans want to add something that involves illegal immigration, so that Democrats will look like they voted against illegal immigration when they were voting on a bill to take care of 9/11 responders.

And according to Peter King, it's all the Democrats' fault. Got it. (Note: Peter King voted for the bill...)

I will add though that I'd be just as happy to see the Democrats take some advice from Jon Stewart on how to handle the Republicans "poison pill". More from The Daily Show below the fold.

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When Palin was rolled out by McCain in 2008 it didn't take too long to notice she was woefully unprepared for even the simplest interviews. Questions such as "What do you read?" by Katie Couric were greeted with consternation; or "What is the Bush doctrine?" by Charlie Gibson just threw her for a loop, and invited numerous parodies. So you'd expect two years later, on a sympathetic network FOX News, on a subject Republicans have reduced to a check list of boilerplate talking points that Palin would be both in her element and comfortable with the subject. Unfortunately for her that turned out not to be the case at all. In the end even Bill O'Reilly looked a bit taken aback by her evasiveness and non-answers, like when a teacher gives you that "Did you even study for this test?" look.

And it's evident in their respective body language: O'Reilly quizzical, raised eyebrows, prompting her answers at times; Palin hesitant, clasping her hands together, biting her lips, as if afraid she'll make a slip-up and start parroting George Bush or pre-2010 John McCain on immigration reform.

Ellen at News Hounds captured some of the exchange like this:

O’Reilly interrupted again. “So no amnesty. But what do you do with these folks? Do you make them register with the federal government? Do you tell ‘em they have 60 days to get out of here before we put you in jail? What do you do with them?”

Now Palin had an answer. “Do we make them register with the federal government? Yes, we do.”

“And if they don’t register with the federal (government)? Say you give them 60 days to register with the federal government… Say they didn’t do it.”

"You deport ‘em," Palin said.

So O’Reilly asked what she would do with those who do register. “Then what? Do you give them green cards to work right away? What do you do with them?”

Palin obviously had no idea. “You know, there has to be that expectation that they will work and that they will contribute.” Then, she changed the subject by saying, “Bill, it makes me uncomfortable that we’re even going down that path...”

O'Reilly shot back, "You have to go down the path because it’s gonna come up."

Palin, in her condescending, schoolmarm tone, lectured, “American citizens who are here lawfully, they need to be the ones with the first shot at getting these jobs. We cannot make it easy on those who have chosen to be illegally here."

But O'Reilly was not going to be lectured by her. "They’re here and we can’t starve ‘em to death… This is where it gets very complicated, Governor."

Palin pursed her lips even tighter. Don’t tell me she wasn’t piqued. “Then we won’t complicate it any more. Let’s keep it simple and let’s say no. If you are here illegally and if you don't follow the steps... to somehow allow you to work, if you're not gonna do that, you're gonna be deported."

O’Reilly got the last word, underscoring her poor command of policy. He reiterated, “Whoever the next president is, is going to have to deal with 12 million people and that’s going to be very, very difficult."

And therein lies the rub for Sarah Palin's future political aspirations: how to avoid the vexing questions of real world problems when you're completely clueless. That the Half-term Governor has gotten this far on so little says something more than most of us ever need to know about the political process.

From The Daily Show July 8, 2010:

Arizona police officers can't arrest you for not carrying your papers, but if you don't have them, you can be detained. I guess that's what's known in Arizona as a "Catch Veintidos".

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After being asked by Jake Tapper why President Obama is bringing up the issue of immigration reform now even though it doesn't appear there's any chance that something is going to get passed in the Senate, Al Hunt takes John McCain to task for his fear mongering interview earlier in the show where he lied about the crime rate in Arizona.

HUNT: I must say, John McCain, in his interview with you, Jake, that was extraordinary to say that crime is up there. He's talking about Mexico. Crime is down in Arizona. Every single academic study that's been done shows that immigrants commit fewer crimes.

RAMOS: That's right.

