Eric Zuesse
Polling on the border wall shows that Trump’s proposal is very unpopular amongst the American electorate, especially amongst the people who live near the Mexican border; but Republicans nationwide do support his proposal — and overwhelmingly. Trump’s base is the mass of people who approve of Trump and his initiatives no matter what (they buy the Trump brand, regardless), but even Republicans who live near the Mexican border oppose him on this.
During 14-17 October 2018, CBS News asked 1,108 registered voters “Do you favor or oppose building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border to try to stop illegal immigration?” and the results were:
37% “Favor”
60% “Oppose”
3% “Unsure”
However, amongst ONLY Republicans, the results were:
76% “Favor”
19% “Oppose”
4% ”Unsure”
8 earlier polls that CBS took on this question since late 2016 showed essentially similar results. Public opinion on the border-wall matter has been quite stable over time.
On December 19th, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram headlined “MOST TEXANS ALONG THE BORDER DON’T WANT TRUMP’S WALL, AND MANY DOUBT IT WILL BE BUILT”, and their reporter, Gordon Dickson opened:
Many Texans who live along the U.S.-Mexico border support President Donald Trump, but their affection for the New York real estate mogul-turned-politician comes with a caveat:
They do not want a wall.
The Star-Telegram recently visited a 325-mile stretch of the Lone Star State’s boundary with Mexico to gauge attitudes toward the proposed wall. The trip included stops in Presidio, Big Bend National Park, Del Rio and Eagle Pass in late April, and visits with a farmer, a rancher, a wildlife biologist, a sheriff and people from many other walks of life.
He wrote:
Statewide, 61 percent of Texans oppose building a wall, while 35 percent support it and 4 percent don’t know or declined to answer, according to a poll conducted in April by Texas Lyceum, a nonprofit leadership organization.
Residents of the Lone Star State who live, work and play along the international boundary with Mexico say they are happy that the Trump administration’s plans to quickly build the wall have encountered complications in Washington.
So: right now, it would be reasonable to assume that the opponents of Trump, the Democratic Party in Congress, represent, regarding this issue, the overwhelming majority of the American electorate, and even the overwhelming majority of the voters who live near the border in heavily Republican states such as Texas. By stark contrast, the entire nation’s Republican electorate are even more overwhelmingly supportive of Trump’s position on it than everybody else is against his proposal on it.
This issue now is preventing continued funding of the American Government. Consequently, it’s the nation’s most politically potent issue, until it finally gets resolved — and the nation is strongly against him on it.
Today’s Republican Party therefore ignores the policy-preferences of the entire American electorate on this, the nation’s most potent issue, and the Republican Party especially ignores the policy-preferences of Americans who would be the most affected by Trump’s proposal.
This issue, therefore, represents an example of the success, thus far, of one-man dictatorship, if the President manages to achieve his intention on it.
This matter, since it is the nation’s political centerpiece until it becomes resolved, suggests that the only people who support the Trump proposal for a cement wall at the southern border are mere groupies of the Republican Trump. While that’s 76% of the nation’s Republicans, it excludes 63% of the U.S. electorate, and especially violates the will of the voters who actually would be the most affected by Trump’s proposal.
Under these circumstances, this issue could become a crushing blow to future Republican Party electoral chances, if congressional Democrats just continue to say no to anything that even resembles Trump’s proposal. The public strongly don’t want Trump’s proposal. The longer that the U.S. Government remains shut down over this issue, the angrier the public will be against Donald Trump, for his not simply giving in to congressional Democrats on it.
Consequently, any Republicans who continue to support Trump on this are supporting the Democratic Party, even though they’re not intelligent enough to recognize that fact.
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Investigative historian Eric Zuesse is the author, most recently, of They’re Not Even Close: The Democratic vs. Republican Economic Records, 1910-2010, and of CHRIST’S VENTRILOQUISTS: The Event that Created Christianity.
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