Allah:
I tweeted something over the weekend about how, if Obama tries to follow Merkel’s lead bythrowing open America’s doors to Syrian refugees, the backlash would be such that Trump would instantly be a legit threat to win the White House. To which Drew McCoy, one of Ace’s co-bloggers, replied: Why? Haven’t you heard that Trump wants to take Syrian refugees too? And he was right — somehow I had missed this story from Friday in which Trump opened the door to the possibility.
Either this guy wildly misunderstands his base or I do. Two of the core fears animating support for his hardline immigration policy are low-skilled immigrant workers competing with Americans for jobs and poor immigrant families voting Democratic for at least the first generation or two after securing citizenship to maximize their welfare opportunities. Now here’s Trump defying both of those concerns to call for more immigrants, and not just from any country but from a Muslim nation poisoned by war and sectarian venom. And the weird thing is, he’s obviously alert to the assimilation problems in Europe: He mentions at the end of the clip, vaguely but clearly enough, that “Europe is becoming a much different place” and that he saw it firsthand the last time he was in Paris. If you had asked me to guess what his policy on the migrant crisis would be, I would have guessed that he’d call for generous humanitarian aid coupled with intense pressure, economically and diplomatically, on Jordan, Egypt, and the Gulf states to resettle most of Syria’s refugees there. Nope. He allows that he “hates the concept” of absorbing refugees from an illiberal culture, but as a purely humanitarian matter, he feels we have no choice. I assume this position will be finessed later by him stressing that he thinks the number should be small, a tiny fraction of what Germany’s taking, and that preference should be given if possible to Syrian Christians. (Legal eagles are invited to correct me but the courts wouldn’t stand for U.S. immigration bureaus favoring refugees from one religion over another, yes?) Watch the second clip below, though, to see how UKIP’s Nigel Farage, a pol to whom Trump’s sometimes compared, handled the matter earlier today in the European Parliament. He’s nominally open to accepting refugees too but he questions how many of the thousands coming to Germany are true refugees and how many are simply immigrants looking for better pay and welfare benefits. Quote: “We must be mad to take this risk with the cohesion of our societies.” He out-Trumped Trump!
I get it, you really hate Donald Trump.
So much so, that you are willing to use a tactic that conservatives slam liberals for:
The Dishonest and Misleading Title
Your title:
“Trump: We have to accept Syrian refugees because they’re living in hell back home”
What Trump actually said:
“The Syrian refugee crisis is “so horrible” that he would consider allowing the U.S. to accept some of the displaced refugees. ”
Hell, I want the borders closed and those here illegally gone, but even I would consider allowing some to enter legally for humanitarian reasons.
After being carefully vetted to attempt to insure that they want to fit in and contribute to this great country, and not demand that this country fit itself to them.
Further, re Nigel Farage:
“He’s nominally open to accepting refugees too but he questions how many of the thousands coming to Germany are true refugees and how many are simply immigrants looking for better pay and welfare benefits. Quote: “We must be mad to take this risk with the cohesion of our societies.” He out-Trumped Trump!”
Ummm, no, he didn’t out-Trump Trump. He said the same thing that Trump said, just using different words.
Trump is a fast study.
He was on TV tonight (suit, tie, very professional-looking).
He was asked about Middle Eastern refugees and the USA.
He talked about the impossibility of ”vetting” the adult males.
He talked about our need for jobs for our own citizens before we invite competition in.
He talked about those oil-rich Muslim-ruled states which are refusing even the women and children.
Yes, our first and most natural inclination is to open our arms and help all of these people, but then reality hits us over the head.
We have to readjust our goals.
Trump did that within only a few hours.
@Nanny G: #2
Exactly. Trump’s critics are missing one BIG thing:
One of the reasons that Trump is increasingly popular with the bible-belt men without college degrees (sarc/off) and so many other normal, average Americans is that he listens to us, and is not afraid to modify his stances to reflect what we want.
How many other presidential candidates do that?
