Republican Rep. Raul Labrador has represented Idaho's first congressional district since 2010 and was a member of that state's House of Representatives before that. In Congress he has become an important voice on immigration, and for good reason. He was born in Puerto Rico, raised by a single mother, made his way through Brigham Young University, and then the University of Washington Law School. Before turning to politics, he was a small business owner and a lawyer who acquired a substantial amount of immigration law experience.
Small wonder that when immigration reform began in both houses of Congress, his was a voice that both sides of the aisle respected and wanted to have in their corner. He was recruited by, and tried to work with, a bi-partisan group of House members interested in drafting their version of a comprehensive bill, but dropped out because of irreconcilable policy differences.
He is, in short, an immigration voice to be reckoned with — open to reform, informed about the details of the various immigration debates, and a person who has arrived at some positions and principles on which he is willing to stand.
As a result, he is not afraid to discuss his views in venues conventionally august or decidedly partisan. As an example of the latter, he appeared on the MSNBC's "NOW with Alex Wagner" show, a consistent and unapologetic liberal venue.
Appearing on that show, Rep. Labrador was challenged by the show's host in a very personal manner as follows:
AW: "Congressman, I want to ask you specifically about that because you're a person of color. Your mother was a single mother. You came to this country from Puerto Rico. Are you satisfied that the outreach and the messaging your party has done to single women, to working women, to single mothers, to people of color, to people looking to come to the United States to make a better life for themselves?"
RL: "You know, I think we can do a much better job and I actually agree with that statement … . But the rest of the statement I think is a little bit off. I'll give you just one example. Steve Pearce is a congressman from New Mexico. There was a New York Times article written about him, how he is a very conservative — just as conservative as I am on many issues. He represents a district that is mostly Hispanic. And what he does is he reaches out to the Hispanic community — he doesn't pander to the Hispanic community, but he makes sure that he goes to all the meetings, he goes to all their causes, he does everything they do. And what he gets is the respect of the Hispanic community. I think we can be much better, and I think Steve Pearce has to be an example for every Republican, but pandering to the Hispanic community like the New Republic and MSNBC wants us to do, that is actually a recipe for disaster."
Note the elements of his answer: no defensiveness ("I think we can do a much better job and I actually agree with that statement"); taking issue, in a mild way, with other parts of the assertion ("the rest of the statement is a little bit off"); and providing alternative information ("I'll give you one example, Steve Pearce …").
Sometimes of course, reasonableness, information, and perspective aren't enough, and a more direct approach is required.
Later in the segment, one of the panelists, Obama aide Bill Burton, accused Rep. Labrador of using talking points, to which the representative replied:
I don't speak on talking points so that's totally offensive. If you want to have a debate on the discussion, we can do that. I actually have my own mind. I was an immigration lawyer for 15 years. I think I know more than you do about immigration and on immigration reform. So let's not try to insult people when trying to have an honest discussion about what's happening in America.
The above exchanges are more than examples. They are models for giving voice to public interest perspectives in the immigration debate.
That model might, notionally, go something like this:
- Information can deepen and refine principles;
- Deepened and refined principles increase confidence;
- Confidence makes it easier to have the courage of your convictions.
Next: Rep. Labrador Meets the Press: Round 1