"The Perils of Pawlenty" (Or, who was that woman?)

Dave Gorak

12/29/2005

In our last visit to the "Land of 10,000 Lakes," we learned that another hand-wringing anarchist had joined Star Tribune columnist Nick Coleman in ranting against the "gasoline-pouring" Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who had the nerve to commission a report showing how much it was costing his state to support the estimated 85,000 illegals living there.

Well, Coleman is back, and he again demonstrates just how little he knows about the subject of immigration. But this time (Ah-ha! The plot thickens) he adds to the mix the possibility of a (gasp!) conspiracy that includes a 'mystery woman from Maryland': "Wonder what’s behind the sudden debate over "illegal" immigrants? Listen to a retired accountant from Lake Crystal, Minn., named Pat Peoples. It turns out the demagoguery is not so sudden. It has been in the works for months." [Demagoguery’s focus intends to blur important issues, December 27, 2005 ](Earth to Coleman: This "debate" has been going on for decades and without the help of individuals like your imaginary Mata Hari from Maryland.)

Coleman writes that last February "a mystery woman" organized a focus group in Mankato to discuss political issues facing residents of Minnesota, and accountant Peoples took exception to the immigration issue being introduced:

"There was no reason for this to be brought up" … "I think someone was trying to find an issue that will antagonize people and get them riled up so they come out and vote, without offering a solution." ("No reason" not to bring up an issue that’s costing taxpayers more each year? Am I alone in being amused by the fact that somebody who earns a living keeping track of money thinks the rest of us shouldn’t be just a little testy knowing our wallets are systematically being raided 24-7 in order to support illegal aliens?) "Peoples [says Coleman] has perfectly described how demagoguery works: Exaggerate a problem; exploit the manufactured resentment at the polls; offer no solutions to address a problem without creating an even larger one."

And Coleman has perfectly described how lousy journalism works: Write about a subject without fully understanding it; snow your readers into thinking you're an expert on the issue; smugly go through each day believing that your job can never be done by a foreigner willing to work for far less than you.

(To see Gov. Pawlenty’s reaction to the flak he’s been taking for the report, click here.)

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