It’s not a good time to be a Democrat. They barely had a chance to collect themselves after President Donald Trump’s resounding victory when his transition team shifted into high gear. And from that moment on, it’s been a flurry of activity.
On Nov. 5, 2024, the electorate shouted out a resounding “no” to the liberal policies that had allowed, at a minimum, 10 million largely unvetted illegal immigrants to pour into the country. Polls conducted before and after the election showed the majority of voters opposed former President Joe Biden’s open-border policy and believed it was endangering the lives of U.S. citizens.
The stunning pace and vast scope of the Trump administration’s mass deportation program appear to have driven otherwise rational liberals to the brink of madness. For a party that spent much of the last decade lecturing us on the evils of systemic racism in America, it’s odd that their primary argument for allowing illegal immigrants to remain in the United States is, “Who will pick the crops?”
Democratic strategist Jenna Arnold earned the prize for the most cringe-worthy statement. During a CNN panel discussion on how the deportations will affect businesses that rely on illegal immigrants for cheap labor, she remarked, “I can’t wait until American women can’t get blueberries for their smoothies.”
Arnold and her liberal brethren might be surprised to learn how blueberries are actually “picked” in 2025. Rather than being hand-picked by armies of illegal immigrants, farmers use sophisticated machinery to harvest their crops. It has become a largely automated process.
She also ignores the fact that there were no produce shortages prior to Biden’s presidency. And prices were lower. In fact, grocery prices across the board increased by an average of 20% over his four years in office.
CNN’s lone conservative voice, Scott Jennings, set Arnold straight. “The case for total economic collapse if we have some deportations is totally overstated,” he argued. “It’s obvious the priority is violent criminals, and the second priority is people with existing deportation orders. … I don’t think that’s going to have any impact on the economy at all.”
Conservative commentator Dinesh D’Souza shared Arnold’s soundbite on X with the caption, “Does the left not hear themselves?”
Apparently not. Maybe someone should play it back to them.
Although Arnold’s profundity is tough to beat, CNN’s Jake Tapper came pretty close in a discussion with top Trump adviser Stephen Miller.
“The Department of Agriculture says that between 2020 and 2022, 42% of crop workers were undocumented immigrants and in many cases, as you know, do the jobs many Americans do not want to do,” Tapper said.
“So,” he asked, “how does President Trump make sure that the effort to deport people who are not in this country legally doesn’t end up hurting Americans who want safe borders, absolutely, but also, don’t want to see even more higher prices in groceries?”
Miller proceeded to stomp all over, jump up and down on, and then set fire to the hapless host. “Well, I mean, I’m sure it’s not your position, Jake,” Miller said facetiously. “You’re just asking the question that we should supply America’s food with exploitative, illegal alien labor. I obviously don’t think that’s what you’re implying.”
Then Miller went in for the kill. “Only 1% of alien workers in the entire country work in agriculture. The top destinations for illegal aliens are large cities like New York, like Los Angeles, and small, industrial towns, of course, all across the heartland. … None of those illegal aliens are doing farm work.”
Though Tapper tried mightily to stop him, Miller continued, “The illegal aliens that Joe Biden brought into our country are not, full stop, doing farm work. … They are in our cities collecting welfare.
“Over time, as well, we will transition into automation so we will never have to have this conversation ever again.”
The expression on Tapper’s face by the end of the clip below is priceless.
It’s unfathomable that Democrats continue to ask, “Who will pick the crops?” This rhetoric is racist and directly contradicts the very principles the party claims to uphold.
Three months after the election, Democrats are still in disarray. A new Quinnipiac University poll found that 57% of voters view the party unfavorably.
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Their path to stability depends on recognizing that their purpose is to serve the public, not the other way around. Since the earliest days of the Russian collusion hoax, it has often seemed as though Democrats receive coordinated talking points from the Democratic National Committee each morning and then dutifully echo them. Rather than prioritizing their constituents, their focus appears to be on consolidating the party’s power.
Until Democrats acknowledge that Trump’s political comeback was driven by a sincere commitment to advancing America, they will remain in the wilderness.
Elizabeth Stauffer is a contributor to the Washington Examiner and the Western Journal. Follow her on X or LinkedIn.
This article was originally published at www.washingtonexaminer.com
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