Last updated on July 17th, 2023 at 06:38 pm
Republicans have hit a new low though trying to exploit the terrorist attacks in Paris for political gain.
Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz said:
We must now face the facts. Between the downing of the Russian jet over Egypt and this massive coordinated attack on Paris, we are seeing an unmistakable escalation of ISIS’ ambitions and the scale of their terrorist attacks outside Syria and Iraq. Even as chaos rages in Paris, we need to take immediate, commonsense steps to preserve our own safety. We need to consult closely with our NATO allies who may be targeted for additional attacks. We need to immediately declare a halt to any plans to bring refugees that may have been infiltrated by ISIS to the United States. We need to redouble our efforts to prevent ISIS agents from penetrating our nation by other means.
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Such steps, however, are defensive reactions to an enemy that will continue to try to attack us until they succeed once again. We must immediately recognize that our enemy is not ‘violent extremism.’ It is the radical Islamism that has declared jihad against the west. It will not be appeased by outreach or declarations of tolerance. It will not be deterred by targeted airstrikes with zero tolerance for civilian casualties when the terrorists have such utter disregard for innocent life. We must make it crystal clear that affiliation with ISIS and related terrorist groups brings with it the undying enmity of America—that it is, in effect, signing your own death warrant.
Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC), who is a member of the House Homeland Security Committee tweeted:
How's that Syrian refugee resettlement look now? How about that mass migration into Europe? Terrorism is alive & well in the world. #No
— Rep. Jeff Duncan (@RepJeffDuncan) November 14, 2015
[[AD2]]
Meanwhile, the right’s bullhorn of racism, Ann Coulter claimed that Muslim immigration must not be allowed and that Trump just won the 2016 election:
Why does NO ONE say the obvious thing on TV?! It's insane. Don't want terrorism in US? Stop importing Muslims!
— Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) November 14, 2015
They can wait if they like until next November for the actual balloting, but Donald Trump was elected president tonight.
— Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) November 14, 2015
It is so very Republican to try to use fear and hate to divide the country while blaming the victims of terrorists. As many security experts have pointed out, refugees are fleeing because of ISIS. The refugees aren’t ISIS. There has not been a single documented incident of a refugee carrying out a terrorist attack. (Note: There has been a report that one of the attackers may have crossed into the EU via Greece as a refugee from Syria. This has not been officially confirmed.)
The reaction by some on the far-right is cynical, race-based politics at its worst. Sorry, Ann Coulter, but Trump didn’t “win” an election because of a terrorist attack in Paris. The far right’s reaction demonstrated why Donald Trump has been so popular. Trump is not unique. What he has done is tap into vein of racist hate that has existed in the Republican Party for decades.
Just when you think that Republicans can’t sink any lower, they try to blame refugees who running from terrorists for political gain.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
