At No Cost

When Donald Trump announced on Tuesday, June 16 that he was seeking the GOP nomination for President, he declared

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

Trump was roundly and soundly criticized for the hostility he exhibited in characterizing Mexican immigrants as drug mules and criminals, even rapists.  A second, related, criticism focused on the stereotyping: "some, I assume, are good people," a concession meant to emphasize that he is unconvinced any are good. He's merely, generously, assuming they are.

In his interview Wednesday with NBC News, he told Katy Tur much the same thing:

I`m talking about the Mexican government forces many bad people into our country because they`re smart. They`re smarter than our leaders and their negotiators are far better than what we have, to a degree that you wouldn`t believe. They`re forcing people into our country.

This guy that killed the wonderful young woman from San Francisco, he went back to Mexico, they forced him out. They forced people into our country. And they are drug dealers and they are criminals of all kinds.

Trump again took heat for a decidely anti-immigrant stance, though he deserves some credit for consistency. He could have mimicked the party's leading presidential contender,  "the goggle-eyed homunculus hired by Koch Industries to manage their midwest subsidiary formerly known as the state of Wisconsin," who was in favor of comprehensive reform before he was against it before he was in favor of it before he was against it.  (And now for it again. Maybe.)

Virtually everyone, however, disregarded the vow made by Trump at his announcement when he vowed

I would build a great wall, and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me, and I'll build them very inexpensively, I will build a great, great wall on our southern border. And I will have Mexico pay for that wall.

He similarly told Kur (and CNN's Anderson Cooper previous to that, below) "I will make that wall impenetrable. OK? Impenetrable. You don't have to worry about how high it will be. And Mexico will pay for that  wall."

Mr. Trump, that is a cowardly statement. OK? Cowardly. You don't have to worry about how effective it will be. Because it won't be built.

It wouldn't be built, and Trump knows it. He himself told us  "They're not sending you. They're not sending you. They're sending people that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us."  The following month he told us "They`re forcing people into our country."

It would be lovely if someone had asked Trump who "they" is, but presumably he means the Mexican government, the same "Mexico" he says will "pay for that wall."  They are, in the candidate's view, sending us all manner of human waste- but they will spend their money to build a wall to keep from emigrating the people they're kicking out.

Perfect- no, really perfect.  This may be an unexplored reason Trump is gaining popularity among the Repub masses. He is selling them what they've been sold since the days of Ronald(6) Wilson(6) Reagan(6): all gain, no pain.  Cut the deficit, even the debt- and not only do it without a tax increase, do it with a tax cut.  It's all dessert and no vegetables, trimming down without exercise or change in diet, a pony under every Christmas tree.  It's secure the border with no sweat, no price to pay. Even better, we get a wall paid for by Mexicans, symbolically repenting for their sins.

The mainstream media and the Republican Party want us to believe Donald Trump is an outlier, the loud, drunken uncle at the Thanksgiving table. But he is now a Republican through and through. He is what the GOP has wrought.













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