The Democrats Embrace the Right on Immigration
On this episode of The Time of Monsters, a discussion with Adam Johnson on the Democrats’ failed border policy.

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On this episode of The Time of Monsters, a discussion with Adam Johnson on the Democrats' failed border policy.
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Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) speaks at a news conference after a weekly policy luncheon with Senate Democrats at the U.S. Capitol Building on February 06, 2024.
(Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images)With the collapse of the so-called border deal in the Senate, the Democrats have a new line: We gave the Republicans what they wanted, and the GOP still rejected it. Hawaii Senator Brian Schatz said, “I’ve never seen anything like it. [Senate Republicans] literally demanded specific policy, got it, and then killed it.” The lesson to be drawn is that the GOP is irresponsible and doesn’t really want a border solution.
That accusation is true, but it leaves a question about the Democrats. What does it say that the Democrats, who for years have rightly accused the GOP of pushing draconian and inhumane immigration policies, have now decided to support those very same policies?
Adam Johnson, cohost of the podcast Citations Needed, wrote an eloquent critique of the Democrats handling of immigration for The Nation.

Here's where to find podcasts from The Nation. Political talk without the boring parts, featuring the writers, activists and artists who shape the news, from a progressive perspective.
Only a few years ago, European elites were patting themselves on the back for fending off the
tide of right-wing anti-system parties (often styled as populists). But recent polls in France,
Germany and the United Kingdom show that that the far right is once again gaining traction,
thanks in no small part centrist governments that have demoralized the population and
legitimized xenophobia. David Broder, author of Mussolini’s Grandchildren and European editor
of Jacobin, wrote a wide-ranging essay on this for The New York Times. I spoke to David about
both the dismal decisions of mainstream parties and also possible alternatives.
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