Heather Cox Richardson writes that Trump has instructed Republicans in Congress NOT to negotiate a border deal to control immigration.
Why?
Trump wants to run on the border issue. The last thing he wants is for Biden to reach a bipartisan deal on immigration.
She writes:
Jake Sherman and John Bresnahan of Punchbowl News confirmed this evening that although MAGA Republicans have insisted the border is such a crisis that no aid to Ukraine can pass until it is addressed, Trump is preventing congressional action on the border because he wants to run on the issue of immigration. Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) told a closed meeting of Senate Republicans that “the nominee” wants to run his campaign on immigration, adding, “We don’t want to do anything to undermine him.” “We’re in a quandary,” McConnell said.
Jennifer Bendery and Igor Bobic of HuffPostreported that Trump today reached out to Republican senators to kill the bipartisan border deal being finalized, “because he doesn’t want Biden to have a victory,” one source said. “The rational Republicans want the deal because they want Ukraine and Israel and an actual border solution,” Bendery and Bobic quote the source as saying. “But the others are afraid of Trump, or they’re the chaos caucus who never wants to pass anything.”
“They’re having a little crisis in their conference right now,”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
This is an issue where I think Biden (and Democrats generally) should “triangulate” a la Clinton to take this issue out of play. Biden generally has been much more “hardline” (for lack of a better term) on immigration than he gets credit for, and although part of that is because Republicans never stop hammering the issue, another part of it is because the Biden team never start hammering. There is broad support for a “tough” stance against “illegal” immigration (I put “illegal” in quotes because there is nothing illegal about applying for asylum, even if the asylum claim is meritless). It’s been held up in court, but Biden has tried to tighten asylum requirements, and he should make sure everybody knows that. Heck, go pro-wall if that’s what it takes. Make it part of the Democrat brand that Democrats are the party that is tough on illegal immigration and that wants to make it easier to immigrate legally. Because we should be glad that people want to come to the U.S. and the U.S. absolutely needs a lot more immigration.
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The issue to Republicans is not illegal immigration vs legal immigration. The issue is where the immigrants come from and their skin tone. Especially if they become Citizens, or their Children do.
It is nearly impossible with our quota of 120k for the entire Western Hemisphere to legally migrate for the vast majority of people who seek to do it. Especially If they don’t American have family or high skills. Over 2 million people try to cross the southern boarder (mostly from Latin American Countries )Which leaves seeking refugee status as the only choice for most desperate people.
90% will be apprehended or turn themselves. Upwards of 85% will be expelled some right at the border. The vast majority will have court cases that take many years before before a hearing happens.
Republicans are turning down the largest border enforcement bill ever. A bill that will provide more border security and more judges to speed the process.
Republicans love undocumented workers. Trumps first pardon was to a meat packer who hired and abused undocumented workers. When they approached the Meat Packers Union and the Union pursed charges at the DOL ;Obama’s Justice Department threw him in Jail.
Now we can not absorb that many immigrants. However there is no reason employers who hire immigrants should be able to undermine wages of American workers. Of course republicans oppose labor law reform to strengthen Unions.
They oppose a bio metric Social Security Cards to be used with a verification system as well.
They would bitch like hell if Biden eased sanctions on Venezuela and Cuba. Which would alleviate up to one third of those fleeing desperate poverty and oppression from the south.
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If Republicans thought that brown immigrants would be voting Republican, they would be standing at the border with Welcome baskets.
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Take the issue away from them. Become the “tough on immigration” party. It wouldn’t actually require much of a policy shift.
I think we can absorb a LOT more immigrants. We need to, given our native birth rate.
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Tough on “illegal” immigration, that is.
“Brown” immigrants are actually pretty conservative.
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Bob Shepherd
If Republicans courted Brown voters the party built on the Southern Strategy would lose its racist white base.
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FLERP!
Do we need some immigration certainly. Are declining birth rates a terrible thing as the planet fries?
Worker shortages have been way over hyped. Remember the shortage of 2 million truckers , probably not because it was not a shortage. “Not having enough Diamonds at the Price you are willing to pay is not a shortage of diamonds.” Peter Cappelli Wharton School of Management.
