ID-01

Idaho Blue Dog Minnick Attacks GOPer -- For Being An Immigration Lawyer (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | September 17, 2010, 12:35PM

Campaign ad from Rep. Walt Minnick (D-ID), "Illegal immigration's good business for Raul Labrador"

Rep. Walt Minnick (D-ID), a conservative Democrat who was elected in a deep-red district in 2008, has employed a new maneuver we don't normally see: A Democrat coming out with an ad attacking his Republican opponent, who is Latino, for working as an immigration lawyer.

"Illegal immigration's good business for Raul Labrador," the announcer says. "Over half of his work is helping illegal immigrants stay in the United States. He even ran RapidImmigration.com, with 'easy to understand' advice for illegal immigrants seeking amnesty.

"What does Raul think of our broken immigration system?" the announcer asks, followed by a quick sound-byte of Labrador speaking: "Now I like it because I make a good living because of it."

As the Idaho Statesman reports, the full context of Labrador's comment shows some clear sarcasm: "Our system is broken and this is where I work with the system all the time. I'm trying to get people to go through the legal immigration system. They have to pay me thousands of dollars just to bring somebody to the United States. That's ridiculous. Now I like it because I make a good living because of it."

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2010 elections

The Top 5 Republicans Who Think The Tea Partiers Are Bad News

Christina Bellantoni | July 16, 2010, 11:49AM

A tea party really with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Rep. Bob Inglis (R-SC) and Sen. Bob Bennett (R-UT) inset.

Maybe it's just sour grapes, but sure seems like a lot of Republicans are hating on the tea party these days. Spurned GOPers ousted in primaries have been the most vocal, but even candidates who tried to court the tea party are criticizing the approach of the populist movement.

Whether it's because they feel liberated (or because, as some tea partiers have suggested, maybe they are liberals at heart), here's TPM's roundup of the Top Five Republicans who have spoken ill of the movement in recent weeks.

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ID-01

Establishment Choice And 'Worst Candidate Ever' Loses Idaho Primary

Rachel Slajda | May 26, 2010, 10:10AM

House Candidate Vaughn Ward (R-ID)

Vaughn Ward, dubbed the "worst candidate ever" by TPMDC, has lost the Republican contest to take on Rep. Walt Minnick (D-ID) in the state's first Congressional district.

Ward was the Republican establishment's pick for the seat. The National Republican Congressional Committee had named Ward a "Young Gun," and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin stumped for Ward at a rally last week.

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