The Conversation -- June 30, 2025
⭐Jack Rakove in the Washington Monthly: "Once a constitutional crisis becomes an endemic condition, the term no longer usefully describes our collapsing system. Instead, we live in an era of constitutional failure when the relevant institutions cannot fulfill their responsibilities. Because constitutional failure is a term we have never needed to use, it merits a precise definition. First, it must identify the specific situations where the government institutions have manifestly not fulfilled their constitutional functions. Second, it should treat these omissions not as occasional lapses but systemic defects. Third, it must explain how the political and ethical norms of constitutional governance have evaporated. To apply this framework to the second Trump administration is hardly difficult." Thank you to laura h. for the link. MB: This is the best exposition I've read on "where we're at." Others may build on it and refine it, but it's a good place to start.
The New York Times is liveblogging the Senate's vote-a-rama.
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Jacob Bogage & Theodoric Meyer of the Washington Post: "The GOP is racing to push [a] mammoth budget [bill] across Trump's desk by a self-imposed July 4 deadline, but fissures remain within the party over the cuts to social benefit and anti-poverty programs and the bill's growing price tag. Lawmakers were debating the measure on the Senate floor through the evening before an onslaught of Democratic amendments was expected starting Monday morning.... Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill would extend tax cuts passed in 2017, enact campaign promises such as no tax on tips, and spend hundreds of billions of dollars on the White House's mass deportation drive and national defense priorities. To offset the cost, it would make steep cuts to Medicaid and SNAP..., formerly known as food stamps. The legislation would add roughly $3.3 trillion to the national debt over 10 years, according to projections from the Congressional Budget Office, the lawmakers' nonpartisan bookkeeper. That estimate does not include increased borrowing costs, which would be substantial because the measure, even with spending cuts, is largely deficit-financed.... Democrats have been determined to make any passage as painful as possible. [Minority Leader Chuck] Schumer demanded that the entire 940-page bill be read aloud on the Senate floor -- a process that took nearly 16 hours.... Democrats are also planning to introduce a host of amendments before the final vote that are sure to lose but will put candidates on notice in future elections." An AP report is here. ~~~
~~~ Margot Sanger-Katz of the New York Times: "Republicans' marquee domestic policy bill that is making its way through the Senate would result in deeper cuts and more Americans losing health insurance coverage than the original measure that passed the House last month, according to new estimates from the Congressional Budget Office. According to a report published late Saturday night, the legislation would mean 11.8 million more Americans would become uninsured by 2034. Federal spending on Medicaid, Medicare and Obamacare would be reduced by more than $1.1 trillion over that period -- with more than $1 trillion of those cuts coming from Medicaid alone. The fresh estimates make official what many analysts had already predicted and some Republican lawmakers had feared.... They are also at odds with ... [Donald] Trump's vow not to touch Medicaid except to do away with waste and fraud. The scale of the proposed reductions in Medicaid is unprecedented in the history of the program, which has tended to expand coverage over time since its creation in 1965." The link appears to be a gift link.
Way Beyond Stupid. Brad Plumer of the New York Times: "Senate Republicans have quietly inserted provisions in ... [Donald] Trump's domestic policy bill that would not only end federal support for wind and solar energy but would impose an entirely new tax on future projects, a move that industry groups say could devastate the renewable power industry. The tax provision, tucked inside the 940-page bill that the Senate made public just after midnight on Friday, stunned observers.... Those tax credits were at the heart of the Inflation Reduction Act, which Democrats passed in 2022 in an attempt to nudge the country away from fossil fuels, the burning of which is driving climate change. [Mr.] Trump, who has mocked climate science, has instead promoted fossil fuels and demanded that Republicans in Congress unwind the law."
No Surprise Here. Sylvan Lane & Sarah Fortinsky of the Hill: Donald "Trump urged Senate Republicans on Sunday to overrule the chamber's parliamentarian in order to pass key parts of his sweeping domestic policy bill. In a Sunday post on Truth Social, the president backed a call from Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.) and other GOP hard-liners to ignore rulings from Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough. 'Great Congressman Greg Steube is 100% correct. An unelected Senate Staffer (Parliamentarian), should not be allowed to hurt the Republicans Bill. Wants many fantastic things out. NO! DJT,' Trump wrote. The parliamentarian is the nonpartisan Senate official responsible for determining whether parts of laws meant to be passed through budget reconciliation comply with the rules for that process. Budget reconciliation bills can pass the Senate with simple majorities, thereby averting the filibuster. But those provisions must follow specific instructions passed through a budget resolution and not expand the deficit past the window laid out in the bill.... Overturning the parliamentarian would require support from at least 51 senators on the floor."
