The Afternoon Dispatch is written by BillOReilly.com staff.

There is nothing new about politicians weeping in public.  Dwight Eisenhower, both Bushes, Gerald Ford, and a host of other presidents cried openly, usually over a personal tragedy or when talking about great heroism. At the extreme, former Speaker John Boehner shed tears so frequently that he boosted Kleenex’s bottom line.

But there is something different these days when the tears are often preceded by getting handcuffed.  Most recently, little-known Senator Alex Padilla became extremely emotional as he described the horror of being removed from a press conference he had crashed.  Padilla portrayed himself as another Nelson Mandela, a great man fighting for a great cause.

Other Democrats have also been seen wearing silver bracelets, always because they were protesting ICE and the deportation of illegal immigrants.  Rep.  LaMonica McIver was recently booked for assaulting immigration officers in New Jersey.  Like Padilla, McIver is playing the martyr, declaring, ‘They will not intimidate me!’

New York City politician Brad Lander was arrested and cuffed when he pulled a similar stunt at an immigration court.  Lander made a media tour that included an interview with radio host ‘Charlamagne tha God.’  Charlamagne shocked his guest with this observation:  ‘I feel like a lot of that sh*t y’all do is performative … y’all just doing it for the attention.’

That’s exactly what many Americans think, that Democrats now see handcuffs and tears as badges of honor, tickets to higher office.  It certainly worked in the past.  Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was not yet famous when she went to the border and ‘wept’ over the plight of migrant children.  The image of AOC, dressed in pristine white, bending over and crying, accelerated her growing fame.

It’s not only politicians who turn on the waterworks, but it always seems to be the same subject.  Actress Selena Gomez made an Instagram video showing herself sobbing uncontrollably about deportations, and last week, MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace got weepy and admitted that she ‘can’t stop thinking’ about alleged gang bangers being deported.

All this raises questions: Do these folks cry when the cameras aren’t rolling, or are they putting on a show?  And have they ever shed tears for the many victims of the illegal criminals for whom they now weep?
One mark of a great actor is the ability to cry on cue.  Unfortunately, it’s also becoming the mark of an ambitious politician.  

The views expressed in the Afternoon Dispatch are those of BillOReilly.com staff.