LaMalfa and Napolitano: LaMalfa Punches Above His Weight; Primary Challenge?

I wrote a Guest Comment for the best Left Leaning newsweekly in Northern California. In it I described part of the psyche of our new Congressman Doug LaMalfa. It might be immodest to say so, but I did appear just a tiny bit sage-like when I wrote:

"His hubris and myopia will continue to get him in trouble. He can’t help it. He will offer opinions when given the chance, which will amaze us with his stupidity. We will never describe him as a thoughtful person, nor will we say he can weigh arguments fairly. He is a brash creature of propaganda, bathed in Limbaugh and Larson. A cowboy populist"

It took all of a couple days before Doug LaMalfa proved me to be correct in this assessment. This time LaMalfa chose to display his stupidity in the Los Angeles Times.

Janet Napolitano is the director of Homeland Security. She headed that agency for five years. Before that she was a very successful Democratic Governor of Arizona. She is a skillful, competent woman. Arizona rarely elects any Democrat to anything, the fact that Napolitano was able to be elected to be the Governor of Arizona is darned near a miracle. She is stepping down from the Homeland Security job in order to become the Chancellor of California's once great University system. Despite the National Security Agency scandals, nobody has accused Napolitano of any wrong doing; in fact, most reviewers of government give her high marks. She is an apt leader.

Of course, Doug LaMalfa, fresh from accusing the Obama Administration and Janet Napolitano, of hording bullets in order to stage some sort of coup ( I kid you not), now LaMalfa sent out a press release stating that Napolitano is a rotten choice to be the Chancellor. LaMalfa based his thoughts on Napolitano's record of civil liberties. Doug LaMalfa is hardly an ACLU sort of guy when it comes to civil liberties. Most would state that LaMalfa is rather dismal on the issue if you look at his comments about access to voting by Hispanics and his frothing at the mouth statements regarding the evils of abortion.

However, Doug LaMalfa is not scared to punch above his weight. You can read the article here.

When it comes to civil liberties, it seems that the Gang of Eight Senators who are pushing for Immigration Reform think that Doug LaMalfa just might be able to be swayed to voting for their plan. Doug LaMalfa is on a list of 121 Republicans who are being wooed to vote for the plan.

Good luck! This part of California is Anti-Immigration. You don't want to be seen as cuddling up to "Illegals", as they call them, in the Tea Party (which has quite a bit of power in Northern California). The local Tea Partiers are deeply racist. If Doug voted for the plan, he would be ridiculed, cajoled and pretty much seal up a Primary Challenge in 2014.

Yet Boehner has been courting LaMalfa. He even took a trip last summer to LaMalfa's Rice Farm Compound. This should be fun to watch. Will LaMalfa join the Democrats and the few remaining Republican Moderates? Stay tuned.