Thread: Grijalva stands to gain more influence in House

Published: 11.24.2006

Grijalva stands to gain more influence in House
By Josh Brodesky
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
For U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva, there is perhaps no better symbol of life in the political minority than his effort earlier this year to push for wilderness designation for the Tumacacori Highlands.
Although he is on the House Resources Committee and the Democratic Caucus' environmental task force, pushing for the wilderness designation was akin to moving a mountain.
"We couldn't get a hearing," he said. "We couldn't get responses from the Interior (Department). We couldn't get the committee chair to even put it up for the hearing. That was frustrating, but it was a heck of a learning experience."
Now that his party holds a majority, Grijalva, perhaps more so than any other Democratic member of Arizona's delegation, is poised to build political clout.
Entering his third term representing District 7, Grijalva is close with California Rep. Nancy Pelosi, who will be the next speaker of the House. He was unanimously elected vice chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus last week.
And with immigration a hot issue during the recent election, Grijalva has a chance to become a national voice in the debate.
His district covers most of Southwestern Arizona, spanning much of the Arizona-Mexico border area. Moreover, Grijalva's father was a migrant worker who came to the United States in 1945 through the bracero program, which essentially was a guest-worker program for farm laborers.
"I happened to have benefited from his labor," Grijalva said.
Considering his personal history and his district, it's not surprising that Grijalva said he, Pelosi and other members of the Hispanic Caucus have talked about pushing comprehensive immigration policy changes through Congress within the first 100 days.
"I think the American people — whether that is a divisive debate or not — deserve that," Grijalva said.
Former state Sen. Peter Goudinoff said he expected Grijalva to be a "national champion" on immigration overhaul while also working to increase immigrant rights.
"He may be the single most prominent congressman on that issue," Goudinoff said.
He added that Grijalva's relative political safety in his district, where he got more than 61 percent of the vote this year, allows him the freedom to speak his mind on the issue rather than play it safe by sticking to party talking points.
He also cited Grijalva's close relationship to Isabel Garcia, who heads the Coalición de Derechos Humanos, an immigrant-rights group.
"I would expect her to be very influential with him," Goudinoff said.
Garcia and Grijalva have been friends for more than 30 years. She is an ardent Grijalva backer. The two describe each other as akin to family, and yet they split on last spring's proposed comprehensive immigration legislation, which would have allowed for a path to citizenship. Grijalva supported it; Garcia said she was against it because of its border-enforcement provisions.
She characterized their differences on the legislation as a product of the politics of Washington, where compromise is a necessity.
"We are hopeful that in time, Raúl will be listened to by the powerful committees," Garcia said.
Grijalva called such a time "inevitable," citing not only his personal connection to the issue and his district's geography, but also his unwavering record on immigration-law changes that offer a path to citizenship.
"I've been horribly consistent for four years," he said.
However, Tom Volgy, a University of Arizona political scientist and a former Tucson mayor, expressed measured skepticism that the immigration issue would be Grijalva's ticket to political clout.
"He is probably going to have a say in it, but … finding the key to immigration is a virtually impossible standard for him or anyone else to meet," Volgy said.
Rather, he said, any newfound clout will come from Grijalva's place among the four Democrats in the state's congressional delegation. The four can work together to get legislation passed for their respective districts.
Moreover, as Western states become increasingly important to the Democratic Party, incumbents such as Grijalva will have an opportunity to set policy, he said.
"The real strategy is capturing the West," Volgy said. "Ranging from Arizona to as interesting a place as Montana, Democrats did incredibly well — historically well. This puts Raúl in a national leadership position."
Looking to his next term, Grijalva said he would again push for wilderness designation for about 85,000 acres in the Tumacacori Highlands, south of Tucson near Tubac, as well as for some federal infrastructure funding for towns along the border.
Grijalva, regarded as one of the most liberal members of Congress, also has been outspoken in his support for withdrawal from Iraq and for a review of the No Child Left Behind Act.
Grijalva said he is not concerned that his liberal views might undercut him or that he may be pressured to move toward the center.
"There are going to be disagreements in our caucus, and that's fine," he said, noting that the Congressional Progressive Caucus still makes up the largest portion of the Democratic assembly.
And while Democratic power will be muted by Republican control of the White House, Grijalva said he realizes there is now pressure to produce.
"It's not only a question of being effective," he said. "I don't have a problem with that expectation. We probably have a high expectation about changing some stuff around and actually doing legislation that means something. We are not only required to produce, but we are required to lead."
● Contact reporter Josh Brodesky at 434-4086 or jbrodesky@azstarnet.com.
http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/printDS/157438

Moreover, Grijalva's father was a migrant worker who came to the United States in 1945 through the bracero program, which essentially was a guest-worker program for farm laborers.

So here is a person with a giant "chip" on his shoulder with a big axe to grind which is apparent and is what happens when we see our congress being "balkanized."

It shows us that we must be ready for the push that's coming. We need to have all our ducks in a row and get ready for the sucker punch.

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