Fox News host Laura Ingraham clearly proved herself to be a racist on Wednesday when she lamented that immigration has resulted in demographic changes she doesn’t like. She said that “the America we know and love doesn’t exist anymore.”
“WATCH: Laura Ingraham: America we love doesn’t exist anymore due to “demographic changes” and immigration”
WATCH: Laura Ingraham: America we love doesn’t exist anymore due to "demographic changes" and immigration https://t.co/kM5xZkXTzQ pic.twitter.com/lI9rAGoXlL
— The Hill (@thehill) August 9, 2018
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What Ingraham was really saying is that both illegal and legal immigration have resulted in an American population that is less white and more diverse. To her, this is a tragedy because having people of color in the United States is a bad thing.
Ingraham’s comments were widely lambasted on social media. Democratic Representative Ted Lieu of California tweeted that as someone who served in the U.S. military, he defended people like her who make racist comments. He also pointed out that even though he is of Asian descent he is just as much an American as she is:
“Dear Laura Ingraham: I served on active duty to defend your right to make racist statements. America is not a race or demographic. It’s a beautiful & bold idea, based on life, liberty & the pursuit of happiness. You @IngrahamAngle are no more American than I am or others are.”
Dear Laura Ingraham: I served on active duty to defend your right to make racist statements.
America is not a race or demographic. It's a beautiful & bold idea, based on life, liberty & the pursuit of happiness. You @IngrahamAngle are no more American than I am or others are. https://t.co/Op7rnjak5o
— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) August 9, 2018
Ingraham’s revealing comments about race and immigration came during a segment when she was talking about the newly-famous House candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The young Latina politician from New York City recently said in a podcast interview that the United States had changed drastically over the past few decades, and there has been a decline of the American upper-middle class.
“She’s kind of right in a general sense,” Ingraham said after mocking Ocasio-Cortez for her comments. Then she added:
“In some parts of the country it does seem like the America we know and love doesn’t exist anymore. Massive demographic changes have been foisted upon the American people. And they’re changes that none of us ever voted for and most of us don’t like.”
“Now much of this is related to both illegal, and in some cases, legal immigration that of course progressives love,” the controversial Fox News host added.
Ingraham then went on to claim irrationally that Democrats oppose enforcing immigration laws, saying that this is harming the country. Parroting the president, she then said the U.S. needs better border security, an end to sanctuary cities and the closure of loopholes in immigration laws that are on the books.
One thing “refreshing” (and also disturbing) about Laura Ingraham is that she is open and honest about being a racist. Her latest comments also have led many people to claim she is a “white nationalist” which may very well be true.
What old white racists like Laura Ingraham (and Donald Trump) need to understand is that they represent the past. They represent an America that was never that great and certainly won’t be made “great again” by people like them. They need to understand that the future of America is diverse, and it belongs to people like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
I am a lifelong Democrat with a passion for social justice and progressive issues. I have degrees in writing, economics and law from the University of Iowa.