Tillis to Spend More Time with His Family. Deirdre Walsh of NPR: "Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina announced on Sunday that he would not seek reelection next year. Tillis was one of the most high-profile Republicans to say he could not support ... [Donald] Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill,' Republicans' massive tax and spending bill, in its current form. Trump on social media had attacked him as 'a talker and complainer, NOT A DOER!' and threatened to support primary challengers to him next year.... '... the choice is between spending another six years navigating the political theatre and partisan gridlock in Washington or spending that time with the love of my life Susan, our two children, three beautiful grandchildren, and the rest of our extended family back home. It's not a hard choice, and I will not be seeking re-election.'" (Also linked yesterday.) The New York Times story, by Annie Karni, is here. ~~~
~~~ Al Weaver of the Hill: Donald "Trump on Sunday celebrated Sen. Thom Tillis's (R-N.C.) announcement that he wouldn't seek reelection next year. '"Great News!' Trump wrote on Truth Social on Sunday evening." ~~~
~~~ Marie: We'll see how "great" the news is. I don't know who-all Republicans have on tap to run for Tillis' seat, but generally speaking, it's harder for a "green" candidate to win than it is for an incumbent. So I sure hope a Democrat wins that seat because of Trump's standard-issue vengeance binge against Tillis. ~~~
~~~ Justin Green of Axios: "Fresh off announcing he'll retire next year, Sen. Thom Tillis gave a lengthy floor speech Sunday night attacking cuts to Medicaid in the 'big, beautiful bill.'... The Senate's version of the 'big, beautiful bill' would result in 12 million more people without health insurance in 2034 than today, the Congressional Budget Office projects." ~~~
~~~ Sarah Fortinsky of the Hill: "Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said Sunday that the Senate version of ... [Donald] Trump's massive spending bill 'will betray the very promise' the president made when he pledged not to interfere with people's Medicaid benefits.... 'What do I tell 663,000 people in two years or three years, when President Trump breaks his promise by pushing them off of Medicaid because the funding's not there anymore, guys? I think the people in the White House ... advising the president are not telling him that the effect of this bill is to break a promise,' Tillis said in his floor speech." IOW: Tillis says Trump doesn't know WTF he's doing. MB: Suggesting Trump is merely ignorant is probably too kind; I think he just doesn't care.
Murkowski Got Hers. This from yesterday's New York Times liveblog: "When Senate Republicans released the latest version of their sprawling domestic policy package in the wee hours of Saturday morning, it contained a number of new provisions that might have seemed out of place.... But the seemingly random items ... appeared to be aimed at winning the support of a critical Republican holdout whose vote could make or break the measure: Senator Lisa Murkowski.... As G.O.P. leaders scrounged on Saturday for the votes to pass the legislation, they seem to have addressed many of her concerns, insulating Ms. Murkowski's state from some of its most painful cuts while including an assortment of other Alaska-friendly provisions in the bill. The latest version ... would provide a new tax exemption to fishers from villages in western Alaska. There is now an exemption from new work requirements for food assistance. And several provisions have been added that would funnel federal dollars to Alaskan health care providers. There is even a provision that would allow certain Alaskan whaling captains to deduct more of their expenses." (Also linked yesterday.)~~~
~~~ Ron Filipkowski on BlueSky: "Lisa Murkowski cuts a last minute deal solely to benefit Alaska, exempting it from some of the more odious parts of the bill to secure her vote and sell out the rest of the US. Yeah this stuff sucks and hurts a lot of people, but I got Alaskans exempted so the hell with you." Thanks to RAS for the link. MB: This kind of horsetrading is hardly unusual. An infamous example was the 2010 "Cornhusker Kickback" in which Democratic Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska demanded a $100MM Medicaid bonus for Nebraska for his vote on the Obamacare bill. That kickback was ultimately cut from the bill, but other special considerations found their way into the final bill. (Also linked yesterday.)
Jennifer Rubin of the Contrarian: This is "the worst bill in modern history.... Even those who mouthed concerns about the draconian cuts, including Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) fell into line, voting to move the bill forward. They are daring voters not to hold them accountable for their monstrous hypocrisy.... [Yet this] reverse-Robin-Hood scheme is deeply unpopular in every recent public poll.... Perhaps the scariest poll for Republicans was one from Maine showing Collins sure has reason for 'concern': Her favorability is a miserable 14% with disapproval at 57%.... Donald Trump might strong-arm enough Republicans to vote for a bill that constitutes not only the largest Medicaid cut in history but also a historic transfer of wealth from middle- and low-income Americans to the wealthiest. However, he cannot save them from voters."
