I Have A Problem With Peter Beinart's Problem

Via Glenn, Peter Beinart in The Atlantic flags a problem with Bill Clinton's speech to the Democratic Convention (CNN transcript):

But the worst moment of the speech came near its end, when Clinton began to riff about the different kinds of people who should join Hillary’s effort. “If you love this country, you’re working hard, you’re paying taxes, you’re obeying the law and you’d like to become a citizen, you should choose immigration reform over someone that wants to send you back,” he said. Fair enough. Under any conceivable immigration overhaul, only those undocumented immigrants who have obeyed the law once in the United States—which includes paying taxes—will qualify for citizenship. Two sentences later, Clinton said that, “If you’re a young African American disillusioned and afraid … help us build a future where no one’s afraid to walk outside, including the people that wear blue to protect our future.” No problem there. Of course African Americans should be safe from abusive police, and of course, police should be safe from the murderers who threaten them.

But in between, Clinton said something dreadful: “If you’re a Muslim and you love America and freedom and you hate terror, stay here and help us win and make a future together, we want you.” The problem is in the assumption. American Muslims should be viewed exactly the same way other Americans are. If they commit crimes, then they should be prosecuted, just like other Americans. But they should not have to prove that they “love America and freedom” and “hate terror” to “stay here.” Their value as Americans is inherent, not instrumental. Their role as Americans is not to “help us win” the “war on terror.”

Whether Clinton meant to or not, he lapsed into Trumpism: the implication that Muslims are a class apart, deserving of special scrutiny and surveillance, guilty of terrorist sympathies until proven innocent...

I have a problem with their problem - what is the basis for assuming Clinton is specifically talking about American Muslims, rather than Muslims here as tourists, students or workers on a visa?

The reason I ask is that it is perfectly obvious that when Clinton talks about valuing the support of those who would "like to become a citizen" and exhorts them to "choose immigration reform", he is obviously not talking about citizens.

As to just how these citizen-aspirants are meant to show their support for immigration reform, well, I hope our former President was not advocating vote fraud from the convention podium. I also hope he was not encouraging foreigners to write illegal checks to the Hillary campaign.

Of course if foreigners are in this country, legally or well, pre-documentation, I am sure they are free to attend rallies, stuff envelopes, staff phone banks and knock on doors. So sure, let them show their support. Non-Citizens United for Hillary! Should be a winning message, since who really trusts America to be run by the Americans anyway?

Since Clinton was clearly talking about foreigners in the immigration passage I don't know why Mr. Beinart isn't willing to extend him that courtesy in evaluating the Muslim passage. And Clinton's plea that these Muslims should "stay here and help us win" suggests they might be thinking of leaving, which is surely more likely for a foreigner.  Of course, that interpretation compounds the awkward question of just what mix of foreign and domestic support the Clinton's are seeking, but let's Move On.

 

Comments

[Old Lurker]

And for those who still do not get it, this from Bloomberg:

"Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia said he didn’t think Democrats would take back the House, telling CBS’s "60 Minutes" on Sunday that Ryan will be a key to passing Clinton’s agenda."

[Marlene]

This is the time of the summer when everyone heads to the woods. Hubby's sister visited yesterday. Today,his cousins. Next week,my sister and her husband. Tomorrow we go to Portland for hubby's college reunion.
Best wishes,sbw.

[jimmyk]

Congrats, sbw.

Iggy, thinking of you on this day.

[Porchlight]

Congratulations, sbw. That sounds mighty fine. I envy them living so close to you.

[Porchlight]

Thinking of you today, Iggy.

[Porchlight]

Guess the state. No peeking.

"The race for President in _________ remains a dead heat, as it has been over the course of several months of Clout Research polling, with Clinton winning 43% support and Trump winning 40% support. Libertarian Gary Johnson wins 6% and Green Party Candidate Jill Stein wins 3%, and 8% are yet undecided."

[James D]

Prayers for you today, Ig.

[Lurker Susie]

Thinking of you, iggy

[Momto2]

Thinking of you today Iggy - praying, too!

[Captain Hate]

To hell with the country, OL; thaving their printhiplth ith all that matterth. Printhiplth dammit!

[clarice]

I love you, Iggy and will be thinking of you today, but you know Jeff will always be my favorite..You can be my second favorite if you don't tell the others. XOXO

[Captain Hate]

Ryan will be a key to passing Clinton’s agenda.

Paulie is rock hard, unzipped and ready.

