Thread: Democrat Kanjorski Battles Anti-immigration Folk Hero in PA

Note: ALIPAC has endorsed Lou Barletta
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Democrat Kanjorski Battles Anti-immigration Folk Hero in Pennsylvania
Andrea Stone
1 hour ago
1 Comments

DELAWARE WATER GAP, Pa. -- Lou Barletta listened politely as the town hall meeting kept veering back to his signature issue, the one he really would rather not talk about in the closing days of his congressional campaign: illegal immigration.

What is your position on securing the border, asked one voter. For it, of course. Shouldn't babies born of illegal immigrants be denied citizenship? asked another. "It's worth looking into," he said noncommittally. Do you agree with what the German chancellor said about immigration in her country? Barletta didn't bite, turning away to another man who railed against foreign aid.

In an interview later in this Pocono mountain town on the New Jersey border, Barletta vented his frustration.

"In this campaign I've talked very little about immigration. It's been almost all about the economy and jobs," he said. When an editorial board asked how he could get away from being labeled a one-issue candidate, he replied, "Simple. Don't ask me any illegal immigration questions. And they said, 'How can you talk to Lou Barletta and not ask a question about illegal immigration?' "

How indeed. Four years before Arizona cracked down on undocumented residents, the Republican mayor of Hazleton made a national name for himself when his city banned illegal immigrants from getting jobs or from renting housing. He spearheaded the actions, he said at the time, because of a rise in crime that coincided with an influx of Hispanics -- some U.S. citizens, others not -- into the small city.

Now Barletta hopes to become known as the man who unseated Paul Kanjorksi, the 13-term Democrat who has represented Pennsylvania's blue collar, blue-voting 11th congressional district since the Reagan administration.

Second only to Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.)on the powerful House committee that crafted the unpopular $700 billion bailout of Wall Street, Kanjorski is little-known outside this district of played-out coal mines, heart-shaped hotel bathtubs and transplanted New Yorkers. But at home he is known as a John Murtha-style "master of earmarking," albeit one with possible ethics problems connected to a nephew who worked at companies that received federal funding. Kanjorski's campaign said the congressman had nothing to do with those federal awards.

"He is the poster child for the frustration that people have that our elected officials in Washington have lost touch with the American people," said Barletta, who vows to serve no more than 10 years if elected.

At 54, Barletta is one of the young guns Republicans hope will help them take over the U.S. House on Nov. 2. But they've bet on him before. Twice.

"Either third time's the charm or three strikes you're out," said Barletta, who unsuccessfully challenged Kanjorski in 2002 and again in 2008 after the immigration ordinances made him a folk hero to many on the right.

Barack Obama won the heavily Democratic district by 15 points two years ago. Kanjorski -- who spent $7 million on his campaign -- edged out Barletta by just three. Said the Republican: "I don't believe there'll be anyone here to help him this year."

The Democratic lawmaker won in 2008 because of a last-minute surge by Obama. But, "Now the president is unpopular and so is Kanjorski," said political scientist Terry Madonna, director of the Franklin and Marshall College Poll. "Barletta is well known and a reasonable alternative. Kanjorski is also the quintessential long-serving incumbent, known for blunt, sometimes provocative talk. Some think he's been absent -- even disconnected -- way too much."

Polls are unanimously stacked against Kanjorski. Madonna's poll showed 57 percent believe it's time for a change, with independents favoring Barletta two to one.

The Hazleton mayor has "become a much better candidate" and is getting more help from national Republicans, said Jeff Brauer, a political scientist at Keystone College.

Still, the race doesn't fit the profile of the typical endangered Democrat, said Isaac Wood of the University of Virginia Center for Politics. "Most Republican targets this year hail from GOP-favoring districts or are new members of Congress. Kanjorski fits neither category," he said. In this case, though, "many of his constituents seem to think he has outstayed his welcome."

The 'non-issue' at issue

Most political observers insist government spending, the new health care law and stubbornly high unemployment are the main campaign concerns as they are elsewhere. But the hot-button controversy in Hazleton over immigration cannot be dismissed.

Kanjorksi picked up his seat in the 1980s recession and "did not begin losing his grip on it until immigration became a major issue, especially in Hazleton where Mayor Barletta made it one," said Rutgers University political scientist Ross Baker. "Kanjorski is burdened both by economic conditions in this old anthracite area and with the immigration problem, and he may not survive the double burden."

Barletta's ordinances, which would have mainly affected Hispanics, haven't survived legal scrutiny. They were struck down as unconstitutional, most recently last month when a federal appeals court upheld a lower-court ruling that Hazleton had impinged on the federal government's authority over the issue. Barletta's small city has spent about $5 million in legal bills and he has vowed to take the case to the U.S. Supreme Court. If elected, he said he will "fight this in the halls of Congress."

Despite his complaints that the media focuses too much on immigration, Barletta touts his independence by bragging he defied President George W. Bush's moderate approach on the issue. Prominent on his campaign website is a video that calls him "The man who started it all" in the crackdown on illegal immigrants.

Lisa Diemer, 50, who recently opened a cake decorating store on Main Street in Stroudsburg, worries that illegal immigrants are taking jobs from Americans. Diemer is undecided but wants to know more about "the Italian guy" running for Congress.

Sheila McAndrew, 62, of Wilkes-Barre, knows enough to know she's voting for Kanjorski. "It was horrible how Hispanics were treated" in Hazleton, said the Navy veteran and former Spanish translator for the National Security Agency. Referring to those who want "new blood" in Washington, she said, " That's not the kind of blood we need. That's bad blood."

Brauer notes that Barletta has "toned it down on immigration" so as not to alienate the growing number of second- and third-generation Hispanics moving into the district. When a tea party supporter asked what could be done about illegal immigrants and "Obamacare," he responded with an all-purpose line. "The best thing we can do is fire Nancy Pelosi."

'All politics is local' until it's not

Kanjorski's website says he favors secure borders and strong enforcement of existing laws and opposes amnesty for illegal immigrants. But his videos include testimonials to all the bacon he's brought home. In one from the last election, former President Bill Clinton gushes over the millions of federal dollars the congressman secured to modernize the Wilkes-Barre airport. "It's a lot better today," said Clinton, who is scheduled to be back in the district on Tuesday.

With Clinton on the campaign trail and the Democratic national campaign committee spending big to save the veteran legislator, one of the few groups still loyal to Kanjorski are revving up their efforts. In a memo circulated by AFL-CIO political director Karen Ackerman, she cited the "75,246 union voters" of the 11th District as the secret weapon that can save the Democrat on Election Day.

At the AFL-CIO hall in Wilkes-Barre, local union leader Ed Harry said volunteers have made 100,000 calls and knocked on 20,000 doors of union members. Nearly all say they support Kanjorski and other Democrats. "I don't think Nancy Pelosi plays in northeastern Pennsylvania," he said. "Those are Republican talking points -- Harry Reid, Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi. Nancy Pelosi isn't here and all politics is local."

Except for maybe this year. Manny DeStefano, a lawyer and staunch Republican from Tobyhanna, echoed many at the town hall meeting here who see the election as bigger than the incumbent. "This is a referendum on policies in Washington," he said.

There are signs the enthusiasm gap between Republicans and Democrats nationwide will also be a factor.

Ann Marie Conroy, a 77-year-old retired state worker who brags about having dinner years ago with Jimmy Hoffa, has been calling union members for weeks. Most tell her they are for Kanjorski. "But some say I'm not even going to vote," she said. Others just hang up the phone.

www.politicsdaily.com

See the answers to the ALIPAC 2010 Candidate Survey as completed by Mayor Lou Barletta.

http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-213137.html