Hi Ken, thank you for giving attention to how just embarrassing it is that NH voters’ top concern is immigration. As a NH native, I can safely say that this is the least surprising thing I’ve heard when I found out about it. This is one of the whitest states in the country and it’s nearly as far away from the southern border as you can possibly go. And yet, of course it’s the top concern of voters there. It’s very frustrating watching people from my home act so stupidly. I don’t know how else to describe these people’s behavior other than stupid. You were able to write effectively about something that’s been eating at me since I first found out about the priorities of New Hampshirites. If NH can be convinced that the most pressing issue of our times is something that none of them will ever experience a legitimate problem with, then I am really worried about how bad the rest of the country is going to be about this stuff. So thank you for putting my frustration into words.
Part of me wants to be unfair and say it’s just because of racism. I don’t think that’s entirely fair though. NH is still suffering so much from the opioid epidemic. I doubt there’s anybody in the state that hasn’t been directly affected by it. And I think that an easy narrative to weave together for the typical New Hampshire conservative is that immigrants bring crime and drugs, so maybe hardline immigration policy can help fight the opioid crisis? That’s my best guess at getting into the mind of someone living in one of the northernmost, whitest states in the country who lists immigration as their top concern in 2024.
I would say it’s the racism. When I was in seventh grade in Concord New Hampshire we had one black student in our school. By high school we had three black kids, except Zoe was mixed but she was still considered black.
Today in Concord there are a whole bunch of refugees, I was delighted to actually see a couple African markets on the Heights.
So I have to assume it’s the racism we have a huge housing shortage so I imagine if I was a homeless person I would be upset that there’s plenty of housing for the refugees but none for the people who grew up here and paid taxes here their whole lives.
They have people coming in from Canada. It's orders of magnitude less than the southern border, but quite a lot more than historically coming in from the north.
Are ordinary Americans actually affected or touched in any way by the migrants coming into the country? Like, especially. People in New Hampshire? They, along with many other American citizens, seem to be terrified of "the other" without any clear knowledge or understanding of who the migrants are. But are any migrants near enough for the scared people to know them? C'mon, people! Think. Consider the reality. The migrants are just people seeking a better life for themselves and their families. We Americans should feel flattered that they've chosen our country to flee to. Despite our many problems (racism, gun violence, substance abuse, greed, income inequality, excessive militarism and intent to rule the world, etc.) people around the world choose to come here, believing they will have a better chance to thrive than in their home countries. That says a lot! We should welcome them and support them in their quests.
No, New Hampshire is about as removed from the southern border situation as a state could possibly be. The fact that the issue is a top concern there is an indication it’ll be even more prominent elsewhere.
Only as far as Housing goes, public housing in Concord, Concord Gardens specifically, is full of refugees. But they aren’t even Mexican folks, they didn’t sneak across any border. They are here legally. But the state isn’t 96% white anymore and I think that upsets some people.
The border crisis rhetoric isn’t even just a republican talking point anymore. My mom is incredibly anti-Trump and voted for Biden in 2020 and she repeats a lot of the open borders stuff you hear on Fox News
Exactly - the polling shows this isn't just a Republican thing anymore, huge numbers of independents cite immigration as a huge concern as well now. There's been a dramatic shift in recent weeks especially.
Yeah I think shipping folks up to blue areas is doing it. The people in Chicago are watching buses be used as shelters. Terminal E at Logan airport in Boston is being used as a shelter for migrants. Texas wanted to make sure that it really is on everyone’s radar in an election year. And I guess it’s working.
Maybe, but I’m not sure, I think it’s much more likely because Democrats have just minded ceded the ground. They used to argue against Republicans on these talking points, Biden doesn’t really
No it seems that Biden thinks the winning strategy is becoming like the Trump campaign, for example changing the way we count excess deaths to pretend we aren’t having massive excess deaths from this forced infection policy he’s decided to go all in on.
