Alien And Sedition Acts

Sad Attack On Immigration, When Immigrants Have Always Been The Lifeblood Of American Progress!

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Donald Trump and JD Vance have waged war on immigration, demonizing immigrants from Haiti and Venezuela specifically, but really promoting the concept of nativism–that America should not welcome “foreigners”, despite the reality that it is immigrants who have been the lifeblood of America since its founding.

First, it was French immigrants in the 1790s who were victimized by the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798.

Then it was Irish and German Catholic immigrants who were victims of hate and prejudice in the 1840s and 1850s, including the creation of a nativist party, the American or “Know Nothing” party.

Then, it was Italian and Polish Catholic and Eastern European Jewish immigrants in the fifty years from the 1870s to the 1920s who were subjected to discrimination, leading to restrictive immigration laws passed under President Calvin Coolidge in the 1920s.

Asian immigration–from first China until banned in 1882—and then Japan, banned in 1924— suffered from terrible mistreatment and hatred.

Latin American immigration, particularly from Mexico, but from all of the nations of the hemisphere, was subjected to constant discrimination, and still are, with the one exception of Cuban immigration due to the perceived threat of Fidel Castro after 1959.

And as people migrate to escape bloodshed, violence, and poverty from nations around the globe, they face new demagoguery now being promoted by the Republican Party under Trump and Vance, and this despite the fact that Trump’s third wife is an immigrant, and Vance’s wife is from an immigrant family.

The “Achilles Heel” Of Ten Presidents: What Harms Their Historical Reputation

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When one studies the Presidency, it always comes down to one issue that can undermine their historical reputation.

So for John Adams, for example, it is the passage and enforcement of the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798.

For James Madison, it is the burning of the White House and Capitol Hill in 1814 by the British during the War of 1812.

For Andrew Jackson, it is the forced removal of five Indian tribes to Oklahoma in the 1830s, the so called “Trail of Tears”.

For Franklin Pierce, it is the signing of the Kansas Nebraska Act in 1854, bringing the nation closer to the Civil War of the future.

For Woodrow Wilson, it is the violation of civil liberties during the First World War, and immediately after, during the Red Scare of 1919-1920.

For Franklin D. Roosevelt, it is the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.

For Lyndon B. Johnson, it is the escalation of the Vietnam War in the mid 1960s.

For Richard Nixon, it is the engagement in the Watergate Scandal in the early 1970s.

For George W. Bush, it is the provoking of the Iraq War in 2003 and after.

And for Donald Trump, it is the collusion with the Russian government Vladimir Putin, which is going to bring down his Presidency.

Empathy Important Trait For Any Political Leader, Particularly A President Of The United States, Missing In The GOP And Donald Trump!

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Empathy is one of the most important traits that any political leader needs to govern effectively.

Sadly, the Republican Party and most of its leadership totally lacks empathy, and instead is very harsh and judgmental toward those who are not fortunate enough to be born wealthy.

They fail to have concern for poverty stricken people, blaming them for their own plight.

They fail to have concern for those who are sick and or disabled, and wish to cut benefits, including ObamaCare, which has given millions of Americans their first health care.

They fail to care about the tragedy of veterans who often have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from their experiences fighting in America’s wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the basic stresses of being in the military.

They fail to care about discrimination, racism, nativism, and misogyny, and often encourage rhetoric and actions, which further alienate large sections of population within America.

They allow religion to be utilized in a way to promote hate and division, and look the other way as they endorse hypocrisy.

The candidacy of Donald Trump only emphasizes ever more these terrible traits, as Trump is totally clueless and uncaring about the American people, often insulting, denigrating, demeaning, ridiculing, bullying, and showing total disdain for anyone who dares to challenge his disgraceful behavior and rhetoric.

Instead of taking responsibility for his own shortcomings, Trump lashes out at the news media for exposing his actions and words, thereby attempting to turn the American people against the news media and the concept of Freedom of the Press.

The Republican Party has been complicit in this kind of attack, even before Donald Trump emerged as a significant political force, and they represent a threat to our Bill Of Rights.

The last time this happened, the Federalist Party attack on the Bill of Rights under John Adams, with the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798-1801, resulted in the demise of the party over the next generation.