There is a big difference in all points except this one: in his characterization of Tancredo's policies as xenophobia, he sides with the liberals. He sees what is happening to his own city and still does not realize that out-of-control immigration is a social and economic disaster, but instead attacks a man who is trying to fix the problem. He's certainly as foolish as a liberal. The jibes he made at Tancredo weren't brief, light ones either, but repetitious and nasty.
I don't know, I thought Barry's remarks about Tancredo were repititious and funny. FWIW, as a resident, I tend to agree with Tancredo's remark about it being a third world country here. But what I know about Dave Barry, he isn't a mean and nasty writer, though he does tend to have little respect for politicians of all stripes.