This morning, I wrote a story about how FOX believes they've detected hypocrisy from the left on illegal immigration and how FOX is wrong about that. Now, thanks to Think Progress, we have some actual hypocrisy about the issue -- from the right.
Imagine, if you will, a bunch of teabaggers in Ramona, California. They're sitting around with their signs about how Obama and Democrats are ignoring the Constitution and, therefore, hate America and are Nazi/Commies. Then Rep. Duncan Hunter gets up on stage and says this:
OK, first off, Hunter's argument about the "American soul" is laughable on its face. We're talking about children born in America to illegal immigrants -- they didn't just "walk across" any border. Hunter's reputation for being not exactly bright isn't damaged by this statement.
Second, he says we ought to deport children of undocumented parents who were born in the US. He gets wild applause, whistles, and cheers from his Constitution-lovin' audience. There's just one little hitch here; turns out that isn't Constitutional. Again, Hunter's reputation for being an idiot is safe, as is the collective rep of his teabagger audience.
So, for those keeping score at home, teabaggers love the Constitution -- until they think it's a bad idea. Then they don't love it so much. More evidence that teabaggers think "Unconstitutional" is just a shorthand for "stuff I don't like."
Imagine, if you will, a bunch of teabaggers in Ramona, California. They're sitting around with their signs about how Obama and Democrats are ignoring the Constitution and, therefore, hate America and are Nazi/Commies. Then Rep. Duncan Hunter gets up on stage and says this:
QUESTION: Would you support deportation of natural-born American citizens that are the children of illegal aliens?
HUNTER: I would have to, yes. [...] We simply cannot afford what we're doing right now. California is going under. How much in debt are we? Twenty billion dollars? [...] And we're not being mean, we're just saying it takes more than just walking across the border to become an American citizen. It's what's in our souls.
OK, first off, Hunter's argument about the "American soul" is laughable on its face. We're talking about children born in America to illegal immigrants -- they didn't just "walk across" any border. Hunter's reputation for being not exactly bright isn't damaged by this statement.
Second, he says we ought to deport children of undocumented parents who were born in the US. He gets wild applause, whistles, and cheers from his Constitution-lovin' audience. There's just one little hitch here; turns out that isn't Constitutional. Again, Hunter's reputation for being an idiot is safe, as is the collective rep of his teabagger audience.
So, for those keeping score at home, teabaggers love the Constitution -- until they think it's a bad idea. Then they don't love it so much. More evidence that teabaggers think "Unconstitutional" is just a shorthand for "stuff I don't like."
