Posted on 10/28/2007 11:34:35 AM PDT by neverdem
Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s retreat from his plan to permit illegal immigrants to obtain the same kind of driver’s licenses as other New Yorkers drew angry reactions yesterday from civil liberties advocates and immigrant groups, some of whom described the shift as a stunning betrayal.
The governor has been under fierce assault from conservative groups and others since proposing last month to allow illegal immigrants to get New York driver’s licenses. But joined by the federal secretary of homeland security, Michael Chertoff, in Washington yesterday, the governor announced a starkly different version of his plan.
It calls for separate tiers of licenses. New Yorkers who could provide stringent proof of legal residency could get the new federally recognized license known as Real ID. The licenses available to illegal residents would not serve as federal identification.
“What a huge political flip,” said Chung-Wha Hong, executive director of the New York Immigration Coalition.
“He’s now embracing and letting his good name be used to promote something that has been widely known in the immigrant community as one of the most anti-immigrant pieces of legislation to come out of Congress,” Ms. Hong said.
She said having separate licenses would amount to a scarlet letter for illegal immigrants. “I know I’m speaking for millions of immigrants when I say I just feel so thoroughly betrayed.”The separate licenses could also serve as an invitation for law enforcement to arrest anyone carrying one on immigration charges, said Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union. She added that the new proposal could send illegal immigrants further into the shadows, compelling them to drive with forged or no licenses and without insurance.
“This flip-flopping is bowing to the fear-mongering of the Bush administration and turns New York into a poster child for policies based on...”
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
“The governor has been under fierce assault from conservative groups and others since proposing last month to allow illegal immigrants to get New York driver’s licenses.”
No, Slimes, it’s not just conservatives. What about the 72% of NY’s population who were also outraged at this idea?
I wonder if Hitlery had something to do with this? Had the policy stood and the number of traffic fatalities increased as a result, there could have been a backlash in the 2008 elections.
Is there anybody who actually thought Spitter had any “principles” in the first place? Just looking at a photo of him tells me never to stay far away.
Anybody to the right of the New York Tines is considered a conservative. So that pretty much covers the 72% you are talking about, plus or minus a few points.
So I guess that settles it. No one is going to bother to get the second-tier license because that automatically brands them as an illegal on sight and cannot be used as a “breeder document.”
Furthermore, as described here, the requirements for a RealID license cannot be finessed by illegals and will (if enforced) will make sure that no states can used relaxed requirements for obtaining driver’s licenses.
So Eliot choked after all.
“I wonder if Hitlery had something to do with this? Had the policy stood and the number of traffic fatalities increased as a result, there could have been a backlash in the 2008 elections.”
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That’s what I and a lot of people were thinking. Eliot Spitzer would have been the Gavin Newsom of the ‘08 elections, the difference being that The Mayor of Hedonism’s nose-thumbing, in-your-face-America, gay marriage circus was nowhere near as dangerous and damaging (to democrat hopes as well as national security) as Spitzer’s outrageous lawlessness.
And: “Eliot Spitzer has declared he alone is the state government.”
The original Spitzer plan would have rendered ALL New York
driver’s licences useless for domestic air travel or getting
through airport security.
He'd have to get some first.
As far as I am concerned that would be a good thing ... Al and Hillary would have to hire a bus!
True, the butt wipe is enough of attorney to know he could not win in court, so he starts this spin BS. Hiding behind amnesty jorge.
Awe the sound of liberals going after each other. It is music to my ears.
LOL very true.
He wasn’t steamrolled. Haven’t you ever heard of ‘ask for the world, you may get more than you expect’. I would say that he did pretty good......for the other side. Every step in is a victory for them.
After Spitzer hatched his illegal alien/vote scheme with the licenses, I contacted my FL State House Rep and told him they damn well better pass a law saying that FL will not recognize NY state licenses because of this. Full faith and credit? Fine. Let the Supremes handle it.
The New York Slimes can cry me a river. Or fry me a lizard, for that matter.
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