One man's political theater is another man's poetic justice
I can’t help but be amused by the stir that’s resulted from the transporting of illegal immigrants to Martha’s Vineyard (by Governor DeSantis) and Washington, D.C. (by Governor Abbott). The decision to drop off two bus loads of them in front of Vice President Harris’ residence seems particularly inspired.
Harris supposedly is in charge of U.S. border policy and has gone so far as to pronounce the border secure. Unfortunately, I’m pretty sure the dropping off of the immigrants at her doorstep (well, not exactly) left her unmoved and unwilling to do anything to improve border security.
There’s also poetic justice in sending illegal immigrants to Martha’s Vineyard, a paradise for limousine liberals. Let “la gauche caviar” (as the French call them) experience what they are so willing to inflict on suckers in the south and southwest.
Naturally, Democrats and their media allies aren’t amused. They call the moves by DeSantis and Abbott “political theater.”
I suppose they are political theatre in the sense that the transporting of illegal immigrants to liberal enclaves drives home fairly dramatically two realities: The disruption an influx of even a few dozen immigrants can inflict on a community and the hypocrisy of liberals who are happy to inflict that disruption, and much worse, on others.
But the theatrical nature of the governors’ moves doesn’t negate either of these realities. Indeed, Democrats wouldn’t be complaining so loudly if the political theatre didn’t highlight valid concerns.
Some critics realize that the “political theatre” accusation is a case of praising DeSantis and Abbott with faint damnation. Thus, they go further. Much further.
Ken Burns, who poses as a good faith narrator of the American experience, agreed with, and expanded upon, an analogy between the Holocaust (subject of a new Burns documentary) and DeSantis’ “authoritarian” transportation of illegal immigrants to Massachusetts.
Elon Musk had the perfect response to this obscene comparison. He tweeted: “Wow didn't realize Martha's Vineyard was the new Auschwitz.”
Once they get past the name calling, critics of DeSantis and Abbott argue that transporting illegal immigrants to D.C. and Martha’s Vineyard especially inflicts hardship on them. For example, I heard a Washington Post reporter say on the radio that unlike Texas and Arizona, places like Martha’s Vineyard have no facilities capable of handling the influx of immigrants.
This argument fails at two levels, at least. First, the fact that Texas and Arizona have such facilities doesn’t mean they are capable of handling thousands of new illegal immigrants every week. (More on this below.) Second, border state taxpayers are footing the bill for infrastructure necessary to cope with the invasion of these immigrants. Why shouldn’t that burden be shared? Aren’t we all in this together?
Wealthy Martha’s Vineyard finally has to pay [its] fair share of what poorer border towns have been forced to deal with for YEARS due to Dems open border policies. Dems talk about sanctuary but get all stingy and look down their noses when illegal entrants enter their enclaves.
I also heard the same Post reporter complain that Martha’s Vineyard is an island, so that it’s difficult for the immigrants to get to Boston or other places where they can find jobs. But these immigrants are from Venezuela. If they made it all the way from there to Texas [correction, Florida], it seems likely they can make it from Martha’s Vineyard to Boston. It’s even possible, at least in theory, that the limousine liberals on the Vineyard might lend a hand in getting them there.
In the meantime, Lisa Belcastro, who coordinates the local homeless shelter, claims there’s not enough housing for people who already live on Martha’s Vineyard, never mind 50 more. However, John Sexton points to the Martha’s Vineyard website which says:
The Vineyard is home to roughly 17,000 year-round residents. During the summer months, the population increases to nearly 200,000. Sixty-three percent of all homes on the Vineyard belong to seasonal residents.
So the island can handle 183,000 summer vacationers but not 50 immigrants?
Sexton adds:
What does Belcastro think usually happens to migrants from Venezuela, most of whom have no family or connections in the United States. Who is giving long term help to the 2,000+ people who come across the border every day? Does she think there was a supply of long term housing set up somewhere else for the million people who’ve arrived in the past year, most of whom will be here for at least 7 years while they wait for a judge to review their asylum claims? Does she think Texas and Arizona are just one giant migrant B&B that exists to deal with all of this so it doesn’t become a problem for the good folks on Martha’s Vineyard?
None of them would say that out loud of course but that seems to be the bottom line in every blue city. The are just thrilled to welcome these folks who are just like you and me, but they are already wondering when they will leave and how to stop more from coming.
Granted, poetic justice for limousine liberals is insufficient reason to treat third parties inhumanely. But I don’t see what’s inhumane about moving immigrants, who have no legitimate right even to be in this country, to Massachusetts (where my grandfather, then penniless, started his American journey) or Washington D.C. (where my father successfully completed his).