Blevins letter: Labrador commentary

In his Idaho Statesman commentary, “Issues in Oregon: Public lands, prison sentences,” dated Jan. 13, Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Idaho, shocked this reader by admitting he was passionate about public lands and prison sentences, and had “worked closely with members of Congress on both sides of the aisle on legislation to further reform criminal sentencing requirements.” I remember when this same congressman, a former immigration attorney, was passionate about immigration reform back in 2012 after President Obama’s dominant performance with Latino voters in his re-election bid. Labrador was part of the group of eight House members who worked on bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform. Labrador took an active role in proposing a centrist policy favored by members of Congress on both sides of the aisle. What happened next? Labrador’s passion for immigration reform melted away and he soon dropped out of the bipartisan group of eight House members. I’ll bet Labrador will do the same this time around when it comes to prison sentences and centrist policies. Any takers?

This story was originally published February 5, 2016 at 7:44 AM with the headline "Blevins letter: Labrador commentary."