After all, if we want immigrants to fit themselves to our nation, shouldn’t we want our politicians to fit themselves to us?
There is no guarantee that Trump is sincere, but no one else is even listening.
An excellent take on Donald Trump’s popularity:
Then read this:
One of his most read columns.
Sadly, the United States MUST accept some refugees since the US (Obama) almost single-handedly CREATED the problem. Of course, Obama won’t suffer a bit for his stupidity, but the rest of the world will.
Naturally, the UN will not insist that Russia, Iran or China take in any refugees and they will continue to oppose the policies that would resolve the problems.
Why does anyone believe anything Donald Trump says? Seriously, he’s probably hired some consultants to tell him what’s the popular position to take, but he’s changed his core beliefs so completely that there’s no evidence he’s giving an honest position on anything.
“I would consider allowing some to enter legally for humanitarian reasons.”
Why? Would 50,000 make a difference? 200,000?
There must be a BILLION people out there who are suffering and who have been suffering for far longer than Obama has been in office. They are not Obama’s responsibility and they are not OUR responsibility.
Population growth beyond sustainable levels caused this mess, and nature self corrects over-population. If the rest of the World bails out these refugees, it just teaches the lesson that there is no accountability for irresponsible reproduction. “Vet each person.” RIGHT!
Funny how some of you have been critical of the fact that Obama and Hillary “evolved” on gay marriage when the public got there first, but when Trump flip-flops, you credit him with being flexible and responsive. Order of double standard for two, coming right up!
@George Wells:
That’s not the cause of this and you know it. The cause is ISIS and the reason ISIS is out of control is Obama. And how could Trump change his mind on these refugees when the crisis just arose?
What’s the matter… can you see what an influx of more Muslims could to to acceptance of gay culture now?
#Bill #8:
No. Your record for mistaken assumptions remains unblemished.
I am not worried about Muslim acceptance of gays. Not here, and not in the “Muslim World.”
I thought that I made that clear before this, but for the feeble-minded, there it is again.
Radical Islam is nothing new, just as radical Christianity has… been around.
I have noticed that when one religion radicalizes, the opposing religions also radicalize, somewhat akin to the theory that the existence of God essentially created the diametrically opposite existence of the Devil, one exactly countering the other to maintain balance in the Universe.
I wish the weather was as dependable as your predictable inclination to blame Democrats for everything. Keep up the good work!
Have you BEEN to the Middle East? There’s virtually NOTHING THERE! The people have NOTHING TO DO! They can’t grow enough food to feed themselves and they can’t make things anybody wants to buy. Ever hear that idle hands are tools of the devil?
Well, THEY ARE! There are way too many people who have nothing better to do than take things from other people, INCLUDING LIFE! What else have they got to do? And that’s Obama’s fault? That’s rich!
But keep blaming Obama, because it lets you off the hook. You don’t have to justify your moral bankruptcy as long as you can blame it on somebody else.
If you aren’t part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.
@Petercat:
I agree. I have no problem with people legally immigrating in a sensible controlled fashion, nor do I have a problem with genuine refugees so long as they are carefully cleared and kept a close eye on. The last simply because ISIS (ISIL) leaders have stated that they plan to try to sneak in terrorist operatives amongst the refugees.
@Ditto: #10
Yes. My wife’s parents were legal immigrants. It cost them a fortune to gain their citizenship, and they valued it accordingly.
I can honestly say that her family loved the USA more than I did at the time, but then, at the time I was an eighteen year old liberal.
I’ve since grown up, or at least grown more experienced.
@Petercat:
I have had a good many friends who went through the process to immigrate legally and waited years to have spouses and children approved to join them. They all see illegal immigrants as a slap in the face to their following the system to do it right.
Two Out of Three Hispanics Oppose Immigration Increase
Jeff Sessions: Donald Trump Backs Nation’s Interest, Not Special Interests
I suppose these Blue Collar rubes just just don’t understand that by voting with the Washington Establishment, they benefit when the crony class unzips and trickles down on their heads.