“The revolution, like Saturn, devours its own children,” observed Georges-Jacques Danton, a leading figure of the French revolution. Danton had good reason to feel that way, as the executioner’s guillotine was about to separate him from his head for the “crime” of being too moderate as the revolution turned increasingly bloody.
Howard Berman and Charles Rangel may soon have a better insight into what Danton was feeling in 1794. Both of these long-time members of the House of Representatives are in danger of falling victim to the mass immigration revolution they led or abetted. Berman is engaged in a political life-and-death struggle with fellow incumbent Brad Sherman in Los Angeles’s shrinking middle class suburbs of the San Fernando Valley. California’s redistricting commission carved up Berman’s old district to reflect the demographic realities created by years of sustained high levels of immigration.
Across the country, Rangel, who has represented Harlem for more than 40 years, is facing a tough primary battle in a newly drawn district where Latinos outnumber blacks. Age, poor health, and ethics issues also dog Rangel, but it is likely he would have coasted to a 22nd term in Congress if not for the immigration-driven demographic transformation of his constituency.
The irony of Berman’s circumstance is that he has done more than just about any other member of Congress to create the very situation which may end his political career. Since first being elected to Congress in 1982, Berman has fought tirelessly for mass immigration and mass amnesty. And, if he manages to hang on to his seat, it will come at the expense of Sherman who has been a loyal foot soldier, supporting every effort to maximize immigration since he arrived in Washington in 1997.
Rangel, too, has been a dependable supporter of mass immigration and amnesty. From his powerful position on the House Ways and Means Committee (before much of his power was stripped from him because of ethics violations) he has had a bird’s eye view of the toll mass immigration has taken on American taxpayers and public resources. In his newly redrawn district, where Latinos comprise 55 percent of voters, he is facing the most serious electoral challenge of his political career from State Senator Adriano Espaillat.
Other Democrats, who are leading or cheering the drive for mass immigration and amnesty, may want to take note. As Danton reputedly said to Maximilien Robespierre, his co-revolutionary turned nemesis, “If we cannot get together to slow this down it will kill us both.”