As more workers returned to the workforce quit rates are down help wanted signs are disappearing and wages are beating inflation. You need a degree in micro and macro economics to figure out just how much immigration is needed and at what point it would impact the wages of Native Americans and current Immigrants. As we see every month, most economists can not even predict the Monthly releases out of the DOL.
What we can say is that if all 2 million immigrants were lawyers(or teachers ). Lawyers would be lining up at the Southern Border spreading razor ribbon.
Having an economic system that relies on a Ponzi scheme of constant growth is a problem within itself.
That said I am not anti immigrant there are demand and supply side solutions to control immigration that don’t involve racism and brutality. On the demand side if our labor laws were more stringent and workers had the ability to organize as easily as the did in the mid 30s to the 50s (when America was great) and before Taft Hartley. Combined with stiffer penalties the ability to exploit immigrants would decline and the demand for exploitable labor would drop . On the supply side our foriegn policy since WW2 drives much of the migration. We can say Maduro is a tyrant but he is only a tyrant because “he is not our SOB” some how 200k dead in Guatemala was acceptable. Chavez was popularly elected several times. After 2 coups and sanctions, Venezuela a country rich in oil and Natural resources is now a basket case.
1/3 of immigrants now flee abject poverty in what was a oil rich country with reducing poverty a few years ago.
We can go through the hemisphere and see how Policy has affected flows.
Even NAFTA was a disaster for Mexican farmers increasing poverty dramatically in Mexico as it decimated jobs in the rust belt.
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These actions by the MAGA with the support of the Regular GOP who are allowing it to happen is WRONG on so many fronts. It clearly shows that Donald Trump is not in favor of Making America Great as he is blocking actions to resolve a 30 year American problem – immigration. Clearly his is putting his personal needs ahead of the needs of America’s people. He says it OUT LOUD! President Biden has basically given the MAGA / GOP what they have been hollering about for years, now they don’t want it. This reveals that they’ve been using immigration just to blow smoke up the butts of America’s voters for their political gain. It seems like the answer is for the U.S. Senate to put the immigration bill up for a vote by the full Senate so American voters can clearly see who is on the side of America and who cares more about making Trump happy. Then when I passes, the same revelation will occur in the House, again revealing who is on the side of American Citizen and who is only dedicated to Trump. This is an especially critical knowledge in the 18 closely contested races to determine the future of the House of Representatives.
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Jerry Seinfeld on George Costanza, “I have never seen a person work so hard not to work…” We are living in a bizarro world. Silly me, I thought we were supposed to work together to make a “more perfect union.” All of this constantly reminds me of many meetings I attended where I finally had to stop and say, “Even though we are not going to implement a solution can we agree that it is a good idea? But the solution just can’t come from me because, well, I am just a teacher. Oh, and an art teacher (I was reminded more than once my cognitive abilities were less because I just taught art). In sum, “To know what has come before is to be armed against despair. If the men and women of the past, with all their flaws and limitations and ambitions and appetites, could press on through ignorance and superstition, racism and sexism, selfishness and greed, to create a freer, stronger nation, then perhaps we, too, can right wrongs and take another step toward that most enchanting and elusive destinations: a more perfect Union.”
— Jon Meacham, 2018
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““Even though we are not going to implement a solution can we agree that it is a good idea?”
I heard that bullshit from adminimals far too many times. My response:
NO!
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@Duane-wouldn’t just like to hard check those people into the boards?
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I just saw Senator Mitt Romney on network TV saying that Trump told Senate Republicans not to make a deal on immigration so he can use the issue against Biden.
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Traitor Trump also wants the economy to crash before the election.
Still, I wonder if he is the “master” mind behind this, since his mind is sliding deeper into dementia mode, and he’s never been the brightest bulb on the planet. To trigger his MAGA weapons, he mostly publicly threatens, insults, bullies, and trolls whoever he decides is an enemy. Biden, judges, juries, prosecuting attorneys, anyone in the MAGA controlled republican party that runs against him or draws attention to his crimes and flaws like those that take him to court for rape.
I think whoever is being this scheme is someone else in his worship Donald orbit that still has the ability to hatch diabolical plots. The first name that comes to mind is Steve Bannon, who the BBC once called Trump’s brain.
