divide and distract

Americans are more concerned with the real threat of COVID-19 than the exaggerated threat of MS-13 As Trump plans yet another trip to Arizona to again highlight his radical immigration policies, a Reuters story from Ted Hesson and Chris Kahn explores the electoral dynamics of the immigration debate. Titled... Continue »

Leading observers are condemning the Trump administration’s dangerous deployment of DHS agents to Portland and other American cities, arguing that this provocative and cynical move undermines our democracy and heads us toward what author Anne Applebaum calls, “performative authoritarianism.” Jamelle Bouie in The New York Times, The Border War... Continue »

Politico reports: President Donald Trump and his top aides are planning to rev up their campaign machine in the coming days with an aggressive focus on voters’ perceived fears about crime, China and immigration — invoking parts of their successful 2016 strategy as they try to regain ground lost... Continue »

Polling released yesterday by Hart Research Associates on behalf of CAP Action finds overwhelming support for DACA and TPS holders across party lines. The polling is another reminder that Americans’ support for immigrants in the U.S. remains strong and that Trump and Republicans’ efforts to run hard on xenophobia... Continue »

Yesterday, Donald Trump issued his latest executive order limiting immigration for the next 60 days. As we and others have pointed out, this news should not be taken so as a fact-based policy development or a reasonable response to the coronavirus pandemic. It is just the latest cynical ploy... Continue »

Read the new America’s Voice report on the failure of the GOP’s reliance on xenophobia in electoral campaigns from 2017 – 2019 HERE; Watch the accompanying video HERE In a must-read opinion piece published yesterday in the Washington Post, Greg Sargent features the new America’s Voice report highlighting how... Continue »

Read the new America’s Voice report on the failure of the GOP’s reliance on xenophobia in electoral campaigns from 2017 – 2019 HERE; Watch the accompanying video HERE A new report and accompanying video released today by America’s Voice explores how the Republican Party tried to copy Trump’s 2016... Continue »

Trump Fails the Test of Leadership in this Moment of Truth: “Where are the tests?” Last night, President Trump tweeted his plans to suspend immigration to this country. Follow up press reports indicate that an executive order will be announced today. The following is a statement from Frank Sharry,... Continue »

Key Points As a pandemic ravages America, Donald Trump’s reelection campaign is turning to a go-to strategy: racism and xenophobia. Over the past four years, messages that demonize immigrants, foreigners and so-called “open borders” opponents have been a mainstay of GOP campaign strategy and attack ads — from Trump... Continue »

It is becoming clearer by the day that the Trump campaign and GOP candidates throughout the country are turning to dog-whistle ads as part of the divide-and-distract playbook. Expect it to be a core Republican strategy throughout the 2020 election season.  Dog-Whistle Politics, Trump Version On April 9, Donald... Continue »