⭐Don Moynihan on Substack: "Tax cuts were the only major piece of pre-pandemic policy Trump was able to pass in his first term, and he realizes that his other policies are broadly unpopular and will not stand on their own terms. So they are all being shoved in together into a massive piece of legislation that would fundamentally change America, and pushed as quickly as possible before the public fully understands what is in there.... One very simple way to make sense of the bill is to look at which income categories win and lose in terms of flow of resources. Here, the pattern is clear: the rich do better *at the expense* of the poor.... The Trump administration wants to spend much more on the security state.... The Budget Lab at Yale estimated that somewhere like $4 to $4.5 trillion would be added to the deficit by the Senate bill [but removes investments in Americans' futures that would give them the wherewithal to pay off the debt].... The bill also seeks to kill off support for alternative energy funding...." ~~~
Matina Stevis-Gridneff of the New York Times: "Canada's government announced on Sunday night that it would cancel a tax on American technology companies that led ... [Donald] Trump to suspend trade talks between the two countries, handing an important victory to Mr. Trump. Prime Minister Mark Carney discussed the decision to scrap Canada's digital services tax with Mr. Trump on Sunday, Mr. Carney's office said. In a sign that trade talks were resuming, Canada's finance minister, François-Philippe Champagne, spoke with the United States Trade Representative, Jamieson Greer, on Sunday, according to Mr. Carney's office. The tax, which had been due to take effect on Monday, became the latest flashpoint in difficult negotiations between the United States and Canada on Friday, when Mr. Trump said the talks were off. On social media, Mr. Trump called the levy a 'blatant attack' and said he would inform Canada within a week about the duties 'they will be paying to do business with the United States of America.'" MB: Like all narcissistic bullies, Trump -- the original "blatant attacker'-- can dish it out, but he can't take it. ~~~
~~~ Politico's story is here.
John Hudson & Warren Strobel of the Washington Post: "The United States obtained intercepted communication between senior Iranian officials discussing this month's U.S. military strikes on Iran's nuclear program and remarking that the attack was less devastating than they had expected.... The communication, intended to be private, included Iranian government officials speculating as to why the strikes directed by ... Donald Trump were not as destructive and extensive as they had anticipated.... The intercepted signals intelligence is the latest preliminary information offering a more complicated picture than the one conveyed by the president, who has said the operation 'completely and totally obliterated' Iran's nuclear program."
David French of the New York Times: "... as bad as ... cranks like Kash Patel, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Pete Hegseth ... are, their influence is ultimately limited -- first by Trump himself, who feels completely free to overrule and disregard any decision they make for the sake of his own interests and whims, and second by time itself. Trump's political appointees won't be in American government for long, and while they can inflict lasting damage during their short tenures, the next president can replace them and at least start the process of repair. Emil Bove [--Trump's nominee to serve on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals --] however, would be a problem for a very long time. At 44 years old, he's been nominated for a lifetime appointment.... That means he'd long outlast Trump in the halls of American power, and if past performance is any measure of future results, we should prepare for a judge who would do what he deems necessary to accomplish his political objectives -- law and morality be damned."
Marianne LeVine, et al., of the Washington Post: "Trump administration officials have vowed to hold companies accountable for employing people who are in the country illegally -- no matter which industry they are in or how big or small they might be. But the Department of Homeland Security's enforcement operations have overwhelmingly focused on arresting workers rather than punishing employers. Since the start of the year, Immigration and Customs Enforcement has posted news releases regarding approximately two dozen raids on the 'Worksite Enforcement' section of its website. Local news outlets have documented dozens more. The Washington Post was able to identify only one employer charged after the raids ICE has publicized." MB: When is ICE going to raid a Trump property -- and arrest Eric? I suspect the Trump are employing undocumented workers, just as they have in the past.
