I keep trying to grapple with Trump's appeal and I just don't get it. Now with mini rant.

[pampango]

47. We agree on much. But progressive countries with more immigration are better for workers

than regressive countries with less immigration.

Sweden (14%) and Germany (13%) both have a higher percentage of foreign-born residents than the US (12%) has. Their working class and middle class are much healthier than is ours because they employ progressive union, tax, regulatory and safety net policies.

But I just can't buy the standard liberal line on undocumented immigrants. Looking the other way while unscrupulous employers exploit desperate vulnerable workers to do the hard, dirty work for ridiculously low pay has hurt our native born working class, and people are angry about it.

Where do you get the 'looking the other way' accusation against liberals? Is providing a path to legal status and prosecuting 'illegal employers', 'looking the other way'?

If The Establishments of both parties wanted to take the wind out of Trump's sails, they would pass serious immigration reform right now. Give legal status to those here for years, since we've chosen not to enforce the law for so long it's the only fair thing to do. But then have truly effective labor law and immigration enforcement so there will never be another generation of Dreamers, because it simply won't be possible to live here for decades without legal authorization.

Who will working poor Americans believe, their own eyes or a UC Berkley prof?

As long as we don't become the anti-science, anti-research, anti-history party. There is already one of those. They seem to say, "I see brown people doing the work my father and grandfather used to do. Build a wall!" They base policy on anecdote, fear and hate rather than on how to produce the greatest good for the greatest number.

Instead of working class, they are now working poor, with a minimum wage job at WalMart.

We all know of the demise of the working class and middle class. The question is do we blame that demise on immigrants or on regressive tax, anti-union and deregulation policies fostered by our 1%.