2 TexansCBS couldn't contain its excitement about snairing American neo-Nazi plotter Stephen Bannon for 60 Minutes. Reports by people who have watched the show, which airs Sunday, say Bannon explains that Trump's neo-Nazi base-- including himself-- are pissed off about Trump's somewhat confused stand on DACA. (The latest iteration is that Trump will "force" Ryan and McConnell to work with Nancy and Chuck to codify the program within 6 months and that no DREAMers will be deported in the interim. Thursday morning Trump tweeted his guarantee to DREAMers after Pelosi asked him to.)"Trust me," said Bannon, "the guys on the far right, the guys on the conservative side, are not happy with this." Sad for the Nazi snowflakes! And now Ryan has to solve this mess. Pelosi seemed to be rubbing them snouts in it Thursday morning when she announced that "We made it very clear in the course of the conversation that the priority was to pass the DREAM Act, that we wanted to do it in-- obviously it has to be bipartisan. The president said he would-- he supports that. He would sign it."70% of Americans do not want to see DREAMers deported. But a significant part of the Trump base wants it and believes they are entitled to it. Late in the week, the Texas Tribune asked-- or attempted to ask-- every member of the Texas congressional delegation what they think about how this is all playing out. There are 120,000 DREAMers in Texas, the seconded biggest number after California. Abby Livingston reported that "Texas Democrats, unsurprisingly, uniformly backed the DACA program, and called for further immigration reform. Some of them also called the DACA announcement an unwelcome distraction from the Hurricane Harvey clean up effort." The GOP reaction was more difficult to explain in any kind of coherent way. All the Republicans start with their party's top-line talking point, namely that Obama's use of an executive order is unconstitutional (which it isn't). Texas 2 conservative senators, Cornyn and Cruz, both say they're happy that Trump has moved the decision-making for DACA back to Congress, although neither bothered to mention that they oppose the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.Several House members refused to respond to the question, including endangered Republican in districts that have been trending away from the GOP-- like John Culberson, Pete Olson, Joe Barton and Blake Farenthold. Far right extremist Brian Babin thought he could sleep-walk into reelection in his R+26 East Texas district. But the district was devastated by Hurricane Harvey and former KLOL radio host Dayna Steele is devastating Babin's reputation. She's putting TX-36 on the map and today she said that his refusal to comment just showed once again that Babin is "a spineless Trump boot licker... This is one of the main reasons I decided to run-- he pretty much has no comment on anything. He's like having a VOID for a representative. And he always waits to see what Trump says first and then mimics it." The likely next congressman for TX-07, Jason Weston, told us that Culberson, or as we call him 'No Comment Culberson,' continues his long standing pattern of avoiding taking a public position on polarizing issues. Earlier this year, he refused to take a position on TrumpCare, even though he later stated he was 'absolutely for it.' Now he is silent on DACA and what he would do with the 800,000 DREAMers, but he voted against the DREAM act in 2010. 'No Comment Culberson,' we see you, and the voters will see you to the door in 2018."Trump's biggest and most knee-jerk booster among Texas congressmembers is Lamar Smith, who is fighting for his political life in an Austin-San Antonio corridor district that is headed blue. Smith told the Texas Tribune that "Trump delivered on his promise to the American people. He said he would discontinue DACA, which allows hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants to stay in the country and gives them work permits... By ending the unconstitutional DACA program he has overturned the last of the Obama administration’s amnesty agenda and returned to the rule of law... Congress and the administration should strengthen our laws against illegal immigration and ensure that our immigration policies put unemployed Americans first." Yesterday, Smith unveiled legislation that would cut legal immigration levels in half, claiming is prototypical Know Nothing legislation puts American workers first. If it were true-- it isn't-- it would be a first that Lamar Smith has ever given a hoot about any American workers.His likely 2018 opponent, progressive Democrat, Derrick Crowe, doesn't see it the same way as Smith does, of course. "Lamar Smith apparently revels in being the local face of the politics of racial resentment," he told us this afternoon. "He and Sessions portray their attack on DACA recipients as 'the rule of law,' as if they weren't actively fighting to change the law to enshrine xenophobia and racial division. Smith himself wants to end birthright citizenship so he can deport more people of color. This isn't some sterile, genteel, law-abiding agenda. This is about smashing communities of color and fighting to keep White supremacy supreme in Texas and elsewhere. DACA recipients and DREAMers are where they belong: here, in the United States. I reject the racism and cynicism underlying this attack, and I know Central Texas stand with me on this." Even some of the most xenophobic Texas congressmembers acknowledged that the DREAMers should not be deported. Ted Poe: "Through no fault of their own, these individuals were brought to the United States where they made their home and contributed to our community. They should be able to earn the right to remain, but only through a legal process that Congress sets forth. Congress must act immediately to resolve this issue." Wall Street whore Jeb Hensarling: "Like the president, I am sympathetic to young children who were relocated to our country through no fault of their own. For some, this is the only home they have ever known. It is imperative to find a proper resolution of their status, maintain the rule of law, and take necessary steps to end rampant illegal immigration." Mac Thornberry: "Congress must step up and pass legislation that will treat these young people fairly and will provide a long-term solution. At the same time, we should act to improve enforcement of our laws so that this situation is not repeated in the future." Bill Flores: "When it comes to the DREAMers, those children and young adults who are here through no fault of their own, I believe Congress should quickly find a solution to ensure they can stay in the United States, which for many is the only home they know."A couple sounded like they'll oppose any kind of reasonable approach. Far right lunatic and crackpot ideologue Kenny Marchant, for example: "For the last eight years we saw unprecedented overreach by the executive branch. The Obama administration undermined the democratic process by unilaterally creating immigration policy through executive order. Today, President Trump kept his promise to end the DACA program before the courts found it illegal and invalid. I’ll continue working with my colleagues in Congress to secure our borders, enforce and uphold the rule of law, reform our legal immigration system and put American workers first." Even more extreme is sociopath Jodey Arrington: "President Obama took unconstitutional action by unilaterally bypassing existing federal immigration laws with the creation of DACA. My constituents sent me to Washington to stop illegal immigration, secure the border and find lawful solutions to our broken immigration system. I look forward to working with President Trump and my colleagues in Congress to fix the problem created by President Obama.Another extremist and xenophobe is Michael Burgess: "The Trump administration’s decision to end DACA is a positive step in reforming our immigration system. From the start, DACA was irresponsible policy that incentivized illegal border crossings. It is the role of the Congress, not the executive branch, to consider and pass legislation. President Obama clearly overstepped his role when he enacted DACA as an executive order. There are legal pathways to immigration that create positive results for immigrants, the American people and the economy. DACA was never an appropriate or legal answer for thousands of illegal immigrants. By rescinding DACA, President Trump has acknowledged Congress’ constitutional authority to consider lasting solutions to secure our borders."
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