Sympathy for The Donald

Given Obama’s record on immigration, there was no way I could vote for a Democrat in 2016—especially after Bernie Sanders abandoned his principled career-long opposition to open borders as “a Koch brothers proposal” and became indistinguishable from the rest of the field. The Republicans weren’t much better, having bought into the official GOP 2012 campaign autopsy that the only way to compete amongst the changing electorate was to drop opposition to mass migration. I couldn’t possibly support Jeb Bush, who had famously described illegal immigration as an “act of love.” It’s not that I disagree with that characterization in probably most cases, but that my opposition to mass migration is just as much an “act of love” aimed at protecting my working-class loved ones. Supporting Marco Rubio was out of the question, as he’d repeatedly sponsored unacceptable “Comprehensive Immigration Reform” legislation, and Ted Cruz had proven himself wobbly, too. I’d never watched The Apprentice and had no particular affinity for Donald Trump, but he was the only major candidate who emphasized getting serious about immigration enforcement. I felt I had no choice but to support him, and was glad when he won.