Kamala Harris leans into border security and immigration
September 28, 2024
My wife and I hope that everyone affected by Hurricane / Tropical Storm Helene remains safe and well, and we offer our condolences to the families of those killed and injured by the storm.
Kamala Harris addresses border and immigration issues
On Friday, Vice President Kamala Harris leaned into the issue widely view as her biggest political vulnerability in the 2024 election: Border security and immigration. She did so by making a major policy speech near the Southern border (in Douglas, Arizona). The video of the speech is here: Vice President Kamala Harris Live from Douglas, Arizona.
Before addressing the substance, let’s talk about the decision to give the speech at the border and the political effectiveness of the speech.
Republicans and the media have been criticizing Kamala Harris for not visiting the border and for allegedly being “light on policy details.” Her decision to give a major policy speech on border security and immigration after a tour of the Southern border in Arizona was a direct response to her political critics.
By choosing the border as the venue for the speech, she will garner more attention for her policy positions on immigration and border security than if she released the same policy positions in a sit-down interview or position paper. Political theater? In part, yes. But it is what the media beast demanded, and it got more than it bargained for. The speech will become the counterweight to MAGA talking points that misrepresent Harris’s position on the border.
Even if the details of the policy proposals do not make their way into the consciousness of skeptical voters, those voters will know that Harris has policies to address the border. And now that the beast has been fed, it will move on to other manufactured controversies. I wish it were otherwise, but here we are.
As political messaging, the speech was a pleasure to listen to. My wife and I listened to most of the speech while driving across the LA basin. After ten minutes or so, I remarked to my wife that the speech was comprehensible, clear, rational, and thoughtful. Even if people don’t agree with every position taken by VP Harris, she has logical positions that can be debated within a policy framework—unlike Trump's border policies that amount to little more than xenophobia and recycled white nationalism.
Among the many points made by Vice President Harris, were the following:
She began by acknowledging that national security and immigration must co-exist:
The United States is a sovereign nation. We have a duty to set and enforce the rules at our border. I take that responsibility seriously.
We are also a nation of immigrants, enriched by generations who have come to contribute to our country and become part of the American story. [¶¶]
I reject the false choice that suggests we must choose either between securing our border and creating a system that is orderly, safe and humane.
We can and we must do both.
She emphasized her background in prosecuting drug cartels and the threat of fentanyl to America’s health and security:
As attorney general of a border state, I prosecuted transnational criminal organizations that traffic guns, drugs and human beings.
Stopping transnational criminal organizations and strengthening our border is not new to me—and will continue to be a priority when I am president. [¶¶]I have met too many families who have lost loved ones to fentanyl—and the devastation is felt from rural communities to big cities.
As president, I will make it a top priority to disrupt the flow of fentanyl into the United States.
And she blamed Trump for playing political games with the border and immigration policy:
It is a choice between common sense solutions, and the same old political games. In the four years that Donald Trump was president, he did nothing to fix our broken immigration system. He did not solve the shortage of immigration judges. He did not solve the shortage of border agents. He did not create lawful pathways into our nation. He did nothing to address an outdated asylum system. And did not work with other governments in our hemisphere to deal with what clearly is also a regional challenge. . .
That not the work of a leader. That is not the work of a leader. And that is in fact, I think we all believe, an abdication of leadership. And so, on behalf of all across our nation who want to see these problems solved. I say we cannot accept Donald Trump's failure to lead. Let's not permit scapegoating instead of solutions or rhetoric instead of results.
And she blamed Trump for killing the bipartisan border bill:
It [the border bill] should be in effect today, producing results, in real time right now [but] he prefers to run on a problem instead of fixing a problem
See The Guardian, Harris accuses Trump of playing ‘political games’ during US border visit.
In what may be the most controversial aspects of her proposed policies, Kamala Harris would enforce and extend the current policy of “shutting down” the border when daily encounters exceed 1,500 for a week and bar asylum requests for five years for those who enter the country unlawfully and do not make a legal asylum request at the border. See Washington Post, Harris, in visit to border, proposes new restrictions on immigration. (Accessible to all.)
Kamala Harris continues to run a great campaign. She is becoming more confident and bolder as a candidate. Conventional political wisdom would tell Kamala Harris to avoid the subject of immigration and focus on reproductive rights, the economy, and the threat to democracy.
Instead, she stared down her biggest perceived weakness and took the fight directly to Trump, rightfully accusing him of being a primary cause of the current border situation. So, if friends and family claim that Kamala Harris hasn’t been proactive on the border, set them straight with the facts laid out in today’s speech!
President Zelensky suffers the indignity of meeting with Trump
After a day of productive and supporting meetings with President Biden and VP Harris, President Zelensky suffered the indignity of meeting with Donald Trump—who met with Zelensky only because Trump hates not being the center of attention.
After their private meeting, Zelensky stood next to Trump as the former president spewed lies about Russia’s war against Ukraine and made clear that he is rooting for Russia. Two exchanges illustrate the disrespect and betrayal that oozes from every pore of Trump's being:
As President Zelensky stood uncomfortably next to Trump, Putin’s best friend in the US said the following:
The war should stop, and president [Zelensky] wants it to stop. I’m sure President Putin wants it to stop.
