We simply cannot allow people to pour into the United States undetected, undocumented, unchecked, and circumventing the line of people who are waiting patiently, diligently, and lawfully to become immigrants in this country.
— Senator Barack Obama, 2005
Donald Trump was leading the Republican presidential field in December 2015 when a USA Today poll found that an “overwhelming majority of his supporters” would vote for him if he bolted the GOP and ran as an independent. The next day Jeb Bush said, “I can guarantee you Donald Trump is not going to be the nominee.”
What the other 16 Republican contenders did not understand was that about half of the Republican base hated the Republican establishment. And that explains how Trump won the nomination. But why were they so antagonistic toward their party?
Democrats, and especially the radicals who hate the Democratic establishment, tend to think the reason must be similar to Bernie Sanders hating the Democratic Party. But it’s not. These were people who had been good Republicans their whole lives, and they were backing a billionaire. That doesn’t sound anything like Sanders.
In fact, the Republican base had one grievance that overshadowed all others at the time Trump decided to run. It’s essentially the same number-one grievance they have against the Democrats.
Trump figured all this out very early on, but most Democrats still don’t have a clue. So what did Trump figure out? Let’s turn back the clock and listen to him as he entered the race.
Why Republicans Couldn’t Beat Trump
“They’re bringing drugs; they’re bringing crime; they’re rapists.” With those words, he launched his campaign. His first TV ad said, “He’ll stop illegal immigration by building a wall.” There’s a lot of racism in this, but there’s also a lot more to it. Here are the bare bones of that story.
In 1986, the two parties cut a deal. The Democrats gained a path to citizenship for 2.7 million who had immigrated illegally. And the Republicans were guaranteed a secure border. The Democrats got their half of the bargain, and the Republicans got nothing. By 2007, 12 million more immigrants were here illegally.
And to rub salt in the wound, John Judas and Ruy Teixeira, two very smart radicals, wrote the best-seller The Emerging Democratic Majority in 2002. A major theme was the view that the growth of minority populations would boost the Democrats into a permanent majority position.
After Romney gained only 30% of the Hispanic vote and lost to Obama in 2012, the GOP establishment decided to take a more favorable view toward immigrants who were here illegally, and the party’s base revolted. This became clear when David Brat, a political unknown who was outspent 40 to 1, defeated House Majority Leader Eric Cantor largely by criticizing his position on illegal immigration.
Trump was watching. He read the tea leaves early, trademarked his “Make America Great Again” slogan in November 2012, and tested his attacks on illegal immigration in a 2013 speech to conservatives. Then he went on to defeat the Republican Party.
Democrats have a similar problem
By 2018, when a Harris Poll commissioned by Harvard asked, “Do you think we should have basically open borders?” 32% of Democrats said yes. Combine that with the fact that Democratic radicals worked for years, along with businessmen like the Koch brothers, against keeping our half of the 1986 bargain. Then remember that radical Democrats bragged about how minorities would help us take over the country, and you can see a good part of the reason that Trump’s base hates us, is fired up, and why he is hard to beat.
So What’s a Reasonable Position for Democrats?
First, we should note that wanting to deport immigrants is not necessarily a racist attitude. In 2016, Gallup found that 21% of Hispanics favored “Deporting all immigrants who are living in the United States illegally back to their home country.” That’s a very harsh policy. The likely reason for this is simply a sense of fair play. Those who waited their turn felt that others should do the same.
Two basic beliefs: Polls indicate Americans generally share two basic beliefs. First, immigrants almost all come here for good reasons — mainly to work hard and support their families. Many have broken immigration laws, but their intentions are good. They intend no harm to America or Americans and should be treated with “dignity and respect,” as the Democratic platform states.
As of April, 2019 an ABC News/Washington Post Poll. found that 80% of Americans thought that “the situation with illegal immigration across the U.S.-Mexico border is currently a serious problem or crisis. But Gallup tells us that 77% of Americans think legal immigration is a good thing.
Second, the laws of the United States should be enforced, which is not to say they should never be changed. But the rule of law is a foundation of democracy. Most Americans favor a secure border and enforcement against employers who break the law. On these points, the Democratic platform waffles or is silent.
The Democratic platform says we will “work toward comprehensive immigration reform … that improves border security.” That’s a terribly weak commitment given the track record at the border. Why not at least state that a secure border is our goal? And why is workplace enforcement not mentioned, when it could be the most effective and humane way of controlling illegal immigration? (And remember, cheating by employers is grossly unfair to law-abiding companies.)
And the first thing the platform says is that “Democrats are fighting for every immigrant who feels threatened by Donald Trump’s election.” Clearly, that includes every immigrant who is not in the country legally or has committed a crime because those will be the ones who feel most threatened.
Some basic economics. Paul Krugman, a very liberal, Nobel Prize-winning economist, explained the basics clearly in the New York Times, in 2006.
- Immigration since 1980 has raised the total income of native-born Americans by no more than a fraction of 1 percent.
- Many of the worst-off native-born Americans are hurt by immigration.
- U.S. high school dropouts would earn as much as 8 percent more if it weren’t for Mexican immigration.
- Low-skill immigrants threaten to unravel [our] safety net.
- We’ll need to reduce the inflow of low-skill immigrants.
He also debunks one of the most prevalent myths about immigrants who will work for low wages.
It’s intellectually dishonest to say, as President Bush does, that immigrants do “jobs that Americans will not do.” The willingness of Americans to do a job depends on how much that job pays — and the reason some jobs pay too little to attract native-born Americans is competition from poorly paid immigrants.
Bernie Sanders. Before you conclude that Krugman turned conservative the day he wrote that op-ed, consider what Bernie Sanders said in July 2015. As he interviews Sanders, Ezra Klein said, “I think if you take global poverty that seriously, it leads you to conclusions … like sharply raising the level of immigration we permit, even up to a level of open borders.” Bernie Sanders responded:
Open borders? No, that’s a Koch brothers proposal. [Klein: Really?] Of course. That’s a right-wing proposal, which says essentially there is no United States. … What right-wing people in this country would love is an open-border policy. Bring in all kinds of people, work for $2 or $3 an hour, that would be great for them.
Conclusion
Solving the immigration standoff would be tremendously good for the country, good for most immigrants who are at present not here legally, and good for the Democratic Party. But because the 1986 deal was broken in a completely one-sided way, we must show that this time we are serious about ending illegal immigration.
Since before the Civil War, when newly arriving Irish and German workers were willing to work longer hours for less pay, native-born workers have felt threatened by some immigrant groups. During this election, it could significantly help the Party’s credibility with working-class voters if we at least acknowledged that the 1986 immigration bill was not implemented in a fair manner.
Ripped Apart
