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With an ambitious speech at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library on Monday night, Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton became the latest Republican presidential aspirant to try and get himself anointed Donald Trump's populist successor. Cotton's remarks were noteworthy primarily for establishing him as a master of obfuscation who will go to almost comical lengths to paper over the party's many disagreements and contradictions.

One way to describe the fissures in the GOP is to contrast Reagan and Trump. The first was sunny and optimistic, a confident defender of democratic ideals who took a strong stand against the Soviet Union while championing immigration, free trade, and limited government at home. The second trafficked in anger and resentment, openly admiring dictators, denigrating NATO, and favoring closed borders and protectionist policies designed to insulate American workers from market forces.

Cotton elided these many differences by claiming that Reagan and Trump belong to the American populist tradition that traces back to President Andrew Jackson. According to Cotton, this tradition is known for proudly and unapologetically defending America's interests in the world and the interests of ordinary Americans against corrupt economic and political elites.

Cotton then set himself up as the truest successor of the Jacksonian tradition by calling out the biggest mistake made by each of his populist predecessors. Reagan, he claimed, should never have gone along with an immigration amnesty as part of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. As for Trump, his greatest error was supporting and signing the First Step Act, which passed the Senate in 2018 with 87 votes. (Cotton was one of 12 Republicans to oppose the bill.) It was championed by libertarians and widely hailed for its efforts to reform criminal law, sentencing guidelines, and federal prison policy to enhance fairness and reduce the inmate population.

As far as Cotton is concerned, the current surge in violent crime can be traced directly to this law, which supposedly encouraged the hiring of progressive prosecutors who engage in "nullification" by failing to prosecute criminals. The law also resulted in a drop in the prison population by "more than 400,000 inmates in 2020 alone," driven by the "faddish claim that our country has an over-incarceration problem" when in fact "we have an under-incarceration problem."

Combine this diatribe with other passages of the speech denouncing "globalism" and chain migration, calling for presidential medical adviser Anthony Fauci to be fired and "held accountable," denouncing the indoctrination of "our kids with extremist nonsense" in schools, railing against China, and mocking President Biden's appeasement of Russia and listeners could be forgiven for assuming Cotton's vision of Jacksonian populism amounts to a nastier and more competent version of Trumpism that's also an outright repudiation of Reaganism.

If that's what Tom Cotton wants the Republican Party to stand for, he can certainly try to make it a reality and ride it all the way to the Oval Office. But he should admit the truth that this vision has as little to do with Reagan as it does with Abraham Lincoln, another president Cotton attempted even more absurdly to fold into the Jacksonian tradition. Anything else is deliberate mystification.

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Cotton can't square the circle between Reagan and Trump - The Week

U.S. Labor Secretary, Marty Walsh

Labor Secretary Marty Walsh visited Durham Technical College with Vice President Kamala Harris to talk about President Bidens plan of increasing job growth and supporting the middle class.

The Bureau of Labor reported on Feb. 4 that unemployment has decreased by 3.7 million people in January. In comparison, 5.7 million people were unemployed in February 2020. This is attributed to the Bipartisan Infrastructure bill that passed in November and the framework of the Build Back Better Act that is being revised by the Senate.

Weve been investing in job training and workforce development programs to get people back to work, Walsh said.

The infrastructure bill supports funding for economic development such as repaving roads, creating more efficient energy sources like electric charging stations for cars and providing research grants to educational institutions.

Having efficient energy accessible allows the cost for consumers to decrease and for research grants to institutions. The Labor Department is also spending $45 million for grant programs to strengthen community colleges, the News and Observer Reported. The grant programs introduce job training and focus on bringing more diverse people in the workforce, particularly people in the middle class.

Theres no question, its not just job growth, but creating, a pathway into the middle class for people, Walsh said. When you think about somebody thats working in a labor union job, that job comes with benefits, comes with, in some cases, healthcare.. Im a firm believer in collaboration. I think, if companies and unions were close together, companies can grow as well.

The Build Back Better Act is similar to the infrastructure bill in cultivating more opportunities for free childcare for children under 6 years old, free preschool programs, free community college for up to six semesters and providing up to 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave. Now that the bill will have revisions, the new name is Build Back Better Framework.

The new changes will allow families to afford childcare based on their tax bracket and reduce cost for middle-class families by moving towards clean energy, according to the White House. In efforts by Biden to rebuild the middle class, the framework includes investing in immigration reform and having the framework paid for by large businesses and wealthy individuals. If someone is making under $400,000 then their taxes will stay the same.

However, this is not until the House and Senate can agree on the framework.

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Labor Secretary Marty Walsh explains how legislation is supporting the working class - A & T Register

Two groups within mega-donor Charles Koch's political network on Thursday launched a campaign to push lawmakers toward a broad immigration reform bill.

The groups, Americans for Prosperity (AFP) and the Libre Initiative, will spend seven figures on digital ads, mailers and local events to call on senators to move forward with immigration legislationpaired with border security measures.

The Koch groups are part of a broader effort of immigration supporters across the political spectrum buoyed by recent polls showing that around three quarters of Americans support allowing many undocumented immigrants to regularize their status.

And a recent poll by Libre found that 93 percent of respondents think Congress should act on immigration and the border.

Politicians in Washington are failing their constituents. Practical immigration fixes would give us a stronger economy, a stronger border, and a stronger America. An overwhelming number of Americans agree, but Congress cares more about fighting than solving problems," said Daniel Garza, president of the Libre Initiative.

