Xenophobia, Misinformation, and Irresponsible Politicians
Oh my.
WaPo reports the following story of an Amazon delivery gone poorly: Youngkin: Jordanians ‘crashed’ Quantico. Feds: It was an Amazon delivery.
The basics are as follows: two Jordanians who worked for an Amazon contractor and who were in the US illegally got confused trying to make a delivery at Quantico. They did not ram the gate, and the only legal issue was their immigration status. The story was recounted, albeit with substantial factual errors on social media by a man described by the Post as “a Virginia military veteran, Republican activist and grilled-cheese restaurateur known for bucking the state’s coronavirus pandemic restrictions.”
His account asserted, falsely, that the two individuals ran through a gate at Quantico and that one of them was a known terrorist. But, again, no gate was crashed or rammed, nor was any such attempt made. Rather, two dudes with limited English skills got lost.
Yet Youngkin was more than willing to amplify this story by asserting it was evidence of a terror threat.
“Just a few months ago, Quantico Marine Corps Base’s front gates were literally rammed by two Jordanian illegal immigrants in a box truck trying to get into the base,” Youngkin told a breakfast gathering of GOP activists at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee in July. “It’s happened to bases in California. It’s happened all over the country. We have people coming across the border who want to do our nation harm. We must stop it.”
This is utterly irresponsible and is nothing more than stoking xenophobia. These are utterly untrue assertions.
And then we get stuff like this from Youngkin’s spokesperson:
“President Joe Biden’s Justice Department has quietly dismissed the charges without acknowledging what truly matters — two illegal Jordanian immigrants came dangerously close to breaching the premier Marine Corps Base Quantico, just outside our nation’s capital,” Martinez said in an email to The Post on Thursday.
This is absurd. The notion that getting directions wrong on a delivery equates to being “dangerously close to breaching” the base is just laughable. Underscoring that they were Jordanian is just an appeal to Islamophobia. If they were undocumented Swedes, I suspect we wouldn’t be having this conversation. And the likelihood is that the two individuals were visa overstayers who simply wanted employment.
But why bother with reality when you can stoke fear? Why govern responsibly when you can maybe score a couple of cheap political points? Why act like adults at all?
And it is not just Youngkin and his staff, but members of the US House of Representatives.
“Notwithstanding the dismissal of these charges, Americans deserve answers on why these two individuals were here illegally,” Rep. Mark Green (R-Tennessee), chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, said in an email to The Post, which claimed one of the men “entered through the Southwest border, claimed asylum, and was released into the interior just a month before the incident at Quantico.”
I still think it is more likely that they were visa over-stayers than having walked into the US. I will further note that if some dude from Jordan navigated his way to Latin America so he could eventually get a job delivering packages for an Amazon contractor, then maybe that tells us more about what motivates immigration than it does anything about terrorism.
Back to Youngkin:
In interviews and speeches, Youngkin has routinely mentioned the Jordanians at the Quantico gate as part of a trio of problems — along with fentanyl overdoses and sexual assaults — that he attributed to Biden’s border policies.
This kind of stuff just emphasizes to me that either people like Youngkin really aren’t serious about any of this. I noted yesterday the complexities of the fentanyl issue and noted why illegal immigration is not the driver. I understand the general concern about terrorism, but I will note (as I have for over two decades now) that it is easier for terrorists to fly into the United States and enter legally than it is to walk across the southern border. I would also add that despite paranoia about illegal immigration and terrorism since 9/11, that fear has proved to be unfounded.
In regards to sexual assault and other crimes along those lines (including human trafficking), there is no denying that these problems exist. But the notion that they are uniquely linked to Biden administration policies (or, really, to any specific policies of any administration) makes no sense. It is a rather obvious side effect of the general lawlessness associated with the overall situation and unless there is a comprehensive solution to the problems of humanity itself that lead to a situation like we find on the border, no policy is going to totally eliminate it. The notion, for example, that Trump’s mass deportation plans will somehow stop sexual assaults of migrants is a non sequitur.
To be clear: I am not being dismissive of sexual assault and related crimes. I am simply being realistic about the context of the situation and what actions solve, and do not solve those specific problems. The entire border region is a swirl of various black market activities. The presence of law enforcement is definitionally scarce in much of the space we are discussing and people are trying to be smuggled into the country. That sexual assault and other crimes take place is hardly surprising. These are broader comments on human nature and not comments on border policy, per se.
Indeed, if Republicans who constantly cite this concern really want to decrease the chances of such outcomes, they would need to take away the black market aspect of entry into the US, i.e., far more open borders, as they would decrease the general level of criminality at the border.
