Governor Christie goes to Mexico to not talk about immigration

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie brags to anyone who will listen about how he's a straight talker, brandishing his brashness credentials by shouting down constituents who disagree with him at town hall meetings. But this year, as Christie travels to key 2016 states like New Hampshire and Iowa, he has so far avoided giving straight answers to the questions asked of a prospective presidential candidate, or really any answers at all. His trip to Mexico this week seemed like yet another example of the Governor positioning himself for a possible presidential run, leading the New York Times and others to wonder whether this would finally be the time that Christie meaningfully addressed foreign policy. To take a page out of the Governor's straight-talking book, we'll sum it up for you in a single word: NOPE. In a keynote speech to the American Chamber of Commerce of Mexico, Christie went out of his way to avoid addressing immigration or the crisis currently taking place on the U.S.-Mexico border. Christie contorted himself to skirt even using the word "immigration" once in the speech, lest he bring up an issue that continues to tank his party's support among the growing U.S. Latino population. Christie's only reference to the thousands of miles of border between our countries was in the context of the flow of commerce, rather than that of people. Indeed, Christie's sleeper foreign policy credentials stayed in hiding, with the Governor delivering your basic GOP stateside stump speech with a small South of the Border twist. In his discussion of our "very special relationship" with Mexico, Christie devoted several minutes to domestic U.S. energy policy, including the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline -- no section of which would come close to crossing into Mexico. The United States' manufacturing jobs, greenhouse gas emissions, renewable energy projects and higher education institutions all earned shout-outs in the speech over immigration issues like the situation at our border with Mexico. Governor Christie may think he can get away with neglecting to mention immigration issues and/or substantively discuss foreign policy issues during his New Jersey trade mission to Mexico, but if he runs for President, voters will demand the full enchilada.

First of all, where is Scott Brown *really* from?

At tonight's New Hampshire Senate Republican primary debate, when asked why he's running for Senate in NH this time around, former Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown said he's running in the Granite State because "first of all I live here in New Hampshire, it's kind of hard to run when you're not in that state... I have long and strong ties" to New Hampshire. Here at American Bridge, that caught our attention, and same for our friends at Granite State Progress, who promptly released this audio from a 2010 radio interview in which the very same Scott Brown clarifies "first of all, I'm not from New Hampshire." So which is it, Scott?

BREAKING VIDEO: Scott Brown: "I’m not going to create one job. It’s not my job to create jobs."

Here is Scott Brown's job creation plan in his own words:

"Here's the thing, people say, what are you going to do to create jobs, I am not going to create one job, it is not my job to create jobs. It's yours."

Inspiring.

Video: Rick Perry and Rick Scott Try To Out-Koch Each Other

The past two weeks have seen Rick Perry skip the formal reading of his felony charges to do an event with the Kochs' AFP in New Hampshire, then explain that he was being indicted for bribery (he's not, shouldn't have skipped that arraignment), then return to Dallas for AFP's "Defending the American Dream Summit."

At the end of this Tour-de-Koch, the gaffe-prone governor sat down with Ed Morrissey of the conservative blog Hot Air, and further revealed the extent to which Republicans revere the Kochs and court their political support -- they even brag about it, apparently.

Breaking: Koch Industries' Outsourcing and Job Loss

In a recent television advertisement Koch Industries touted the growth of the company to create “60,000 American jobs.” The true story paints a picture of Koch Industries’ long history of job losses and outsourcing, resulting in nearly 3,000 American jobs sent overseas.

Outsourcing

Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) is a federal job training program that provides assistance to workers who lose their jobs as a result of competing foreign imports or direct outsourcing.  An analysis of TAA cases, news articles, shipping records, and layoff notices revealed examples of outsourcing at 13 Koch Industries facilities, and potential outsourcing at additional facilities.

• In 2003, Koch laid off 150 employees at a KoSa plant in Shelby, North Carolina.  In 2004, the Department of Labor certified that a portion of 150 employees who had been laid off at a plant in Shelby, NC, were eligible for TAA as a result of outsourcing to Mexico.  Former employees at the Shelby facility later filed suit against Koch claiming that the company pushed workers to, according to a former worker, “leave gracefully” or “be victims of downsizing.” (Source)

• In 2004, Koch outsourced 175 jobs from an Invista plant to Mexico, less than a month after purchasing the plant. Koch Industries had promised to retain all employees.  In late 2006 and early 2007 more workers jobs were outsourced to Mexico, as detailed by the US Court of International Trade. (Sources 1, 2, 3, 4)

• In 2004, some 35 workers were laid off at an Invista plant in Athens, Georgia.  In 2006, they were certified eligible for TAA because of outsourcing to Mexico. In 2008, the plant laid off an additional, 50 employees. (Source)

