Reality or Rhetoric

Here's a question for all of you: who is Antonio Villaraigosa? The answer is that he is the mayor of Los Angeles. He is also the chairman of this week's Democrat National Convention in North Carolina. This morning, Villaraigosa was on Fox News Sunday where he announced that the Republican platform was a document for 1812, not 2012. Specifically, Villaraigosa focused on the ideas of "self deportation" of illegal immigrants and no exceptions for rape or incest in the right to abortion as outmoded ideas.

A fair response to the mayor might be "Huh?" No one was concerned with illegal immigration or abortion rights in 1812, so obviously, his point is wrong. More important, however, Villaraigosa doesn't seem to understand reality; he chooses rhetoric instead.

Self deportation is the idea that illegal aliens will leave America if they are unable to find work here. It is not some far out concept; it actually has been happening for the last three years. A large chunk of the illegals in the USA have worked in the past in construction. Since the construction industry has been in a depression throughout the Obama presidency, there have been few jobs for illegals. Many of them have been stuck without work for months or even years, just like the millions of American citizens who have not been able to find jobs under Obama. As a result of this lack of work for the illegals, many fewer illegal immigrants are coming to America and more are departing than arriving. Estimates are that hard times have resulted in the total number of illegal aliens in the country declining by over one million people. In other words, these folks are self deporting. Villaraigosa can denounce this as an old idea, but it is what is actually happening.

As for rape and incest, the discussion is nonsensical. Forty years ago, the Supreme Court announced a constitutional right for woman to have abortions without any limitation during the first three months of pregnancy. It allowed states to limit abortions in minor ways during the next three months, but in no way can the abortion be prohibited. In plain English, what that means is that abortions are available for women who are the victims of rape or incest across the entire country during the first six months of the pregnancy. After that, when the baby could survive outside of the mother's womb, abortion is banned in most places no matter what the cause of the pregnancy. The argument about rape and incest is a red herring.

Villaraigosa, of course, did not stop with these two points. He also announced that Ronald Reagan would be horrified at the proposals by the GOP to cut government spending. This means that Villaraigosa either has never learned Reagan's position on issues like that or he is intentionally lying. Reagan was fond of saying that government and its programs do not solve the problem; government is the problem. He wanted smaller government with fewer programs.

Villaraigosa's appearance is a good precursor to the convention this week. We know what to expect: lies, distortions and attacks. Too bad the Obamacrats have nothing positive to say.