Alex Gangitano of the Hill: Donald "Trump said [Sunday] that there will be a temporary pass issued for migrants working at farms and in the hospitality industry to allow employers to have more control after the administration sent mixed messages about exceptions in its mass deportation efforts.... 'What I do have, I cherish our farmers. And when we go into a farm and we take away people that have been working there for 15 and 20 years, who were good, who possibly came in incorrectly. And what we're going to do is we're going to do something for farmers where we can let the farmer sort of be in charge. The farmer knows he's not going to hire a murderer.... But you know, when you go into a farm and you set somebody working with them for nine years doing this kind of work, which is hard work to do and a lot of people aren't going to do it, and you end up destroying a farmer because you took all the people away -- it's a problem. You know, I'm on both sides of the thing. I'm the strongest immigration guy that there's ever been, but I'm also the strongest farmer guy that there's ever been, and that includes also hotels and, you know, places where people work, a certain group of people work,' the president added.... 'We're working on it right now. We're going to work it so that, some kind of a temporary pass, where people pay taxes, where the farmer can have a little control as opposed to you walk in and take everybody away.'" MB: Thanks, Don. Appreciate the clarity. I guess this means that your boy Eric, being a lot like a farmer who can pick out murderers, will not be arrested & detained in El Salvador, after all.
These inner-city rats, they live off the federal government. And that's one reason we're $37 trillion in debt. And it's time we find these rats and we send them back home, that are living off the American taxpayers that are working very hard every week to pay taxes. -- Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), on New Yorkers who voted for Zohran Mamdani for mayor ~~~
~~~ Nobody Is Safe. Paul Krugman: "... while Tuberville stands out even within his caucus as an ignorant fool, his willingness to use dehumanizing language about millions of people shows that raw racism is rapidly becoming mainstream in American politics.... You can see the resurgence of raw racism all across Trump administration policies, large and small.... The One Big Beautiful Bill Act is set to massively increase ICE's funding -- basically setting up a huge national secret police force.... I personally don't have any illusions of safety. Yes, I'm a native-born white citizen. But my wife and her family are Black, and some of my friends and relatives are foreign-born U.S. citizens. Furthermore, I'm Jewish, and anyone who knows their history realizes that whenever right-wing bigotry is on the ascendant, we're always next in line.... Everyone who cares about keeping America America needs to take a stand against the resurgence of bigotry. Because the truth is that we're all rats now."
"Too Many Mosquitoes. Fighting Fascism with Alacrity & Humor. Jake Spring of the Washington Post: "The Trump administration wants national parks visitors to report signs or other information that's 'negative about either past or living Americans,' and posted QR codes on signs across the country encouraging people to submit comments. Instead of rooting out examples of anti-American ideology, however, commenters have responded by criticizing mosquitos and staffing cuts and praising the parks' natural beauty as well as its employees.... Many called for undoing funding cuts and rehiring staff who were fired by the Trump administration.... Positive comments -- along with direct criticisms of Trump's policies -- vastly outnumbered those that were critical of educational materials.... Visitor complaints about the parks themselves generally had little to do with the administration's aims."
Marie: I would say the Trump Voter Challenge that RAS found needs a bit of refinement. (For instance, Trump did not grab someone by the pussy on camera, as the challenge claims.) But the idea of developing a simple card like this is a good idea. Pass 'em out at GOP gatherings, even at Trump rallies. The argument is one that, properly framed, simple people can understand. And I've never heard a politician put it this way. (Also linked yesterday.)
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New York. Chelsia Marcius of the New York Times: "Zohran Mamdani, who campaigned for mayor on the theme of making New York City more affordable, said in a major national television interview that during a time of rising inequality, 'I don't think we should have billionaires.' Mr. Mamdani, the likely winner of the Democratic primary for mayor of New York, said in an appearance on 'Meet the Press' on Sunday that more equality is needed across the city, state and country, and that he looked forward to working 'with everyone, including billionaires, to make a city that is fairer for all of them.' At the same time, Mr. Mamdani, a democratic socialist, asserted that he is not a communist, a response to an attack from ... [Donald] Trump. 'I have already had to start to get used to the fact that the president will talk about how I look, how I sound, where I'm from, who I am -- ultimately because he wants to distract from what I'm fighting for,' Mr. Mamdani said." ~~~
~~~ Fascist Rule No. 1: Everyone Must "Behave." Rebecca Falconer of Axios: "Trump in an interview on Sunday doubled down in his assertion that Mamdani is a communist and said the likely Democratic primary winner must 'do the right thing' if he's elected mayor of NYC or else he'll withhold federal funding. 'I can't imagine it, but let's say this, if he does get in I'm going to be president and he is going to have to do the right thing, but they're not getting any money...,' Trump said on Fox News' 'Sunday Morning Futures.' 'Whoever's mayor of New York is going to have to behave themselves or the federal government is coming down very tough on them financially.'"