"Our call is simple: start by pairing reforms that have broad support and lets start reforming our outdated immigration systems, he added.

Libre and AFP on Wednesday joined in a letter with a coalition of faith, advocacy, business and education leaders, calling on leaders in both houses of Congress to move on immigration reform.

"At no other point in recent history has the need for immigration reform been greater than it is today. Simply put, the system is broken," reads the letter, signed collectively by a group called Alliance for a New Immigration Consensus.

The Koch groups' campaign comes in the wake of President BidenJoe BidenFire breaks out at major nuclear plant in Ukraine amid fighting Russia inflames political war over gas prices, oil drilling On The Money Push to block Russian imports hits wall MORE's State of the Union address, where he laid out an immigration vision that combines permanent legalization for millions of undocumented immigrants, temporary status holders and Dreamers with border security investments.

Among many immigration advocates, the idea of combining border security and immigration reform had fallen out of favor, as attempts at comprehensive immigration reform had crumbled and the Trump administration's laser focus on enforcement and security showcased the dysfunctions of the existing immigration system.

But immigration-centric legislation has stalled in Congress, even as an assortment of bills has passed the House with some bipartisan support.

And a slew of recent polls has consistently shown that large majorities want action on the issue, although Republicans tend to prioritize border security measures and Democrats tend to focus on the immigration system itself.

"Rather than continuing to use immigration as a wedge issue, we urge lawmakers to roll up their sleeves and drive solutions that both tackle these issues and have broad public support. But Congress must do the work to get this done," said Jorge Lima, senior vice president for policy at AFP.

"That is why we are devoting resources and marshaling our activists across the nation to contact their elected officials, share their support and urgency, and drive decisive action on these solutions without delay," added Lima.

This story was updated at 9:17 a.m.

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Exclusive: Koch groups launch ad campaign to promote immigration reform | TheHill - The Hill

Activists remind White House of unfulfilled campaign promises to legalize millions of unauthorized immigrants with roots in the U.S.

by: Julian Resendiz

EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) With rallies and emails ahead of the State of the Union address, activists are reminding President Biden of unfulfilled campaign promises to bring about sweeping immigration reforms.

Its clear to us theres a number of things that didnt happen this year. We dont have immigration reform. We have millions of people still abused and persecuted, said Fernando Garcia, executive director of the Border Network for Human Rights. He was referring to the closing of the border to asylum-seekers and lingering Trump-era programs such as Remain in Mexico and Title 42 express expulsions of newly arrived migrants.

The group on Tuesday gathered at the U.S. Federal Courthouse in El Paso carrying signs alluding to the campaign promise of legalizing 11 million unauthorized immigrants who have been in the country for years, many of whom are raising American-born children.

We are disappointed but at the same time were putting pressure for Biden to really provide solutions on immigration and for immigrant families and not keep the policies of deportation and expelling migrants, Garcia said.

The Washington, D.C.-based Americas Voice warned those unfulfilled promises could cost Biden and the Democrats at the polls.

During the remaining months before the 2022 midterms, President Biden and Democrats need to deliver on an immigration breakthrough. Democrats cannot afford to leave votes on the table with a disillusioned base, said Vanesa Cardenas, deputy director of Americas Voice.

She said the Democratic majority in Congress can still enact immigration relief by ignoring the ruling of the Senate parliamentarian of not including immigration provisions on financial legislation such as the Build Back Better Act.

The White House can also provide temporary relief through new Temporary Protected Status designations, she added.

Producing an immigration breakthrough is not only a moral imperative but also a political imperative, Cardenas said, warning that recent polls suggest Democratic base voters are turned off by Bidens failure to deliver promised immigration reforms.

Another group, United We Dream, has scheduled a rally Wednesday outside the White House to demand immigration reform and call for an end to Remain in Mexico and Title 42 expulsions.

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Groups press Biden for immigration reform ahead of State of the Union address - WAVY.com

They dont move because they want to. They move because they have to.

Dr. Arno Vosk recently spoke with staff from the Williamsport Sun-Gazette about his work as a physician examining refugees seeking legal status in the United States.

His stories are heart-wrenching, detailing the suffering of those persecuted around the world.

Jailings, torturings, assaults by gangs and cartels. Attempted beheadings.

Just as appalling as the details of what happens to refugees in their homelands was the word to which he returned, the word he says epitomizes how refugees can get a chance for better life, a chance to enjoy their God-given rights.

Luck.

Vosk described the process of going before an immigration judge for a decision and the unjustified rates at which some of these judges reject applications for asylum.

Luck should not play a role in men and women having liberties our Declaration of Independence says are given by God.

We believe in tougher border security. We believe more physical barriers on our borders are part of the solution. We believe tougher enforcement against employers of illegal immigrants is part of the solution. We believe more staffing for our border patrol and wages and benefits that allow our border patrol to recruit the best candidates is an even bigger part of the solution.

But we also believe that our legal immigration processes are indefensibly broken. That arbitrary quotas and caps have no place in a just immigration system. That is should be simple and affordable for immigrants from poverty-stricken lands to pursue visas and asylum.

And while some politicians have argued these reforms can happen only if illegal immigration is addressed, we at the very least believe legal immigration needs reformed independently of better enforcement against illegal immigration.

And we are increasingly open to the argument that our legal immigration system needs reform before we can reasonably expect the world to respect laws that havent earned their respect.

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Immigration reform needs to be a priority | News, Sports, Jobs - Williamsport Sun-Gazette - Williamsport Sun-Gazette