During a panel discussion on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday, Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report argued that the reason comprehensive immigration reform wasn’t getting passed was because of the racial makeup of House Republican districts: “Here’s the problem with the House, at the end of the day, the House does not look like the country.”
CNBC’s Rick Santelli, immediately pushed back: “Who sent them there? Come on!” Walter continued: “Well, that's right, they sit in districts – no listen, the average House – the average House Republican district is 75% white.” Moderator Chuck Todd chimed in his agreement: “That’s the problem.”
Santelli ripped apart their analysis: “Who does districting? Come on, there's rules for this. You know, you can't tear up the rule book because you don’t like the rules that are on the books.”
Todd replied: “But every state applies the rules every way.”
Earlier in the exchange, Santelli denounced the idea of trying to pass a single massive immigration bill: “Why do we need this comprehensive plan? Have we not learned anything from the failed rollout of the Affordable Care Act? The Congress should pass small pieces. They should show people they can actually get things through.”
He also slammed the media for labeling a vote taken by House Republicans to condemn President Obama’s unconstitutional executive action on illegal immigration as being merely “symbolic”:
You know, when they call that vote that the Congress took symbolic, back before social media, everything was symbolic. Now what? They don't take a vote unless it's absolutely assured it's gonna pass? I don't understand that. People need to know how the representatives are thinking and what they’re doing, whether it's symbolic or not.
Here is a full transcript of the December 7 exchange:
11:20 AM ET
CHUCK TODD: Rick Santelli, the Governor of Texas also told me that he’s actually filed a preliminary – try to get a preliminary injunction as you would if you believe that there’s harm done, then you immediately want the law not enacted until you get your day in court. How should congressional Republicans be responding? We know how they’re going to respond, but how should they be responding to this?
RICK SANTELLI [CNBC]: Well, listen, it's a complicated issue. I come from immigrant grandparents. The country would not be what it is if it wasn't for the immigrants in this country. The border, it's important to conservatives, I understand that. Outsource to the likes of Google. We could work through this problem. Why do we need this-
TODD: You do a technology thing, huh?
SANTELLI: Absolutely. Why do we need this comprehensive plan? Have we not learned anything from the failed rollout of the Affordable Care Act? The Congress should pass small pieces. They should show people they can actually get things through. If the Senate or the President decides that they don't like them or they veto them, at least we’ll see.
You know, when they call that vote that the Congress took symbolic, back before social media, everything was symbolic. Now what? They don't take a vote unless it's absolutely assured it's gonna pass? I don't understand that. People need to know how the representatives are thinking and what they’re doing, whether it's symbolic or not.
TODD: Amy, would the House Republicans be in a better place had they passed something, as Rick just said, passed even a piecemeal? They didn't pass piecemeal.
AMY WALTER [COOK POLITICAL REPORT]: Or have even a plan that's been leaked about what a piecemeal plan would look like.
TODD: Well, not in two years.
WALTER: Not in two years. But look, I think here is the opportunity now, if you’re John Boehner, to do something in this next Congress. They were able to vent their frustration about the President in this symbolic vote, now let's see what they have done.
But here’s the problem with the House, at the end of the day, the House does not look like the country. House Republicans-
SANTELLI: Who sent them there? Come on!
WALTER: Well, that's right, they sit in districts – no listen, the average House-
TODD: That’s the problem.
WALTER: The average House Republican district is 75% white.
SANTELLI: Who does districting?
WALTER: There we go.
SANTELLI: Come on, there's rules for this. You know, you can't tear up the rule book because you don’t like the rules that are on the books.
TODD: But every state applies the rules every way.
