Ross Douthat On Immigration

Ross Douthat is excellent on the immigration box into which Trump has placed himself:

Across the decade that preceded Donald Trump’s election, American politicians of both parties consistently tried to pass big, sweeping immigration bills that would legalize most of the country’s illegal population and increase immigration overall. These bills failed because of populist opposition, at first bipartisan (the resistance of a certain socialist senator from Vermont helped doom the 2007 effort) but increasingly simply conservative, and over time the conservative opposition developed a well-founded suspicion of Republican elites, whose plans on immigration always seemed to require ignoring their own base.

This sense of betrayal was fertile ground for Trump, who used bigotry and bluster to sell himself to immigration hawks as a Republican who wouldn’t, indeed couldn’t, sell them out. 

Do note the reference to Bernie Sanders, who even recently has insisted on the obvious: a generous welfare state can not co-exist with open borders. "Medicare For All" can't mean "All who can show up, legally or otherwise". Not even Mitt Romney's grandkids AND Jeff Bezos can afford that, which is common sense to everyone except ardent progressives. (Even Paul Krugman admitted this in 2006 and again in 2010, but if has risked the wrath of his base since then I've missed it. Those books don't sell themselves!.)

However, Trump's impasse: Public opinion had swung in favor of stricter border control but "The Wall" was not the right tool to keep out asylum seekers. For that Trump would need to negotiate Congressional support to amend current laws, and stricter border control by the Mexican government. However...

For a different president these tasks would be challenging; for Trump, they seem impossible.

 

Which leaves Trump flailing and Democrats free to point accusing fingers:

The flailing also absolves the Democratic Party, currently torn between radicalism and evasion on immigration, from actually having to propose a coherent alternative to the White House’s approach. If this sort of crisis were happening on President Hillary Clinton’s watch, it would create all kinds of political problems for the Democrats; as it stands, they can point at the man who once boasted of Washington that “I alone can fix it” and say, well, why don’t you?

Oh, my.

All that said, I am still curious to see how Bernie Borders plays out in the primaries.

 

Comments

[Captain Hate]

Hilarious. Assange doesn't have shit on anybody. That's a myth, and it will be verified. He assisted the leaking of classified information that I can tell you had a negative effect on the battlefield and for our troops. He's a self promoting jackass who has skated the law and a day of reckoning because he has hidden like a little child. If he had anything, he would have already used it as leverage. One of the few things this administration and the last agree on is that mother fucker should be made to choke to death on his own dick. Along with that traitorous ass doinker, Manning and the other traitor, Snowden, they should be strung up and hung. Slowly.
Posted by: Marcus T at April 11, 2019 08:26 AM (VpIIl)

[Jane]

My Ipad melted down last night. I can't swipe anything - including logging off, I can't put my password in, it's like it no longer recognizes fingers.

Anyone ever have that problem?

[Marlene]

Good Morning! Happy Birthday Teddy! Our dog Scout was eight yesterday,I forgot until the vet in Maine sent him an email card. He's really mellow now,a great little dog.

Wow,that Assange video gives new meaning to "dragged out kicking and screaming."

[Tom R]

MJW @6:57

You seem to suppose that if Nunes doesn't refer Rosenstein for prosecution, it proves he's not a black hat

Over the past few months in the pro-Trump social media sites there have been two popular, competing theories all based on conjecture and a lot of unknowns. Sundance at CTH is one of the leading voices of one of the competing theories. Jeff Carlson at Epoch Times and DawsonSField on Twitter are prominent voices on the other side.

When Mueller exonerated Trump Sundance doubled down on his belief that Rosenstein was a bad guy. Carlson and Field believe Rosenstein is a good guy. When Nunes announced he was sending 8 criminal referrals to the DOJ there was speculation at Sundance’s site that Rosenstein would be one of the people recommended for indictment. My comment you took issue with was directed at Sundance and those who believe Rosenstein is a bad guy. I think pretty soon that group of people are going to be forced to re-evaluate what they believed to be true with reality.

[Another Bob]

Jane, try rebooting it. Hold down the top button and the home button.

[Captain Hate]

Scott Johnson has been covering the long overdue murder trial of that Somali piece of shit:

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2019/04/at-the-noor-trial-7.php

[Old Lurker]

What A-Bob said, Jane.

That has happened to me too and rebooting fixes it.

[Captain Hate]

Brennan and McCabe have been very quiet.

[Old Lurker]

Brennan was just on my radio expressing his shock and disappointment at the words used by Barr. Was almost verbatim what Warner said last night. Then Clapper parrotted the same line.

McCabe has requested use of Assange's room in London I think.

[Buckeye]

New York lawmakers are now taking aim at golf courses ⛳️

Might be time to get out of LI for good JiB.

