Sometimes Even Thom Hartmann Gets It Wrong
Biden can't "pay the ransom" when the GOP keeps raising the price.
I often agree with what my Fellow Traveler Thom Hartmann writes, but not this time.
On Dec. 18, 2023 Thom argued that Biden should “pay the ransom” - i.e., cave to Republican demands to turn our southern border into a Gaza-like militarized zone, in exchange for money for Ukraine: “Hold your nose and go for it, Democrats, if you can get even an objectionable deal; one that’s not completely insane.”
There are at least three reasons why such a “deal” is, well, completely insane.
If you follow the news minute-by-minute, you will see that the GOP keeps moving the goalposts and upping the ante. It’s pathetic, really, but we have learned that even smart folks like Obama and Biden find it hard to wrap their heads around the fact that the GOP is not interested in negotiating or governing. Their only interest is in fighting, and losing, so they can claim the Victim crown. Biden can offer anything he wants, but the GOP will never bite. They need to lose, so they can “prove” that the border is open, that Biden drinks the blood of children for strength, or whatever.
No matter what Biden or any president does on the border, immigrants will come. They are not deterred by laws or walls. Remember the Berlin Wall? It was a real wall, with real barbed wire and machine guns locked and loaded. Many folks died attempting to cross, but they never stopped trying. Never. Put yourself in the shoes of a mom in Guatemala with no way to feed your kids or prevent them from being conscripted or raped by local gangs. You’d move, too.
On a technical level, some of the GOP proposals (which, by the way, change every minute) would actually make the border worse. Todd Schulte, President of FWD.us., has an easy-to-understand explainer here. Nutshell: “The details matter when it comes to writing the biggest immigration restrictions in either 30 or maybe 100 years in a matter of days. The operational and political challenges around forced migration are real. There are critically needed solutions. But gutting parole and turning every week into “Border Week” on the campaign trail is a lose-lose-lose. These policies will spur more chaos in 2024, increase the opportunities for demagoguery around the border, and eliminate the most critical tool for building orderly immigration channels for decades.”
Look, I’m not sure how much time Brother Thom has spent on the border, or how much immigration law he knows. I do know that I was born and raised in the West, know the border like the back of my hand, and practiced immigration law for 37 years. You may not like to hear what I’m saying, but I know what I’m talking about.
Can Biden force Congress to fund Ukraine without throwing migrants under the bus? We’re about to find out. Stay tuned.
100%. Couldn't agree more.
Bingo