News Ledes
It's summer in our hemisphere, and people across Guns America have nothing to do but shoot other people.
New York Times: “A gunman deliberately started a wildfire in a rugged mountain area of Idaho and then shot at the firefighters who responded, killing two and injuring another on Sunday afternoon in what the local sheriff described as a 'total ambush.' Law enforcement officers exchanged fire with the gunman while the wildfire burned, and officials later found the body of the male suspect on the mountain with a firearm nearby, Sheriff Robert Norris of Kootenai County said at a news conference on Sunday night. The authorities said they believed the suspect had acted alone but did not release any information about his identity or motives." A KHQ-TV (Spokane) report is here.
New York Times: "The New York City police were investigating a shooting in Manhattan on Sunday night that left two people injured steps from the Stonewall Inn, an icon of the L.G.B.T.Q. rights movement. The shooting occurred outside a nearby building in Greenwich Village at 10:15 p.m., Sgt. Matthew Forsythe of the New York Police Department said. The New York City Pride March had been held in Manhattan earlier on Sunday, and Mayor Eric Adams said on social media that the shooting happened as Pride celebrations were ending. One victim who was shot in the head was in critical condition on Monday morning, a spokeswoman for the Police Department said. A second victim was in stable condition after being shot in the leg, she said. No suspect had been identified. The police said it was unclear if the shooting was connected to the Pride march."
New York Times: "A dangerous heat wave is gripping large swaths of Europe, driving temperatures far above seasonal norms and prompting widespread health and fire alerts. The extreme heat is forecast to persist into next week, with minimal relief expected overnight. France, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece are among the nations experiencing the most severe conditions, as meteorologists warn that Europe can expect more and hotter heat waves in the future because of climate change."--44--
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Question that should be answered correctly on a citizenship test or before anyone is allowed to vote (or run for office):
Are communism and democratic socialism the same thing?
Politico
"Senate rulekeeper deals blows to revised ‘big, beautiful bill’
A Medicaid carveout for Alaska was among the “Byrd bath” casualties.
The Senate’s rewritten domestic policy bill faces new hurdles after the parliamentarian advised senators Sunday that several provisions violate the chamber’s strict rules for budget reconciliation bills.
Two provisions added to the bill just days ago — and tailored specifically to boost Medicaid payments to Alaska and Hawaii — have been ruled to violate the Senate’s Byrd rule. That limits what can pass through the reconciliation process with a simple majority."
Identity Infusion
explanation of how the MAGA cult came into being
LG&$
"While Republicans take your healthcare, they also want to massively increase your electric bills while making the climate worse [linked above]:
Senate Republicans have quietly inserted provisions in President Trump’s domestic policy bill that would not only end federal support for wind and solar energy but would impose an entirely new tax on future projects, a move that industry groups say could devastate the renewable power industry."
One of the commentators, Murc, added "I don't like to trot this out because it's very "my awesome inside sources," but I know a staff guy who is adjacent to this whole... process, and something he's said to me is that the way at least a few Republicans are psyching themselves up to vote for this stuff is by basically convincing themselves "the Democrats are going to retake power and unwind everything but the tax cuts before we have to deal with the consequences, so we might as well just do it so the cult doesn't get angry at us.""
I wish I was that optimistic of Democrats' chances, but the irresponsibility of the mindset that someone else will come around to limit the needless and idiotic damage they deliberately do to America because of the message they think it sends to their awful fucking supporters. Even though their supporters don't care about the details or actual policies. Not an adult among them. Even the pretend adults like Tillis are leaving because of how exhausting and dangerous it is to play the "smart" one in this sea of imbeciles.
Also the braindeadedness of destroying green energy going forward and the knock on effects for no reason other than to own the libs is so stupid I don't have words for it. The brain rot of Republicans is so extensive that they are ceding one of the most important and lucrative industries to China and the rest of the world. But they are doing that with most industries these days from medicine to technology to education. These morons are trying to take us all back to the caves with them.
2019! When you don't have the facts, just delay.
"The Jerusalem District Court cancelled this week’s hearings in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s long-running corruption trial, accepting a request the Israeli leader made citing classified diplomatic and security grounds. It was unclear whether a social media post by U.S. President Donald Trump influenced the court’s decision. Trump suggested the trial could interfere with Netanyahu’s ability to join negotiations with the Palestinian militant group Hamas and Iran.
The ruling, seen by Reuters, said that new reasons provided by Netanyahu, the head of Israel’s spy agency Mossad and the military intelligence chief justified cancelling the hearings.
