Tom Tancredo and Taiwan:
My latest media column for the Rocky Mountain News/Denver Post criticizes Colorado media for failing to cover Colorado Representative Tom Tancredo's exemplary work in support of a strong U.S. policy in defense of Taiwan's democracy and independence.
If you weren't, you're making a pretty big leap in your language. Adopting a policy that doesn't piss off other countries doesn't mean that we're letting other countries determine our foreign policy. It's possible to have policies that other countries like and that advance our interest.
Or is there no value in international goodwill?
I’m not saying there is no value in good will either in business or international relations. I’m saying that when there is a conflict between the interests of the US and the interests of another country, our leaders should put American interests first. Moreover good will is a two-way street. When foreign countries like Mexico side with Cuba or Venezuela and its leaders make disparaging remarks about the US that should count for something. Many Republican members of Congress seem to regard the US as more of a trading zone than a sovereign nation. Many Democrats seem to think that other nations are morally superior. Sometimes you have to piss off other countries. If we weren’t willing to piss off Columbia there would be no Panama Canal.
As a comparison to see whether your criticism of the press is warranted, it's interesting to look at Tom Tancredo's website to see what he thinks is important. On the front page, just immigration stuff. Only 1 of his 25 latest press releases mention Taiwan, while a good chunk of them discuss immigration. Under his "Issues" that he discusses on the website, there's a passing mention of China regarding human rights (but not related to Taiwan), while a large section is dedicated to immigration.
So why does the press focus on immigration when Tancredo comes up? Perhaps because that's what Tancredo himself focuses on, at least in his public relations. Nice hack job.
Then it was stupid.
“Miami like a third-world country) it gets difficult to take some seriously."
It’s actually an apt description. Immigration from Cuba and other third-world countries accounts for all of Miami’s population growth since 2000. It has lost a net 20,000 residents to out migration. Miami has a high crime rate, rampant corruption, and a 45% school graduation rate. Where else in America will merchants and taxi drivers admonish you to “speak Spanish?” Where else in America do you see cars driving on the sidewalks (like another lane)? Municipal buses don’t keep to schedules, and even big-box chain stores like Staples will just arbitrarily close before the posted time.
Many residents don’t think of themselves as American. The head of the Cuban Research Institute at Florida International University described Miami as a place where “there is no pressure to be an American.” Like Latin America, people of wealth in Miami can lead the good life in gated communities and send their children to private schools. But the middle class has no option but to vote with its feet. And it does just that.
But the real case for Tancredo being a moron is that Cubans in South Florida is a very significantly Republican population, so whatever Tancredo might think, popping up with that sound bite was supremely dumb for someone who has national political ambitions.
Michael