To the editor:
Now that the Democratic National Convention has concluded, we can appreciate the ways in which it contrasted with the Republican gathering in Milwaukee a month earlier. Although the Republicans’ daily themes featured upbeat lines such as “Make America Wealthy Again,” their platform told a different story. Of its 20 priorities, the first two involved immigration, including Donald Trump’s oft-repeated plan to deport millions of undocumented migrants. See the problem? These people work jobs in the U.S. economy that citizens don’t want to take. Trump’s own companies used to employ a lot of them before journalists called him on it. So, what happens to the U.S. economy if the army and police forcibly round up and uproot 11 million painters, roofers, dishwashers, field workers, cooks, janitors, maids, home health aides, and delivery drivers? The economy would tank in a month. And don’t forget, a lot of these folks are also parents, so families would be ripped apart too. But here is the thing: Since Trump does care about the economy—not because he shuns such cruelty—this big roundup is actually unlikely. He is making xenophobic threats as a way to tell his followers he is serious about immigration, yet when you think about the likely consequences, it is obvious that his threats are empty.
So, on Trump’s signature issues—immigration and the economy—he has managed to be both cruel and deeply unserious. Don’t let him be president again. And let’s show the door to his party-cult too.
Jim Mahon
Williamstown
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