Spitzer cuts and runs from his illegal alien license plan; Update: “I am withdrawing my proposal”
Update 11:58am 11/14 Eastern. Oh, lovely. Lawhawk notes that thanks to Spitzer, 23,000 aliens have obtained licenses that do not indicate when their visas expire…and NY will have to rely on them to come back to the DMV to get licenses with the proper visa expiration date indicators.
Yeah. That’ll happen.
Update 9:55am Eastern 11/14: Via the NYPost, which dubs Spitzer “out-of-gas Eliot:”
With his poll numbers collapsing, Gov. Spitzer pullled the plug today on his controversial plan to allow illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses.
“New York state can not handle [the immigration issue] on our own,” Spitzer said. “I am withdrawing my proposal.”
“The federal government lost control of its borders. … and has no solution to deal with it,” Spitzer said.
“States, towns and villages still have to deal with the practical reality of that failure. In New York, that means 1 million [un]documented workers,” he said.
The embattled governor made the announcement after he met with the state’s heavily Democratic congressional delegation, which had grown increasingly critical of the plan.
In other words: It’s the feds’ fault that Spitzer’s bone-headed solution to their failure to enforce immigration laws was a security-undermining, electorate-alienating plan to reward the lawbreakers with drivers’ licenses giving them a free pass.
This may be the “least of his woes,” says JWF.
What do Dems do when they’re mired in political misery?Raise taxes!
***
Well, knock me over with a straw:
New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer has decided to abandon a plan to issue driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants, officials familiar with the decision told The Associated Press Tuesday night.
The governor is due to meet Wednesday morning with New York’s congressional delegation, many of whom openly oppose the program. Debate over the issue also has spilled into New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s presidential campaign.
The governor’s office signaled to New York lawmakers Tuesday that Spitzer will say at the meeting that he is shelving the plan and that immigration is a federal issue to be handled by Washington, according to congressional aides who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because no formal announcement had been made.
Allah breaks out a robot video.
A poll released this morning reports that for the first time, more New York State voters view Gov. Eliot Spitzer unfavorably than view him favorably and that only 25 percent of voters would be prepared to re-elect him if the 2010 election were held today.
The poll, by the Siena Research Institute in Loudonville, N.Y., also found that 70 percent voters who had heard about the governor’s proposal to allow undocumented aliens to obtain driver’s licenses continue to oppose it, while nearly two-thirds oppose his revised plan to issue three tiers of licenses.
Don’t celebrate too hard, though. Several other states continue to provide licenses to illegal aliens and it is the Bush administration that continues to approve the use of the illegal alien matricula consular card.
Spitzer’s retreat is a significant victory and a symbolic victory, but a small one in the continuing struggle between Sanctuary Nation and Sovereign Nation.
***
More from the NYT:
“I am not willing to fight to the bitter end on something that will not ultimately be implemented,” the governor said, “and we also have an enormous agenda on other issues of great importance to New York State that was being stymied by the constant and almost singular focus on this issue.”
Translation: Hillary made me do it!
See what others have said
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- Assorted Babble by Suzie
- The Fighting GOP
- Old War Dogs
- Rhymes With Right
- NY Governor Eliot Spitzer Abandons Plan to Issue Driver’s Licenses to Illegal Immigrants | Scared Monkeys
- Neocon News » Spitzer abandons illegal alien driver's licenses; Clinton left flapping in the wind
- JammieWearingFool
- Marginalized Action Dinosaur » Seems NY doesn’t think all the illegals deserve licenses,
- Battling the Fifth Column
- Maybe they do listen? | Mark's Soap Box
- Mark Levin Fan
- ILLEGALS AND DRIVERS’ LICENSES « Texas Hold ‘Em Blogger
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One of the few times I can agree with a politician doing something in response to a poll.
Hopefully the bad taste in the peoples’ mouths will remain there through the next election cycle so they won’t re-elect him.
How much you wanna bet Shrillary’s campaign had something to do with this?
BlameAmericaLast
Interesting thought … guess that would be one way to end the questions on her view of the plan …
Does this mean that Hillary was for it before Spitzer was against it?
a Democrat cutting and running….I am yet again shocked…not!
Guiliani on the Radio Factor today said Hillary is endorsing the option on a “state by state” basis.
ERRRNT!!!! LoSeR.
The stench of this brain fart will hang for a while.
Elliot Putzer, the self-aggrandizing legal weenie bails! LOSER!
When have the Democrats ever exhibited anything but “Leadership by Poll”?
I doubt that the move is a cut and run, more likely a strategic withdrawal. If Hillary gets elected and the Dems hold on to Congress then God save us all because they will shove the whole shamnesty package down our throats.
