Scott Tibbs
We cannot troll our way to a solution on immigration
By Scott Tibbs, September 28, 2022
If we want to find a solution to our immigration problem, then we need to show that we take it seriously and are interested in making arguments that go beyond trolling and memes. We have to present concrete solutions, and we are not going to convert anyone to our side or convince anyone of the merits of our policies by relying on trolling and memes to "own the libs."
When Harriet Hageman said that "Joe Biden is the largest or the most destructive human trafficker in our history," she stirred up
howls of protest from the Left and "Never Trump" Republicans. Of course, they dishonestly chopped up what she said and took it out of context. Hageman was not saying that Biden is personally engaged in human trafficking. She was saying that Biden's open border policies incentivize human trafficking and exploitation of illegal aliens. When those in authority fail to enforce the law, innocent people are harmed by predators. Rather than address her argument, the Left dishonestly pretends that Hageman is engaged in some sort of "QAnon" or "Pizzagate" conspiracy theory.
However, Hageman left her critics an opening by constructing her argument like a meme rather than as a policy proposal. She could have explained it as I did above, but chose to pander to the most aggressive part of her base in a primary election that she basically had no chance of losing. Hageman is already a national rising star because she unseated a three-term incumbent and daughter of a former Vice President. Because of the influence and reach she has, Hageman has a responsibility to be more precise in her rhetoric - not just for her own sake, but for the sake of the party and the conservative movement.
Trolling and memes are not serious policy arguments. The Republican Party and the conservative movement have been drifting in this direction for a while, but it has accelerated since 2016. But serious issues require serious policy solutions that cannot be explained by memes and are undermined by the "own the libs" trolling that is far too common on the Right. If we really want to solve the problems our nation, states and communities face, then we need to be more than simply opposed to the Left.
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