Posted on 07/19/2015 11:11:36 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
One of the explanations for Donald Trump’s surging poll numbers goes like this: The base doesn’t trust Republican leaders on immigration. The manifestation of this has been support for a man who tells it like it is.
The problem with this is that the immigration schism on the right is largely about rhetoric. Almost everybody agrees we must secure the border, and even the most hawkish anti-immigration reform advocates won’t admit they want to deport the 11 million, or so, illegals. There are differences of opinion on whether to allow for a pathway to citizenship or to legalize them, but almost nobody is advocating for mass deportation.
As such, the real disagreement, it seems, is about rhetoric: Should we talk about immigrants in a way that suggests we believe they are children of God who (in most cases) are seeking a better life for their family — or should we assume most of them are rapists?
Based on Trump’s popularity, there is a market for doing the latter.
Now, suppose you’re a Republican “leader” tasked with winning elections today — and in the future. Demographic shifts suggest that doubling down on white, working class, non-college educated males from rural areas won’t cut it forever.
Putting aside the fact that you might support immigration reform on its merits, wouldn’t it make sense to try to tone down rhetoric guaranteed to turn off segments of the national electorate that are actually growing? (And here, I’m not just talking about Hispanics.) That way you might be able to win elections, finally secure the border, defend the right to life, cut job-killing regulations, etc.
This brings us to some fundamental questions about leadership: Should leaders merely reflect the opinions of their followers, or try to lead them? My take is that, ideally, leaders persuade followers to follow them. But sometimes that doesn’t work. And then we’re left with this: If you’re the captain of a ship, and your most vocal passengers insist you to steer towards something that looks to you like an iceberg, do you do it?
Apropos of nothing at all, does your "gaydar" go off like "General Quarters" on a Navy destroyer when you see this guy on the idiot box?
I’m advocating for mass deportation. Who’s with me?
> Should leaders merely reflect the opinions of their followers, or try to lead them?
Ahhh, politicians are employees.
Absolutely.
I’d go further, anyone caught here after being deported gets the firing squad.
Actually, I’mm not against mass deportation.
“Should leaders merely reflect the opinions of their followers, or try to lead them?”
The GOPe has been leading us to the sh**house for too long now.
A: People who are not interested in winning elections.
The key to political success : find out what we want you to do, tell us you'll do it, and then move Heaven and Earth to get it done. Lather, rinse, repeat. Do that and you will die in office, “old and full of years.”
A: People who are not interested in winning elections.
The key to political success : find out what we want you to do, tell us you'll do it, and then move Heaven and Earth to get it done. Lather, rinse, repeat. Do that and you will die in office, “old and full of years.”
Secure the bordeRs. Enforce the law. No SS numbers for illegals. No drivers licences. No welfare. If they can’t work and can’t get welfare, they go home. Deport the ones caught. I wouldn’t breakup families though. They should take their children home with them when they self-deport.
He’s also wrong. In the last election, 0bama lost with every white voting block except single white females and whites with advanced degrees. College educated males and females from every section of the country voted against him.
Illegal aliens can be the children of God, but that doesn’t mean we need or want them infesting the U.S. I sure don’t.
Correct. He doesn’t know us at all. He’s just another smarmy ‘journalist’.
Secure the border and enforce the labor laws with big fat fines for employers of illegals. Make citizenship a requirement for any government bennies. Set up a huge detention center in the cold wilds of Alaska for illegals who are convicted of felonies, deport the ones convicted of lesser offenses and tell them that if they come back and get caught again, off to the Alaska wilds they go.
There will be no mass deportations required. When the jobs, handouts and coddling stop, they will up and leave.
The vast majority of legal immigrants will enthusiastically applaud.
What if the Media is wrong?
Misconstruing what voters want.
Slandering candidates by twisting their words and omitting context.
Destroying people for raising topics they don’t even want discussed.
121 people caught and released by the Obama administration later went on to kill people and be convicted for it.
Almost none of the stories on the subject of immigration mention this fact at all, they just act like people are crazy and racist and stupid for caring about that instead of the ESPN awards they decided was far more important.
They do? I guess I missed that.
and even the most hawkish anti-immigration reform advocates won’t admit they want to deport the 11 million
I do. But the premise of that statement is stupid.
Illegal immigration is like any other crime you punish the ones you catch and others get away with it until they get caught. It's not like 11 million will be leaving in buses tomorrow.
Job #1 is stop the flow. Then deport as they are discovered and slowly over time most would be deported.
We also need to restore quotas, only certain small amounts from each country should be let in legally. and IMO those coming from Islamic countries should not be let in at all.
Also we need to punish eomployers who hire illegals.
yeah well, it has to start somewhere.
The fact that Trump is being so heavily criticised on the issue is proof that resistance to deporting any illegals at all is massive.
Whatever Trumps faults, he deserves full credit for bringing the subject up and making it a national issue. that's more than the entire republican congress (excepting Ted Cruz) has EVER done on this issue.
No, we'll just assume that you enjoy telling lies.
the socalled base has ZERO reason to trust the R establishment on much of anything, but especially immigration
theyve sat up there for years while O has been importing hundreds of thousands of fellow travelers from every IslamoNazi krapistan on earth
plus of course, all the Mexicans, etc.
trust the R establishment? not a chance!
The base has been ignored for the past two elections. We lost both of them. The better question is ‘what if the base is right’?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.