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@Lloyd – He is a rinse, repeat, rinse playbook person. Now, Nikki “Birdbrain” Haley is his latest focus. It reminds me of a Picasso painting “…a goddess or a doormat…” and then the distortions. But no matter what, he is the ONLY person who can fix it. Yeah, what is the fix? Oh, you don’t have one. Oh, but it’s really, really going to be very, very excellent and waaaay better than the other’s stupid plan. Neener, neener.
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Yes Nikki is his latest focus.
And as soon as she pulls out of the race, Nikki will be right behind DeSantis abasing herself to demonstrate her total fealty to her great leader Trump.
Trump (and Bannon and every other Republican) knows that Trump can say that Nikki’s parents were illegal immigrants who helped John Hinckley try to assassinate Ronald Reagan – or say that Nikki’s husband is fat and ugly – and when she steps down, Nikki — and her parents and her entire family — will still shove Ted Cruz out of the way in their rush to pledge their undying loyalty to their great leader.
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It’s very sad to see intelligent educated people like Cruz, Tim Scott, and all the others falling to the floor to kiss the Great Man’s feet.
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nycpsp– thanks for confirming my sense of where Haley is coming from. I seriously think there are many Dems out there (the ones who are worried about Biden’s age, or don’t give him credit for what he’s accomplished) who would like to see Haley get the Rep nomination. They know she has a better shot at beating Biden than Trump does, and imagine she would be “>sigh of relief< better than Trump.” Well who knows. She strikes me right off the bat as an opportunist who goes where the wind blows, and her past policy positions look like hawkish on war, and MAGA on social issues. She is supposedly “pragmatic,” which implies she’d support bipartisan deals, but I have trouble believing that.
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An article today in The NY Times suggested that Haley does not have a strong network in SC, and few of the electeds are supporting her. Some of that’s on her but more important, I think, is that they expect Trump will beat her and they are afraid of him.
If you are on Twitter, scroll through Haley’s feed; the comments see about 90% hostile, vicious, all from Trumpers. One thing that made me gasp was that the Trumpers accuse her of being unfaithful to her husband. I started laughing. Trump is a libertine. How many times did he cheat on his three wives?
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Diane– Doh, brother! LOL.
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Trump takes credit for the stock market reaching record highs (because he’s returning), but if it goes down, it’s on Biden’s watch.
Also, the sun rising and setting.
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HAAAAA!!!!
OK. I have a story. Many years ago, I had a house in Rockport, MA, with a marsh full of loons behind me and a stone’s throw from the ocean. Practically across the street from me was a little restaurant on the water that served fresh seafood. So, one evening, I was in there with my daughter, who was three years old. One of the interesting things about Cape Ann, where we lived, is that it curves around, so even though it is on the East Coast, you can in places look across the water to the sun setting in the West. So, on this evening, there was a glorious sunset, and the restaurant was full of Japanese tourists–a tour bus full–and all of us were watching the sunset. Then, just as the sun peeked down over the horizon, all the Japanese started clapping.
And my daughter leaned forward and said, “Daddy, do it again.”
Since then my powers have fallen somewhat in her estimation.
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@Bob, when I was a little kid I would go on adventures with my friend’s family. As we were traveling in the car his dad told us he could “move the moon.” “Wanna See?” The road changed directions and he said, “Moon move.” Holy Snikeys! That guy was awesome. I watched as the moon moved farther and farther into the distance.
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What a cute story. And yet there are legions who believe in trump with that childlike devotion.
BTW, Rockport was a beautiful spot.
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Rockport is one of my favorite places on earth! Shhhhh! Don’t tell anyone about it!
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Haaa!!!
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Mamie, for a short while I had an apartment that towered over Motif #1. Right at the edge of that little marina.
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I can see it now! Paradise!!
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This sight from my upstairs window was pretty wonderful to wake up to. It was a modest apartment but just what I needed at the time, and in a breathtakingly beautiful place. The seagulls were pretty annoying though, I must say.
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On the phone with Blackstone now about Rockport property. . . .
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I have the utmost admiration and respect for teachers in the arts, mostly because I at one time aspired to become an art teacher and realized my strengths were in mathematics teaching, and not in the art classroom. An art teacher (or a teacher in the arts in general) has a brain wired a bit differently than mine is, but that only means they think a bit differently than someone who teaches in other areas. Rcharvet, your posts and comments show your thinking to be clear, concise and right on target. I had some excellent art teachers in school and I feel I would have thoroughly enjoyed being in one of your classes.
