“When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists.”
Just read that over and over again. Then think to yourself, this man is running for the nomination of our party. [read_more]
Then think further that this is somehow resonating in the party. This hits close to home here in Virginia because of the bitter feelings lingering over Dave Brat’s upset over Eric Cantor where Brat made immigration a prime issue. For some, Brat won because of racism. I personally thinks that’s garbage but with Donald Trump rising in the polls it does make even an optimist like me worry. What is happening within the GOP right now is that the pro and con side of the immigration debates have become caricatures in each other’s eyes and the rhetoric has gotten hot. Meanwhile, as America gets browner the GOP continues to fall behind. Winning the white vote isn’t good enough for Republicans anymore.
This is of course chum in the water for the media and Democrats when it comes to Republican infighting. I get that there is a certain roguish charm to Trump, something that appeals to Republicans these days who feel somewhat crushed by the social movement in this country from gay rights to the Confederate battle flag and so on and so forth. But now is not the time for that kind of “charm,” if that is what you even can call it. Trump is a television character worthy of the WWE, not a presidential stage.
I can fully accept the articulated views of people who believe a path to citizenship is the best way to welcome these people into our society as easily as I can accept those who feel that the social safety net cannot bear the weight of millions of undocumented immigrants. I personally believe should I be elected dictator one day that the best way to deal with this issue is to start from scratch – put the military on the border to close that spigot while giving amnesty to all non-criminal illegal immigrants who are working and living in the country now.
And before I finish, I’m equally worried about Ted Cruz embracing this kind of talk as well. He’s quoted as saying he “salutes” Donald Trump, a puzzling statement about a man who just said Jeb Bush has to support illegal immigrants because his wife is Mexican. Maybe I’m being too alarmist and the crush of negative press and loss of business will shuffle Donald Trump out before he can do any more lasting damage, but this could get very ugly for the entire party.
We are letting a carnival barker dictate the conversation of our primary. If not completely racist, his views are certainly primitive. This isn’t television where he can get popular by yelling “you’re fired” at people and joking about his hair. Jeb Bush and Rick Perry have spoken up about this, thank God. Sad to say nobody else has, including my guy Rand Paul, who has talked so much about expanding the appeal of the party yet has remained puzzlingly silent on this issue.
Let’s not also forget the damage Trump could do if this nomination does drag out and he stays in it. Assuming Hillary Clinton has learned her lesson from 8 years ago, she will have the Democratic nomination wrapped up. I fully expect a full court press by Democrats in open primary states (like, say, Virginia) to go crazy. If you don’t believe it, ask yourself how many of your friends voted in the 2008 Democratic primary because Rush Limbaugh told you to? I firmly believe that Donald Trump is toxic to our party, and the longer we play around with it the faster it will make us sick.
