[retortio]

Are conservative statements on, say, ending illegal immigration really any more controversial than leftist statements on encouraging illegal immigration? Far more than half of America is against illegal immigration yet the AP, newsrooms across America, Universities, etc refuse to even use the term illegal immigration and recognize the problem for what it is, in spite of the majority of America's agreement on the seriousness of the problem.

It seems that in this case, and in many others, it's really the Leftist position that is "controversial" while the Rightist position is simply not popular among the Leftist elite.

The ones who dictate what is "controversial" or not are often just wielding that term as propaganda for whichever side they support.

[dragonwriter]

> Are conservative statements on, say, ending illegal immigration really any more controversial than leftist statements on encouraging illegal immigration?

How can something be compared to something that doesn't exist?

> Far more than half of America is against illegal immigration yet the AP, newsrooms across America, Universities, etc refuse to even use the term illegal immigration and recognize the problem for what it is, in spite of the majority of America's agreement on the seriousness of the problem.

Even people who would agree if asked that “illegal immigration” is a problem don't necessarily prefer the term “illegal immigration”, and very often don't agree with other people who agree with that question as to what the nature of the problem is.

After all, people who think that the main problem is the system that produces illegal status for people who should be allowed, or even encouraged, to immigrate and people who think that the system is perfect but for it's failure to actually exclude all the people to whom it denies legal status can both easily agree with the statement “illegal immigration is a problem”. It's a statement people can agree with with no agreement on substance.

[exolymph]

Are you seriously contending that "leftist statements on encouraging illegal immigration" don't exist? Like at all? No extremists on your side, huh? Pull the other one, man.

[dragonwriter]

> Are you seriously contending that "leftist statements on encouraging illegal immigration" don't exist?

Not in any way symmetric conservative statements opposing illegal immigration. It's true that there are quite a lot of left-of-center statements opposing aspects the current regime of immigration restrictions, which are roughly parallel to the conservative rhetoric against illegal immigrants, but those statements are opposing illegal immigration from a different angle than the right is, not promoting illegal immigration.

> No extremists on your side, huh?

There are plenty of extrmists on the left, some of which are pro-immigrant.

But the real extremists on this issue tend to be against even the existence of the concept of illegal immigration, while the less extreme group tends to favor reform of the immigration system to better align the supply of legal immigration slots with demand for them and thus reduce the impetus for illegal immigration, and making it easier and more effective to focus enforcement efforts on immigrants that are individually undesirable (dangerous criminals, etc.) rather than merely supernumerary due to the arbitrary alotment of slots.