Young Republicans Attracts Protesters in Murrieta

from left to right: Travis Allen, Ken Calvert, Duncan Hunter, Mario Herrera

By Douglas V. Gibbs
Author, Speaker, Instructor, Radio Host

Last night I attended the Young Republicans meeting being held in Murrieta.  It was my first Young Republicans meeting, and what attracted me to this particular meeting was that our two local congressmen, Ken Calvert and Duncan Hunter, and Assemblyman Travis Allen who is running for Governor in 2018, would all be present in a "question and answer" style forum.

I arrived about half an hour early, and it was a good thing, because the room wound up packed and the seating ran out quickly. We even began to bring in chairs from the outside to ensure most of the people had a place to sit.

As I walked across the parking lot and approached the venue, on the side along the curb just before you walk up to the entrance of where the meeting was being held were half a dozen folks who I thought, due to the way they acted, slouched on the curb, and were dressed, were homeless people.  It turned out they were protesters, there to give grief to the Republicans who were arriving for the meeting.

As I walked by, one shouted to me, "Why do you support a racist as President?"

"He's not a racist," I responded.

"Yes he is," a couple of them shouted back to me.

I didn't have time to engage them, quickly told them "He's not racist, he's executing laws on the books, by the way, my wife is Mexican."

I was trying to anticipate their attacks if hypothetically I did engage in a debate with them.

I am figuring it would go something like this . . . 

"President Trump is a racist, he shows he hates Mexicans because of the border wall he wants to put up, and because he wants to deport Mexicans from the country."

My response would have been something like, "No, he wishes to enforce immigration law which makes illegal aliens federal fugitives.  The laws are there to protect the receiving population in the same way you wish to protect your family by locking the front door of your house.  Article I, Section 9 gives Congress the authority to make legislation prohibiting persons from entering the country, and requiring a system of immigration rules so as to protect our country from disease, criminals, or members of groups or countries who consider themselves enemies of the United States."

Then, they would have said something like, "You're racist, then, too, against Mexicans."

My response would have then been, "My wife was born in Mexico, immigrated here legally, naturalized in 2007, and she's more conservative on this issue than I am. In fact, she because a Trump supporter before I did, because she appreciated his call for a wall."

Another attack may have been, "Trump hates Muslims and his executive order was unconstitutional because it targets them specifically, and the Constitution says no religious tests are allowed for immigration."

My response: "Trump's executive order executes laws on the books allowing the President to execute laws which enable him to prohibit persons from coming into the country if he feels they are a risk to our national security.  The executive order was not religiously aimed, but instead targeted countries most known for supporting and funding terrorism.  If the executive order was about Islam, it would have included all 57 Muslim-majority countries in the world.  That said, there is nothing in the Constitution that would prohibit him from aiming it at Islam, specifically.  The only mention of religious test in the Constitution is regarding office holders.  Article VI. states that "no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States."  Article I, Section 9 authorizes Congress to prohibit anyone through legislation they wish, for any reason, and it is the President's job to execute those laws on the books."

What amazes me is that Trump was never considered a racist until he decided to run against Democrats, and now that the Democrats say he's racist, it is automatically assumed he must be.  What about all of those years in the public eye getting pictures with people like Rosa Parks, Muhammad Ali, and Al Sharpton?  Was he not a racist then?  Did he suddenly become one when he placed an "R" (for Republican) after his name?

Besides, who's the racists?  It's the Democrats who use identity politics, who bring up race every time you turn around, who was the party of slavery, Jim Crow Laws, the KKK, and voted against the Civil Rights Act of 1964.  It's the Democrats who keep minorities dependent on government for the purpose of buying their votes.  Who's the racists, now?

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary