Two teenaged DREAMers happened upon Speaker of the House John Boehner having breakfast at a diner. They invited him to sit with them and talk about immigration reform. What do you think he did?
Sure, I suppose you could say that like anyone else, the man just wanted to have a quiet breakfast at his usual morning hangout. But “the man” here truly is “The Man.” He’s John Boehner, the Republican Speaker of the House. He’s the man who becomes President if the President and Vice President, god forbid, die or are themselves unable to hold office. The Speaker of the House is the single person who gets to decide what bills will ultimately get voted on. He sets the agenda.
And John Boehner’s agenda is to keep Congress in session as few days as possible, to repeal as many laws — especially Obamacare — as possible, and to obstruct and grind Washington to a halt.
But we’re talking about two kids, who don’t fully understand why they’re not even second-class citizens — they’re just second class, in the eyes of the law. Period. These kids are DREAMers: here through no fault of their own, “illegally.”
The DREAM Act, by the way, is the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act. It’s a bipartisan bill that has been wallowing in Congress since 2001. We’re not talking fancy new radical legislation here, by the way, we’re talking a bill introduced by Democrat Dick Durbin and Republican Orrin Hatch.
John Boehner knew he was on camera yesterday morning. His Secret Service detail can be seen in the background. They knew, and you can see how uncomfortable they were.
The Speaker of the House had two choices: he could ask the kids to sit down and he could talk to them as any good parent would talk with their kids or their neighbors’ kids, or he could blow them off, try to be “polite,” but not have an honest conversation and not give them the respect they deserve, as human beings.
John Boehner chose the latter.
The two teens, according to Carmen Lima, 13, and Jennifer Martinez, 16, were “in town as part of the Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM) and its Keeping Families Together: Youth in Action events this week,” according to America’s Voice, a progressive organization working to reform our nation’s immigration laws and policies.
The image of an old white man sitting down eating while two teenaged girls stand, trying to talk with him, reeks of privilege and a total lack of empathy. These girls, these young women, invited the man to breakfast, to sit with and talk with them, and he blew them off.
The sound in the video is not the best, but you can read the transcript below:
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Carmen Lima: Would you join us for breakfast?
John Boehner: No, I’m just going to eat breakfast up here.
CL: Oh, okay. Do you think we can like talk while you wait for your food?
JB: Yeah, sure.
CL: Okay, so hi—I’m Carmen Lima, I’m 13, and you’re a father, right?
JB: Yeah.
CL: So how would you feel if you had to tell your kids at the age of ten that you were never coming home?
JB: That wouldn’t be good.
CL: Huh?
JB: That wouldn’t be good.
CL: That’s what happened to me. I thought I was never going to see my dad again because [inaudible]. And I cried so hard when my mom told me that, at the age of ten.
JB: Well, I’m trying to find some way to get this thing done. It’s, uh, you know, not easy—not gonna be an easy path forward. But I’ve made it clear since the day after the election that I’m going to get this done.
CL: So we can count on your vote for immigration reform?
JB: I will try to find a way to move the bill forward. Thanks.
Jennifer Martinez: I just wanted to share something else really quickly. My name is Jennifer Martinez,
I’m 16 years old, and I came from up in Washington on the West Coast, and when I was 12 years old, I left my dad on an airport [inaudible] in Mexico, not knowing if I’d ever see him again. But I was lucky—I wasn’t separated from my dad for longer than a couple months. But many kids don’t get that luck—they miss out on years with their parents, years with family. And imagine—you said you’re a father—imagine missing out on your kids’ football games and soccer games.
JB: [inaudible] I understand.
JM: So we would really, really appreciate it if you would do everything in your power to move this bill forward.
JB: All right. I agree with you. Thank you.
JM: Thank you.
CL: Thank you, Speaker Boehner.
Video and transcript via America’s Voice