Fear motivated House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Cal) to support the “Squad” by engineering a
resolution condemning President Trump over tweets directed at the extremist freshmen.
The Speaker desperately wanted to get out of the line of fire following the open warfare with Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) over the $4.6 billion humanitarian border aid bill which resulted in Pelosi being accused of targeting women of color.
Pelosi recognizes the “Squad” leader Ocasio-Cortez, backed by Representatives Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn), and Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass) have immense power to drive the national debate and influence Democrats.
Unknown to most, Ocasio-Cortez and her crew leveraged their power to successfully deflect Democrat responsibility for the crisis at the U.S.-Mexico southern border through an emotional shock and awe propaganda campaign.
A CNN poll conducted in late June found a big jump in the percentage of Americans that believed there is a crisis at the southern border with recognition of the problem as a crisis rising from 45 percent in January to 74 percent in June.
However, thanks to the advocacy led by Ocasio-Cortez, the definition of the crisis differs significantly between Democrats and Republicans.
Sixty three percent of Republicans feel the crisis is due to the number of migrants seeking to enter the U.S.
In contrast, 54 percent of Democrats believe the way migrants are treated is the crisis.
Importantly, 62 percent of Americans disapprove of the way migrants are treated.
The definitional difference of the crisis is not an accident but tied to the propaganda dished out by Ocasio-Cortez who effectively uses her media appeal and huge social media network to influence public opinion, especially with Democrats.
In a June 18 tweet and Instagram video, Ocasio-Cortez tapped into emotionally prone Democrats by calling detention centers “concentration camps” which caused a media firestorm.
Shortly after, Omar echoed Ocasio-Cortez’s concentration camp analogy during a radio interview where she also called the administration’s immigration policy “inhumane” and “un-American.”
In early July, possibly sensing traction of their spin, the squad put its propaganda effort about the border crisis in overdrive.
During a tour of border detention facilities, Ocasio-Cortez issued a number of dramatic sound bites that put the focus on the treatment of migrants and Border Patrol agents.
After visiting one facility, Ocasio-Cortez claimed, “People were drinking out of toilets…” and that she was harassed by Border Patrol agents.
During a press conference at a Texas border facility, Pressley and Tlaib gave emotional testimony about their visit to dentition facilities.
Not done yet, Ocasio-Cortez and Tlaib made emotional remarks at a House hearing including tears.
The net effect of the masterful use of propaganda saved Democrats from being held responsible for the border crisis.
Suddenly, detention centers and Border Patrol agents are the problem — not the invasion of Central American migrants.
National focus is now on the treatment of the migrants and not on Democrat policies such as sanctuary cities and California giving government healthcare for young illegal aliens, both of which serve as a magnet for Central Americans to cross the U.S.-Mexico border illegally.
Also forgotten was Democrat denial of the crisis at the southern border. Earlier this year, Democrat after Democrat denied the existence of the crisis by calling it a “fake,” “manufactured,” or an “imaginary” crisis in order to deny President Trump funds to build a border wall.
Finally, with the pressure off, Democrats don’t need to fix immigration laws including the asylum loopholes that make it easy for migrants to game the system.
It’s easy to criticize Ocasio-Cortez on her support of socialism and the consequences of her policy ideas but it’s a mistake to underestimate the way she can move the national discussion to benefit her extremist views.
While it’s true the squad poses a problem for Pelosi, the freshmen members can be very useful in covering up for Democrat policy failures.
Dr. Tom Borelli is a contributor to Conservative Review. As a columnist he has written for Townhall.com, The Washington Times, Newsmax magazine, and also hosts radio programs on SiriusXM Patriot with his wife Deneen Borelli. Dr. Borelli has appeared on numerous television programs on Newsmax TV, Fox News, Fox Business and TheBlaze. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.