… immigration opponents are effectively trying to restrict the flow of conservatives into this country. In survey after survey, immigrants are found to have more traditional ideas about family structure and community than comparable Americans. They have lower incarceration rates. They place higher emphasis on career success. They have stronger work ethics. Immigrants go into poor neighborhoods and infuse them with traditional values.
I infer from this that liberals oppose families and careers and want more people to go to jail. See also David Gelman, “According to David Brooks, staying out of jail is a conservative value.”
Brooks fails to mention that “immigrants” (by which he mostly means “Latinos”) tend to vote for Democrats. It is well documented that increases in the percentage of immigrant populations in a voting district correlates to fewer votes for Republicans.
Even assuming that only immigrants and conservatives love their families and hope to stay out of jail, it may be that immigrants recognize that the Republican Party is less the party of work than the party of moneyed interests trying to establish a corporate encomienda system. The racist dog whistles probably aren’t helping the GOP, either.
Jayzoos H. Keerist, falling in and getting his Nike’s wet while jogging on the Sea of Galilee – Bobo is flailing and drowning in the ocean of his own bullsh*t!!!
Someone, quick, throw him a lifesaver!!!
Preferably, the fecal-brown color, dysentery flavored one.
How much more must we take, NY Times, before you rid your remaining readers of this festering negative nattering nabob of nutty nothingness postule on the anus of humanity?
“Mr. Brooks, your assignment: research ‘immigration opponents’ and write a 500-word essay on who they are. Current grade: F.”
Actually, I think he knows it’s the GOP that’s been playing the “Wetbacks OUT” card the past several years. Yes indeed, he knows. He’s just a master at playing dumb.
Immigrants go into poor neighborhoods and infuse them with traditional values.
Love that empty phrase “traditional values.” Still, I would be gratified if Brooks wrote a similar sentence but with factual substance, e.g.: “Rich white men go into poor neighborhoods and infuse them with explosive gas leaks.”
Gawd, what a dim, dusk-y world the Cabbage must inhabit. Driving with his headlights off.
What a dumb column. I guess I can appreciate what he’s trying to do here, trying to assuage the anxieties of the “opponents of immigration reform”–as he somewhat euphemistically calls them–but who’s going to buy these arguments? He seems to think he can overcome centuries of racism and xenophobia by citing statistical analyses. He might as well have written “Hath not an immigrant eyes?” The most vehement “opponents of immigration reform” are not going to respond to Kumbaya.
I do not understand Brooks. He can use so many words and say nothing at all.
What’s a comparable American to an immigrant? Is it what the French call a legerdemain? I’ll figure it out…I just need to find the starting point.
Survey after survey? Sure Bobo, and 4 out of 5 doctors recommend Preparation H.
I can’t believe he said that. The country had that conversation already, about 6 hours after the election. Does he really think getting more people to vote would be as scary to the GOP as it appears to be if those people were voting republican?
The GOP has decided to court the Hispanic vote without modifying any of the ‘traditional’ GOP values. At the top level, the objective for the GOP is a plutocracy but elections get in the way. For decades the wedge and hot-button issues have been exploited to turn out a reliable base – the evangelicals. What Brooks is whistling here is that Hispanic immigrants tend to be Catholic (with a big ‘C’ – as opposed to domestic catholics (little ‘c’) who don’t follow dogma so well on contraception and abortion and homophobia. Senor Brooks is tying to convince evangelicals that traditional Catholics are a natural match politically.
“The racist dog whistles probably aren’t helping the GOP, either.”
They’re helping them fine with the base.
Along these lines: I propose a trade. The Democrats are embarrassed by Andrew Jackson; ditto for the Republican and Lincoln. So let the Democrats claim Lincoln as one of their own, and the Republicans claim Jackson. A win-win!
To say that it is a conservative value to stay out of jail is a very careful choice of words. Indeed it is a conservative value to stay out of jail – but is it a conservative value to obey the intent and letter of the law?
Cody Jarrett loved his ma.” Look Ma, I’m on top of the world!”