It’s one thing to be stupid or paranoid, but it’s quite another to have no journalistic standards whatsoever. That’s what the National Review is demonstrating by publishing Victor Davis Hanson’s nonsense. Here he is, discussing Obama’s recent decision to not to deport kids who would be covered under the proposed DREAM Act if it were to pass into law.
Politically, Obama calculates that some polls showing the current likely Hispanic support for him in the high 50s or low 60s would not provide enough of a margin in critical states such as Nevada, New Mexico, and Colorado, or perhaps also in Florida and Virginia, to counteract the growing slippage of the independent vote and the energy of the clinger/tea-party activists. Thus, what was not legal or advisable in 2009, 2010, or 2011, suddenly has become critical in mid-2012. No doubt free green cards will quickly lead to citizenship and a million new voters. Will it work politically?
How will the president’s announced policy lead to a million new voters? Let’s start with what the president said in the Rose Garden immediately before he was rudely interrupted by one of Tucker Carlson’s thugs:
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Effective immediately, the Department of Homeland Security is taking steps to lift the shadow of deportation from these young people. Over the next few months, eligible individuals who do not present a risk to national security or public safety will be able to request temporary relief from deportation proceedings and apply for work authorization.
Now, let’s be clear — this is not amnesty, this is not immunity. This is not a path to citizenship. It’s not a permanent fix. This is a temporary stopgap measure that lets us focus our resources wisely while giving a degree of relief and hope to talented, driven, patriotic young people.
Then consider that the Department of Homeland Security said the following in their press release: “The use of prosecutorial discretion confers no substantive right, immigration status, or pathway to citizenship. Only the Congress, acting through its legislative authority, can confer these rights.”
If you are confused about what this policy change means, here’s a helpful FAQ. The bottom line is that the new policy does only two things. It creates a strictly-defined category of individuals who can go through a formal process that will allow most of them to gain peace of mind that they will not be deported for a two-year period, and that allows them to apply for work authorization (a green card, or the equivalent). There is nothing in the new policy that puts them on a path to citizenship or that would in any way allow them to vote. To suggest otherwise is pure dishonesty. It’s understandable that people might be suspicious or paranoid about the motives or likely outcome of this policy change, but it is up to the editors at the National Review to make sure that they don’t publish blatant falsehoods. They failed that test.
