Opinion by Paul Waldman: Kevin McCarthy’s border trip shows how tired this stunt has become
But border visits have a special place in the hearts of Republican politicians, who love the photo ops they provide and who roundly criticize Democrats for not doing the same kind of playacting.
The truth is that Republicans’ desire to Do Something is severely limited. What they want more than anything else is an issue they can use to anger and terrify their base, as they reliably do in almost every election. And the fact that immigration largely failed to produce the results they hoped for in this year’s midterms, just as it did in 2020 and 2018, has not deterred them.
That solution would require a comprehensive bill that incorporated both parties’ priorities and reformed the immigration system for the better.
That kind of a deal would give Republicans what they want, give Democrats what they want and reduce the incentives for people to come here illegally. The trouble is that Republicans know that if they agree to any kind of compromise, their base voters will revolt, just asof immigrant crime. That makes it harder for Republicans to join in a reform effort that involves anything other than building walls and cracking down, even if being “tough” doesn’t solve the problem.
Perhaps some Republicans wish that weren’t true, and yearn for a sensible debate that could end with a policy solution. If so, they can’t compete with visuals of their colleagues tromping around Texas and Arizona in desert colors to show how mad they are. If that’s all the base really wants, that’s all it’s going to get.
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