Before House Republicans could even get their act together to decide what horrible bill blocking Syrian refugees from the United States they would support, a host of governors—all but one of them Republican—have stepped up to posture about their plans to stand in the way of victims of war trying to reach safety here. We know it’s posturing because governors can't block refugees from their states, but they sure have shown how mean-spirited and ugly American government can be. Elise Foley has the comprehensive (so far) list, and the nuances of the gubernatorial opposition:
The governors represent Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin and New Mexico. All are Republicans except for Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, a Democrat.
While most pledged to block Syrian refugees from entering their states, Florida Gov. Rick Scott said he doesn't think he has the authority to keep the federal government from resettling them. Hassan called for the U.S. to stop admitting Syrian refugees entirely, but her spokesman said she could not block their resettlement in New Hampshire. Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin similarly said there should be a moratorium on admitting Syrian refugees but stopped short of saying her state would try to reject them.
Bonus points go to presidential candidates Chris Christie of New Jersey and Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, Christie for saying he’d ban even orphans under the age of five and Jindal for ordering law enforcement to treat any refugees who make it into Louisiana as dire threats.
Congratulations, governors. If the Islamic State terrorists wanted to cause suffering beyond the lives they took in Paris, if they wanted to heighten the sense that the United States is set not against terrorism but against Islam, you’ve done a great deal to help them.