So, I watched Sam Seder, and he actually made a decent point about Biden's immigration compromises that I did not consider. His argument is that moving to the conservative position hurts Biden because it makes him look weak. He is the guy who wants to...implement trump's position on immigration, but he can't do it because...Trump doesn't want him to.
Basically he's trying to be the one to get things done, and he's powerless to get things done, because of his opponent who isnt even in office. Why not just vote for him to get things done? I mean, Biden is destroying credibility on his own side, while not really looking favorably with the GOP.
Eh, I actually do have an answer on this. And it's this. Yes, if youre looking solely at this one issue, Trump looks more attractive. But politicians are package deals. And theres a lot of policy differences between Trump and Biden. Biden is ceding on one issue he's very unpopular on, and the energy is very much against the left on, while maintaining otherwise liberal positions. Biden is a much better president than Trump. He's a much better candidate than Trump. I'd rather have Biden in office than Trump.
I personally have no skin in the game on immigration. I know this is what self righteous lefties fear with people like me "throwing illegal immigrants under the bus", but in this instance, yeah, I will. Because I'm a moderate on immigration. In principle I'm actually probably a little closer to the right than the left. it's just that the pragmatic reality of immigration makes me more left. But if the energy shifts right and this is a big make or break issue for a lot of voters and I can save Biden's candidacy by shifting right on immigration, eh, let him shift right on immigration. Let him do Trump lite on the issue. I'm very flexible on this issue. I'm not a die hard leftie on this. This isn't my cause, this isnt my fight. if anything I'm compromising with the left with their circlejerky nation of immigrants stuff to get my own priorities met. And because the woke don't make good allies to work with because everything as to be their way or the high way, and they obviously dont care about my priorities but instead on trying to beat me into submission in accepting theirs through shaming...yeah. I'll shift right if the pressure demands it. Whatever gets me the outcome I want.
I think there are a lot of people like me. The parties arent all monolithic with everyone in them thinking the same. They're more loose coalitions. And if the middle of the country is going against the left, and Biden decides to stuck it out with the 1/3 of the country that is ride or die on this issue while the other 2/3 think we should close the border or whatever, then let's close the border. Because I dont care. Im transactional.
This is also why, in my own metrics I tend to dislike transactional politicians and like principled ones. because I know that people who dont think like me can turn on a dime and sell ME out the second it gets politically inconvenient. Ya know? I like candidates with similar priorities, not someone who is like "sure" one minute and then going the other way the next. No one is going to be 100% consistent on every issue. because not everyone weighs every issue similarly. It's more a matter of what issues people prioritize. The social justice types are ride or die on THIS stuff, but I'm NOT. They hate me because I'm blunt about not caring. And they hate me because of it. They want everything to be about them. But I want everything to be about UBI, healthcare, etc.
In an ideal world we would come to an understanding where they scratch my back and I scratch theirs, but if that doesn't work, well, cool, congrats, I guess I'll shift right when convenient on this issue.
And I support Biden for doing so. Because I kind of agree that this is an issue that can be compromised on, and this is a time that it should be compromised on. It's killing Biden nationally, and honestly, there's still plenty of other issues he can be more progressive on. And I'd still rather have Biden than Trump, because let's face it, I really hate Trump and see him as a threat to the country.
So if Biden compromises on this ONE issue, I can see how he can make himself more attractive as a package deal, because it's really a matter of conservative border policy + conservative politician + bat#### insane authoritarianism vs conservative border policy + liberal politician + respect for democracy (within reason). It nullifies one issue that works against the left, while maintaining that which is attractive about the left. If someone makes conservative immigration policy their big stucking point to vote trump, but they agree with Biden on everything else (like say some middle aged white male union worker from western pennsylvania or something who is anti immigration but pro biden on economics), this could swing them back to Biden. Whereas if Biden went full on nation of immigrants, they muight vote Trump.
I hate defending selling out the left, but on this issue, hey, i kinda get it. I dont really prioritize conservative border policy myself, Im kinda in the camp of i dont care all that much but if i had my way I'd legalize those already here and also tighten restrictions as a grand bargain. This isnt quite that and more a capitulation to the right, but let's be honest, if it helps Biden...just do it.
If it DOESNT help Biden and he loses people over this, then DONT do it. Im transactional here. I'm just looking for the result I want.
So will it help or hurt? Depends on polling, really. We can make arguments either way all day but as I see it, Biden is responding to dips in his poll numbers and he's doing this in hopes it increases his numbers. If it does, he should go for it. if it backfires and hurts him, he should back off.
I mean, Im principled, just not on this issue, if that makes sense. We all know the issues I really care about are. Mostly economic, some social, and im only doing foreign policy this time to preserve international stability. Remember my rules on purity testing here. Stick to your core issues, compromise on lesser ones. This is a lesser one I'll compromise on. So I give Biden permission to do whatever he has to on this issue assuming he doesnt go to some extreme on either side that is untenable like open borders or alternatively fascist crap like AFD tried to recently do in germany.
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