Sarah Palin and Seth Meyers show America how to have a polite, rational argument over Syrian refugees

Sarah Palin and Seth Meyers discuss Syrian refugees

(Image credit: Late Night)

last updated 24 November 2015

On Monday's Late Night, Seth Meyers asked Sarah Palin, as a former governor, what she thinks about the governors refusing to accept Syrian refugees into their states, and he started with a loaded question: "Do you think this might look like this is a decision being made out of fear, and isn't there something to be said for having the moral courage to welcome in people who are in danger and in fear and need a safe place to go?" At this point, things could have gotten ugly, or at least uncomfortable, but Palin and Meyers basically had the polite, interesting version of the argument many families will have over Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday.

Palin responded that the message from more than half the U.S. governors "is not that we don't want Syrian refugees, their message is: What is the vetting process? How do we know that these are the innocents who are coming over and actually needing aid, and they're not the bad guys infiltrating under the guise of refugees?" She went on to argue that America doesn't have a vetting process at the federal level, and when Meyers responded that yes, there is a long vetting process involving many federal agencies and the United Nations, then things finally got interesting.

At the end of the short discussion, Meyers and Palin are actually agreeing about the root of the Syrian refugee fight, the goals of most of the refugees, and the need to balance security and freedom. They almost certainly didn't persuade each other to switch positions in the argument, but the viewer can see the valid points each side is making, which counts as a sadly impressive achievement amid the increasingly polarized debate playing out on America's public stage. No matter where you fall in the argument, take notes, and maybe we can all all get through Thanksgiving without wine being thrown or Aunt Rita leaving the table in angry tears. Peter Weber

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Explore More

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.