Kondracke's Fears
07/12/2007
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What I thought was interesting about Mort Kondracke's article was its conclusion:

Meanwhile, the big winners in this fight are demagogues with microphones and their political allies. What they will demand next, presumably, is a campaign to drive illegal immigrants out of the country. You can expect to see some ugly scenes of families being torn apart and U.S. citizens of Hispanic origin being victimized. That's the price of cowardice.

Mort Kondracke is the Executive Editor of Roll Call, the newspaper of Capitol Hill since 1955

Roll Call is Corporate Media—and like most Corporate Media depends on Corporate Advertising. In their case they deliver the Capitol Hill market to advertisers. Kondracke is so identified with his money source he can't think of anything not in their interest. Malcolm X and Elijah Muhammad called this an example the "slave mind" in how it manifested itself in the black community.

I think Kondracke was thinking was thinking of Lou Dobbs when he wrote this. I don't think that corporate Media wanted to give someone like Lou Dobbs coverage—and they put it off as long as they could without losing credibility. However, what they want even less, is a growth of left populism that would really address concentration of media and economic power in the US.

In fact, guys like Kondracke are part of the problem. They'll give lots of attention to the folks most likely to realize the scare scenario above-and will just plain ignore guys that really are trying to produce justice on both sides of the border.

Anyhow, a buyout of illegal aliens would avoid much of the issue here. Employer sanctions, poorly enacted, could have some of the side effects that Kondracke alludes to. However, just having a secure ID as an option for folks would go a long way toward solving that problem. Employers would demand secure ID from anyone with an accent or who looked "foreign"—but they'd know that if that ID was provided they were safe from prosecution.

I think what Kondracke is really afraid of what a more realistic immigration solution might mean. I think that just collecting existing fines-and using the funds to help illegal aliens return home with dignity and security, would frighten this guy. An immigration policy that made it easier in a practical sense for Americans to leave the US and choose citizenship in a different country would frighten this guy. From reading Kondracke's bio, I think he got all pumped up by opposing Nixon and supporting the anti-war left of the late 60's/ early 70's.

I think he really hated the old WASP elite-and fears something might grow out of the rubble of that group's demise. I agree with Fulford, this man also fears democracy. I think what he really fears being on a side put in the same position as Nixon and seeing his entire legacy crumble around him.

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