At any rate, Youngkin and others should be ashamed of themselves for sloppy and irresponsible rhetoric based on rumors and xenophobia. But, instead, they see too many rewards in the behavior. Indeed, I highly suspect that the incoming presidential administration will behavior exactly like Youngkin did in this case. Indeed, they will be worse.
I suppose it could be worse. He’ll be available to run as a “good” non-Trumpy conservative and Republican “sensible” candidate in 2028. I await Dr. Joyner’s endorsement post.
For Trump supporters, the limited English alone is an existential threat to America. They didn’t really have to escalate the threat for the MAGA base.
And Youngkin is absolutely serious, if “serious” means knowingly lying about the context of the issues he is fear-mongering. If the specific policies you propose are unpopular or not even defined, fear (coupled with authoritarianism as the simple solution) is the only means to hold power.
I wish shaming these politicians would work – I believe shaming used to matter – but Trumpism killed shame. As long as the information ecosystem continues to reward post-fact politicians and advocates, the Republicans will never moderate. And fear only ratchets up, so, yes, the fear-mongering is going to get worse.
Steven, I think Glenn Youngkin is dead serious, very ambitious, and frankly he could very well be a future Republican presidential nominee.
Trump has showed everyone how to do it: Play strongly to fear and resentment, and the truth is, well, is not as important as it used to be. It is whatever you want it to be in any given moment. It’s a mistake to think that Trump is a one-off, he will probably leave office in January 2029, but the stench will be with us for a long time.
Also, FWIW – that picture – when I first glanced at it, I thought it was Brett Kavanaugh. The resemblance is striking.
Despite it’s commendable brevity, an accurate and comprehensive description of Republican politics.
If illegal immigration is such an overwhelming danger, why does Amazon (and every other employer) get away with hiring illegal aliens? I think we know the answer to that.
@al Ameda: Serious about power, but not serious about policy.
And I was thinking the same thing about the resemblance to Kavanaugh.
Once you adopt a bias it is inevitable that you will find confirmation. Confirmation bias. It’s almost impossible to break through. Youngkin, like all Republican pols, exploits that. You can tell a person all day long that they are in more danger driving than flying, but, whaddabout that one plane that crashed? Huh? Huh?
We should be teaching some basic logic, some epistemology, some process for separating truth from lies, and we should be doing that in public schools. Why can’t we? Religion. If you try teaching philosophy honestly, you’ll be shut down by protesting parents. It’ll be passed off as ‘too challenging for impressionable young minds.’ No philosophy until college, by which time your biases are well-established.
That’s the problem on the Right. But the Left broadly has its own love affair with bullshit. Walk down the aisle of any suburban Whole Foods and you’ll see entire aisles of quack medicine. Vitamins alleged to do this or that, enzymes, amino acids, teas, extracts, ointments, bullshit upon bullshit, almost none of it scientifically valid.* The vitamin and supplement market is worth ~37 billion dollars. You could house a hell of a lot of homeless with 37 billion dollars – California has spent a mere 17 billion on homelessness over the course of four years.
The difference is that Right-wing superstition is directed outward, toward oppressing other people. Leftie superstition is self-harming. And as far as I know there are no Left-wing organizations likely to picket a school for pointing out that there is no fucking evidence for a great deal of what people imagine is true.
Whenever anyone says, ‘we don’t have the money to____,’ that’s false. We have fantastic piles of money, we just piss it away on nonsense, including tithes to churches on one hand, and phony cures for imaginary ailments on another.
*See also crystals, aromatherapy, spiritual healers, Feng Shui, homeopathy, and so much more.
It’s been a few years since I have been on the base at Quantico, but unless things have changed, Quantico is an open base. There are no front gates to ram. Perhaps Dr. Joyner could enlighten us. I believe his office is near the entrance.
I know I’m getting caught up on relatively small details given the size of the lie, but the idea that someone from Jordan is making a valid asylum claim…?? *Jordan*
Sure, let’s just piss off one of the countries in that part of the world we actually get along with.
@Michael Reynolds:..See also crystals, aromatherapy, spiritual healers, Feng Shui, homeopathy, and so much more.
Don’t forget to include karma (whatever that is) on the list of hocus pocus, mumbo jumbo that infects the thinking of otherwise reasonable people.
Yes, the Republicans are talking crazy shit, but the Democrats are not doing any better. I have been a reliable straight Democratic Party voter since 1972, but I am disappointed by my party. This past election, they weren’t talking about things that matter to many people. For example, Medicare supplement programs are doing poorly. In my area many carriers have left the market. A friend who has prostate cancer was informed that his supplemental policy was no longer effective as of January. My policy was been negotiated between the insurance company and the hospital system, and they agreed with 20 hours to go. My wife was nervous, and we switched with three days to go. No politician was talking about this. Yes, the GOP talks junk, but the Democrats are not talking about rent, tuition, medical care, or inflation. This vacuum gets filled by b.s. which should not be a surprise.
