Political Irony

The New Yorker is starting a new series of articles all about “Trump and the Truth“:

Donald Trump, the Republican nominee for President, does not so much struggle with the truth as strangle it altogether. He lies to avoid. He lies to inflame. He lies to promote and to preen. Sometimes he seems to lie just for the hell of it. He traffics in conspiracy theories that he cannot possibly believe and in grotesque promises that he cannot possibly fulfill. When found out, he changes the subject—or lies larger.

Trump lies to an extent that goes far beyond what we have ever seen in a president, or as they put it “in the scale and in the depth of his lying, Donald Trump is in another category”.

Indeed, a series of articles are required in order to cover and fact check all the lies. The first article in the series deals with Trump and immigration.

I must admit that I was reluctant to read the first article, as I have already heard so much about Trump and immigration (and written about it here). But I learned much by reading it, as it is carefully researched and crafted, in order to cut the heart out of not just Trump’s statements, but his entire appeal. No other issue has given Trump so much milage as immigration, as he stokes the fires of fear of the “rapists and criminals” who are supposedly flooding into our country from Mexico and other places.

But there is no actual basis for this fear. Immigrants (including the illegal ones) commit far less crime than ordinary (and legal) citizens. “If you live in a city that has become less dangerous in recent decades, a growing body of evidence suggests that you actually have immigrants to thank.”

I won’t go through all the evidence — the article does that beautifully. Go read it.

There will be a new article every week. I look forward to them.