Who’s the real president?
You’re forgiven if you’re wondering the same thing. Former President Donald J. Trump and Texas Governor Greg Abbott toured a portion of the United States/Mexico border a week ago in a scene reminiscent of the past four years of MAGA policy. It was somewhat surreal, as though Trump were still commander in chief and Abbott was soliciting possible assistance from Uncle Sam’s treasury as well as advice from a political master. Trump has always had a presence, but the trip seemed more like a tease to his millions of backers. Seeing him in that capacity and envisioning him making a difference in the current state of affairs was a sign of hope… or was it desperation on our part?
One sensed the Trump-ian visit was a campaign primer to keep the conservative GOP base motivated for next year’s midterm ballot battles and beyond, but also a visible showing of support for Abbott who has vowed to go it alone on completing vital sections of the unfinished wall in his state. Who could blame Texans for their frustrations, especially since border czar Kamala Harris and her doddering dolt boss president Joe Biden haven’t been responsive to repeated pleas -- including from local Democrat congressmen -- to do something to stem the illegal flow.
Americans have every right to be furious that border protection policies that were doing well under the previous president are now in a shambles, with responsible citizens paying the price for the current government’s ignorance and incompetence. Trump took to the op-ed page to completely air his thoughts on the matter. In a piece titled, “I built the wall; Biden built a humanitarian catastrophe”, Trump wrote at The Washington Times:
“Nearly 740 miles of border wall had been fully funded and more than 660 miles were already built or undergoing construction, Customs and Border Protection confirmed on Jan. 15, five days before I left office. After more than two years of litigation and Democrat obstruction, the wall was going up at an average rate of two miles per day. We had already more than doubled the length of the physical barrier protecting our southern border...
“We handed Biden the most secure border in history. We ended asylum fraud, terminated catch and release, negotiated historic migration agreements with Mexico and other countries, and virtually stopped illegal immigration. Precisely because of these policies, we achieved an incredible 90% reduction in illegal crossings.
“Our nation is being destroyed by Biden’s border crisis. The United States must immediately restore the entire set of border security and immigration enforcement measures we put into place — and critically, we must finish the wall. A nation without borders is not a nation at all. For the sake of our country, Joe Biden must finish sealing the border immediately, or the American People must elect a Congress that will.”
Put Trump’s words on a 2022 campaign sign. Heck, put it on a 2021 Virginia governor’s race -- and state legislature contests -- campaign poster, too. I would still rate it an uphill climb to beat the liberals in November, but folks here in the Old Dominion are pretty fed up with the Biden administration’s ignoring of the immigration problem (since it directly affects us, too) and current governor Ralph “Klan hood” Northam’s blue-state tyranny during the height of the COVID pandemic was every bit as maddening.
National problems have a way of creeping into local matters. And human nature never changes. Trump is Trump and that’s a good thing for our side of the ideological spectrum.
I haven’t looked for it, but I imagine Trump’s claim that he built the wall was savaged mercilessly by the establishment media. Recall the Big O (Biden’s old superior) famously saying that “You didn’t build it” in reference to entrepreneurs and America’s individualistic business spirit. To liberals, the government’s contributions to infrastructure presents an equal entitlement to credit for anyone’s success. But when it comes to Trump, they never want to give him a dime’s worth of attribution.
No, Trump didn’t physically build the wall, but he created the conditions for doing so, including finding money for a project that Congress wouldn’t touch due to pure partisan politics. No need to completely rehash here, but Democrats -- including all of their current party leaders -- at one point in the past expressed support for a border barrier. But when push came to shove, they reneged to keep their leftist constituencies happy. And to deprive Trump of the satisfaction of fulfilling one of his most salient 2016 campaign promises.
Trump was like a dream candidate and president for conservatives who’d recognized long ago that illegal immigration -- if left unchecked -- would completely destroy America through erosion of cultural values. While everyone -- including Democrats -- could at least agree that the system needed to be reformed and the border secured, over time the issue morphed into a political football with both sides kicking at opposite ends of the pigskin.
Democrats are now the unabashed party of open borders and mass amnesty for anyone who comes to the U.S. and claims a right to be here. There’s a scene from the movie “Braveheart” that comes to mind, where evil King Edward the Longshanks says, “If we can’t get them out, we’ll breed them out.” Liberals alter the 14th century thinking a little bit, meaning if they can’t beat us at the argument, they’ll just import voters until they win. I’m surprised that the recently shuttled H.R. 1/S.R. 1 “liberal politicians protection plan” didn’t also include an immigration provision to guarantee the ruling party’s political longevity through sinister means.
A few days ago Americans celebrated Independence Day, though now there’s much less reverence for the republic the Founders created through high ideals and the blood of patriots than there used to be. These days, Democrats much prefer a house divided and bickering over political positions that will erode what’s left of our nation’s comity and singular purpose.
Just last week, for example, Dr. Anthony Fauci ponticated that there threatens to be two Americas separated by their beliefs on the COVID vaccine issue, with roughly half the country having been vaccinated against the China virus and the other half refusing to have anything to do with the needle and serum. Rumors of mask mandates returning -- or merely continuing -- are heating up with the news media’s recent frantic convulsions over a “delta” coronavirus variant. The bug is supposedly super contagious but doesn’t appear to be all that dangerous.
Big deal, right? Tell that to the flight attendant who lectured myself and fellow passengers to do our duty to “keep everyone safe” by pulling up our mandatory masks on airplanes. Does anyone seriously believe that requiring people to readjust their stupid face covering in between bites of food or sips of soda is helping “save” anyone from sickness and death? Has there been a single life preserved over the past year because of any of these absurd government requirements?
Facts? Who cares about facts? Once again, Sen. Rand Paul is one of very few who speak out against the media’s mass hysteria on COVID.
Want another case of disunity? The National Football league fanned its own self-made culture storm by creating a commercial celebrating the first active player to come out of the proverbial closet as homosexual. I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it myself. The ad opens with white text on a dark background. “Football is gay”. Then it continues, “Football is lesbian. Football is beautiful. Football is queer. Football is life. Football is exciting. Football is culture. Football is transgender. Football is queer. Football is heart. Football is power. Football is tough. Football is bisexual. Football is strong. Football is freedom. Football is American. Football is accepting. Football is everything. Football is for everyone.”
I’d add my own sayings to the mix: “Football isn’t for conservatives, traditional cultural adherents or religious people.” And, “Football is dead.”
It could easily be argued that Donald Trump’s border visit was just as divisive as these illustrations. Yes, the wall physically separated U.S. territory from Mexico, but it also represented two opposite sides of the common sense spectrum. The wall didn’t completely stop illegal immigration (in the areas it was completed), but it drastically reduced the flow to a level where the border patrol could better handle the stragglers.
Now look at the mess we have. Biden doesn’t look much like a president and he doesn’t act like one either.
A good many Americans refuse to acknowledge the results of the 2020 election. Reality indicates that Joe Biden is now president of the United States. But Donald Trump did build the wall, and he continues to serve as the best embodiment of true leadership in this country. For a few hours last week, it felt like he was still in the White House. Maybe again someday?
Joe Biden
Kamala Harris
NFL
Donald Trump border visit
Greg Abbott
illegal immigration
Anthony Fauci
COVID-19
mask mandates
Donald Trump
leadership