What is Slick Hilly going to do now? Have another press conference clarifying her position on why she understood what he was doing, but she never really endorsed his actions, although she understands why people might feel that way towards undocumented immigrants who only what to have voting rights in this country, and the only way they can get them is by getting licenses so they can vote for her, so ultimately Spitzer was doing the right thing at the wrong time, but she’ll fix it once she’s president, (deep breath), but anyway it’s a vast right wing conspiracy that’s trying to keep people of color under the thumb of the angry white men who mis-state her positions on Right Wing radio shows that’s why the rights of the poor need to be protected!
Or some other type of non-sense…just wait and see!!!
Translation = Stupid Pet Tricks
Great strategy!! If you get caught taking both sides of an issue, trying to pander to everybody, just make the issue go away.
Hillary and Spitzer become the first honorary mated pair of crapweasels.
In fact, they have filed for a trademark.
I was listening to Rush earlier today, and he was speaking about how one of his friends sent him a message on how Hillary would crawl out of her debate flubs two weeks ago in Philadelphia. Limbaugh’s friend suspected that something would happen in Hillary’s life to make people sympathetic for her. I mean, after all, all these boys are just piling on! It seems, however, that the “shrill one” just reverted back to smash mouth politics. I am sooooooo sure that Spitzer voluntarily back away from the illegal license plan.
The GOP should really run with this issue (the illegal invasion) this election cycle not just because it’s popular, but also because it’s the only right thing to do; uphold US law.
Another battle won, but the war against Shamnesty is far from over.
It really says a lot about NY State when a Governor and a Senator can stubbornly flirt with issues garnering 70% disapproval, and then just move on. NY and NJ are lost forever.
The fact that Pataki and Rudy defeated the Dems and went on to win re-elections in the 1990’s is still baffling to me.
The illegal lobby has a lot of pull with this congress and administration.
Sickening that our very safety and sovereignty are for sale and we, the citizens, have to keep our government from trying to help illegals at every turn.
Spitzer, like Bush, turned on his voters right after election. Did anyone know of his open borders, sanctuary city, anti-American stance during election? No not a word. He is not working for us.
Spitzer owes his election landslide to the MSM giving him get-out-of-jail-free cards and beating his campaign drum as a sort of messianic figure who would pull New York from the quicksand of misgovernment through his forceful personality and impeccable ethics. A careful, honest, objective look at his record as attorney-general would have told a different story. Even now, his prior tenure is the stuff of mythology.
Remain ever-vigilant. Like shamnesty in other forms, this will be back, probabaly - as usual - by stealth tucked as quietly as possible into a bill about NYC street vendors or car emissions.
Spitzer makes his best moves in the dark of night, doesn’t he? This barely makes the 11 o’clock news, and shoved aside for the latest in cop shootings, drive-bys and sundry local gossip.
Tomorrow, this will compete with every last one of the Democrats turning on a dime: “George’s fault, George is to blame, a Republican crept up along side me and made me do it…”
No doubt,yup and exactamundo.
Can we work on the dead people with social security cards ’cause you know the dims will not work on “undocumented Americans” with voter cards. They would lose elections.
AJ, do you eveah sleep?
An indisputable sign that this was a major victory for our country! Great work Michelle… what was the slogan you use to use in the masthead, her pen became a clarion.
About time Spitzer finally bought a clue. I guess we have to storm the ivory towers of our political class with pitchforks and torches to get their attention. I can’t understand why they don’t understand what is wrong with breaking out laws. Maybe they have been breaking them so long to get their seats of power they no longer can distinguish right from wrong.
In other news the good folks of San Francisco’s Supervisors are allowing IDs for everyone:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/11/14/BAB9TBP5H.DTL&tsp=1
I really wish someone would act like an adult and end all Federal and State funding to these sanctuary cities. It will be fun to watch them implode when the dollars quite coming and they are only left with the underclass they so love.
Yea, as others have said. And…..“how convenient” that he announces it prior to the Las Vegas debate.
So that Wolf Blitzer can’t beat up on her like Russert did.
I think MM got the headline wrong. “Spitzer caves on illegal ID” would be more accurate. I think it speaks well of Spitzer that he recognized and admitted defeat. He wanted to do something but found himself unable for whatever reason. Once he figures out it won’t happen, he moves on. Spitzer lost on this issue, but there are plenty more.
And here’s conservative incisive thinking at its best:
I agree - I bet Hillary had something to do with this.
It’s scary. Rather than answer a simple question about a major issue, this harridan sends out her minions to eliminate the issue altogether. By the next debate, she won’t have to answer it. Scary.
People should now focus on New Haven, CT and San Francisco, CA since they give illegal aliens “municipal” cards.
Definitely toeing the Hillary line!
This guy is such a phony. “I heard the people’s voices!” BALONEY! If these fatted hogs heard our voices the income tax would be eliminated, the IRS disbanded and everyone in Congress would be sent home permanently. Contrition for ALL bureaucrats is just a word in the dictionary.
