Yesterday, I investigated the objectively too-cute coincidence of Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), amnesty champion, showing up in Eric Cantor’s backyard to lambast Cantor as being “the one man blocking immigration reform” just days after Eric Cantor direct-mailed each human-shaped object in his district to claim he was exactly that — the man blocking amnesty. Gutierrez’s appearance was all the more suspicious with hindsight, as Cantor and Gutierrez participated in a three-day speaking tour last year to promote “comprehensive immigration reform.”
The mailer this week was coordinated by Cantor’s long-time top advisor Ray Allen, who is also the principal at direct-mail firm Creative Direct.
Cantor’s primary opponent Dave Brat arrived at the Richmond capitol building two hours before the Gutierrez event to draw attention to the coincidence. Said Brat, after referring to Cantor’s prior support for various piecemeal amnesty bills such as the DREAM Act and the ENLIST Act:
Eric Cantor saying he opposes amnesty is like Barack Obama saying he opposes Obamacare.
Last night, in response to a Roll Call interviewer questioning him about the dueling themes at the two press conferences earlier in the day, Ray Allen said the following:
Gutiérrez, from his point of view, has a legitimate beef with Eric Cantor because he blocked the Senate’s amnesty bill; David Brat is just lying.
Objectively, Allen just urged Roll Call readers to accept that Gutierrez — the man who orchestrated an event that included signs declaring Eric Cantor to be the chief enemy of his cause — was the man to listen to.
From Allen’s comment, no logical conclusion can be drawn other than that Cantor and Allen were pleased with Gutierrez being there, and were not pleased that Dave Brat preempted Gutierrez’s event.
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