Crist Switches Parties & the Latest on Immigration

Crist Switches Parties & the Latest on Immigration

Crist Switches Parties & the Latest on Immigration

Ari Melber discusses immigration reform and Crist’s switch to Independent on The Dylan Ratigan Show.

Copy Link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
Bluesky
Pocket
Email

Politicsdaily.com columnist Matt Lewis and The Nation’s Net Movement Correspondent Ari Melber visit The Dylan Ratigan Show to talk about the latest political headlines. They begin with immigration reform and a proposal for new biometric social security ID cards that would make it more difficult for employees to hire illegal immigrants. Lewis compares this to the Arizona law, “it’s wrong for United States citizens to be stopped and asked for their papers… sooner or later it’s going to be…US citizens.” Melber agrees with Lewis adding that “it depends, of course, on how the card is structured…to the extent that it’s a brand new thing that you have to carry around I think that’s questionable, and I think a lot of people won’t like it.”

Next, it’s on to Florida Senator Charlie Crist’s decision to switch from Republican to Independent for the primary. Lewis argues that Crist switched parties only when he realized he couldn’t win the Republican nomination. Melber takes a step back and explains that with $7 million to spend, Crist wasn’t going to stop running. “Ultimately what you have down there is a sad state of affairs, where basically the only time we get genuine races, genuine democracy is when people have enough money in the bank account to run independent or have more people in the race and what we don’t have is genuine third parties or a wider spectrum,” Melber says.

—Morgan Ashenfelter

Support The Nation this Giving Tuesday


Today is #GivingTuesday, a global day of giving that typically kicks off the year-end fundraising season for organizations that depend on donor support to make ends meet and enable them to do their work—including
The Nation

To help us mobilize our community in this critical moment, an anonymous donor is matching every gift The Nation receives today, dollar-for-dollar, up to $25,000. That means that until midnight tonight, every gift will be doubled, and its impact will go twice as far. 

Right now, the free press is facing an uphill battle like we’ve never faced before. The incoming administration considers independent journalists “enemies of the people.” Attacks on free speech and freedom of the press, legal and physical attacks on journalists, and the ever-increasing power and spread of misinformation campaigns all threaten not just our ability to do our work but our readers’ ability to find news, reporting, and analysis they can trust. 

If we hit our goal today, that’s $50,000 in total revenue to shore up our newsroom, power our investigative reporting and deep political analysis, and ensure that we’re ready to serve as a beacon of truth, civil resistance, and progressive power in the weeks and months to come.

From our abolitionist roots to our ongoing dedication to upholding the principles of democracy and freedom, The Nation has been speaking truth to power for 160 years. In the days ahead, our work will matter more than it ever has. To stand up against political authoritarianism, white supremacy, a court system overrun by far-right appointees, and the myriad other threats looming on the horizon, we’ll need communities that are informed, connected, fearless, and empowered with the truth. 

This outcome in November is one none of us hoped to see. But for more than a century and a half, The Nation has been preparing to meet it. We’re ready for the fight ahead, and now, we need you to stand with us. Join us by making a donation to The Nation today, while every dollar goes twice as far.

Onward, in gratitude and solidarity,

Katrina vanden Heuvel
Editorial Director and Publisher, The Nation

Ad Policy
x