Politics & Power Quote by Randy Neugebauer

“Clearly” does a lot of work here: it’s not a claim so much as a preemptive scolding. Neugebauer isn’t arguing that border security is the “top domestic issue” as much as he’s trying to lock in a hierarchy of concern, framing disagreement as out of touch with reality. The phrase “and rightly so” doubles down on that moral sorting. If you’re not prioritizing the border, you’re not just wrong; you’re irresponsible.

The move that follows is the classic rhetorical escalator: border policy becomes “national security.” That pivot is intentional. “Border security” can mean many things - visas, labor markets, asylum law, local policing, humanitarian obligations. “National security,” by contrast, is a legitimizing force field. It narrows the range of acceptable debate, because once something is painted as existential, compromise starts to look like negligence. It also activates a post-9/11 political reflex: threats are presumed, urgency is non-negotiable, and skepticism reads as softness.

The subtext is less about a specific legislative fix than about political framing. Calling it the year’s “top” issue is agenda-setting: it competes with wages, healthcare, housing, and war by insisting the border is the lens through which those anxieties should be viewed. It also signals to a base that wants clarity and toughness, not policy nuance. The language is clean, firm, and abstract - no mention of migrants, employers, or human costs - because abstraction keeps the emotional charge while avoiding messy particulars. That’s how a slogan becomes a mandate.