To comment on the original post, my understanding of the responsibilities of a congressman or senator is to vote what he/she feels is right, to support their constituents, not to placate a potential candidate whose ranting and raving have already shown his true colors. My advice for these people is to stand up for what they feel is the right thing to do and stop pandering to a bully.
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@sosberg1701 — Thank you for your kind words. You know I had a sign in my classroom that I looked at often, “Stand up for what is right.” I did and it worked. I appreciate your thoughts. I find it disillusioning to find how the way I thought “things” worked seems not to be the case (or maybe for those with plenty of money). I am no expert. But, as always, I remain optimistic that the “right thing” will win out. Blessings your way.
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Trump wants to hang the border around Biden’s neck like a gigantic albatross. Even most left leaning people are unhappy with the situation at the border. Catch and release is no real solution for immigration or border security. Biden’s team needs to start assigning blame to the GOP that refuses to negotiate and adequately fund change.
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Please don’t use the GOP phrase, “catch and release”. It’s dehumanizing and intended to be so.
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Speaking of people as fish. Disgusting. Just the kind of language the Nazis used. Ofc, RT has no such sentiments.
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What is more dehumanizing is families sleeping on streets, and cities unable to accommodate them.
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Seeing a lot of migrant mothers with small children begging in my neighborhood lately, including in the recent cold snap.
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My daughter lives in El Paso. Mothers and young children are living in the streets. The churches and other private charities are running out of resources and steam. We need a solution, not more rhetoric.
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We are in complete agreement.
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Of course the republicans do not want resolution of this issue. Just as McConnell stated openly upon Obama’s inauguration, it is better for republicans to see their opponents fail, even if the ideas are good.
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Roy– Yup. McConnell said the quiet part out loud. Like the starting gun for a polarized race to the bottom, which is where we are now, with Rep House 0.14% majority, and a hair-thin Dem majority in Senate, guaranteeing nothing but nonsense proposals from House, blocked by Senate– gridlock. McConnell-led Reps see (or claim to see) Biden as Obama II; that is how they frame his proposals. It is frankly amazing to me how much Biden has been able to accomplish, given this framework.
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Trump is a loser. He lost the popular vote in 2016, he lost the 2018 midterms, he lost both the popular vote and the electoral college in 2020, he lost the supposed red tide midterm of 2022.
Trump’s policies were rejected BY THE PEOPLE. Why do the extremists in the GOP channel his will? Marjorie Taylor Greene is representative of the will of all Republican voters? McConnell sniveling that the Senate won’t vote for an immigration package displays amazing cowardice.
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Let’s see if any Republican takes issue with Trump. Nothing like having an indicted, twice-impeached insurrectionist at the top of the ticket.
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@Diane — What gets me is we are even having a conversation about an indicted moron who is vowing to lead the country into greatness by lying, cheating, stealing, groping and dictating. And, to me, the fact that he is in court trying to “get away with it” based on some technicality makes it all okay. “You know I did murder that guy, but I got away with it. What a victory for me. Now I can tell you how to act.” The phrase that keeps coming to mind as a child, “If you work hard, study well, honest, and have compassion for people, you too, could become president.” Nowadays I remember looking at some “troublemakers” who seemed to get away with stuff (no consequences) and think, “Yeah, geez, you really could be president.” On another note, I was watching a home refurbishing show and the “makers” decided to make some toys that would acclimate the kids into farm life. They said, “We feel children can become better people when they care for animals.” Most presidents have dogs and walk them. Many presidents have “reading or playlists.” Most presidents attend a church (from what I have witnessed). What is the last book Trump read? What church does he attend (especially how he placates the Evangelicals). And does he own a pet? I may have missed something while I was focusing on my squirrels and birds.
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The Repugnican’s rapist candidate.
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@Christine — I appreciate your blog posts here and on Nancy’s site as well. Just for grins, https://golf.com/lifestyle/celebrities/president-trump-club-championship-did-not-enter/
And wouldn’t you know, my paintings are hanging in The Louvre.
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Thank you!
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Christine Langhoff is breathtakingly smart. Many here are.
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Many here are.
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https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10232461495827118&set=a.1200477179262
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I think it is time for the GOP to grow up and grow a set (even the women). I wonder: If he said jump off a cliff or a bridge – would they do it?
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Ladyfair,
Jim Jones led a cult. He said “drink the koolaid.” And they did.
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Border crisis Obama/biden/harris disaster!!! defund the police and sanctuary cities all dem ideas! How lost are you ????
Keep watching MCDNC, RACIST JOY REID, LUNATIC MADDOW!!
Christine is a mess. Trump lost because new york and california voted more for Clinton, means nothing. Paper ballots and trump wins with over 100 million votes, you cannot fathom Biden lost and TRump won
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You are a very sick puppy.
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Sick puppies can think better than this dude/dudette/whatever.
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“Gay”
You are an idiot.
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“Gay” is our neighborhood troll…with a new name. He is transgender.
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This blog’s host and commenters would benefit from leaving their bubble and reading this link. If you don’t want Trump as President again, heed her advice.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13001797/Trump-victory-New-Hampshire-verdict-MAUREEN-CALLAHAN.html
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Maureen Callahan wrote for Rupert Murdoch’s New York Post for several years before she signed on with The Daily Mail. Biden never supported open borders. Even now, the Republicans refuse to agree to a bipartisan deal to control immigration. They prefer to have the issue, not to solve the problem. Nor has Biden expressed support for Transwomen in sports. Those lies do not reflect well on her.
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leaving their bubble
Unlike racist, anti-immigrant Repugnicans like Maureen Callahan, many of the commenters here actually don’t live in an ideological bubble. Don’t make comments about matters that you know nothing about.
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@ Bob — you beat me to the punch. The people who are part of this blog are well read, renaissance-like, and provide excellent viewpoints. At times, I am dumbfounded on how to respond. They are far from hiding away in a bubble. Great comment.
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Mary Ikester,
This is the best bubble in the blogosphere. Lots of brilliant conversation, really well-read people with interesting life experiences. You could learn a lot.
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There is no meaningful diversity of opinion on this blog. All but one of the regular commenters (FLERP) range from far Left to further Left. Everyone votes for the same politicians and recites the same left-wing dogmas. It’s obvious that these commenters – and the host – rarely if ever expose themselves to writing from a non-Left perspective. It is your right to live in a bubble; lots of people on both the Left and the Right do so.
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Mary, it’s a free country. You don’t have to read the blog. I state my views just as other bloggers do. I just posted a piece that will appear at 11 by the distinguished professor of history at Yale, Timothy Snyder. He supports Ukraine. He has written post after post supporting Ukraine. He has written eloquently about the danger of fascism posed by Trump. Should he occasionally post pieces that express love for the MAGA ideology? Should he post pieces opposing aid to Ukraine? Of course not. Read or not, it’s up to you.
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@Diane — Definitely a “button pusher” and like you said “change the channel.” To garner support rather than animosity understanding word choice is imperative. “Through precise word selection, you can increase the clarity of your argument by enabling your readers to grasp your intended meaning quickly and accurately. At the same time, it is important to keep in mind that your word choices affect a reader’s attitudes toward your presentation and your subject matter.” In my opinion, the “quickly and accurately” point was made, but did not (or perhaps did) adjust for how it she made an assumption on the metacognition of the contributors to your post. My first inclination was to respond with two words of improper word usage, maybe three.
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“from far Left to further Left”
OMG. Rolling on the floor laughing. Yes, a bunch of leftists here who are so crazy that they are appalled when Trump separates kids from their parents at the border and then LOSES THEM (kidnapping) and calls on his Border Patrol to SHOOT innocent asylum seekers (murder) and talks about how great it would be TO DATE his daughter (incest) and claims that stealth airplanes are actually invisible and can’t name the three parts of the nuclear triad or any passage from the Bible he likes (breathtaking ignorance). Too bad we here aren’t normal Repugnicans who think all these things are just hunky dory–so much so that we want to give THAT GUY another round in the Oval.
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Mary– consider that most if not all of us are drawn here by intense interest in, & concern over how things are going with K12 education. DRavitch is a no-apologies booster for national public education. So are most of the regular commenters, with some exceptions [whom we enjoy hearing from], as many of us are either present/ retired public educators, or parents who’ve put kids thro public ed, including those who’ve found it wanting & chosen other paths for 1 or more of their kids. Now consider that Republicans and other right-wingers have been negative about public ed and working steadily for decades to privatize it– and not just Republicans, we have to include certain Dem presidents like Obama. Hence you will find a lively discussion here about what works and doesn’t work in public ed, regardless of which party champions various methods.
