Quick Take: the box that binds Joe Biden

Why Biden can't just triangulate like Clinton did

This morning I found myself wondering why President Biden can’t bring himself to simply enforce the border - just for a couple months - until after the election is over. Give the appearance of responding to the crisis, playing nice with the Republicans, responding to the majority of Americans (including many Democrats in urban areas flooded with migrants) who see an “invasion” happening before their eyes.

Why not mount a Clintonion triangulation on the issue? That is, take a third side, a compromise position that still delivers most of what he wants (whatever that is) while presenting a political gesture - and then go back to the Obama style after the election, when he’s got more room to maneuver.

The answer is because he can’t. To stem the tide at the border would require a reinstatement of Trump’s Remain in Mexico policy - the very policy Biden abolished on his first day in office. RIM was successful because it required amnesty applicants to remain in Mexico while their amnesty status was adjudicated - and if they chose to just hop the border anyway, they’d be deported. No “catch and release”. Trump had further “coordinated” with the Mexican government (an “or else” form of coordination) to stem the migration through their country. Largely, the policy was a success - certainly compared to the ten to twenty fold increase we’ve seen since Biden ended the policy.

But for Biden to go back on that, he’d have to admit Trump was right - about anything. And the policy stinks of MAGA, and Biden is wholly declared that anything MAGA is toxic. So no, he can’t just trim sails and go back to what worked.

What Biden has proposed to Congress as a “compromise” is no such thing. His offer is for more money for more border guards and more amnesty judges - to process the hordes faster - not stem the flow, but make it go even faster.

Republicans would be stupid to accept this. Biden created the box he’s in, let him stew in it.

Note to readers: I’ve been slacking for a while, but the main reason why is there’s so MUCH news happening all the time, I can’t - and don’t choose to - stay ahead of it with my normal style of thinking long about something and then posting in-depth commentary…because I no sooner settle on one item before another major, Watergate-sized scandal erupts. Hence, the “Quick Take”, a format to capture a limited scope in a brief that you can read in about a minute. Hopefully this is something we all find useful.