Suffolk’s Leader Wins a Following on Immigration (A Democrat even a Freeper could love)

The New York Times ^ | June 13, 2007 | PAUL VITELLO

[CaptainK]

HAUPPAUGE, N.Y. — A recent day in May began in crisis mode for Steve Levy, the Suffolk County executive, over an allegation that a police crackdown on unlicensed drivers amounted to the ethnic profiling of illegal immigrants.Soon, he was preparing a response to accusations by 30 state legislators, fellow Democrats all, that his policies in this Long Island county of 1.4 million “instigate divisiveness, hatred and intolerant behavior toward immigrants.”

By 2 p.m., Mr. Levy seemed relieved to turn from “the whole illegal immigration thing,” as he calls it, to a topic confined to his 631 area code: a health fair for minority residents. Then an adviser asked whether the fair might be moved from a county building. “A lot of these people are illegal,” the adviser explained, “and they are afraid to come.”if politicians can be said to have relationships with issues, Mr. Levy’s relationship with illegal immigration seems resentful yet clinging.

He complains that immigration detracts from his local accomplishments. Yet he injects himself into the issue often and aggressively enough to have become almost as familiar to the national audiences of action-figure conservative commentators like Bill O’Reilly and Lou Dobbs as he is to viewers of News 12 Long Island.

Newsday calls him arguably the most formidable elected official in Long Island history. Immigrants advocates frequently accuse him of bigotry; one spokesman for local day laborers, the Rev. Allan Ramirez, has accused him of “ethnic cleansing.”

[Cacique]

This is not over yet. Bush refuses to give up this easily. It's his stubborn character. He will try to resurrect it and call it something else. We have to keep our guard up. We need to keep the pressure up.

STAGE TWO is to go after the people who hire illegals. Start giving them fines and arresting them. Just catch ten or 100 of them on the nightly news. The magnet will dry up and most of the 12 million will go home by themselves.

As an addendum, we should anonymously call the IRS, people working "off the books" means taxes ain't being paid. Make anonymous fliers and hang them around the neighborhood, name names. It's time to embarrass these bustards, whether they give to the GOP or Rats, we don't need them.

CALL! CALL! CALL! CALL! AND KEEP CALLING TILL THE LINES FRY!

WRITE! WRITE! WRITE! WRITE! TILL YOU RUN OUT OF INK IN YOUR PEN!

Bombard the Democrats as well, especially the ones that ran on an anti illegal immigration plank and the ones in marginal districts who could be vulnerable. keep pounding on them. This is a bipartisan issue not a Conservative or Liberal issue BUT AN AMERICAN issue.

STOP AMNESTY NOW!! WE CAN DO IT!!

The best way to stop Shamnesty

[mewzilla]

Some issues transcend party. ‘Rats helped re-elect Hazleton, PA’s mayor, Lou Barletta...

[nicmarlo]

This is a bipartisan issue not a Conservative or Liberal issue BUT AN AMERICAN issue.

bump!

[CaptainK]

This guy deserves national status.

[never4get]

I’m a registered Republican but I have followed Mr. Levy’s progression from a county legislator through his current position as County Executive. Truly, this man is a democrat in label only and for the most part is an independent. Time after time he stands up against the illegal immigration reforms and takes on Unions daily. Our $97K /yr police (after 5 years on the job) hate this guy as he is trying to staff office positions with regular folks to free up police for what he considers police work..out on the beat not in the office filing records and because of same Over Time need explodes. He wants to rid the county of arbitration that has nearly doubled salaries of police over the past 5 years. He is very fiscally conservative. I have had no problem pulling the lever for this Dem on numerous occasions. The man does what is right by the people in Suffolk and not just what the Dem Party wants...In fact, the Republican party has endorsed him for his next run and will place noone to run against him.

[nicmarlo]

Especially coming from Long Island...which has become ultra liberal. Kudos to him for doing the right thing.

[gubamyster]

ping

[VeniVidiVici]

So Democrats don’t mind folks driving without a license. I bet they don’t care about insurance either.

[nicmarlo]

He sounds like a Zell, a Democrat who was left behind by the left-wing traitors with a “D” after their name.

[B4Ranch]

A fantastic man!
(snip)
Mr. Levy, a 47-year-old career politician finishing his first term running this county — which has 176,000 foreign-born residents, 50,000 of whom officials estimate are here illegally — sometimes professes frustration that the issue has largely come to define him. But it has also given him a national profile, an 80 percent local approval rating and the closest thing to a guaranteed re-election: endorsements from both the Democratic and the Republican Parties. (snip)

Read the full article and you’d vote for him too!

[PGalt]

Steve Levy and Lou Barletta BUMP!

[2ndDivisionVet]

Just say NO to Amnesty!! Keep calling!! It’s NOT OVER!!

U.S. Senate switchboard: (202) 224-3121

U.S. House switchboard: (202) 225-3121

White House comments: (202) 456-1111

Find your House Rep.: http://www.house.gov/writerep

Find your US Senators: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

[listenhillary]

Bump