Why have Democratic lawmakers and their media allies fallen into lockstep on this story despite clear evidence that they are spreading misinformation? Because it suits two narratives dear to the heart of those on their side of the political aisle: the idea that anyone who opposes an open border is a dangerous America First nationalist, and the notion that Border Patrol agents enforcing the law are in fact racists attacking vulnerable minorities.
The race narrative is especially pleasing to those on the left who view all efforts at policing as suspect or morally dubious. The images—of uniformed agents on horseback chasing black people—seem bad, so they must be bad, or so goes the logic of far too many people in the Democratic coalition. These are the same people who think the phrase “master bedroom” is racist and should be removed from real-estate listings. It’s not logic; it’s a racialized version of the politics of emotion.
In the end, the real reason the administration and its allies embraced the Big Bad Border Patrol narrative is that it spares them having to confront the far worse reality: They are the kind of leaders who would rather publicly humiliate their own Border Patrol agents than take responsibility for their own mishandling of a crisis.
At The Lid, Jeff Dunetz explores “Recent Crazy Lessons The Democrats Taught America.” Add to his list, this:
