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Socialite Cordelia Scaife May Spent Her Fortune Trying to Keep Immigrants Out

nytimes.com

1–10 of 84 posts

Re: Socialite Cordelia Scaife May Spent Her Fortune Trying to Keep Immigrants Out

#3
It seems like many now-popular movements had deep-pocketed sponsors.

Can a billion dollars always push an idea into the mainstream? Or are there counterexamples of groups who poured huge amounts of money into promoting something that never caught on?

Re: Socialite Cordelia Scaife May Spent Her Fortune Trying to Keep Immigrants Out

#4
post #3

It seems like many now-popular movements had deep-pocketed sponsors. Can a billion dollars always push an idea into the mainstream? Or are there counterexamples of groups who poured huge amounts of money into promoting something that never caught on?

Nativism is not new.

Re: Socialite Cordelia Scaife May Spent Her Fortune Trying to Keep Immigrants Out

#6
Don't like to see overpopulation being conflated with immigration again, because...

Overpopulation is obviously a problem; immigration maybe or maybe not (case-by-case each country decides).

Overpopulation is from people being born; not from people crossing borders. No humans are created or destroyed in the act of emigration or immigration.

Overpopulation, nobody wants to talk about; immigration, everybody wants to talk about.

Re: Socialite Cordelia Scaife May Spent Her Fortune Trying to Keep Immigrants Out

#7
post #3

It seems like many now-popular movements had deep-pocketed sponsors. Can a billion dollars always push an idea into the mainstream? Or are there counterexamples of groups who poured huge amounts of money into promoting something that never caught on?

Plenty of rich people have blown a lot of cash trying and failing to get elected to office.

Of course, they succeed sometimes too, but it turns out that money is no guarantee.

Re: Socialite Cordelia Scaife May Spent Her Fortune Trying to Keep Immigrants Out

#8
post #3

It seems like many now-popular movements had deep-pocketed sponsors. Can a billion dollars always push an idea into the mainstream? Or are there counterexamples of groups who poured huge amounts of money into promoting something that never caught on?

Money does seem to be the only way to get even a hint of policy change from Washington, but the trend line of public opinion is opposite of what you suggest. Until around 1995, immigration restriction was overwhelmingly mainstream in the United States and still commands a strong plurality.

https://news.gallup.com/poll/1660/immigration.aspx

I'd further point out that the overwhelming majority of the moneyed interests still stack up on the side of permissive immigration policies. It is, after all, capital that benefits from a global free market for labor and an expanded consumer base. It's just about the only thing the Koch brothers and Soros can agree on.

Re: Socialite Cordelia Scaife May Spent Her Fortune Trying to Keep Immigrants Out

#9
post #3

It seems like many now-popular movements had deep-pocketed sponsors. Can a billion dollars always push an idea into the mainstream? Or are there counterexamples of groups who poured huge amounts of money into promoting something that never caught on?

There are probably a few startups with multi-million dollars that weren't able to get themselves "caught on," and that's with initial traction, so the threshold is at least higher than that.

Re: Socialite Cordelia Scaife May Spent Her Fortune Trying to Keep Immigrants Out

#10
post #6

Don't like to see overpopulation being conflated with immigration again, because... Overpopulation is obviously a problem; immigration maybe or maybe not (case-by-case each country decides). Overpopulation is from people being born; not from people crossing borders. No humans are created or destroyed in the act of emigration or immigration. Overpopulation, nobody wants to talk about; immigration, everybody wants to t…

How does that square with many western nations whose population would be declining due to low birthrates if not for immigration?
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