Bernie Sanders explodes a right-wing myth: ‘Open borders? No, that’s a Koch brothers proposal’

[still_one]

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) said the immigration debate is framed exactly wrong.

Republicans vilify President Barack Obama for supposedly opening the border to ever-increasing multitudes of immigrants, legally or otherwise, but the Democratic presidential candidate said blame is cast in the wrong direction, reported Vox.

“Open borders? No, that’s a Koch brothers proposal,” Sanders said in a wide-ranging interview with the website. “That’s a right-wing proposal, which says essentially there is no United States.”

Sanders frequently targets the libertarian industrialists Charles and David Koch as unhealthy influences on American democracy — but he’s not the first to notice their support for an open borders policy.

The conservative Breitbart and the white supremacist VDARE website each blasted the Koch brothers for sponsoring a “pro-amnesty Buzzfeed event” in 2013, and two writers for the Koch-sponsored Reason — former contributing editor David Weigel and current editor-in-chief Nick Gillespie — have always been supportive of immigration reform.

That’s at odds with what many Republicans believe, and Sanders told Vox that an open border would be disastrous to the American economy.

“It would make everybody in America poorer — you’re doing away with the concept of a nation state, and I don’t think there’s any country in the world that believes in that,” Sanders said. “If you believe in a nation state or in a country called the United States or (the United Kingdom) or Denmark or any other country, you have an obligation in my view to do everything we can to help poor people.”

He said conservative corporate interests pushed for open borders, not liberals.

“What right-wing people in this country would love is an open-border policy,” Sanders said. “Bring in all kinds of people, work for $2 or $3 an hour — that would be great for them. I don’t believe in that. I think we have to raise wages in this country, (and) I think we have to do everything we can to create millions of jobs.”

The senator said flooding the job market with foreign candidates willing to work for low pay would be especially harmful to younger Americans trying to enter the workforce.

http://www.rawstory.com/2015/07/bernie-sanders-explodes-a-right-wing-myth-open-borders-no-thats-a-koch-brothers-proposal/comments/

[virtualobserver]

1. That was a great interview

Bernie gives real answers and his depth of knowledge becomes immediately clear as he answers questions. It is such a pleasure to listen to him.

[BainsBane]

2. I have to disagree

Last edited Wed Jul 29, 2015, 02:36 AM - Edit history (1)

It isn't a Koch proposal. Big farmers and ranchers since the early 20th century have used Mexican migrant labor. There have been a series of government programs (Bracero, etc) that brought Mexicans into the country to work in those businesses, only to deport them when the economy slowed down. It's much older than the recent influence of the Koch brothers. That is not an informed response. It plays to the distaste for that one billionaire family without showing how entrenched migrant labor has been in the economy of the Southwest, West and Midwest.

I'm also concerned about his discussion of youth unemployment in the context of borders and immigration.

[virtualobserver]

8. He wasn't claiming that the Kochs invented migrant labor

The use of migrant labor and open borders are not the same thing

They are libertarians, so of course they want open borders. They are working hard to eliminate any restrictions on their profits.

How do you discuss unemployment without discussing outsourcing and immigration?

[BainsBane]

10. Outsourcing and immigration are not the same issue

Immigrants, particularly undocumented workers, fulfill low wage jobs. So yes, theoretically Americans might take those jobs if they paid considerably more. But then you have to acknowledge that food prices would rise considerably as well.

The Democratic Party position is certainly not one of open borders, but nor is it one that demonizes Mexicans, particularly those who have lived in this country for some time.

My issue with the use of the Kochs trope is that it is overly simplistic and not very accurate. Are the Kochs in fact promoting an open border policy? Or is that just a way to talk about business interests? It strikes me as red meat for his supporters, but not the informed position that you suggested.

As for libertarians, there are no shortage of them supporting Sanders.

[virtualobserver]

11. immigration and outsourcing are two sides of the same coin

You appear to be viewing this issue narrowly, and purely in terms of our southern border.

The high tech industry is always pushing to expand temporary worker visa levels, and that is a huge problem in many ways. They love having a supply of cheap, exploitable foreign workers as well. They hire them at much lower salaries, which takes jobs away from Americans, and it drives salaries lower generally.
They can mistreat them in other ways as well. I have personally witnessed workers pushed hard to work very long hours on projects....I've seen "paperwork problems" related to visas that pop up magically when someone isn't as cooperative with the abuse and those people just disappear. They work with the "Sword of Damocles" hanging over their head.

I only mention tech since that is what I have seen first hand.
Corporations generally in the US are pushing for it.

The Koch's focus on this is part of their Hispanic manipulation outreach, LIBRE.

[ibegurpard]

3. It's the same thing you hear from the DU free traders

Don't you support raising living conditions for poor people in the rest of the world? Of course I do but not if I have to pay my prices at the same salary companies not bound by our wage regulations are paying them! Let's all be destitute? Yeah that solves it...

[Cheese Sandwich]

4. We should have totally open borders if we also have guaranteed jobs and basic welfare for all

If we just open the borders but still force workers to compete with each other for survival and the basic needs of life, it's just going to be a race to the bottom for workers, while owners profit.

[ibegurpard]

5. exactly

Capital is mobile. Workers less so.

[Cheese Sandwich]

6. Let's give all the workers some basic guarantees in life. Then maybe open borders.

I'm open to the idea of a world with no borders. A stateless, classless society or something. That's a good idea to keep alive for the future but right now the border is still there. And it is an obstacle that keeps apart families and stuff too. Yet another reason to work for real social guarantees for all workers, including new arrivals and migrant workers.

[ibegurpard]

7. And no way do I call for the demise of the nation state

When the only thing to step into the vacuum is the multi national corporation. East India Company anyone? Hudson's Bay Company? That's what they want a return to. Crown companies controlled by the elites.

[Cheese Sandwich]

9. Right, at this point yes that's true, private wealth and corporations would take over everything.

So it's not an option.

But if we had other powerful institutions instead, like a rich powerful network of cooperatives, community organizations, worker control of industry, then maybe, in the future it could happen.