The New Know Nothings

     The Native American Party, later just the American Party, was a nativist political party during the middle of the 19^th Century that arose against waves of immigrants coming into America that threatened to replace (and indeed largely succeeded in replacing) the native born largely Anglo-Saxon population of the United States.   This party became known as the Know Nothing party, and the immigrants they considered a threat to real Americans were the Irish and the Germans.

     Apparently blaming the Irish and Germans is back in vogue, as GOP Vice-Presidential Candidate J.D. Vance seems to have expressed awkwardly.

JD Vance in 2021, while discussing earlier waves of immigration to the US:

"You had this massive wave of Italian, Irish and German immigration and that had its problems, its consequences. You had higher crime rates, you had these ethnic enclaves, you had inter-ethnic conflict in… pic.twitter.com/SQNPwaPBLx

— Jacqueline Sweet (@JSweetLI) August 15, 2024

     To beg the question, can we really take seriously now what was a Mel Brooks joke from half-a-century ago?

     This is a truly weird thing to say in this day and age, especially when so many of that politically valuable blue-collar working class have Irish, German, and Italian ancestry. Especially when this framing is basically a Hollywood movie plot.

Vance: Has anybody seen the movie "Gangs of New York?." That is what I'm talking about, with these ethnic enclaves in our country, it can lead to higher crime rates. pic.twitter.com/3UOBRSvOfJ

— Acyn (@Acyn) August 16, 2024

     Regardless of what crime has been associated with the Irish, they, along with so many other ethnic groups who came here legally, have successfully assimilated into America and even outnumbered the original Anglo-Saxon peoples who founded this country.   Ironically enough, his Presidential running mate, Donald Trump, even came out in favor of more legal immigrants (presumably not limited to England and certain parts of Northern Ireland or Lowland Scotland.

So tariq did all this pandering and tap dancing for trump to turn around and allow more immigrants in this country who he is going to make legal ? I told you N*ggas will always be the last here , they don't understand politics, power and MONEY ! pic.twitter.com/eWwdQnM4pt

— No Pity (@FBA6681954) August 17, 2024

/p>

     Ironically, the Know Nothings were afraid of foreign globalist domination and influence from… Catholics… like J.D. Vance.

     To end on a positive note, it should be noted that both Vance and the Know Nothings were welcoming and accepting of Jewish people, unlike some grifters on the purported Right.

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