2015
Politics 101: Why Some Positions Are “Can’t Lose” For Politicians
Anyone who can read the Constitution should be able to see this quite plainly. In fact, Kristof’s article referenced above makes the argument even more obviously bogus with the following thought experiment:
Yes, security is critical, but I’ve known people who have gone through the refugee vetting process, and it’s a painstaking ordeal that lasts two years or more. It’s incomparably more rigorous than other pathways to the United States.
If the Islamic State wanted to dispatch a terrorist to America, it wouldn’t ask a mole to apply for refugee status, but rather to apply for a student visa to study at, say, Indiana University. Hey, governors, are you going to keep out foreign university students?
Or the Islamic State could simply send fighters who are French or Belgian citizens (like some of those behind the Paris attacks) to the U.S. as tourists, no visa required. Governors, are you planning to ban foreign tourists, too?
But here’s why politicians would be crazy not to oppose the refugees resettlement–they can’t be blamed for anything!
Politicians love any opportunity to avoid blame. Laws and policies are not “automatically” unconstitutional, they only become so after a court ruling. This is a fundamental part of our system–Congress could immediately pass a law banning freedom of the press (for instance), or taking away everyone’s guns (ha!), and it would still be the law until it was reviewed by a court. If a court rules against the Governors, they can blame activist judges, or an imperial Presidency, and still claim that they were trying to protect their constituents. This is why Presidential candidates talk so freely about Constitutional amendments–since the President plays no role in sending an Amendment to the states, he cannot be blamed for any outcome. If you were running for office, and you knew that you could say something that (while immoral and unconstitutional) was going to be universally popular and would enable you to shift blame to your opponents you’d be crazy not to.
Friends of mine are upset that New Hampshire Governor Hassan (a member of the Democratic Party) has urged the blocking of Syrian refugees. But here’s the thing: as upset as they are, what is their alternative? Would they vote for a Republican? The point is that Hassan can’t lose by appealing to intolerance and fear at this time. That said, other politicians, such as Washington Governor Inslee (also a Democrat), have doubled down in support of helping the refugees. This, to me, is a display of political courage, because he is deliberately doing the right thing, even though it is unpopular. Time will tell which option the voters like better.
Hits: 66