Kevin Williamson of NRO misleads about Baltimore | a Twitter conversation

 

Kevin Williamson of NRO misleads about Baltimore

At National Review, Kevin D. Williamson offers the deceptive "Riot-Plagued Baltimore Is a Catastrophe Entirely of the Democratic Party’s Own Making" ( peekURL.com/zRxfVhd ). Williamson is to some extent right that Baltimore has been harmed by far-left racial policies, some Democratic Party policies, machine politics, etc.

However, Williamson is being deceptive in blaming everything on the Democrats, as in this quote from the article: "Yes, Baltimore seems to have some police problems. But let us be clear about whose fecklessness and dishonesty we are talking about here: No Republican, and certainly no conservative, has left so much as a thumbprint on the public institutions of Baltimore in a generation. Baltimore’s police department is, like Detroit’s economy and Atlanta’s schools, the product of the progressive wing of the Democratic party enabled in no small part by black identity politics. This is entirely a left-wing project, and a Democratic-party project."

Baltimore and similar cities aren't separate countries, they're part of the U.S. and are impacted by state and federal policies. Those running Baltimore implement policies to some extent mandated by state and federal policies that are beyond their control.

A congressional education bill passed by a Texas Republican might impact education in Baltimore, and so on. Likewise with the War on Drugs, loose immigration policies, free trade policies, and globalism in general. Baltimore can't decide to have their own policy on free trade but are forced to accept what the federal government mandates.

The War on Drugs was started by Nixon and wasn't opposed by succeeding Democrat or Republican presidents or by enough Congressmembers: consider it a Dem/GOP joint venture. And, those Drug War policies have had a negative impact on Baltimore and other cities. On that alone, the problems in Baltimore aren't just a Democratic Party problem.

Loose immigration was a signature issue of the George W. Bush administration; he was even worse on immigration than Obama has been. There would be less economic activity without millions of illegal aliens in the U.S., but there would also be less lower-skilled labor to compete with lower-skilled blacks for jobs. Gradually reducing the number of illegal aliens in the U.S. would improve the lot of those in cities like Baltimore, yet George Bush went in the other direction and so too would the current GOP candidates for president (no matter how they try to fool their supporters).

Globalism in general has had perhaps an even greater impact on cities like Baltimore. That too is a Dem/GOP joint venture, and another major player in that are the Koch brothers (a major force behind NAFTA and also funders of pro-loose borders groups). The NeoLiberal economic policies Williamson and those in the Teaparties support have deprived cities like Baltimore of jobs which were sent overseas.

What Kevin Williamson writes is yet another example of the "Fiscal Con": fiscal conservatives trying to avoid any responsibility for the impacts of their flawed policies. See the 24ahead.com/s/fiscal-con page for other examples.
Related pages: national review·fiscal con
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