Victor Davis Hanson wakes up.
10/08/2006
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Because Victor Davis Hanson has so sycophantically ingratiated his way into the favor of those who control the Republican-hack wing of the MSM – primarily by his disgusting cheerleading of the Iraq venture – it would be easy to overlook that the man can actually observe and think.

Migrating border debate The Washington Times October 7 2006

is in fact an important piece. His contention

When I wrote “Mexifornia” more than three years ago, much of the criticism came from the academic and open-borders left. The memoir was considered insensitive in our politically correct age for complaining it was not wise or moral that millions were here illegally from Mexico.

is of course in quite wrong a qualitative sense – Sam Francis and Peter Brimelow dealt with it far more substantively from a Paleoconservative standpoint – however, Hanson has fully adapted to his patrons’ strategy of ignoring and repressing criticism from the Right.

But in fact in the current essay Hanson has important things to say:

Broad class considerations are now transcending particular party, racial and ethnic views of illegal immigration, pitting the well-off few against the less-fortunate many. Many of the more privileged Americans who frequent fancy restaurants, stay in hotels and depend on hired help for lawn and pool maintenance, home repair and child care don’t think illegal immigration is that big of a deal.
Those in the higher-paid professions do not fear low-wage competition for their jobs in law, medicine, academia, the media, government or the arts. And many who have no problem with the present influx live in affluent communities with good schools insulated from the immediate budgetary consequences of meeting the needs of the offspring of the 11 million here illegally. These wealthier people aren’t so much liberal in tolerating illegal immigration as self-interested and cynical.

Of course this was also true three years ago – but better late than never.

In contrast, the far more numerous poor and lower middle classes of America, especially in the Southwest, are sincerely worried — and angry. Indeed, it is no longer possible to caricature opponents of illegal immigration as part of a small nativist fringe.

Nativist! One hopes this view trickles up to the Washington Establishment.

In the last three years, while I haven’t changed my views about the need for an earned-citizenship program or the impracticality of deporting 11 million illegal residents, an angry public has passed “Mexifornia” by. Once caricatured as illiberal for calling for an end to illegal immigration, the book now reads as middle of the road, if not passe.
Indeed, if extremists continue demonstrating for open borders, blare out ethnic and linguistic chauvinism, and flaunt the law, this current public anger against illegal immigration will unfortunately appear mild compared with what is on the horizon.

Writing like this, Victor Davis Hanson, is going to have to churn out a load more pro-war propaganda to keep employed at National Review

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