[Captain Hate]

Clapper has admitted to spying on Trump "for his own good". Doesn't that fat fuck remember that or is this an early "Uncle Leo" defensive strategy?

[Buckeye]

Happy Birthday Teddy!

Pound of raw filet mignon sounds about right CH:)

[Narciso79]

I was on record against Assange when he leaked diplomatic and technical means that's when he was the press darling then the worm turned as catsmeat pointed out.

[Narciso79]

Happy birthday teddy.

[rse]

henry-thanks for the link for that congresswoman from Ga who actually lives in TN. It won't be on the news here.

Unfortunately, the lockstep vagina voters angered over the heartbeat bill will probably reelect her anyway. Where I live inside the perimeter in an affluent area, no Reps at any level survived reelection bids just because of anger over trump in the midterms.

Having commies as the elected representatives at every level is not fun. So much for telling women that Rep's will not try to overturn Roe v Wade if they can power.

[Narciso79]

General mcgoo, I remember when general Hayden was the good guy in enemy of the state

[Beasts of England]

Happy Birthday, Teddy!!

[Threadkiller]

When Nunes announced he was sending 8 criminal referrals to the DOJ there was speculation at Sundance’s site that Rosenstein would be one of the people recommended for indictment.

Sundance speculated "that Rosenstein would be one of the people recommended for indictment," or someone in the comment section at CTH made that speculation?

[henry]

CNBC Now @CNBCnow
now

BREAKING: US charges Wikileaks co-founder Julian Assange with conspiracy to commit computer hacking

[Buckeye]

Beasts

What kind of boat is Subterfuge?

Live aboard size?

If so, do you spend overnights?

I'm sitting here fantasizing about an "alternate" lifestyle. Boat, RV, cabin in the woods, etc. Must have too much time on my hands:)

[Captain Hate]

Finally a Republican who doesn't back down:

https://mobile.twitter.com/DanCrenshawTX/status/1116062798050660352

[Threadkiller]

Happy Birthday, Teddy!

[Captain Hate]

The Wash Compost headline says "Barr says 'U.S.' spied on Trump..." You mean Obama administration spied on Trump. Fake news again.

Posted by: Actually inside the beltway at April 11, 2019 08:57 AM (ldXWf)

NBC had a tweet to their article yesterday:

Analysis: Barr appeared to endorse a widespread GOP view that the Mueller probe may have involved inappropriate surveillance of the Trump campaign.

Dipshits...Barr wasn't referring to the Mueller probe spying.

Posted by: Tami at April 11, 2019 09:03 AM (cF8AT)

[Narciso79]

Dilaniam fusion (redacted) orobably authored that tweet.

[Jane]

AB, OL,

IT WORKED! THANK YOU! I tried to turn it off a million times last night but couldn't do it.

Everytime something like this happens I think: "Maybe I do have alzheimers" which is terribly rude. So I really appreciate it!

[James D.]

CH @ 8:41

Reading the trial reports is horrifying.

This is from the previous post in the series:

• A few “split seconds” are what the case is all about. Just before Noor shot Justine, Harrity exclaimed “Oh, Jesus!” and fumbled for his gun. Harrity appeared in terror. Noor had his weapon drawn and shot the silhouette to protect his partner and himself. This was “a perfect storm with tragic consequences.” It represented “a classic ambush scenario.” That is what crossed Harrity’s mind.

If that is how police are being trained, and that is the mindset they are expected to have, then I am NEVER, EVER calling them, for any reason.

[henry]

Michael Finnegan @finneganLAT
15m

Breaking: A federal grand jury in California has indicted Michael Avenatti on 36 counts. US Atty Nick Hanna & the IRS are holding a news conference in Los Angeles at 9am Pacific time.

[Jane]

BTW hasn't this been the most fun week in a couple of years?

Now with the Masters on I'm gonna need 2 TV's.

I was up at 5:00 Am and saw them take Assange. I have no idea how to calculate that but I bet he has a lot on Hillary.

I wonder how many elected democrats will get implicated in the coup. Send them all to GITMO

[Captain Hate]

James, it sounds like the prosecution damaged that argument yesterday by pointing out how well lit the alley was. I hope they have higher IQ people than Patterico working the case.

[Neo]

I call "Peace Offensive" ..

AP Interview: Pelosi seeking 'common ground' with Trump

[Beasts of England]

It's a SeaRay 250 SLX, Buckeye. It has a head, a fridge, and a transom shower (pretty much a pull-out spray head a la the kitchen sink) but it's a day boat. I have spent a few nights aboard her, but those events were not entirely planned... lol

[Marlene]

The gobsmacked look on Shaheen's face when Barr answered her spying question made me laugh. In fact,in a local NH/Maine politics issue,Gov.Chris Sununu (R-NH) praised Susan Collins,not Shaheen for defending funding for the Portsmouth Navy Shipyard. Both delegations usually work together on the shipyard issue,but Shaheen and Hassan whined about Trump using diverted DoD funds to build the wall. Sununu might run against Shaheen in 2020.