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Mary Ikester– tried to read it, but got stymied halfway thro by browser warning me it was a risky/ insecure site. Says something that is your go-to cite.
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Mary Ikester– I tried to read it, but halfway through, browser advised it was a risky/ insecure site. Says something that that’s your backup for your position.
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Tried to read the link but was warned halfway through it was a risky/ insecure site. Says something that that is how you support your opinion.
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In other news, in yet another criminal violation of international law, Russia has started using chemical weapons on the battlefield in Ukraine.
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Biden is poised to be tougher on the border than the posturing GOP. He is beating them at their game. Don’t mess with Dark Brandon. Apparently, you will lose against this seasoned statesman every time.
Heather Cox Richardson followed up with this gem of a letter:
“Meanwhile, Trump’s attempts to destroy the bipartisan border deal, in which Democrats appear to have been willing to give away more than the Republicans out of desperate determination to fund Ukraine, are being called out for cynical politics. The news is awash today with stories condemning the Republicans for caving to the demands of a man who is, at least for now, a private citizen and who is putting his own election over the interests of the American people as he tries to keep the issue of immigration alive to exploit in the 2024 campaign.
Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) told his colleagues: “I didn’t come here to have the president as a boss or a candidate as a boss. I came here to pass good, solid policy…. It is immoral for me to think you looked the other way because you think this is the linchpin for President Trump to win.” Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) told Sahil Kapur and Frank Thorp V of NBC News, “I think it’s crap…. We need to get that deal done to secure the border. If they want to keep it as a campaign issue, I think they need to resign from the damn Senate.”
But while Trump is apparently telling Republicans he will “fix” the border if he gets back into the White House, Greg Sargent noted yesterday in The New Republic that when Trump was in office, “[h]e too released a lot of migrants into the interior, and he couldn’t pass his immigration agenda even with unified GOP control.” And, of course, he never got Mexico to pay for his wall, as he repeatedly claimed he would, while President Joe Biden, in contrast, got Mexico to invest $1.5 billion in “smart” border technology and to beef up its own border security.
The White House has refused to abandon negotiations even as Trump trashed them. In a statement today, Biden said that negotiators have been “[w]orking around the clock, through the holidays, and over weekends,” to craft a bipartisan deal on the border, and he called out Republicans who are now trying to scuttle the bill.
“What’s been negotiated would—if passed into law—be the toughest and fairest set of reforms to secure the border we’ve ever had in our country,” he said. “It would give me, as President, a new emergency authority to shut down the border when it becomes overwhelmed. And if given that authority, I would use it the day I sign the bill into law.
“Further, Congress needs to finally provide the funding I requested in October to secure the border. This includes an additional 1,300 border patrol agents, 375 immigration judges, 1,600 asylum officers, and over 100 cutting-edge inspection machines to help detect and stop fentanyl at our southwest border. Securing the border through these negotiations is a win for America. For everyone who is demanding tougher border control, this is the way to do it. If you’re serious about the border crisis, pass a bipartisan bill and I will sign it.”
Biden seems to be signaling that if the Republicans kill this measure, they will own the border issue, but he is not the only one making that argument. Yesterday the Wall Street Journal’s editorial board, which slants toward the right, wrote: “[G]iving up on a border security bill would be a self-inflicted GOP wound. President Biden would claim, with cause, that Republicans want border chaos as an election issue rather than solving the problem. Voter anger may over time move from Mr. Biden to the GOP, and the public will have a point. Cynical is the only word that fits Republicans panning a border deal whose details aren’t even known.”
The Wall Street Journal editorial board went further, articulating what Republicans are signing up for if they continue to prevent funding for Ukraine. Recalling the horrific images of the April 1975 fall of Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, to North Vietnamese forces, when desperate evacuees fought their way to helicopters, the board asked: “Do Republicans want to sponsor the 2024 equivalent of Saigon 1975?” ”
https://open.substack.com/pub/heathercoxrichardson/p/january-26-2024?r=ottd6&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=post
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