Also about immigration, a lot of the “deplorables” accurately perceive that much of the college-educated pseudo-left would and does prioritize the well-being of immigrants and refugees over that of already-present lower-class Americans.

This does not justify the hatred and racism by any means, but there’s is not an inaccurate assessment of the situation. The reason Clinton called them “deplorables” isn’t really about racism but rather the accusation of racism as a proxy for ignoring and minimizing class privilege and neutralizing the possibility of class solidarity. (Hint, hint.)

Contempt and derision from those more powerful than you are and who are directly responsible at least in part for your immiseration does not bring on the most rational of reactions. See “Trump, Donald” and “Pence, Mike” for examples.

We saw two butterflies in North Carolina yesterday in the middle of winter while hiking.

Today it’s supposed to be nearly 80.

But yes, global climate change is not real. Sure.

BTW, in North Florida when I was a kid, there were no butterflies in winter. Am now 400 miles north and some appear. Couldn’t be related to anthropogenic climate change though. Of course not.

You can argue until your teeth fall out about the benefits or the drawbacks of immigration, but the fact is human nature (which in this case is probably fairly immutable IMO) is to not want a built community to shift violently in less than a single lifetime.

So whether mass immigration is a benefit, is harmful or is just neutral is irrelevant if the follow-on sociocultural effects are those that effectively tear your nation apart by electing a Trump or a le Pen.

Open Borders and pretty neoliberal pseudo-utopian hippie dreams won’t help you then. Not even a little bit.