ICE

MAGA loves this. They'll see this story and immediately start the blaming of the victims, how they had it coming, etc.

Or the good old "well, this seems bad but..."
I don’t think they love this. Your second statement rings more true IMHO. It reminded me of a podcast I listened to yesterday. I think the guest’s, Sarah Longwell from the Bulwark, point is pretty good. A lot of these folks supporting Trump just want to feel safe. They’re not irrational and racist.

If the narrative flips to ICE making us less safe (they are), then I think Trump will lose more of his base. But, for now, they’ll see these as unfortunate and necessary collateral damage for restoring a sense that America is safe again.

Transcript
“I don't know if you listen to Brian O'Hara, the police chief from Minneapolis on The Daily. But, you know, he was talking about how regular cops can't do their jobs because of what ICE is doing.

Because ICE actually has a very specific purview, right? Like, they can't actually police traffic, which, like, what Renee Good was doing, that was a police infraction, not an ICE infraction. So, you know, like, how can we start talking the same language, I guess, about this?

Because I don't like seeing liberals being knee-jerk defensive, like, ICE doesn't belong at all. And, like, I think in this incarnation, it probably doesn't. But, like, we have to get those people out.

And when you look like you're on the side of letting a guy go who might have sodomized a few kids because they were doing all this other bad stuff, I feel like we lose the argument with more conservative-leaning folks.
I do think that Democrats understand that the way that Biden handled the border was... Bad. Bad.

Yeah. Was, did not advance their goals
“Yeah. Was, did not advance their goals. And here's the thing, and just overall, Americans want to feel safe.
Like, it is actually, having listened to Americans for years, there's sort of just, like, three key things they really want. They want to be able to afford stuff. That includes health care, right?
They want, they just, they, right, they want to feel like they're not underwater or on a treadmill. You know, they want access to good education, affordable health care, like, just the things that take care of your basic needs. The next level of that is they want to feel safe, right?
So like, when it comes to crime and when it comes to immigration, and part of understanding the immigration story is to understand that the way that Trump has told it is not just about immigration. It is about crime. It is about economic anxiety, right?
Like they're bringing drugs, it's about drugs. Like it's a, it's a story wrapped up in a lot of fear that people have. And so when you're, if you're a Democrat, you have got to stop saying that it's all just be about being racist, right?

“Like they're bringing drugs, it's about drugs. Like it's a, it's a story wrapped up in a lot of fear that people have. And so when you're, if you're a Democrat, you have got to stop saying that it's all just be about being racist, right?
You have got to understand, especially if you want a strong social safety net for people, that that costs money that people have to pay into and everybody can't come. Like there has to be an orderly system. There has to be a legal system.
And Americans are not irrational and racist for wanting to have a workable immigration system. Because the other part of Americans is that they still, with all of Trump's ridiculousness, they still generally think immigration is good and positive. They just want, and this is sort of the moral alibi here and the focus groups all the time is they say, I want them to come the right way.
Now, Americans, because they don't have to go through the immigration system, do not know what that means. They just mean, whatever the system is, whatever is legal, where we know who's in our country, come that way.
“come that way. That is a totally rational and reasonable thing to expect.
It is a totally rational and reasonable thing to say, the thing that I pay taxes for the most is so my kids get a good education, and so there's a police force that protects me from bad guys that are out there, right? And so they want those things, and Democrats are going to have to start like table auntie for politics is I'm going to think about your material well-being, I'm going to think about your safety, and then like I'm not going to be so annoying on social issues. Like that's sort of it.
It's those three things. If Democrats could correct those, they would be in a million times better position than they are currently, but they have to start from the proposition that their job as public officials is to keep people safe.”

This material may be protected by copyright.
 
New reporting on the Renee Good shooting.

She was in her neighborhood after returning from dropping off her child at school. Upon returning they were in the middle of the ICE enforcement action and wanted to alert and help their neighbors. Then the unfortunate.
 
I don’t think they love this. Your second statement reminds JGS more true IMHO. It reminded me of a podcast I listened to yesterday. I think the guest’s, Sarah Longwell from the Bulwark, point is pretty good. A lot of these folks supporting Trump just want to feel safe. They’re not irrational and racist.

If the narrative flips to ICE making us less safe (they are), then I think Trump will lose more of his base. But, for now, they’ll see these as unfortunate and necessary collateral damage for restoring a sense that America is safe again.

Transcript
“I don't know if you listen to Brian O'Hara, the police chief from Minneapolis on The Daily. But, you know, he was talking about how regular cops can't do their jobs because of what ICE is doing.

Because ICE actually has a very specific purview, right? Like, they can't actually police traffic, which, like, what Renee Good was doing, that was a police infraction, not an ICE infraction. So, you know, like, how can we start talking the same language, I guess, about this?

Because I don't like seeing liberals being knee-jerk defensive, like, ICE doesn't belong at all. And, like, I think in this incarnation, it probably doesn't. But, like, we have to get those people out.

And when you look like you're on the side of letting a guy go who might have sodomized a few kids because they were doing all this other bad stuff, I feel like we lose the argument with more conservative-leaning folks.
I do think that Democrats understand that the way that Biden handled the border was... Bad. Bad.

