A recent Gallup poll reveals that two issues are neck and neck as the issues of greatest concern in the USA: (1) illegal aliens; (2) dissatisfaction with the federal government.
Gallup dutifully refuses to call them illegal aliens. One does not use such crude, accurate language. No, no, no; these are “undocumented immigrants.”
In early June, hardly anyone cared: about 5%. But then the media began to focus on the flood of children from Central America who are crossing the border.
How they got all the way from Central American nations, across Mexico, and across the U.S. border with Mexico, no one seems to know. Did they walk? Hitchhike? What?
Who their parents are, no one knows.
Why these parents simply sent their adolescent children out the door forever, told them to cross several borders by themselves, and go into the United States, no one asks.[amazon asin=1933550139&template=*lrc ad (right)]
Why no parents in recorded history have ever done this to pre-adult children seems to surprise no one in the media, let alone Congress.
Basically, Central Americans have adopted the Jor-El strategy. They figure the United States is a nation of Jonathan and Martha Kents.
Why now? Parents could have done this at any time over the last ten years. Are the children fleeing the Mexican drug cartels? Or are their parents using them as paid escorts?
Republicans in Congress had planned to sneak through an amnesty bill — not called an amnesty bill, of course — before November. The “rubes back home” would not notice, Boehner thought.
Then came the Cantor moment on June 10. Whammo! An unknown with no money got the nomination. Cantor was sent into early retirement. All of a sudden, Republicans in the House decided to skip Mr. Cantor’s fate at the hands of the rubes back home.
Then came the media stories began to flow on the Jor-El strategy. A media feeding frenzy began. It has escalated. Drudge keeps running stories.[amazon asin=0060928832&template=*lrc ad (right)]
Result: the Gallup poll figures. In early June, the issue was 5%. Today, it’s 17% — actually above the 16% of Americans whose disgust with government is their #1 issue. It’s a Congressman’s worst nightmare: a self-reinforcing race to the top. The higher the immigration story goes, the worse the federal government looks.
What’s a Republican Congressman to do?
House Republicans are hunkered down, desperately hoping this will just go away. They have postponed voting on the “not an amnesty bill — trust us” until the media feeding frenzy fades.
In January, Boehner was ready to work out a deal with Obama. In late May, he was waffling. On June 30, he bailed. “You’re on your own, Bro!” Paul Ryan lamented this at Hillsdale College this week. It’s just not fair!
The media feeding frenzy continues. Drudge knows what sells. This story is selling.
Apparently, Jonathan and Martha are not ready to cooperate.
