Tuesday, July 12, 2005

A Know Nothing to Run for President   The Know Nothings--a nativist political movement also known by the grandiose title "the American party"--was a force in the country in the 1850s.  Their platform was almost entirely a desire to keep immigrants, who were mostly Irish and Catholic, out of the country.  It was a movement driven by economic insecurity and racial and religious prejudice.  If they had succeeded in their drive, America would probably have rather smaller borders, and certainly be a far smaller country in population and import.  Also, most of us would never have been born.  Or did all of your ancestors immigrate to America before 1860? In 1900, our economy was about the size of Argentina.  If we had allowed the nativists to prevent immigration in the 1850s, we would be lucky if our economy had grown as large as Argentina's by the year 2000.  There is a modern nativist movement gathering force out West, intent on keeping out immigrants, who are mostly Hispanic and Catholic.  It is a movement driven by economic insecurity and racial and religious prejudice.  Some who do not want to be associated with the racism involved pretend they are merely concerned with porous borders being entered by terrorists.  But the cure for that is to, yes, secure our border, which we should do anyway, but also to increase legal immigration so all those who sincerely want to help make America better can join us to do so, so that the press of illegal immigrants at the borders would be slight, and any terrorist would stand out. One of the nativists, one of these latter-day Know Nothings, Republican US Representative Tom Tancredo of Colorado, has said he will run for President in 2008 if someone else who shares his bias doesn't run.  These immigrants ask for nothing more than the chance to be allowed to work for the American dream, and to provide a better future for their children than they themselves ever hoped for.  Tancredo thinks those people must be stopped.  I don't deny he will get some votes.  He may actually do well enough to force other Republican candidates to embrace his vision of a smaller, lesser America.  But he represents the dark side of the American dream:  the fear that there is only room for just so many to achieve it, and allowing one more person to succeed dooms you to fail. Is that something you want the whole country to believe? 3:57:38 PM    comment []

Quote for the Day, 7/12/2005   "You've had your whole life to prepare for this moment.  Why aren't you ready?" -Val Kilmer (Scott), Spartan 1:02:00 PM    comment []

More Trouble for DeLay   The ethically-challenged House Majority Leader Tom DeLay is facing a tough challenge in his effort to seek re-election.  In less than two months, his opponent, former Democratic Representative Nick Lampson, has raised over $502,000 and still has $485,000 on hand, which is an unheard-of ratio of funds raised to expenses.  People are obviously flocking to give money to get rid of the crime lord of Congress. 12:18:03 PM    comment []

Senate Minority Leader Calls for President to Honor His Word   Scott McClellan once said that the President would fire anyone in his administration involved in the Plame leak.  The President personally said the same thing.  Whatever else has happened, we now know that Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove was intimately involved in leaking her identity to reporters...that he did give her up to Matt Cooper, and probably also to Prince of Darkness Robert Novak (given that Rove has a track record of reckless leaks to Novak).  Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid is calling for the President to keep his word. But, really, what's the chance that's going to happen? 9:35:23 AM    comment []