Yeah. Was, did not advance their goals
“Yeah. Was, did not advance their goals. And here's the thing, and just overall, Americans want to feel safe.
Like, it is actually, having listened to Americans for years, there's sort of just, like, three key things they really want. They want to be able to afford stuff. That includes health care, right?
They want, they just, they, right, they want to feel like they're not underwater or on a treadmill. You know, they want access to good education, affordable health care, like, just the things that take care of your basic needs. The next level of that is they want to feel safe, right?
So like, when it comes to crime and when it comes to immigration, and part of understanding the immigration story is to understand that the way that Trump has told it is not just about immigration. It is about crime. It is about economic anxiety, right?
Like they're bringing drugs, it's about drugs. Like it's a, it's a story wrapped up in a lot of fear that people have. And so when you're, if you're a Democrat, you have got to stop saying that it's all just be about being racist, right?

“Like they're bringing drugs, it's about drugs. Like it's a, it's a story wrapped up in a lot of fear that people have. And so when you're, if you're a Democrat, you have got to stop saying that it's all just be about being racist, right?
You have got to understand, especially if you want a strong social safety net for people, that that costs money that people have to pay into and everybody can't come. Like there has to be an orderly system. There has to be a legal system.
And Americans are not irrational and racist for wanting to have a workable immigration system. Because the other part of Americans is that they still, with all of Trump's ridiculousness, they still generally think immigration is good and positive. They just want, and this is sort of the moral alibi here and the focus groups all the time is they say, I want them to come the right way.
Now, Americans, because they don't have to go through the immigration system, do not know what that means. They just mean, whatever the system is, whatever is legal, where we know who's in our country, come that way.
“come that way. That is a totally rational and reasonable thing to expect.
It is a totally rational and reasonable thing to say, the thing that I pay taxes for the most is so my kids get a good education, and so there's a police force that protects me from bad guys that are out there, right? And so they want those things, and Democrats are going to have to start like table auntie for politics is I'm going to think about your material well-being, I'm going to think about your safety, and then like I'm not going to be so annoying on social issues. Like that's sort of it.
It's those three things. If Democrats could correct those, they would be in a million times better position than they are currently, but they have to start from the proposition that their job as public officials is to keep people safe.”

This material may be protected by copyright.
I get your point. But feeling "unsafe" because of brown people is inherently racist. They want the foreign pedo's out, but are fine with the ones running the country. Fine with white south africans being flown in, but not ok with Salvadorians fleeing here to save their childrens lives. Fine with the drugs that are manufactured and distributed in Appalachia, but not cool with the Mexican ones.

Is it better to lie to people to make them think they are safe, or try to prove that their fears are irrational and unfounded? Is it better for them to understand that the white male is the most dangerous person in this country? Or continue to believe they can't walk around outside because the Mexican mowing the lawn looked at them funny and spoke a different language?

These people don't feel safe because they have been inundated with propaganda their whole lives. Because the GOP wants a scared voter - much easier to manipulate. Unless there are some statistics I'm not aware of that says immigrants are the main source of violent crimes in this country?
 
feeling "unsafe" because of brown people is inherently racist.

the white male is the most dangerous person in this country
Im Not Sure Season 11 GIF by One Chicago
 
No, but many govt websites are now requiring proof of ID to continue using them. OESC now makes you provide front and back photos of ID'S plus a selfie. Once provided you can log in normally.
I’ve never done that. I reported to them yesterday for a quarterly report. Your reputation must precede you.
 
I get your point. But feeling "unsafe" because of brown people is inherently racist. They want the foreign pedo's out, but are fine with the ones running the country. Fine with white south africans being flown in, but not ok with Salvadorians fleeing here to save their childrens lives. Fine with the drugs that are manufactured and distributed in Appalachia, but not cool with the Mexican ones.

Is it better to lie to people to make them think they are safe, or try to prove that their fears are irrational and unfounded? Is it better for them to understand that the white male is the most dangerous person in this country? Or continue to believe they can't walk around outside because the Mexican mowing the lawn looked at them funny and spoke a different language?

These people don't feel safe because they have been inundated with propaganda their whole lives. Because the GOP wants a scared voter - much easier to manipulate. Unless there are some statistics I'm not aware of that says immigrants are the main source of violent crimes in this country?
I don’t think you get what I’m saying, and I probably don’t get what you’re saying either. That gap right there is what keeps us divided. We’re arguing over meanings and motives without ever agreeing on what the words even mean.

To me, “MAGA” isn’t a monolith—it’s a mix of people, many of whom aren’t motivated by hatred but by fear and identity. They see chaos and decline, and Trump gives that fear a shape and a story.

That doesn’t excuse prejudice, but it suggests the root is deeper than just bigotry—it’s disorientation, nostalgia, and years of partisan messaging about danger and decay. If you call that “racism,” then sure, that’s part of it. But if we shout racist at the whole group, we make them defensive instead of reflective.

The challenge is: how do you help people examine why they feel unsafe without instantly triggering shame or tribal reflex? Because if everything they believe is labeled “irrational and racist,” they tune out before any truth reaches them.
 
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