Tonight, Republican Representative Quico Canseco of Texas's 23rd Congressional district will be giving the Republicans' Spanish language response to the State of the Union address. Immediately following Canseco's speech, Mitt Romney will ask him to deport himself. Just kidding. But really, how many Republicans are going to listen to Canseco give a speech in Spanish? Alienating Latinos is practically a plank in the Republican party platform at this point. By the time he's done, Sheriff Joe Arpaio might be waiting on Canseco's doorstep with a shotgun to try and intimidate him into not voting.
If you're unfamiliar with the West Texas representative, here's a chance to learn more about Francisco "Quico" Canseco: tax cheat, firefighter defunder, crazy right-winger, and soon-to-be-former Congressman.
7 Things To Know About Republican Congressman Quico Canseco:
Despite record wildfires in Texas, Quico Canseco voted against increased funding for firefighters and first responders. He attacked Obama for not providing funding for Texas wildfires (which Obama did, in fact, provide) and then voted against increasing funding for FEMA firefighter assistance grants by $510 million. The new total funding would have given $390 million for firefighter assistance grants and $420 million for Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grants. Canseco was one of only 113 members of Congress to vote against SAFER. Source: Burnt Orange Report
Canseco is funded by Wall Street, and now serves on the House Financial Services Committee. The bulk of Canseco's fundraising comes from the financial industry, which kicked in over $100,000 to his election effort. Now, he's supposed to be writing the rules to help rein in the worst Wall Street abuses. Source: Sunlight Foundation
Canseco has reportedly had $715,000 worth of federal, state, and mechanics liens levied against him in the last three decades. The liens are to recover unpaid payroll taxes and contracting fees since the early 1980s. Source: Burnt Orange Report
Canseco is supported by the American Action Network, a right-wing organization that recently sent misleading mail to senior citizens about Democrats' efforts to protect Medicare Part D and save the government $112 million dollars. Source: ThinkProgress
During redistricting, Republicans in the legislature specifically looked to draw low-performing Hispanic precincts into the 23rd district to help "shore up" Canseco's re-election chances. By including low-turnout precincts and drawing out high-turnout precincts, Republicans made district look more Latino on paper based on Hispanic surname voter registration than it is based on voting performance. Source: txredistricting.org
During his campaign in 2010, Canseco was endorsed by Michele "Crazy Eyes" Bachmann and followed the Minnesota Republican's then-practice of refusing to debate, declining to meet with the San Antonio Express News' editorial board. Source: ThinkProgress
Canseco has avoided taking questions and talking directly with citizens during town halls. Maybe he's afraid to talk to senior citizens directly about why he supports cutting their Medicaid and Medicare benefits. Source: San Antonio Express-News
Here's the best news about Quico Canseco: he has a great Democratic challenger in State Representative Pete Gallego. Gallego was elected to the State Legislature in 1990 at age 28, and has spent his entire adult life fighting for the people of West Texas. His gigantic legislative district closely overlaps with CD-23, the district in which he's now running for Congress. Gallego is a great champion of the people. As a legislator, he has crafted and passed legislation to invest billions of dollars in public schools, secure our border, reform our criminal justice system, and support Texas veterans.
Gallego also on the DCCC's targeted Red to Blue fundraising list, which looks for the best pick-up opportunities as we fight to take back the House of Representatives. If you like Pete Gallego or you really don't like Quico Canseco, consider dropping Pete some coin here.
Republican Congressman Quico Canseco is failing the people of Texas. He votes against first responders, and wants to weaken medical coverage for senior citizens. He's a tool of the financial industry and backed by right-wingers determined to shred what's left of our social safety net. Let's hope voters sending him packing this November. Then Republicans will need to find another Spanish-speaking patsy to respond to Obama after the next State of the Union.
Congressman Canseco claims that President Obama isn't funding relief for the Texas wildfires. (Source). This is a lie.
FEMA has issued 26 grants to pay for the fire, which covers 75% of the cost - the same rate Texas would have received from Perry's request. (Source)
Canseco voted against increased funding for firefighters and first responders. (Source.)
