Fox News hosts compete in nativist Olympics

Good try, Tucker. The anti-Catholic know-nothings of the early 20th Century would have been proud. But I'm afraid you only get the silver.

The gold goes to Ingraham, who showed last week that she can sling invective with the worst of them. She had the race card up her sleeve. She stirred a hornet's nest when she said that America -- this country of immigrants -- was being ruined by immigrants.

"In some parts of the country, it does seem like the America we know and love doesn't exist anymore," she said. "Massive demographic changes have been foisted upon the American people. And they're changes that none of us ever voted for and most of us don't like. From Virginia to California, we see stark examples of how radically in some ways the country has changed. Now much of this is related to both illegal, and in some cases, legal immigration that, of course, progressives love."

In other words -- as was said about the Italian, Jewish and Irish immigrants of a century ago -- there goes the neighborhood. And then we have the loony assertion that these "massive demographic changes" that give Ingraham the willies were "foisted" upon innocent Americans. Well, no one forced them to hire their housekeeper, nanny and gardener, did they? Americans aren't so innocent.

With her four-alarm code words, Ingraham isn't just out of line. She is also out of step with the mainstream. It's not just "progressives" who appreciate those who play by the rules and migrate legally.

A recent Gallup poll asked respondents: "Is legal immigration a good thing or bad thing for the country?" Eighty-four percent said it was a good thing; only 13 percent said it was a bad thing.

Times are hard. It's nice to know that the folks who make up that small minority always have jobs waiting for them hosting shows at a cable network that must find it difficult to cover a country it doesn't know the first thing about.

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Ruben Navarrette's email address is ruben@rubennavarrette.com. His daily podcast, "Navarrette Nation," is available through every podcast app.