Immigrants And The Politics Of Trolling – The Joe Cunningham Show

The Joe Cunningham Show airs 3-4 p.m. every weekday on NewsTalk 96.5 KPEL. The daily show notes offer you a look into the topics of the day and the links to the top stories and Joe's own writings on the state of politics in Louisiana and around the country. Follow Joe on Twitter at @JoePCunningham and Like the Joe Cunningham Show on Facebook. You can also subscribe to the Joe Cunningham Show podcast on Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, or Amazon.

The Politics Of Trolling

The news all over the country right now is focused on illegal immigrants being shipped from border states to various sanctuary cities run almost exclusively by progressives. But the headlines positively exploded yesterday when it was discovered that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration had flown 50 migrants to Martha's Vineyard. The reaction was amplified, with some pundits and activists even accusing DeSantis of "human trafficking." Lost in all of this is, of course, the fact that while DeSantis bused 50 out, the Biden administration had flown several planes' worth into Florida in the first place.

I am not a fan of immigrants, illegal or not, being used as part of political warfare. Yes, they are being sent to places that have touted themselves as open and accepting of immigrants, and yes, they are showing outstanding hypocrisy, but this is not a solution so much as it is a ploy. You know that nothing is going to get fixed by this.

But still, I can't help but be amazed at just how hypocritical some of these mayors and communities are. After a day, Martha's Vineyard had called in the National Guard, gotten buses, and shipped the immigrants off to the Cape. New York is now offering to fly out those who would prefer to be in Florida.

The Grift Continues

I have talked a lot about the money troubles of and the grifting within the GOP. There is a piece at the Wall Street Journal that dives further into some of the current issues.

The problem is money, or rather Mr. Masters’ lack of it. Only six weeks ago the nominee emerged from a brutal, expensive five-way primary. Spending even more heavily to ensure a Masters victory was billionaire donor Peter Thiel, who backed his former employee to the tune of $12 million. The Thiel support influenced Donald Trump to endorse Mr. Masters and to hold a rally for him in the run-up to the primary. The New York Times in February described Mr. Thiel as the new “would-be kingmaker” of the GOP.

Only where’s the would-be kingmaker now? Sitting in his counting house, the doors firmly locked. Mr. Thiel has abandoned the Arizona race, as well as the Ohio Senate candidate he spent $15 million to nominate, J.D. Vance. Mr. Trump is meanwhile using this cycle to hoover up grassroots donations that might otherwise go to competitive midterm candidates and so far refuses to commit any of the estimated $99 million in a leadership PAC to his endorsees. The Lucys have pulled the football, leaving the GOP’s Arizona project to fall on its back.

Mitch McConnell's Senate Leadership Fund is taking some flack for canceling $8 million in ad buys in Arizona, but I can't really fault them all that much. His group has dedicated tens of millions in Ohio, for example, a state where Peter Thiel spent a ton of money to help J.D. Vance through the primary and then just left him high and dry.

Trump sitting on nearly $100 million is just appalling. If you want to be the leader of the GOP, you have to spend the money, especially when people gave you that money to help save America in the first place. Instead, Trump and all his groups are focused on fundraising in defense of Trump rather than in taking back Congress.

NCAA: Week Three

But let's go into the weekend with some lighter talk, shall we? It's Week 3 of the NCAA football season and, as I wrote about earlier, there is a pretty funny map showing which teams are considered the most "overrated" by state.

Somewhat surprisingly, Alabama isn't considered the most overrated, and they really aren't when you look at what they put on the field. But, Texas was able to exploit some pretty big weaknesses last week. This week's Top 25 schedule, the Cajuns' match-up with Rice, and LSU's game against Mississippi State should all prove to be interesting.

Headlines Of The Day

• DOJ Likely to Appeal Parts of Judge’s Mar-a-Lago Ruling (Wall Street Journal)
• In a Pine Forest Near a Retaken City, Ukraine Uncovers a Mass Grave Site (New York Times)
• EXCLUSIVE: Violent Student Protesters Shut Down Tomi Lahren Speech at University of New Mexico (RedState)
• Ryan Reynolds Lost a Bet To Rob McElhenney And Had To Get a Colonoscopy - Doctors Ended Up Finding a Potentially Dangerous Polyp And Might Have Saved His Life (Barstool)
• Latest batch of subpoenas spells out sweeping scope of Justice Dept.’s Jan. 6 probe (Washington Post)

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