Donald Trump pulls no punches. He never has, and he likely never will. On the issue of illegal immigration, he has been consistent in his rhetoric that unchecked, unvetted access into our country brings criminals. His new ad targets that point directly, and it has the left and some members of the GOP in a tizzy.
Remember the 1988 presidential campaign? President George H. W. Bush (then vice president) was running against Michael Dukakis who was the governor of Massachusetts at the time. One of the major issues where Dukakis was soft was crime, and the Bush campaign produced the famous “Willie Horton” ad.
This ad was hard hitting, and the media criticized it as racist. The facts regarding Horton were plain to see, yet the media were more concerned about perceived racism than the stupidity of granting weekend passes to a convicted murderer.
Fast forward to President Trump and his latest push to stop the caravan that’s working its way to our southern border. Trump took to Twitter this week and endorsed an ad that focuses on Luis Bracamontes, a twice-deported cop killer from Mexico. Bracamontes was in the U.S. illegally when he killed two California law enforcement officers. Not only did he show no remorse, but he laughed and smiled when he talked about killing cops.
It is outrageous what the Democrats are doing to our Country. Vote Republican now! https://t.co/0pWiwCHGbh pic.twitter.com/2crea9HF7G
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 31, 2018
Trump wrote, “It’s outrageous what the Democrats are doing to our Country. Vote Republican now!”
The ad transitions from sickening quotes from Bracamontes to the caravan which has pushed its way into Mexico. The ad asks, “Who else would Democrats let in?”
Hard-hitting but accurate. The fact that Bracamontes was deported during administrations that span both Republicans and Democrats shows that addressing illegal immigration has been a failure for both parties. But there is no doubt that the Democrats want to open up the southern boarder to everybody. An unchecked flow of potential future voters is the only thing on the minds of Democrats and those in the media.
Of course, the media have come out strongly against the ad. Al Jazeera blasted the ad (is that a badge of honor?), writing, “Just five days before the midterm e4lections [sic], President Donald Trump tweeted an anti-immigrant online campaign video blaming Democrats and suggesting, without evidence, that a US-bound caravan of Central American refugees and migrants includes murderers.”
The ad specifically references someone accused of murder. Other members of the caravan have gone on camera and stated directly that there are criminals among the travelers.
John Harwood of CNBC tweeted:
as you recall, Bush campaign distanced itself from the Willie Horton TV ad
this is coming directly from the President of the United States
from dog whistle to guttural scream https://t.co/a5UOILF5KK
— John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) October 31, 2018
Bill Clinton’s former labor secretary, Robert Reich, added that the “this is the most desperate and vile ad since Willie Horton.”
This may be the most desperate and vile ad since Willie Horton. Trump and Republicans don't want to talk about the fact that they plan to repeal the ACA, gut Social Security, Medicare, & Medicaid, and cut taxes even further for their donors, so they've resorted to fearmongering. https://t.co/xaXNThEOfb
— Robert Reich (@RBReich) October 31, 2018
As reported by The Washington Times, Trump addressed his critics and did not step back from the ad.
President Trump rejected Democrats’ accusations Thursday that his latest campaign ad on illegal immigration is similar to the racially tinged Willie Horton ad of a past presidential campaign, and said his team has more potential ads highlighting brutal crimes by immigrants.
“I don’t view it as the Willie Horton ad at all,” the president told The Washington Times in an exclusive interview. “I think it’s just an ad where somebody is a bad guy, came in illegally, twice, and we can’t do that.”
According the Department of Homeland Security, “At least 270 people traveling among the thousands in the new migrant caravans have criminal records.”
Mexican government officials, whose police have already clashed with some members of the caravan, described some participants as “very violent.” Meanwhile foreign governments tell the U.S. that perhaps 50 percent of the caravan is made up of single adults, complicating the narrative of thousands of women and children fleeing their homes.
Homeland Security said the intelligence chief in Guatemala, through which the caravans cross en route from Honduras north to Mexico, said the men are pushing women and children to the front the mass of people to use them as “human shields” against the police and military who tried to block their progress.
So there you have it. Hundreds of criminals are reported to be in the caravan, and yet the left just wants to let everyone in. It’s insane, and yet President Trump is the one taking the heat.
The solution is to tell the migrants to look for any house with a Democrat sign in the yard. Those households will not vet you, but will welcome you with open arms. How do you think that will go over?
Problem is, can’t stop people from coming. No wall, electric fence, armed guards will stop people from moving around. Folks will find a way to get here. I’m sure many native Americans had a problem with us coming. We came anyway. We may do well to try and manage where they settle and what activities will be available for them. Birth rate in US one of the lowest on earth and we’ll probably need people sooner than later. Like we were shouting back in the day “new frontier”(I know people were already here), these same people now days are thinking the same way searching for new opportunities.