And his followers are just as bad. I voted for him in 2020 but I am not in a political cult where it’s only praise and no criticism, that’s ridiculous. But you see it all over social media. It’s very Trumpy
This is so interesting to read, I live in New Hampshire and I don’t know anyone who freaks out about immigration. But also I don’t associate with red hats so maybe that’s why
Is it really astounding that Republican primary voters' top concern is immigration? Conservative media has been screeching nonstop about the border since the beginning of Biden's term. Mayorkas is the second biggest boogeyman of the administration next to Biden himself.
I think this indicates that the economy is going pretty well for the types of people that vote in Republican primaries (at least in NH) - inflation has cooled off and housing prices rising are good if you're a homeowner, which older and wealthier people tend to be.
why is "immigration" top priority? Manufactured consent. i.e. Propaganda.
classic meaningless issue, to drive people's attention away from actually important things.
as an example: looking at my W2 for 23, my employer and I combined payment for health insurance for my spouse and I, no kids: $23000
$23000!!! WTF we are both healthy, and practically zero health issues. the lies and bs of "free market" have cannibalised health care in the US. we are DYING so pigs on wall st with their dark money pools and Private equity, can rob us all blind. all while outcomes, crash. This affects every single person in the US. not on the radar though, because immigration? Yes, immigration is an issue.. but is it KILLING US like the screwed blue and tattooed health care robbery is? NO
“The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country. ...We are governed, our minds are molded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of." -Edward Bernays "Propaganda" 1928
Not everyone who sees immigration as their top issue look at it the same way. As an immigrant who lives near the Mexican border, it is my top issue. I agree a secure border is needed. But more importantly, we need to address the human rights abuses that our look away system supports. Human trafficking. Unfair labour practices. And overall a system that keeps these people in a legal and social gray area. We need immigration reform. We need to know who is here. And those coming here need to be able to work starting day 1 and have a clear and incentivised path towards citizenship.
Hi Ken, thank you for giving attention to how just embarrassing it is that NH voters’ top concern is immigration. As a NH native, I can safely say that this is the least surprising thing I’ve heard when I found out about it. This is one of the whitest states in the country and it’s nearly as far away from the southern border as you can possibly go. And yet, of course it’s the top concern of voters there. It’s very frustrating watching people from my home act so stupidly. I don’t know how else to describe these people’s behavior other than stupid. You were able to write effectively about something that’s been eating at me since I first found out about the priorities of New Hampshirites. If NH can be convinced that the most pressing issue of our times is something that none of them will ever experience a legitimate problem with, then I am really worried about how bad the rest of the country is going to be about this stuff. So thank you for putting my frustration into words.
New Hampshire is so far away from the southern border, why do you think immigration is such a major concern there?
Part of me wants to be unfair and say it’s just because of racism. I don’t think that’s entirely fair though. NH is still suffering so much from the opioid epidemic. I doubt there’s anybody in the state that hasn’t been directly affected by it. And I think that an easy narrative to weave together for the typical New Hampshire conservative is that immigrants bring crime and drugs, so maybe hardline immigration policy can help fight the opioid crisis? That’s my best guess at getting into the mind of someone living in one of the northernmost, whitest states in the country who lists immigration as their top concern in 2024.
But there’s also definitely the racism.
I would say it’s the racism. When I was in seventh grade in Concord New Hampshire we had one black student in our school. By high school we had three black kids, except Zoe was mixed but she was still considered black.
Today in Concord there are a whole bunch of refugees, I was delighted to actually see a couple African markets on the Heights.
So I have to assume it’s the racism we have a huge housing shortage so I imagine if I was a homeless person I would be upset that there’s plenty of housing for the refugees but none for the people who grew up here and paid taxes here their whole lives.
They have people coming in from Canada. It's orders of magnitude less than the southern border, but quite a lot more than historically coming in from the north.
