NEWS AND OPINION:
A leading Black conservative is troubled by President Biden’s decision to place Vice President Kamala Harris in charge of immigration policy.
“Our greatest concern about her appointment to such a crucial task is not just the spread of the COVID-19 virus or even drugs filtering in over the border. It is always about the money, which will now be taken from poor American children’s mouths and put towards illegal immigrants and their families’ needs. The issue is not just about displacing money that should take care of the most impoverished families; it is about resources,” Autry Pruitt tells Inside the Beltway.
He is both author and broadcast commentator, and currently serves as CEO of New Journey PAC, a political action committee for Black conservatives he co-founded with James Golden — otherwise known as “Bo Snerdley,” executive producer for the late Rush Limbaugh’s long-running radio show.
“For instance, in a needy neighborhood in Texas or Arizona that is mainly Black and Hispanic, those students will now have to share resources with children who do not speak English. Rather than ensuring math and reading skills are the principal focus, English as a second language help and other programs will be needed. While campaigning, Democrats have pledged that illegal immigrants will receive health care and entitlement spending. This added stress on teachers and the public school system will overwhelm communities, and most importantly, American children will suffer,” Mr. Pruitt continues.
“Harris has proven that she will let poor Black Americans suffer as long as it benefits her political career. And, why not? She and the liberal elites make sure their child’s educational needs are met, despite the obstacles they place in front of the poor. She will gain political points for being an immigration activist. Kamala and the left have put the needs of illegal immigrants above poor Black Americans once again,” he concludes.
’SURGE’ GETS CANCELED
A progressive Democratic lawmaker is not happy with use of the word “surge” to describe the thousands of migrants massed at the southern U.S. border in response to President Biden’s open-door immigration policies. Many children are part of the throng.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York has a problem with the use of the term “surge” to describe this phenomenon.
“Anyone who’s using the term ’surge’ around you consciously is trying to invoke a militaristic frame,” she said in an Instagram live video on Tuesday night.
“That’s a problem, because this is not a surge. These are children. They are not insurgents and we are not being invaded — which by the way is a White supremacist idea, a philosophy — that if an ’other’ is coming into the population, that this is an invasion of who we are,” Ms. Ocasio-Cortez said in her commentary, which was first noted on Twitter by @JewishDeplorable and picked up by The Daily Caller.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary, in the meantime, defines “surge” as “to rise suddenly to an excessive or abnormal value” and uses it to describe the movement of the sea, the stock market, electrical voltage and runners in a race, among other examples. The first known usage of the word “surge” occurred in 1511, according to the dictionary.
’CANCELED’ GETS CANCELED
“The majority of Americans say they view ’cancel culture’ as a threat to their freedom,” says a new Harvard CAPS-Harris Poll survey released exclusively to The Hill this week.
The news organization revealed that 64% of U.S. voters said “a growing cancel culture” has taken hold of the nation and that they consider it to be a “threat to their freedom.”
The poll found that 36% of Americans said cancel culture is a “big problem,” while 32% called it a “moderate problem.” Another 20% said it was a “small problem” and 13% said it is “not a problem.”
The Harvard CAPS-Harris Poll survey of 1,945 registered U.S. voters was conducted March 24-25.
AND ABOUT THAT $2 TRILLION PLAN
The White House has just released a fact sheet explaining President Biden’s $2 trillion proposals for better infrastructure and job creation, among other things. In a lengthy fact sheet, the White House said the mammoth proposal will “unify and mobilize the country.”
Sen. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called the plan a “Trojan horse.”
So now what?
“The fact sheet is mostly political rhetoric that resembles the campaign’s proposal and remains light of details which will probably be released in the coming weeks and recrafted by Congress. The fact sheet included the main priorities for an infrastructure plan as well a corporate tax proposal,” says Brian Gardner, chief policy strategist for Stifel, a brokerage and investment banking firm.
“There is a reasonable chance that Congress will pass some form of the Biden plan, it will be tougher to pass this plan than it was to pass the COVID-relief bill. Some divisions are already apparent among Democrats,” he notes, citing competing concerns such as climate change and the fate of state and local tax deductions.
“Regarding the tax plan, progressives are pushing for a return to a 35% tax rate while some centrists have floated a 25% corporate tax rate. Note: due to narrow majorities in Congress, centrists have significant leverage if they decide to use it,” Mr. Gardner observes, also noting that the new Biden plan does not include any proposals related to corporate tax reforms put in place by President Trump in 2017.
POLL DU JOUR
• 32% of U.S. adults say they have already gotten an FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccine.
• 30% say they will get a vaccine “as soon as possible.”
• 17% say they will “wait” and see how others respond to the vaccines before deciding to get vaccinated themselves.
• 13% will get the vaccine “only if it is required.”
• 7% will “definitely not” get the vaccine.
Source: A Kaiser Family Foundation COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor poll of 1,862 U.S. adults conducted March 15-22 and released Tuesday.
• Helpful information to jharper@washingtontimes.com.
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
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