MISS USA TRUMPED BY IMMIGRANT DEBATE!

Thursday, July 9^th, 2015

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

MISS USA TRUMPED BY IMMIGRANT DEBATE!

Donald Trump sure has things stirred up right now down here in the Bayou State. International television attention was supposed to highlight Baton Rouge and the whole state of Louisiana. But coverage of the Miss USA pageant has turned more on “The Donald” and his incinerating remarks about illegal immigrants, as his rives up his presidential bid. 

Trump will certainly be talking about his immigration proposals in the days he is spending in the capitol city. The joke going around the state capitol is that, despite all the controversy, Trump will at least spend more time here than Gov. Bobby Jindal, who continues to criss-cross the country in his quixotic effort to make a dent in national presidential polls.

Where Jindal’s focus has been aimed at Muslims around the world, Trump has made no bones about his feelings towards those who migrate across the U.S. southern border.  Who hasn’t heard his declaration:

"When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best. ... They're sending people that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems to us. They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people."

Trump’s competitors for the GOP nomination immediately pounced on his remarks.  “He’s doing this to inflame, to incite and to draw attention,” said Jeb Bush. “Really offensive,” carped ex Texas Gov. Rick Perry. ”Offensive, inaccurate and divisive,” said Florida’s Sen. March Rubio.  Who could have imagined?  A Republican candidate taking about “divisive” politics.

A number of Republican Party leaders are expressing concern that Trump’s comments undermine outreach efforts and are hurting the GOP brand.  Hurting the brand?  What brand?  Republicans need to clean house and plug in to the concerns of the average American, particularly when it comes to immigration reform.  The GOP brand doesn’t just need an upgrade. What it needs is for Bobby Jindal to come perform an exorcism!

So is Donald Trump being politically incorrect in what he is saying?  Of course he is.  Let’s just be blunt.  Republicans and Democrats alike are dodging the immigration issue and just hope it will go away.  But is Trump raising a valid issue that every candidate should be addressing?  Certainly he is a bomb thrower and craves the attention. As Texas Sen. Ted Cruz observed, Trump “has a colorful way of speaking.”  But forget his style; how about his substance?

Politically, Trump’s stock is soaring, as he ranks second in most national polls for the Republican nomination.  So there are a significant number of Americans who agree with his immigration concerns.  Whether you agree with him or not, Trump has raised the stakes and forcing all other presidential candidates to articulate their views on a massive national problem of how to stop the hundreds of thousands of illegals who continue to cross our southern border.

And yes, many of those who enter the U.S. illegally are criminals.  A significant number of crimes are being committed by those who have entered the U.S. wrongfully.  The top ten most wanted criminals in Los Angeles are illegal immigrants.  We read where just last week, a tourist in San Francisco was shot and killed by an illegal with multiple felony convictions and who had been deported to Mexico five different times.  Let me repeat.  Five different times! New York has more Mexican convicts than their are inmates in all of Western Europe. The present system is obviously not working, and Trump is right on to point this out.

Donald Trump will not be president, nor will he get the Republican nomination.  But he is elevating the debate over what to do about illegal immigrants.  The other candidates are not going to be able to bob and weave on the issue. For that, despite his lack of any diplomacy, he’s doing us a service in this important ongoing debate.

Now if he can just straighten out the Miss USA mess in Baton Rouge!

*******

"I have a great relationship with the Mexican people. I have many people working for me - look at the job in Washington - I have many legal immigrants working with me. And many of them come from Mexico. They love me, I love them. And I'll tell you something, if I get the nomination, I'll win the Latino vote."

- - Donald Trump, who does not lack confidence.

Peace and Justice

Jim Brown

Jim Brown’s syndicated column appears each week in numerous newspapers throughout the nation and on websites worldwide.  You can read all his past columns and see continuing updates at http://www.jimbrownusa.com. You can also hear Jim’s nationally syndicated radio show each Sunday morning from 9 am till 11:00 am, central time, on the Genesis Radio Network, with a live stream at http://www.jimbrownusa.com.