Why Does Agribusiness Give To Rep. Pat Meehan?

By Tom Flocco

“It’s a life of hell for people who are illegally trying to work…”  Rep. Patrick Meehan (R-7-PA—The Philadelphia Inquirer—7/9/2013

“I believe we still need the special skills and talents of foreign workers coming into the country.”  Patrick Meehan—9/10/2010—Valley Forge Tea Party Meeting

Speaker John Boehner led a House Republican Conference meeting last Wednesday (July 10) to discuss how to handle the increasing frustration of its party base regarding the looming prospect of illegal immigration amnesty and whether any bill should be sent to a House-Senate Joint Reconciliation Conference where amnesty would likely be guaranteed.

Questions are being raised as to why GOP members would even consider the ultimate legalization of some10-40 million new U.S. workers and their “chain immigration” relatives plus foreign professionals to compete with an already staggering number of unemployed Americans for the few job scraps still available.

Constituents or Immigration Interests?

One answer could lie in the western suburban Philadelphia counties of Delaware, Chester, Montgomery and Bucks surrounding the city which have been traditional GOP strongholds with serious Tea Party involvement—but with increasing Democrat registrations due to redistricting sections of Philadelphia which occasionally tips the balance of power.

In the 7th Congressional District, however, campaign finance dollars could also be playing a quiet role as Patrick Meehan, a respected former Delaware County DA and United States Attorney, faces on the surface a third easy race and no primary opposition in 2014—since former Democrat Rep. Joe Sestak left for a losing Senate race against Patrick Toomey.

Meehan’s Democrat opponent will likely be weak enough so that he would have a large enough victory margin to vote for a House Immigration bill loaded with “Tea-Party-style” conservative goodies to be sent over to a compromised House-Senate reconciliation conference ready to do the dirty work.

At that point Meehan and other GOP House members would have political cover to blame Sen. Marco Rubio and his “gang of ocho” for legalizing 11-40 million new workers but also stripping out e-verify job protections, defunding sanctuary cities, ending chain immigration, limitations on foreign visa professionals and ending foreign birthright citizenship, etc.

Meehan told The Philadelphia Inquirer on July 9  that “It’s within my contemplation that we’ve got to figure out some kind of earned legal status for people who are here,” indicating that he is intent on providing 11-40 million more workers to compete on an even playing field with millions of currently unemployed American citizens. [http://mobile.philly.com/news/?wss=/philly/news&id=214696841]

Unemployed 7th District constituents—let alone all Americans out of wok–may take issue with Meehan’s ‘expressions of sympathy for people who came here illegally but are striving for a better life,’ as the Inquirer phrased it.

Meehan then added, “It’s a life of hell for people who are illegally trying to work.”
Many Delaware County families are also going through a life of unemployed hell—and they are all citizens who did not break United States laws.

Follow Congressional Dollars

U.S. corporations and smaller businesses expect something in return for the gobs of green grease donated to encourage the GOP to betray both their unemployed and working constituents with some curious political shenanigans.
Millions of newly legalized workers will drive down salaries and wages through increased competition—from those breaking into the country illegally and those coming in legally with the help of immigration law firms and very liberal visa policies.

An examination of Patrick Meehan’s campaign finance records available on OpenSecrets.org reveals that two of his top five contributors, Cozen-O’Connor and Pepper-Hamilton—individual law firms with sizable immigration practices — gave a combined $100,000.from a total $867,000 contributed by other U.S. law firms and lobbyists handing out cash during Meehan’s first two terms.

Many of the other law firms also have substantial immigration practices throughout the U.S.

Interestingly, Cozen O’Connor is one of many large law firms providing counsel to the detainees at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp.

A 2008 Pew Research report said 17 percent of all American construction workers were not U.S. citizens while Rep. Meehan received $292,000.in contributions from the Construction Industry during his two terms in Congress.

The same Pew report listed 25 percent of all American farm workers as illegal and undocumented while the 7th District suburban Philadelphia representative received $74,000 from the Agri-Business industry, also according to Open Secrets.org.

A key example as to where Meehan may lean on immigration came in a May 2012 House amendment to prohibit the use of funds to be used by Obama Attorney General Eric Holder to originate or join in any lawsuit that sought to overturn, enjoin, or invalidate Immigration Enforcement Laws in Oklahoma, Missouri, Arizona, Utah, Indiana, Alabama, South Carolina, and Georgia.

The amendment passed 238-173 with most Republicans supporting it and most Democrats opposing it.

However, Patrick Meehan voted against the amendment and no one in Delaware County has asked him to explain why he voted to allow Holder to use taxpayer funds to help overturn immigration enforcement laws in 10 states.

Immigration website NumbersUSA.com lists Meehan’s stances as virtually  unknown and a blank slate from his questionnaire regarding such key issues as amnesty, mandating E-verify to protect American jobs, limiting worker importation, ending chain immigration, and defunding sanctuary cities for illegals across America.

While Speaker Boehner attempts to craft something palatable to his base and his large contingent of revolting conferees, some GOP members are looking for cover from the Senate after they send a bill to conference which will ultimately placate wealthy contributors needing cheap labor from legalizing those entering illegally but also those coming in legally—albeit with the help of immigration law firms handing out congressional dollars.

Special Skills And Talents Of Foreign Workers

This reporter’s own experience questioning Meehan came on Sept. 10, 2010 at about 8:45 p.m. during an evening campaign stop at a Valley Forge Patriots Tea Party meeting in Phoenixville, PA, attended by some 300 voters.

During the Q&A this reporter asked Meehan whether Congress should reduce or perhaps institute a moratorium on H-1b and L-1 visas which bring highly-skilled professionals into the country to take American jobs at a time when millions of U.S. professionals are already jobless.

Meehan’s face turned red as he replied, “I believe we still need the special skills and talents of foreign workers coming into the country.”

There was a smattering of applause while most of the 300 voters sat in stunned silence—so much so that Meehan’s aides walked about assessing the political damage previously unreported by any news organization—but those in attendance will remember.

Meehan took no more questions and immediately excused himself, saying to the crowd, “Thank you for coming. Now I have to get to a 10:30 p.m. coffee meeting in Springfield,” (40+ minutes away) while his aides stayed long after attempting to smooth over the comment about foreign workers.

While Rep. Meehan has previously served honorably and capably in Delaware County law enforcement, serious concerns can be raised as to whether the congressman and so many of his GOP cohorts—also beholden to immigration-oriented campaign finance benefactors—can navigate the murky waters of loyally representing the job interests of their own constituents when so much corporate money is riding on their upcoming amnesty vote to drastically increase the labor pool—and competition for jobs.

Perhaps voters will confront GOP House members regarding amnesty and its effect on unemployment at upcoming summer recess events in home congressional districts as they did a few summers ago after the taxpayer bank bailout—which led to the Tea Party.

Or perhaps American citizens have just had enough—disgusted with lawbreakers demanding legalization and amnesty, but also with GOP congressmen who don’t understand the employment hell their own constituents are experiencing nation-wide.

Maybe it’s time for an electoral Tea Party.

 

 

Why Does Agribusiness Give To Rep. Pat Meehan?

 

Why Does Agribusiness Give To Rep. Pat Meehan?

12 thoughts on “Why Does Agribusiness Give To Rep. Pat Meehan?”

  1. Why would Flocco be ashamed of himself? It is Meehan and people such as you who prefer to conceal vs reveal the truth about these bought and paid for elected officials. I applaud Flocco and denounce Meehan.

  2. Not mine. I’m with Pat Meehan and his quest for social justice to give the  undocumented alien a quick and generous path to full citizenship.

    Popcorn!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.