Congressman Quico Canseco - like Governor Rick Perry - has begun to falsely attacked President Barack Obama about funding to fight the disastrous Texas wildfires. As the San Antonio Express-News reported today (which came 16 days after the Christian Science Monitor first reported it), FEMA has provided 75% of all funding that has been used to fight Texas wildfires:
It is an impression contradicted by officials at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, who awarded Texas its 26th grant Sunday to help cover the cost of firefighting efforts.
"This administration, through FEMA, has been working closely with the state throughout the duration of these fires, and we are supporting the firefighting efforts," FEMA spokeswoman Rachel Racusen said.
Those 26 grants will reimburse 75 percent of the costs related to fighting designated fires throughout the state - the same reimbursement rate the state would have received if Perry's request for major disaster status had been accepted.
The facts couldn't be more clear. But that doesn't stop the intellectually bereft* Congressman Quico Canseco from following the dishonorable lead of Governor Rick Perry and trying to blame the President for not fully funding the fires. Canseco has released a fraudulent YouTube video, blaming President Obama for not funding the fire.
Canseco's lies are disturbing, but not nearly as disturbing as the fact that he has the temerity** to lie about the President's lack of funding when Congressman Quico Canseco voted against funding firefighter and first responder assistance earlier this year.
In 2011, Canseco voted against increasing funding for FEMA firefighter assistance grants by $510 million. The new total funding would have given $390 million for firefighter assistance grants and $420 million for Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grants. In fact, Canseco was one of only 113 of the 435 Members of Congress to vote against funding for firefighters and first responders. (Roll Call Vote #60).
Like Republicans in Texas -- who, in the Texas Legislature, voted to cut funds for volunteer fighters by 75% earlier this year -- Congressman Canseco is making a losing argument to try and hide the fact that he voted against increased funding for firefighters and first responders. For the good of all of Texas, we need Texas Republicans -- from Canseco to Perry -- to stop lying about federal funding and start actually voting to help our state. Until he does, Congressman Canseco should at the very least keep his lying mouth shut.
-------------------
*The phrase "intellectually bereft" means "dumb." Since the Congressman seems to have trouble with the most basic of knowledge, I figured I should clarify it for him in case he happened to come across this post.
**Temerity = boldness.
It's terrifying to see how much money each member received from financial groups.
Eight of the twelve new members chosen to take seats on the House Financial Services Committee can count the finance, insurance and real estate sector as the top contributor to their election.
This has to make you ask the basic question, will the members of this important committee represent the people or the corporations who donated millions to get them elected.
As the non-partisan Sunlight foundation states, Quico Canseco won by a small margin in a Texas border district that narrowly went for Barack Obama in 2008. He received nearly 10% of his funds from the finance, insurance and real estate industry.
Canseco beat Democrat Ciro Rodriguez in the 23rd Congressional District last November with less than 50% of the vote. Depending on how lines are drawn, This district is at the top of our list to flip the seat back in 2012. Canseco has a fine line to walk. The freshman Republican will either have to kiss the ring of the donors who got him elected or represent the people of his district.
As we saw in 2005-2006, the bills that go through this important committee, hardly help both.
The 2010 Republican primary to determine who will face Democratic incumbent Ciro Rodriguez could look just as it did in 2008, when Bexar County Commissioner Lyle Larson, despite being heavily outspent, defeated lawyer and businessman Fransisco "Quico" Canseco.
Canseco has said he will definitely be a candidate and told the San Antonio Express-News that he has already had discussions with the National Republican Congressional Committee. Larson has not made a final decision and told the paper he would make an announcement later this year.
Due mostly to his ability to self-finance his campaign, Canseco has been encouraged to run by NRCC Chair Pete Sessions. Canseco spent $1 million in 2008 and was soundly defeated by Larson. If Canseco decides to run again, expect Sessions and other Republicans to lean on Larson to stay out of the race, given that he lost to Rodriguez by double digits in 2008.
