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How the Democrats Lost Their Way on Immigration
Posted on 6/20/17 at 2:55 pm
Posted on 6/20/17 at 2:55 pm
The Atlantic
quote:
The myth, which liberals like myself find tempting, is that only the right has changed. In June 2015, we tell ourselves, Donald Trump rode down his golden escalator and pretty soon nativism, long a feature of conservative politics, had engulfed it. But that’s not the full story. If the right has grown more nationalistic, the left has grown less so. A decade ago, liberals publicly questioned immigration in ways that would shock many progressives today.
quote:
In 2005, a left-leaning blogger wrote, “Illegal immigration wreaks havoc economically, socially, and culturally; makes a mockery of the rule of law; and is disgraceful just on basic fairness grounds alone.” In 2006, a liberal columnist wrote that “immigration reduces the wages of domestic workers who compete with immigrants” and that “the fiscal burden of low-wage immigrants is also pretty clear.” His conclusion: “We’ll need to reduce the inflow of low-skill immigrants.” That same year, a Democratic senator wrote, “When I see Mexican flags waved at proimmigration demonstrations, I sometimes feel a flush of patriotic resentment. When I’m forced to use a translator to communicate with the guy fixing my car, I feel a certain frustration.”
The blogger was Glenn Greenwald. The columnist was Paul Krugman. The senator was Barack Obama.
Prominent liberals didn’t oppose immigration a decade ago. Most acknowledged its benefits to America’s economy and culture. They supported a path to citizenship for the undocumented. Still, they routinely asserted that low-skilled immigrants depressed the wages of low-skilled American workers and strained America’s welfare state. And they were far more likely than liberals today are to acknowledge that, as Krugman put it, “immigration is an intensely painful topic … because it places basic principles in conflict.”
Today, little of that ambivalence remains. In 2008, the Democratic platform called undocumented immigrants “our neighbors.” But it also warned, “We cannot continue to allow people to enter the United States undetected, undocumented, and unchecked,” adding that “those who enter our country’s borders illegally, and those who employ them, disrespect the rule of the law.” By 2016, such language was gone. The party’s platform described America’s immigration system as a problem, but not illegal immigration itself. And it focused almost entirely on the forms of immigration enforcement that Democrats opposed. In its immigration section, the 2008 platform referred three times to people entering the country “illegally.” The immigration section of the 2016 platform didn’t use the word illegal, or any variation of it, at all
Posted on 6/20/17 at 2:58 pm to Bourre
It's called selling your soul to the Devil, all in the name of Socialism.
Posted on 6/20/17 at 3:03 pm to Bourre
They shifted to the far left. It's amazing how with a stagnant economy they were focusing on making sure people with mental illnesses were getting to use bathrooms that the rest of the country didn't want them in.
Posted on 6/20/17 at 3:04 pm to Port Royal
It's called pandering for votes.
Posted on 6/20/17 at 3:05 pm to Port Royal
Yep. I remember, not long ago, democrats making the case that open borders benefited the rich at the expense of the working poor. A buddy of mine was a staunch democrat union boss, who was completely against illegal immigration because of worker impact. He said he voted TRUMP in November because the democrats choose to stand with illegals over American workers.
Posted on 6/20/17 at 3:11 pm to Bourre
Very good piece with some smart points for liberals to consider, reminding me of what Beinart's colleague, David Frum has said about liberals and immigration:
quote:
When liberals insist that only fascists will defend borders, then voters will hire fascists to do the job liberals won’t do.
Posted on 6/20/17 at 3:16 pm to Bourre
The average Leftist friend of mine now holds beliefs so destructive and insane that most of them are no longer my friends.
Posted on 6/20/17 at 3:30 pm to Bourre
Immigration has always been a problem. From the Irish, Germans, Jews, Mexicans, etc....
This not a new problem and the outrage we have now Americans have had for over 100 years.
This not a new problem and the outrage we have now Americans have had for over 100 years.
This post was edited on 6/20/17 at 3:30 pm
Posted on 6/20/17 at 3:33 pm to MizzouBS
quote:
Immigration has always been a problem. From the Irish, Germans, Jews, Mexicans, etc....
This not a new problem and the outrage we have now Americans have had for over 100 years.
Pretty much. It's not even an issue that moves the needle much for me.
Posted on 6/20/17 at 3:33 pm to MizzouBS
quote:The Irish and Germans immigrated here long before there was public assistance programs.
Immigration has always been a problem. From the Irish, Germans, Jews, Mexicans, etc....
To clarify, THERE IS NO EVIDENCE THAT ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION LOWERS WAGES of american citizens.
This post was edited on 6/20/17 at 3:34 pm
Posted on 6/20/17 at 3:46 pm to HailHailtoMichigan!
Posted on 6/20/17 at 4:29 pm to Bourre
quote:
In 2014, the University of California listed melting pot as a term it considered a “microaggression.” What if Hillary Clinton had traveled to one of its campuses and called that absurd? What if she had challenged elite universities to celebrate not merely multiculturalism and globalization but Americanness? What if she had said more boldly that the slowing rate of English-language acquisition was a problem she was determined to solve? What if she had acknowledged the challenges that mass immigration brings, and then insisted that Americans could overcome those challenges by focusing not on what makes them different but on what makes them the same?
Some on the left would have howled. But I suspect that Clinton would be president today.
I agree that something that simple would have won her some votes in the Rust Belt states, maybe not the election but it would have helped.
This article was a really good read, despite the few Trump jabs that he had to stick in. How far into obscurity the Left has gone in the last few years should be scary to everyone.
Posted on 6/20/17 at 6:23 pm to HailHailtoMichigan!
quote:
To clarify, THERE IS NO EVIDENCE THAT ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION LOWERS WAGES of american citizens.
You obviously didn't read the article.
Posted on 6/20/17 at 6:34 pm to Bourre
They didnt lose their way
They want to allow people into this country who will vote for them by any means necessary. Its not about being responsible about it, caring for America and its citizens, or anything else
Its because by packing this country with people who are net losers for the country they will win elections. Period
They want to allow people into this country who will vote for them by any means necessary. Its not about being responsible about it, caring for America and its citizens, or anything else
Its because by packing this country with people who are net losers for the country they will win elections. Period
Posted on 6/20/17 at 6:43 pm to Bourre
Because the Democrats realized that lots of white people were racist towards them and were mostly moving to areas where Republicans live. So despite the Hispanics and Republicans values largely aligning, the Democrats painted themselves as the party of tolerance, allowing just as many in as possible to frick up voting in the South.
I think both the Democrats (wanting an open border) and the Republicans (failing to see that Hispanics actually largely carry the values of their party) have failed the Hispanics and country at large. Democrats have empty promises and the Republicans are too stupid to see what is in front of them.
I think both the Democrats (wanting an open border) and the Republicans (failing to see that Hispanics actually largely carry the values of their party) have failed the Hispanics and country at large. Democrats have empty promises and the Republicans are too stupid to see what is in front of them.
This post was edited on 6/20/17 at 6:44 pm
Posted on 6/20/17 at 6:54 pm to Port Royal
quote:
It's called selling your soul to the Devil, all in the name of power.
Fixed.
Go look at Bill Clinton's statements on immigration. The left, at one time, protected the workers on their plantation, or at least acted like they did.
Posted on 6/20/17 at 7:47 pm to DownSouthJukin
They are playing long game. Just ask Rove
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