Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut may or may not have seen Sen. Ted Cruz‘s staged chaos at the border event, but Murphy isn’t limited to Cruz in calling out Republican members of Congress for being disingenuous when it comes to fixing the problems at the border.
Like Donald Trump‘s claim to his base that 2020 was a “rigged” election, border problems are seen as a political gift that keeps on giving — with the largest gifts going to politicians who best excel at the blame game.
“Most Republicans want chaos at the border,” Murphy says. “They see it as a perpetual political wedge issue, not an issue to be solved.”
Most Republicans want chaos at the border. They had a chance to fix the problem in 2013 and they refused. They see it as a perpetual political wedge issue, not an issue to be solved.
— Chris Murphy 🟧 (@ChrisMurphyCT) May 12, 2023
The alliterative description employed frequently by the lawmakers Murphy describes — “Biden’s border crisis” — explains the stance. Yet to look at the comments beneath both House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s twitter posts and Sen. Cruz’s Twitter posts is to see many Republicans agreeing with Murphy on the notion that the GOP hasn’t presented solutions.
Cruz constituent Tesla Cowboy illustrates this view in response to Cruz’s Biden-bashing at the border, writing: “Quit talking and start doing Senator.”
Quit talking and start doing Senator… signed your constituent 🤡
— The Tesla Cowboy (@TeslaCowboy1) May 12, 2023
But according to Murphy, a move by Republicans to fix the problem at the border would cause political self-harm. When it’s a mess, he says, they can blame Democrats — “a perpetual political wedge” — and stoke their political bases.
Murphy allows that not all Republicans are tricksters on the issue, and that “there are some Republicans in the Senate who want real reform.” Murphy says, without naming the genuine legislators, that he is working with them to try “hopefully achieve a breakthrough.”
“But there are too many in GOP,” Murphy says, “who just want to use the issue to create political division.”
There are some Republicans in the Senate who want real reform. I’m working with them as we speak and hopefully we can achieve a breakthrough. But there are too many in GOP who just want to use the issue to create political division.
— Chris Murphy 🟧 (@ChrisMurphyCT) May 12, 2023
The comments on Murphy’s claim aren’t any kinder than on Cruz’s or McCarthy’s — the nature of Twitter is combative. Former Trump administration official Stephen Miller responded to the specifics of Murphy’s claim that Republicans had a chance to address the issue in 2013. Miller asked:
Can you identify which provision in the 2013 bill granting citizenship to illegal aliens would have stopped Biden from lawlessly mass releasing illegal aliens into the United States by the millions? You can’t because of course no such provision exists.
— Stephen Miller (@StephenM) May 12, 2023
