Cheat Sheet Q&A: About Trump's travel ban:
Today's entry: I'm curious to hear what your thoughts are regarding Trump's Muslim ban. You're usually pretty level headed and even some Republicans have started to distance themselves from Trump's order.
Bottom Line: I guess I'll take the "usually pretty level headed as a compliment"? I'll jump right to it. I'm not sure that I can ever recall a particular issue in which more people have simultaneously jumped the shark than with the President's executive order restricting travel for 90 days from the seven countries listed high risk for potential terror activity by the...wait for it...Obama administration.
What's more is that one of the country's, Iraq, had it's refugee program suspended for six months by President Obama himself in 2011. Remember when the collective media, leftists in business and throngs of protesters shouted down President Obama for being a (insert insult here) like President Trump? I'm sure we've all just forgotten and it's not that the aforementioned are hypocrites...
Anyway I'll get to it. The characterization of the ban as a "Muslim ban" is completely false. If it were a Muslim ban it'd be unconstitutional and I'd be right there with the calm objectors. According to the Pew Research Center there were 50 countries with majority Muslim populations. The bans leaves the ability for 86% of the Muslims in the world to come and go into and out of the US as usual. Any politicians and media reporting this as a Muslim ban are deliberate in their effort to misinform Americans for political purposes. What I just shared with you is hardly a revelation and they know what they're doing.
Next, we're talking about a 90 day ban until new vetting measures have been put in place. How clearly and often is that being communicated? Has it been communicated the stay in refugee programs aside from Syria are only for 120 days or until the proper vetting can occur? Has it been communicated that intelligence agencies have said that almost all Syrian refugees lack any ability to be able to verify who they really are? Has it been stated that two terror attacks in Germany and one in France were carried out by Syrian refugees?
Finally, so let me get this straight, the President is doing what he said he'd do when he was campaigning and now there's this additional outrage? Trump first mentioned his intention for this policy on December 7th, 2015 and used it as a consistent theme of his entire 2016 primary and general election campaign so no one should be surprised that this order was signed. That is aside from the media and politicians that still can't believe that President Trump is actually doing what he said he would be doing as President - I guess they figured he'd become like them once he was elected?
With all of that being said it was still poor form in the way it was handled. The roll out occurred so quickly and without nuance for already properly vetted immigrants that it created many unnecessary situations that could have been avoided with better communication and a more carefully crafted order.
I have a separate story today about what the "Real America" feels about this issue and I have additional commentary I'll share in the economic context of that story.
If you have a topic or question you'd like me to address email me: brianmudd@iheartmedia.com