by Jeffrey A. Randall
We all know, a catchy rhyming slogan can be really effective in selling an idea, no matter how simple or otherwise comprehensible to the layperson.
Take for example notorious O.J. Simpson lawyer Johnny Cochran’s uttering perhaps the most well-remembered line of the disgraced celebrity’s year-long 1995 murder trial by synopsizing his case for the entire nation, “If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit!” From that point on, even if the jury recalled nothing else from the hundreds of hours of mundane testimony and evidence presented, Cochran provided them something easily digestible to chew on at the end.
Now President Donald Trump’s done something similar for his wall concept. Brett Samuels reported at The Hill, “President Trump on Wednesday issued a new rallying cry to gin up support for building a wall along the southern border.
“’BUILD A WALL & CRIME WILL FALL! This is the new theme, for two years until the Wall is finished (under construction now), of the Republican Party,’ Trump tweeted, urging supporters to ‘Use it and pray!’
“While the president said his desired border wall is ‘under construction now,’ multiple fact-checks have noted that Congress has not approved funding to construct a new wall during the Trump administration, but that existing barriers have been renovated.”
Fact checks… Hmph. Conducted by whom? What liberal establishment media source would do justice to the truth these days? Whether it’s new miles of solid steel construction, renovated existing barriers or basic chain-link fencing it doesn’t change the fact the border isn’t close to being secured and Democrats (with a healthy assist from the GOP establishment over the years) are the reason why.
As the government shutdown extends into heretofore unfathomably long territory it’s clear both sides have maneuvered themselves into a position that cannot gracefully be departed from. Trump’s talked about a wall and border security since before he even became an “official” politician and there’s no going back on his ultimate signature issue now. Democrats are equally entrenched in their own impregnable perception hole, unable to extricate themselves from a viewpoint that’s getting harder and harder to justify (really? 5.7 billion dollars?).
Polls show Trump’s favorability rating has taken a dip since the shutdown began but the drop is certainly due to the media’s relentless bashing and misinformation campaign about what’s really at stake to the south of us. Facts are facts, and at its core, Trump’s slogan is correct about the wall — it will unquestionably help prevent crime. Will a wall completely stop illegal immigration? No. Will it end the flow of drugs across the southern border? Not entirely. Will it finally squelch the humanitarian crisis taking place in Mexico and Central America resulting from decades of lukewarm commitments from American leaders to enforce the border? Nope.
But the wall will still do good. If even one would-be illegal alien caravan is deterred from making the trip northward, it’s worth it (sounds like a liberal, doesn’t it?). Or on a smaller scale, if one woman or girl is saved from sexual assault, one child is saved from being sold into slavery… it goes on and on. And how about all the Americans spared from the ravages of addiction or who live on because the illegal alien who would victimize them isn’t able to sneak into the U.S.?
True, these are hypothetical situations but not any more attenuated from reality than the Democrats’ “they’re only here to work and have a better life” arguments. Democrats claim a barrier (which most of them voted to fund at some point in their political careers) is too expensive and “immoral.” Nancy Pelosi and creepy “Chucky” Schumer should be compelled to tour a drug treatment facility in Appalachia and then explain how keeping toxic chemicals out of this country violates collective morality.
But common sense has never been in generous supply with Democrats. They’re still fixated on the Oval Office meeting last month where Trump said, “I’ll take responsibility for the shutdown.” Pelosi and Schumer are betting the citizenry cares more about government employees not receiving paychecks than they do about ensuring would-be criminals don’t burst through our boundaries and inflict harm on the innocent.
They’re wrong.
Whatever the case, it’s emboldened Pelosi to revoke the traditional annual invitation for the president to deliver his state of the union address from the floor of the House chamber. Ever the counter-puncher, Trump will find a way to deliver the speech and make it poignant and effective when he feels the time is right. If San Fran Nan thinks she’s won a PR victory with her pettiness, she’s got another thing coming.
And the Republican grassroots is strongly behind Trump in spite of the establishment’s qualms. David M. Drucker reported at The Washington Examiner, “Privately, some Republican insiders … expressed frustration with Trump. The president’s critics, unwilling to speak on the record, are on board with his policy of building a wall. But they criticized his decision to use a shutdown as a tactic to extract policy concessions from the Democrats and complained that his effort at public persuasion has been lacking…
“Grassroots Republicans don’t share these concerns, RNC members said, nor are they discouraged by the survey data showing trouble ahead. These Republican voters are thrilled that Trump is waging this fight and are convinced that he’ll eventually outflank House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and land on top.
“’They are strongly with the president standing firm on this. This is one of his major campaign promises they would like to see done. This is a national security issue,’ said Kelly Arnold, RNC member and chairman of the Kansas GOP…”
Why, you ask? The current impasse — and the one (#SchumerShutdown) a year ago — demonstrates how the immigration issue must be solved now. If Trump were to go wobbly and bow to Pelosi and her cohort of leftist illegal alien pampering enablers the matter will crop up again and again and there’ll be shutdown after shutdown until the reason for them no longer exists.
“Comprehensive immigration reform” has become a dirty term because the political establishment’s made it that way; it’s code for amnesty, continuing waves of third world migrants, more crime, more drugs, more economic drags on the growing economy.
Sick of it yet?
Trump’s compromise proposal was entirely reasonable; if anything it’s broken his promise to his base and betrayed the conservatives who’ve demanded no amnesty under any circumstances (since the disastrous 1986 law which granted amnesty in exchange for congressional assurances of border security that were never fulfilled).
The onus is on the political elites to put some meat behind their promises this time. Trump has become the willing face of illegal immigration solutions because the problem was foisted on him — and he intends to finally do something about it. Anyone who pays attention to American politics understands something must be done about illegal immigration after all these years. What’s the price of inaction?
Years and years more of Republicans and Democrats bickering over the same things, spouting the same talking points and vowing to never give-in. Eventually the open borders crowd will convince enough gullible liberals to destroy any controls whatsoever. At that point America ceases to be. No borders, no country.
President Trump’s new wall slogan may or may not sway the issue in his favor but he’s got to keep Republicans unified and in a fighting spirit on the border wall. Squandering this golden opportunity might not just mean the downfall of the GOP — it could be the end of America, too.
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Jeffrey A. Randall is a senior contributor at ConservativeHQ.
Photo “Donald Trump” by Michael Vadon. CC BY-SA 4.0.
