David Brooks:
Yes, well, first — the first thing to say is, if you think immigration is good for this country, you also have to think that controlling the border is good for this country.
Without controlling the border, Americans will turn against immigration. So I think the policy is right. But let’s take a step back at the entire Biden project. When he was running for office in 2020, it seemed like the Biden project was, I’m a Democrat, I’m not Donald Trump, but I’m not on the left. I’m striking this sort of center-left middle ground.
And on many issues, unfortunately, he’s not done that. On federal spending, I would say he has not done that. And, on immigration, he did not do that until this week. And he has been slow to act and at some point said, there’s nothing more I can do.
And he was just — he was worried about people on the left getting angry with him. And so now I think he’s finally come around because it’s just a killer issue for Democrats. And so I think it’s — he’s approaching the right policy. I just wish he had said, well, this is my project as president to be a center-left Democrat and not a left Democrat.
And I think he’s hurting politically because he hasn’t struck that. Sometimes, he’s done that very clearly, but other times he has not done it as clearly. And immigration is the big issue where he hasn’t done that.
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