HUNT: We have a system where there are now three-and-a-half-fold more illegal immigrants than there were 20 years ago. It's a system that's broke. And for John McCain to say that there's been a dramatic change just simply is not the case.

It's too bad Al Hunt is the one bringing this up instead of Jake Tapper calling out McCain while he had him on the air.

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Another day, another chance for Fox Noise to demagogue the issue of illegal immigration. This time it's Bill O'Reilly and Chris Wallace's turn, following the lead of their cohorts over at Fox & Friends. The Obama administration has hired former Houston Police Chief Harold Hurtt to lead their outreach office at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement or ICE. Media Matters has more on the attacks made on Fox & Friends that were repeated by O'Reilly and Wallace on The Factor. Anything to attack the Obama administration and drum up fear of those evil dirty brown people who just might be turrists coming here to destroy our way of life for the "real Americans".

Fox absurdly claims ICE official doesn't "believe in immigration enforcement":

Fox News falsely claimed that new ICE official Harold Hurtt is "a sanctuary city supporter" who doesn't "believe in immigration enforcement," since he has expressed concerns about local police "in the field" enforcing immigration law, concerns that are widely held among law enforcement leaders. In fact, Houston under Chief Hurtt was not a "sanctuary city," according Fox's own definition, and he has reportedly said that in his role at ICE, "he will support local law enforcement agencies' decision to participate in any ICE program of their choosing, even if it involves questioning suspects on the street about their status."

Fox calls Hurtt a "supporter of sanctuary cities," which "do not check for immigration papers".

...In fact, Houston cooperated with ICE when Hurtt was serving as police chief

Hurtt said that at ICE, he will support local decisions on enforcement of immigration. The Houston Chronicle reported on June 23 that Hurtt, who served as Houston's police chief from 2004 through 2009 and was selected to be the director of the Office of State and Local Coordination at ICE, expressed "concerns" about "officers in the field" asking about immigration status, citing "resource capabilities," and concerns that fewer members of immigrant communities would "com[e] forward to report crime." The Chronicle further reported:

Hurtt said that in his new role, he will support local law enforcement agencies' decision to participate in any ICE program of their choosing, even if it involves questioning suspects on the street about their status.

"That's a decision that needs to be made at a local level," he said.

ICE official in 2006: "Houston is not a sanctuary city, by the definition." The Houston Chronicle reported on June 30, 2006, that Bob Rutt, the agent in charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Houston, said that "Houston police notify ICE when officers arrest people wanted by ICE. He said officers also call his agency when they suspect violent criminals might be in the country illegally, and they help out on some criminal operations." Read on...

But in O'Reilly and Wallace's world, he's a "sanctuary guy". Transcript below the fold.

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How's that pandering working out for you President Obama? Sen. Get-Off-My-Lawn McCain is never going to be happy even if he sent the 6000 troops he's demanding. As Digby pointed out "it's paranoid, wingnut crap that has no bearing on reality". I agree with her here as well:

Mean Old Man McCain says we need 6,000 troops on the border, so I'm guessing President Goldilocks will say his "compromise" on this is "just right." But hey, ratcheting up xenophobia is so good for everyone right now, why not just pretend there's a huge problem that doesn't really exist? We don't have enough real ones apparently. After all, there are some Democrats who apparently think they need to show how much they hate Mexicans in order to win, so it's all good.

(Oh, and remember that while there's a huge "appetite" for expensive, stupid bullshit like this, there's none for extending unemployment benefits to the lazy bums who want to live like kings on 250 bucks a week from government rather than get a non-existent job.)

That money would be better spent doing something about this disaster in the Gulf as well. Arizona's Attorney General Terry Goddard on the other hand seemed pleased with the decision and was critical of the tone of McCain's rhetoric. I'm sure he knows full well we wouldn't see McCain acting like this if he didn't have wingnut J.D. Hayworth for a primary challenger.

Transcript via CNN below the fold.

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