The crisis of the children crossing the the border has, of course, become a political story. How could it not? But you might not have guessed that it has also become the latest hit in the Obama conspiracy-theory collection. Here’s how Texas Gov. Rick Perry put it the other day on ABC: “You are either inept or you have some ulterior motive of which you are functioning from.” If you don’t understand what he means, here’s how he put it on Fox in June: “I mean, how do you move that many people from Central America across Mexico and into the United States without there being a fairly coördinated effort?” Via the New Yorker: “This is a version of a surprisingly popular theory on the far right: Obama is secretly encouraging an ‘invasion’ of the United States by impoverished Latin Americans in order to build a rock-solid future Democratic Party majority.”
Did Bob Beauprez get the memo? The Republican children-border-crossers theory echoes the Republican “47 percent” theory embraced by Colorado candidate for governor Bob Beauprez. The thinking is that Democratic lawmakers vote to expand the rolls of citizens who don’t pay taxes as a longview campaign politics strategy — to turn Americans into “takers” instead of “makers” and so bind them to the “party of big-government” handouts in order to build a rock-solid future Democratic Party majority.
Tight vs. Loose is the new Red vs. Blue. The red states are generally tight and the blue states generally loose. A new study explains why. Via Mother Jones.
Did the Daily Caller carry water for the Cubans on the Menendez smear story? That’s the way it’s starting to look, says the FBI. Via the Washington Post.
Grover Norquist thinks Uber — yes, Uber — will help Republicans gain control of city governments. Do you think someone paid him to write this? Via Reuters.
E.J. Dionne writes that it’s time for progressives to reclaim the Constitution. Via the Washington Post.
File another one under life-isn’t-fair: According to a new study, practice doesn’t necessarily make perfect. It may not even always make that much better. Via Vox.