Are ordinary Americans actually affected or touched in any way by the migrants coming into the country? Like, especially. People in New Hampshire? They, along with many other American citizens, seem to be terrified of "the other" without any clear knowledge or understanding of who the migrants are. But are any migrants near enough for the scared people to know them? C'mon, people! Think. Consider the reality. The migrants are just people seeking a better life for themselves and their families. We Americans should feel flattered that they've chosen our country to flee to. Despite our many problems (racism, gun violence, substance abuse, greed, income inequality, excessive militarism and intent to rule the world, etc.) people around the world choose to come here, believing they will have a better chance to thrive than in their home countries. That says a lot! We should welcome them and support them in their quests.
No, New Hampshire is about as removed from the southern border situation as a state could possibly be. The fact that the issue is a top concern there is an indication it’ll be even more prominent elsewhere.
Everyone in this country is affected. It's often undocumented workers who are exploited for our cheap food.
Only as far as Housing goes, public housing in Concord, Concord Gardens specifically, is full of refugees. But they aren’t even Mexican folks, they didn’t sneak across any border. They are here legally. But the state isn’t 96% white anymore and I think that upsets some people.
The border crisis rhetoric isn’t even just a republican talking point anymore. My mom is incredibly anti-Trump and voted for Biden in 2020 and she repeats a lot of the open borders stuff you hear on Fox News
Exactly - the polling shows this isn't just a Republican thing anymore, huge numbers of independents cite immigration as a huge concern as well now. There's been a dramatic shift in recent weeks especially.
Yeah I think shipping folks up to blue areas is doing it. The people in Chicago are watching buses be used as shelters. Terminal E at Logan airport in Boston is being used as a shelter for migrants. Texas wanted to make sure that it really is on everyone’s radar in an election year. And I guess it’s working.
Maybe, but I’m not sure, I think it’s much more likely because Democrats have just minded ceded the ground. They used to argue against Republicans on these talking points, Biden doesn’t really
No it seems that Biden thinks the winning strategy is becoming like the Trump campaign, for example changing the way we count excess deaths to pretend we aren’t having massive excess deaths from this forced infection policy he’s decided to go all in on.
And his followers are just as bad. I voted for him in 2020 but I am not in a political cult where it’s only praise and no criticism, that’s ridiculous. But you see it all over social media. It’s very Trumpy
Thank you, I think you are right, unfortunately.
This is so interesting to read, I live in New Hampshire and I don’t know anyone who freaks out about immigration. But also I don’t associate with red hats so maybe that’s why
Is it really astounding that Republican primary voters' top concern is immigration? Conservative media has been screeching nonstop about the border since the beginning of Biden's term. Mayorkas is the second biggest boogeyman of the administration next to Biden himself.
I was shocked it ranked above economic concerns, which are virtually always at the top. "It's the economy, stupid"
I think this indicates that the economy is going pretty well for the types of people that vote in Republican primaries (at least in NH) - inflation has cooled off and housing prices rising are good if you're a homeowner, which older and wealthier people tend to be.
Inflation may have cooled off, but prices don’t go down they just aren’t going up as fast as they were.
why is "immigration" top priority? Manufactured consent. i.e. Propaganda.
classic meaningless issue, to drive people's attention away from actually important things.
as an example: looking at my W2 for 23, my employer and I combined payment for health insurance for my spouse and I, no kids: $23000
$23000!!! WTF we are both healthy, and practically zero health issues. the lies and bs of "free market" have cannibalised health care in the US. we are DYING so pigs on wall st with their dark money pools and Private equity, can rob us all blind. all while outcomes, crash. This affects every single person in the US. not on the radar though, because immigration? Yes, immigration is an issue.. but is it KILLING US like the screwed blue and tattooed health care robbery is? NO
“The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country. ...We are governed, our minds are molded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of." -Edward Bernays "Propaganda" 1928
Not everyone who sees immigration as their top issue look at it the same way. As an immigrant who lives near the Mexican border, it is my top issue. I agree a secure border is needed. But more importantly, we need to address the human rights abuses that our look away system supports. Human trafficking. Unfair labour practices. And overall a system that keeps these people in a legal and social gray area. We need immigration reform. We need to know who is here. And those coming here need to be able to work starting day 1 and have a clear and incentivised path towards citizenship.
Hopefully your meme "media brain" gets some traction and makes its way around popular news media.