Zelensky must have been thinking, “If Putin wants it to stop, he can pull his troops out of my country immediately.” Indeed, VP Harris made that comment on Thursday: “Putin started this war and he could end it tomorrow if he simply withdrew his troops from Ukraine's sovereign territory."
To be clear, Putin does want the war against Ukraine to stop—by conquering Ukraine and crushing its people. And President Zelensky had to stand next to Trump and resist the overwhelming urge to retch.
In a second incident, this unsettling exchange occurred (edited for brevity):
Trump: I have a very good relationship with President Putin . . .
Zelenskyy: I hope we have more good relations with us [i.e., Ukraine]
Trump: Oh, ha ha I see . . .
At that point, Zelensky must have had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. Trump could not even bring himself to say that he has a better relationship with the president of Ukraine than the president of Russia.
Trump threatens to seek criminal charges against Google for returning negative stories about Trump
This story is not a joke. Trump is unhappy that Google searches return unflattering stories about him. The reason, of course, is that the truth about Trump is unflattering. So, Trump wants to file criminal charges against Google if he is re-elected as president. See The Guardian, Trump vows to seek criminal charges against Google if re-elected president | Donald Trump.
Trump posted the following:
It has been determined that Google has illegally used a system of only revealing and displaying bad stories about Donald J Trump, some made up for this purpose while, at the same time, only revealing good stories about Comrade Kamala Harris,” Trump said in the post.
This is an ILLEGAL ACTIVITY, and hopefully the Justice Department will criminally prosecute them for this blatant Interference of Elections. If not, and subject to the Laws of our Country, I will request their prosecution, when I win the Election and become President of the United States.
In the post above, Trump confirmed that he will use the DOJ as a personal political police force to persecute his enemies. It does not matter that he attempts to sugarcoat his words with “subject to the laws of this Country " because nothing in US law allows criminal prosecution for bad publicity.
Trump is telling us that he wants to be a dictator. We should believe him.
Opportunities for Reader engagement
Support “Seed the Vote”
Seed the Vote works to build the number and power of progressive elected officials, while also blocking the far right from taking power in federal elections. We do this by partnering with local grassroots organizations that work year-round on social justice issues in working-class communities of color to send volunteers to “battleground” states to doorknock and phonebank. This election cycle, Seed the Vote will send thousands of volunteers into Milwaukee to support canvasses organized by the Working Families Party (WFP) and Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ); Detroit to support Michigan United Action; Philadelphia to support UNITE HERE Philly and Asian Pacific Islanders Political Alliance; Phoenix through LUCHA and Worker Power; and Reno through Unite Here Culinary Workers Union Local 226.
STV fundraises to ensure that any volunteer who wants to get on the doors can and provides tremendous support on the ground to train, coordinate, and manage the logistics for volunteers so that local groups get all of the benefits of added hands on deck with none of the burden. We are committed to getting 3000 volunteers on the ground from now until the election. Join us!
Ways you can get involved:
Sign up to canvas with us!
Register for an Info Session to learn more and read our doorknocking guide
Donate to help send canvassers to battleground states
Sign up to fundraise to help pay for travel & lodging for canvassers
Encourage people to “Vote Early” with decorative stamps for your postcards
Voting early matters. The sooner we vote the more time and money can be used to reach out to less likely voters. One easy way to amplify this message is to add stickers to the postcards you are already writing. The Forward Together Hub has free downloadable sheets for each state showing the early voting start date. The page also explains in-depth, why it matters.
Blank (glossy) labels can be purchased from Online Labels #OL5425WG
The Forward Together Hub is a centralized resource for those seeking to become more involved. Whatever way you wish to participate, the organizations listed can simplify getting started, keep you going, or help you dig deeper! Here is a direct link to a page that includes postcard writing as an example. New volunteers have found it very useful: Take Action: Engage with Voters.
Concluding Thoughts
As we move closer to the election, the level of disinformation and horse-race analysis will increase to a fever pitch. You will have control over one thing: your actions. Keep calm and do everything you can to ensure a victory by Kamala Harris and Democrats up and down the ballot. Do your job and trust that the American people will do theirs. Everything else is wasted energy and distraction. Kamala Harris is leading the way with determination and focus. Let’s follow suit.
Now, more than ever, we have every reason to be hopeful but no reason to be complacent.
Talk to you tomorrow!
Daily Dose of Perspective
A second effort at the North America Nebula, located 2,600 light-years from Earth.
Thanks, everyone for being polite and not pointing out my error in saying that Zelensky wanted to "wretch." I have corrected the online-version to "retch." Ugh. Now I feel like a wretch and want to retch.
North American Nebula is red, white and blue.
Regarding immigration trump said he didn’t ask for the bipartisan border negotiations to be killed. Unfortunately, there is a tape of him. I think back when he had them build cages and separated the kids from their moms. He treated them like animals. And the little part of the wall that was built was not paid for by Mexico. I think Kamala came up with solid doable plans with regard to the border.
I cringed for President Zelensky having to stand next to trump as he said what good friends him and Putin were. And what was the malarkey about give and take. Putin invaded Ukraine.
As you said in your closing remarks the one thing we have control over is our actions. Watching tv and wringing our hands and worrying does no good. We need to win with great numbers. Donate, write postcards and letters, do text and phone banks or knock on doors. Sign up to work at your polling place. Vote BLUE up and down the ticket and VOTE early if you can.
Thanks Robert for all you do. It is much appreciated.