[clarice]

Oregon, porchlight! (I woke up early today.)

[clarice]

You can watch "Cliinton Cash" free:https://us-mg6.mail.yahoo.com/neo/launch?reason=launch_error&ec=17

Pls share with friends.

[Threadkiller]

To see Jeff the day after I say how much I miss him gives me hope.

Iggy, I am thinking of you and Susan today.

[Porchlight]

Yes clarice! And the best part - it was taken 7/7-7/13. Trump could easily take the lead post-DNC as the Bernievolk flock to Johnson and Stein. And he gets his own positive RNC bounce as well.

[Beasts of England]

All the best today, Ig.

~ ~ ~

Sounds like a great weekend, sbw - congratulations!

[clarice]

Whoopee! Jeff makes an appearance and Oregon rocks on the same day!

[Threadkiller]

Congratulations, sbw!

[DebinNC]

{{Iggy}}

[clarice]

wrong link for Clinton Cash http://www.breitbart.com/?utm_source=newsletter

[Threadkiller]

I have noticed that Michael Medved hasn't used the term "Losertarian" in quite a while.

He must have known it would come down to a third party vote for a Libertarian so he cleaned his shtick up hoping we would forget how vile he has been to members of that party.

The pain the #nevertrumpers are going through makes what happened to my fellow birthers seem like a walk in the park.

[clarice]

Sbw--Congratulations and best wishes.

[Threadkiller]

Before:

If a party achieves an uninterrupted losing streak that lasts for more than thirty years, it’s fair to characterize them as Losertarians, as I have on the air on many occasions. It’s true that libertarian (small ‘I’) ideas may be bracing and worthy in their own right, but the party that flies the Libertarian (big ‘L’) banner isn’t so much a political organization as it is a quasi-religious death cult, that embraces the sanctimonious satisfactions of inevitable and unenviable martyrdom.

http://www.michaelmedved.com/column/another-demonstration-losertarian-irrelevance/

To be clear, Medved hasn't overtly endorsed Johnson. His current language tells me it is coming, though.

He is a #ConcernNeverTrumper for sure.

[Captain Hate]

Here are the type of pols movie critic Medved gets behind:

https://www.conservativereview.com/commentary/2016/07/gop-elites-get-their-guy-in-georgia

[pagar, a bacon, ham and sausage supporter]

Our prayers are with you today,Ig.

[Marlene]

Some comic relief...Larry the Lobster died en route from Florida to Maine this week. Larry,estimated to be 50 years old,was rescued by animal rights activists from a lobster tank at a Florida restaurant. Larry was packed in a styrofoam container with frozen gel packs and seaweed. When he arrived at the Maine State Aquarium in Boothbay Harbor and the container was opened,Larry was dead. :(

[Captain Hate]

What type of idiot thinks you can transport a live lobster out of seawater?

[Thomas Collins]

I hope Larry gets a fitting burial in several lobster aficionados' digestive systems, Marlene. Bring on the melted butter!

[Momto2]

CH - I was just sick about the run-off outcome in Ga. It was such a con job by the Chamber of Commerce and the usual others. They took a comment that Crane made about the right of homeowners to shoot someone breaking into their house and twisted it to say he "encouraged" people to shoot the police if they busted down your door. They capitalized on the blue line support that BLM has generated and even got some LE to come out against him. They ran the ads with a "money is no object" abandon. Sadly, it worked.

I wish our voters would look beyond the ads and see who is paying for them.

[Beasts of England]

I wondered about the seaweed and gel-pack approach to transporting a fifty year old lobster. Apparently I was correct, but what do I know - I'm not an official animal rights activist!! :)

[Captain Hate]

Momto2, I am fully committed to the destruction of the national CoC.

[DebinNC]

Kevin McCarthy (CA), Paul Ryan (WI), John Boehner (OH), etc. It's really irksome for me in GA to have my fate always left in the unreliable hands of blue state GOPe Rs. Make that really, really irksome. Then I remember we foisted the loathsome Jimmy Carter on America, so penance is due.

[maryrose]

Iggy:
Thoughts and prayers today.
SBW: Congratulations and have a wonderful weekend with your family.
Jeff:
Great to hear from you and a lovely tribute. Say hi to the family.
Comment of the day yesterday which really cracked me up was:
"Stuck on the Möbius strip of flypaper"

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

Thanks for all the kind words guys, especially Jeff's.
I woke up this morning having forgotten it was the 28th and to be honest it doesn't feel any different than yesterday.
Grief is a funny thing that sometimes hits you when you aren't looking and at others unexpectedly ebbs away when you're staring right at it.