@Slugger: Did you drop Medicare for Medicare Advantage? If so, that was your first mistake. MA tells all signers, their plans can change every year. People take chances to save a few dollars unwary of long term consequences, and when the long term consequences happen, they complain. People have agency and is their duty to learn about the issues like health, rent, tuition, and inflation. Then people would know inflation is under control (which they knew all along I suspect), they would know Harris offered a plan to address the legitimate problem of housing which was mischaracterized by the media (and the plan itself sadly was too modest)- Trump offered nothing; on tuition, we all know what Biden has been trying to do stymied by Republican judges. So I acknowledge there is a communication problem on the part of Dems, but when people willingly listen to a channels (e.g., Fox) spewing lies, propraganda and grievances, well, that’s on them. So it is not so much there is a vacuum but fundamentally human behavior, like people dropping Medicare for MA for a few extra pennies.
What? Quantico’s almost an hour from DC on a good day. I mean, Fort Myer, yeah, just outside DC. Andrews AFB, a plausible case, although it sits just outside the Beltway. But Quantico? Bullshit. I suppose this is just meant to exploit most Americans’ ignorance of the geography of this area to make this nothingburger sound like it means something.
@a country lawyer: I’m on Quantico pretty regularly. There are I. D. checkpoints and pop-up barriers, so if you do try to run the checkpoint you won’t get far.
That the pop-ups were not activated for the box truck guys indicates they did not try.
@Raoul: As I noted yesterday, Medicare Advantage represents the best (and in many cases, only) chance many of us have to get supplemental coverage at all. Additionally, “change your plan” is a street that runs both ways. When I moved to Portland and discovered that I could not find a physician through UHC, I switched to the carrier I had while I was a teacher. As fools go, I’m pretty content. I’d still prefer single payer, but we’re not going to get there during my lifetime.
And living in a state with a good insurance commission helps a lot, too. I’m sad if you don’t live in such a state, but happy that you can afford whatever extra you pay to avoid “the trap.”
@Raoul: Actually I have a supplement, but that was not my point. Yes, if people carefully studied things the Democrats look better, but that isn’t how people act. Candidates must reach out to people in terms that they get; I don’t think Harris did. My take was that inflation was no big deal because I had lived through the seventies and saw real inflation; also I’m old and rich and have no need to buy stuff because I have everything. What was causing hurt in the people who were hurt? Again Harris was silent. I bought a house for $60,000 (150% of my income ) in 1979. That place was $850,000 on Zillow last time I looked, and incomes have not increased like that. Tuition at Drake University is nearly $48,000. Rent, mortgage, healthcare were ignored. Trump and the Trumpists have grabbed the initiative and the agenda. Pointing out that their points are simplistic, often ignorant, and appealing to prejudices is true, but it is not a winning strategy. Let’s get Medicare for all, lower tuition, and build more housing.
@Raoul:..a few extra pennies.
For me the savings is $200+ a month.
@Shannon Carmer: “They’re ba-aaaa-k.”
Ahhhh, remember when Youngkin was being presented as a kinder, gentler Republican?
I’m not sure why vitamins and supplements are being labeled ‘left wing’. If anything, lifestyle influencers appear to have a right-wing problem.
The results have been in – almost 2 years after passing Florida’s anti-undocumented-immigrant bill.
Whoopsie!
And much like pets.com, Trump plans to make up for all these losses with volume.
@Slugger:
Ok, I get it that “that was not really your point”, but I’d like to drill into your assertion that “Medicare supplement programs are doing poorly.
How are you defining poorly?
I’ve had the same Medicare supplement plan for years and the coverage has remained the same (100% of what Medicare copay is), so the only thing I pay is the Medicare deductible (240 this year and the supplement covers the 1600$ Medicare Part A).
Of course the monthly premiums have been increasing, but not outrageously so (under 10%/year).
So I’m interested in how you define “doing poorly” .
@Bobert: I define doing poorly as being AWOL. My prostate cancer friend was told last month that his plan was being discontinued. Another friend without pressing problems is also having his plan cancelled. My plan was in negotiations till the last minute. Insurance should not be flighty. This is a problem for my cohort. Other people struggle with rent/mortgage, tuition, childcare costs, etc. Trump’s solutions are looney tunes, but they convey that he is interested, and that’s why he won.
Oh, I agree that Trump’s solutions are “looney tunes”.
Otherwise, I was of the understanding that short of non-payment of premiums, or death, Medicare supplement plans cannot be cancelled.
On the other hand Medicare Advantage plans to not have that same protection afforded by ACA and are subject to significant plan changes year to year.