Netanyahu was indicted in 2019 on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust – all of which he denies."
David Corn, in Mother Jones, revisits the russia investigation, writing a letter to Joe Rogan on the ways Kash Patel played him during a recent interview. the FBI director spun a false narrative of the Trump-Russia scandal
"Over the past nine years Trump and loyalists like Patel have done their mightiest to cover up Trump’s foul deed—his aiding of the Russian attack—pushing a competing narrative that lets Putin and Russia off scot-free.
During the podcast with Patel, you [Rogan] appeared to accept his version of all this at face value and expressed outrage at the FBI’s misuse of the Steele dossier: “It’s so crazy,” you said, “that someone could do something like that and a whole enormous group of people could do something like that with no repercussions….You were part of something that was one of the biggest scandals in political history. But because it was targeted toward Trump people look the other way.”
Jack Rakove, in Washington Monthly, calls it a
Constitutional Failure
"Once a constitutional crisis becomes an endemic condition, the term no longer usefully describes our collapsing system. Instead, we live in an era of constitutional failure when the relevant institutions cannot fulfill their responsibilities.
Because constitutional failure is a term we have never needed to use, it merits a precise definition. First, it must identify the specific situations where the government institutions have manifestly not fulfilled their constitutional functions. Second, it should treat these omissions not as occasional lapses but systemic defects. Third, it must explain how the political and ethical norms of constitutional governance have evaporated."
Bibi needs his own sycophantic Supreme Court to give him a get out of jail card and make him the new King of Israel.
Hey, our fascist court members are on vacay now. Maybe he can get them to do one of their abbracadabra rulings before they all disappear on billionaire holidays, and tell the Israelis that Little Johnny and the Dwarfs consider Bibi the King.
Hit Man Sam can lie about some clay tablets he once found near the Wailing Wall claiming that King David prophesied the Coming of Bibi! With a sidebar saying “Any schmucks bringing Corruption Charges against King Bibi are meshugenah”.
Could work.
Just imagine the kind of gnawing paranoia required to take the time to demand that Americans visiting national parks rat out any perceived slights against (I’m guessing only) white Americans and to report on the illegal horrors of any positive signs they might see about native Americans, blacks, gays, democrats(?).
This is categorically sick stuff.
New Yorker Cover, Trump's Court
Trump's Protection Racket
"Kristi Noem Secretly Took a Cut of Political Donations
In 2023, while Kristi Noem was governor of South Dakota, she supplemented her income by secretly accepting a cut of the money she raised for a nonprofit that promotes her political career, tax records show.
In what experts described as a highly unusual arrangement, the nonprofit routed funds to a personal company of Noem’s that had recently been established in Delaware. The payment totaled $80,000 that year, a significant boost to her roughly $130,000 government salary. Since the nonprofit is a so-called dark money group — one that’s not required to disclose the names of its donors — the original source of the money remains unknown.
Noem then failed to disclose the $80,000 payment to the public."
Quoted from a text above, DiJiT mused on how to keep "illegals" working on farms: "... And what we’re going to do is we’re going to do something for farmers where we can let the farmer sort of be in charge. ... "
OK.
There are visa programs for farm labor. The USG could modify them so that undocumented aliens now working at farms could apply for and obtain those visas, and operate legally. Which would create some known problems down the line for long-stayers, but such labor would no longer be "illegal."
Problem #1: How do you persuade all those workers that it is not an ICE scam to register and locate them so ICE can deport them at leisure as their quotas require? There is no longer any reason to trust the federal government to honor anything. None.
Problem #2: These arrangements, in all countries, tend towards indentured servitude, whereby the "farmers" (big ag, not Farmer Brown) control every aspect of the workers lives. Company housing, company stores, company clinics, restricted travel, company scrip (ie. you don't get paid in currency but in owners' chits), passport sequestration, prohibited assembly, prohibitions on possession of many items (weapons, vehicles, texts), postal service exclusions, in-house police and justice, etc.
DiJiT's vision to "help the farmers" is a vision of bound servitude with no path to citizenship, you can bet your last tomato.
Problem #3: When those laborers have kids, the kids will be citizens. If not, it's Dred Scott all over again.
I guess nobody knew that fixing immigration would be so hard.
Patrick,
Hard, indeed.
Especially if you never intended to "fix" the problem, just use it to your political and psychological advantage to gain the White House and feed your need to be a mean, racist summitch.
Yes, Ken. Exactly right.