It kind of has a mind of its own, but she's never not on my mind, so I have no idea why or when it visits with a rush and then slips away without me even realizing.

The best thing was reading SBW's post; like some friend or family member having a baby just after a friend or family member dies.
May the circle be unbroken.

[maryrose]

Denim NC
Ohio is more of a purple state which sadly bought the Obama koolaid and had extended voting thrust upon us by the courts.Also we did have a nun voting 4 times in 2012 along with Lerner shut down of Tea Party groups.Remember she blamed a rogue Cincinnati group.
Hey when does Kostinen get impeached?
Will it happen before the election?
He now claims he wants to investigate Clinton Foundation.
Does that mean he is in the process of deleting all e-mails with the words slush fund in them?

[Truthbetold5]

Donald Trump: I’ll Prosecute Hillary Clinton as President

http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2016/02/23/donald-trump-pledges-to-prosecute-hillary-clinton-as-president/

[clarice]

Iggy, maybe you're tied for first favorite, just saying.

[Truthbetold5]

Prosecution no longer on the table! No surprise there.

Trump Defines Clinton’s Greatest Accomplishment As Surviving Her Email Scandal

http://makeamericagreattoday.com/trump-defines-clintons-greatest-accomplishment-surviving-email-scandal/

[Art Deco]

Beinart wrote a book about Israeli policy in the Near East and managed never to acknowledge that the Arab disposition toward Israel is exceedingly insensitive to Israeli policy (the implication of which is that there's no one to give the West Bank back to because the West Bank is not what they want).

Since it has been blindingly obvious for more than 15 years that the Arab authorities on the West Bank and Gaza are not interested in any sort of settlement and blindingly obvious to anyone who consults opinion research on the population of the West Bank and Gaza that north of a third of the public there fancies the only acceptable 'solution' is that Israel is dissolved and another 30% fancies it non-negotiable that a 7 digit population of Arabs should have a franchise to settle in Israel, his whole book was a long stupid non sequitur.

Beinart is also notable for writing articles denouncing Tony Leon and the Democratic Party in South Africa for advocating a state of emergency to address street crime in that country. Beinart's immediate family left South Africa prior to 1970. It's not his problem. The people left there are coping with mean homicide rates between 30 and 60 per 100,000 depending on the year and unimaginable insecurity in Johannesburg among other loci. For him to strike these poses is just repulsive.

Martin Peretz, who employed him as editor of The New Republic from 1999 to 2006 later shook his head at the directions he'd gone over the years, adjudging his book on Israel 'narcissistic' and Beinart himself a vain man. I believe it.

[Art Deco]

Kevin McCarthy (CA), Paul Ryan (WI), John Boehner (OH), etc. It's really irksome for me in GA to have my fate always left in the unreliable hands of blue state GOPe Rs.

California's blue. Ohio and Wisconsin are purple. Wisconsin's been home to two of the most capably innovative Republican governors in the last generation, Tommy Thompson and Scott Walker.

[JM Hanes]

TBT:

If at first you don't succeed just keep posting the same thing over and over again, eh? Spamming a thread is as annoying as it is ineffective.

[JM Hanes]

TBT:

Opps, sorry my bad. Got the wrong thread and thought you were starting all over again. Apololgies for that.

[Joan]

http://freebeacon.com/issues/tom-steyers-very-good-week/

Our electric company keeps sending us letters and emails trying to get us to let them "show" us how to reduce our electrical use. If we enroll, they will help us reduce our bill. They'll do this by giving us information on "peak usage" times, and how we can keep from using our electricity during those times. This will save us money. However, to take advantage of this savings, we must let them install "their" thermostat in our house, and, at peak usage times", they'll increase the thermostat's settings, so that we won't be using too much of 'their' electricity. Now, do you think that when it's 106 deg. here, that every air conditioner in town or our area won't be humming? Peak usage? Yes. So, they'll cut us back. They will have control of us.

I know some of you will think this is intelligent use of our power grids, and that it will help alleviate outages, and blackouts. I just wish they'd use their genius to enlarge our power/energy supplies, rather than figure out how to keep us from using it. And, I'll bet that certain people will never have their thermostats taken over by companies that are supplying power and not curtailing it.