Thursday, February 28, 2019

Trump Supporters or Democrats: Who's More Open to Compromise?

In the Wall Street Journal article, "Trump Base Wants Immigration Compromise," by Tim Kane, the author contends the idea that Trump supporters are open to bipartisan compromise regarding immigration more than any other group. Kane presents research from a survey he has conducted, where he asked the following hypothetical question: "Would you support legislation with $5.7 billion for a U.S.-Mexico border wall paired with permanent legal status for aliens covered by President Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program?" The results of this survey show that Republican support of this hypothetical question is at "49%", Trump base support is at "54%", and Democrat support only clocking in at a measly "18%." Throughout the rest of the article, Kane repeatedly shows that Republicans and Trump supporters are definitely open to getting a deal done, even if it meant looser immigration standards, while Democrats were far more stubborn. During my reading of this article, I found myself agreeing with nearly all of what Kane was saying, as it feels nowadays that Democrats and left-of-centers seem to be contradicting themselves all of the time, claiming tolerance and open-mindedness, but only if it supports them in some way. While I do think this is an important and insightful piece, Kane and I do have a bias, as we both tend to agree and identify with Republicans and other right-of-center affiliations. However, Kane still is a credible source, as he does have a Ph.D. from the University of California, San Diego, and has published many non-fiction titles, generally pertaining to economics. In conclusion, while both sides are ready to get a deal done, they both must realize that compromise is all about finding a balance, and if we continue in this stalemate, nothing will even be able to be accomplished, leaving the country more divided than ever. 

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