A Thursday Morning Koch Hangover For GOP Senate Candidates

Yesterday morning, newly released audio recordings from a secretive Koch brothers summit earlier this year offered an even clearer window into just how cozy today's Republican candidates are with the Kochs and their powerful network. Speaking with rare candor, key Republican senate nominees thanked the billionaires for getting them to where they are today, lavished the entire Koch community with praise, and doubled down on their adherence to the Kochs' extreme, anti-working family agenda. Mitch McConnell, Joni Ernst, Cory Gardner, and Tom Cotton all gave speeches at Koch summit in June. Yesterday, they had less to say. But the coverage spoke for itself, and it wasn't pretty -- check out the brutal headlines and key passages below from Wednesday's reporting:

At Koch Retreat, Top GOP Senate Candidates Credited Koch Network For Their Rise Huffington Post // Sam Stein

None of the three candidates returned a request for comment for this article. But their attendance at the retreat offered both reward and risk. A few days after Ernst's appearance, Charles Koch, his wife, his son and his daughter-in-law each gave the Iowa candidate the legal maximum contribution of $2,600. Cotton, meanwhile, took heat for backing out of the local Pink Tomato Festival to attend the Koch affair, with his opponent, Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.), all but accusing him of lacking home-state sensibilities. A willingness to go against the prevailing winds at home has endeared Cotton to the Koch brothers' crowd, however.

Caught on Tape: What Mitch McConnell Complained About to a Roomful of Billionaires (Exclusive) The Nation // Lauren Windsor

To put that in perspective, Mitch McConnell’s thirty-five-year career in the Senate saw the 9/11 terrorist attacks that killed thousands of Americans, the 2008 housing meltdown that threatened the entire economy and Barack Obama’s election, to cite a conservative bête noire. But it was McCain-Feingold, the bill that banned soft money and unlimited donations to party committees, that constitutes the worst day of his political life.

Secret audio nails Mitch! Endangered McConnell busted humiliating himself on tape Salon // Joan Walsh

This year Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell chose to spend Father’s Day with two GOP political sugar daddies, Charles and David Koch, at their annual retreat, this time at the lovely St. Regis Monarch Bay resort in Orange County, California. As befit the day, McConnell brought the love: “I want to start by thanking you, Charles and David, for the important work you’re doing. I don’t know where we’d be without you.”

New Video — Joni Ernst: Trajectory

Newly released audio recordings from the Koch brothers' summit of billionaires and bought candidates this week reveals the extent to which candidates like Joni Ernst are inextricably tied to the oil lords and their anti-working families agenda. Ernst did not parse words in crediting the Kochs and their extensive network for getting her to where she is today. Now, the billionaire brothers are reaping the benefits of their investment, as Joni Ernst, the Republican nominee in a key senate race, sings the Koch gospel on issue after issue.

American Bridge Welcomes Scandal-Scarred, Self Interest-Serving Scott to the General Election

With primary season now in the rear view, Floridians have 10 weeks left to examine Rick Scott's record. That's bad news for Rick Scott, who you may recall isn't a big fan of being scrutinized. But then again, you wouldn't be either if you had his record. Scott was elected four years ago amidst a Tea Party wave, promising to carry out a Tea Party agenda, and delivering on that promise. But these days, Scott's trying to sell a different version of himself -- a version that is clearly undermined by his record -- and nobody is buying it.

Doug Ducey's Rocky Road To Defeat

Primary season has come to an end in Arizona, and former Cold Stone Creamery CEO Doug Ducey managed to hole up down the stretch and emerge as the Republican nominee for governor. The Tea Party favorite poured nearly $3 million into his own campaign and skipped a slew of debates en route to his unceremonious victory tonight. But the shady businessman can hide no longer -- and when the spotlight shines on his record, his political ambitions are bound to melt away. Ducey has touted endorsements from the likes of Sarah Palin and Ted Cruz, but was spurned by conservative Governor Jan Brewer, who opted to support a less extreme candidate to be her successor. Perhaps health care is at the root of their chasm -- Brewer worked to expand Medicaid in Arizona, calling it a "moral issue," while Ducey has decried the expansion as a "middle class entitlement." But Ducey's extremism is hardly limited to ensuring access to health care for his constituents. Ducey has close ties to the billionaire Koch brothers and their operatives, and unsurprisingly, he toes the Koch agenda line on nearly every issue. Ducey has opposed raising the minimum wage, expressed outrage that the poorest Americans aren't paying enough taxes, supported the claim that Social Security is a Ponzi scheme, and the list goes on.

BREAKING: Devastating Revelations From New John Doe Docs For Scott Walker

A new batch of John Doe docs was released today in the ongoing investigation of Scott Walker's role in a…