[henry]

Neo, advanced plea bargaining?

[Captain Hate]

Sununu might run against Shaheen in 2020.

Sununu was the only person in the Mutt Rombley campaign who acted like he wanted to win. Plus he refused to take the CNN bait to attack Trump after McCain's death. Definitely a good guy and a fighter.

[Captain Hate]

Dammit, wrong Sununu; still a good guy, I'm sure...

[James D.]

I saw that, CH.

But here's the thing: that's not NEARLY good enough.

The MPD selected these guys, and trained them, and put them on the street with badges and guns.

Everyone who was involved in their selection and training shares responsibility for Damond's murder.

If the officers were panicky or unable to accurately evaluate a situation, or too hasty to open fire, that would have shown up in training, and they should never have been allowed out with guns. Unless it WAS their training that made them that way.

Either way, there are failures all up the line, and throwing Noor in jail will do NOTHING to address them unless the people who sent him out with badge and gun KNOWING he was a danger to the citizens he (and they) work for are also punished, SEVERELY (savagely, even), this will happen again. And again. And again.

Maybe the people of Minneapolis don't care, though, because they keep voting for the jackasses who put in place the policies and laws that allowed this to happen.

[MissMarple2]

https://nypost.com/2019/04/11/former-vikings-part-owner-irwin-jacobs-wife-found-dead-in-apparent-murder-suicide/?utm_source=twitter_sitebuttons&utm_medium=site%20buttons&utm_campaign=site%20buttons

[Captain Hate]

Since they stole the Washington Senators, my opinion of the citizens there is a bit lower than Porchlight's, James. Maybe they have the cops they deserve, but Justine certainly didn't.

[Momto2]

We heard there is a birthday today...

Sending best wishes to Teddy!

[MissMarple2]

Jack Posobiec
🇺🇸
‏Verified account @JackPosobiec
44m44 minutes ago

BREAKING: Wikileaks has announced that Assange has been charged with conspiracy with Chelsea Manning in 2010 to release classified information about the Iraq War, under the Espionage Act

[Captain Hate]

Thank you for that picture, Momto2, and the rest of the well wishes. A day or two ago, Teddy met Theo, a two year old Welsh Terrier rescue just moved from Boston. Theo was very cute.

[Beasts of England]

Say what you will about Pelosi, but you can't deny that she's politically astute. She's smacking down Chiquita and dampening the impeachment rhetoric. An offer of 'common ground' likely means recognition that the momentum is quickly shifting Trump's way.

[jimmyk]

James D going all GUS on the MPD. I agree, of course, but I fear that it's going to be hard to get a conviction. Juries (often properly) give police the benefit of the doubt, so the defense just has to create a bit of that doubt. I hope there's also a civil suit against him and the MPD. Noor should never have been allowed near a gun. Or a uniform.

[Beasts of England]

Noor should never have been allowed near a gun in our country.

[MissMarple2]

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/04/10/donald-trump-deeply-moved-by-border-crisis-stories-from-texas-landowners/

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

New thread.

[henry]

Breaking News Feed @pzf
6m

BREAKING NEWS: Julian Assange found guilty of skipping bail by UK judge. He will be sentenced in Crown Court, where the maximum sentence is 12 months.

[Captain Hate]

Pelosi can read polls and is capable of acting to change things, not natter away with "not who we are" like a retarded parrot while holding all the cards.

[Rocco]

https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130731/15572324025/us-military-admits-no-one-died-because-mannings-leaks.shtml

US Military Admits No One Died Because Of Manning's Leaks

As Manning's sentencing hearing kicked off, a key government witness admitted that there were no deaths that were attributable to those leaks. That came straight from Brig. Gen. Robert Carr, who was in charge of the response to the leaks. Among other things, he also noted that since the names did not appear in Arabic, it was unlikely that our enemies would have figured out who they really were anyway.

I dunno!

[MissMarple2]

NEW!!

[jimmyk]

in our country.

Friendly amendment accepted. :)

[James D.]

What I don't understand is why Noor's partner is apparently testifying on his behalf.

Noor could easily have killed him, by shooting across him inside the car. Why would he defend that?

[JimNorCal]

New.

[Buckeye]

I have spent a few nights aboard her, but those events were not entirely planned... lol

:)

[Neo]

Like Hillary, it would be an act of portage to make Gillibrand President.

[Beasts of England]

Hey, lyle - did y'all opt for the Bern's Steak-Cation package? lol Looks like a fine establishment. Cheers!! 🍷