| Lou Dobbs' head explodes in 3...2...1...
Spitzer Tries New Tack on Immigrant Licenses
In a major shift, Gov. Eliot Spitzer is backing off his plan to allow illegal immigrants to obtain the same kind of driver's licenses as other New Yorkers, after weeks of furor over the proposal.
Instead, the governor said on Saturday, illegal immigrants in the state would be able to obtain a license that would permit them to drive but would not be accepted as identification to board planes or cross borders.
... The move followed a wave of criticism over the governor's proposal, with many Democrats warning that Mr. Spitzer had put the state party in political peril. The new plan also reflects the increasingly complicated security requirements that have been developed by the federal government since the Sept. 11 attacks.
The plan will probably do little if anything to quell the controversy over the issue, as people on both sides of the debate in New York expressed concern about it on Saturday.
And the State Legislature, which has expressed concern about any extension of licenses to illegal immigrants, would probably be required to provide the funds for the new system, which is expected to be costly.
I have my doubts that this move will please that many folks, though it might take some of the sting out of an issue that has been something of a disaster over the past month. As I have said since the beginning, I think the original policy is sound. It would indeed make us safer. Suggesting otherwise, which has become a full contact sport recently, seems counterintuitive. That said, the administration's handling of this issue has been atrocious and their actions have just fed the 'Spitzer as out of touch autocrat' meme. Last week, when the Times quoted the Governor as saying, "things are moving ahead in a spectacular manner. We couldn't be happier.", anyone paying any attention was most likely scratching their head. Today's story includes this puzzler:
In an interview, the governor called the new plan "the perfect resolution" and said it was "not at all a shift" from what he had previously laid out.
Um, OK. I certainly hope this may calm the waters somewhat, though I have my doubts that it will. The status quo, the real enemies of actually reforming this state, are making too much hay out of this to let it go. A party that looked near death just a few months ago has gotten a much needed boost from this fiasco. They are raising money on this and they are already gaming those state Senate races in Long Island around this one. And why shouldn't they? This was a gift to them and, hey, it's a hell of a lot easier than, ya know, actually governing or defending the indefensible cesspit that is our state government. More profitable, too.
Look for the GOP to lose some of the "Driver's Licenses for Osama!" rhetoric, as this move will hopefully ameliorate some of those concerns. But, don't think for a second that the governor's foes are going to drop this one any time soon. This one has been just too good for business. |