Everybody keeps claiming that hillary got him to back off, I think it is more likely that the demo party got to him when they realized the firestorm that he started and the implications for 08 - Hillary on the other hand is still in favor of motor-voter fraud.
With 1 million illegal invaders in just one area you think it would be very easy to round these folks up and present them to ICE for deportation. If ICE fails to perform its job deport them to DC and drop them all off at the steps of Congress. They can deal with them after all they have been enabling these invaders for decades.
Of course, we keep hearing Linda Chavez and Michael Medved tell us that Illegal Aliens is a non-starter for the Republicans in ‘08. I guess that 80% of our population being against anything that rewards illegals isn’t a high enough percentage for them.
Let the Dimocrats continue to pander to hispanics. Conservatives can take their chances with the 80%.
Boomer,you should have let me know you were in the neighborhood, I would have bought you a Caramel thingy. The motto for wal-mart in the valley should be,
“over 1 million illegals served daily”
While you are at it, withdraw your head out of your…
“Withdrawing my proposal.”“Reading the writing on the wall, and I would prefer to have a shot at another term with which to further undermine the security of New York.”
/fixed
Translation: Hillary promised that I could fill her vacant Senate seat if she wins.
ajmontana the wife works at the Wal-Mart here in Mountain Home and we have enough of our own persons of questionable citizenship in there every time I walk in. It is even worse at the local Paul’s supermarket that caters to them heavily here in Idaho. Wouldn’t mind heading down to your neck of the woods again we have some good friends from the days we were stationed at what used to be March AFB.
If Dems payed attention to polls, we wouldn’t have 12-20 million illegals still here. Dems only pay attention to what will further their political career.
Let’s see, If i’m in Hillbillary’s war room I get Regan to sue the evil Murdoch and “spitter” to drop the illegal plan. Should cover her for the debate on Thursday.
#41 J S Ragman: If Shrillary wins Putzer can just appoint himself to fill her seat. Hurting Shrillary’s chances at the White House hurt his chances for the Senate. Thus a perfect convergence of Crapweasels in Washington.
Representation without taxation is what the illegals receive and taxation without representation is what the legal citizens receive. Why was this country formed?
Hillary made me do it…
Hmmm, imagine, a couple of guys show up, stuff a suicide note in his pocket, keep refering to him as “Socks”…
Ok, maybe not. Just plain old greed, “I want to be a Senator - better perks, less accountability, and DC is more fun than Albany.”
But at least he caved…
Lemme’ see if I have this straight…
The Hilldebeast was FOR the plan, and AGAINST the plan, one day.
Then, she was FOR the plan, the next day.
Now, Spitzer’s AGAINST the plan, the day after that.
Is this like watching monkeys, fornicating a football?
Why yes - yes, I believe it is.
Gone unmentioned here is that Spitzer is embroiled in another scandal, in which he attempted to use the state police to dig up dirt on Joe Bruno, the Republican majority leader of the New York Senate. Rather than testify under oath of his noninvolvement, Spitzer has invoked executive privilege, a sure sign he’s got something to hide. Various investigations have been going on since July, with one former Spitzer aide having just been caught with contradictory sworn testimony. It’s getting ugly out there.
Franksalterego #49, ROTFLMAO. More like an octopus fornicating with a bag pipe!
just went out for a java and rush is all over this on his radio program.
The Clinton machine had a hand in this move without a doubt and she will escape any follow up questions about the plan because it isn’t on the table anymore. Her answer, should anyone have the courage to ask anyway, would be “it is now a non-issue”. However she can’t escape the obvious way she was unable to take a definitive position on the concept. It was a very simple basic question. “Leave it up to the individual states” is a totally unacceptable answer because this is a national secuity issue.
I keep saying that the first candidate who draws the absolute hard line in the sand about securing the border with the fence being domestic priorioty number one will run away with the election. It’s obvious why the left won’t protect the country because they know they will lock up a whole voting block. But why in the world the republicans are so blind to 70+ percent of the American people (including a strong majority of democrats) is beyond me. Hopefully the nominee will see the light because he will bury Hillary in this issue and steal votes from the left.
It is a can’t lose position!!!
All over your java? EWWWWWW
nbarry - careful. “hiding” behind executive privelege is sometimes necessary. If our current POTUS didn’t “hide” there sometimes, I’m afraid he and his staff would spend 100% of their time testifying. “Hiding” is not always an indication of guilt.
My suspicion though is Spitzer is hiding for exactly the reason you suggest - there is fire behind the smoke.
Just wondering when someone will get Bill Richardson to stop “smoking chili peppers” here in New Mexico…he’s doing the same thing,(issuing DL’s to illegals, while simultaneously blaming the Feds), he has the same narrow view;(giving away hardworking citizen’s priviledges to illegals), but “Richardson’s policy” could allow illegals to buy a handgun too; legally! Just because they’re “supposed” to have insurance to drive drunk in our state doesn’t mean they will always maintain coverage. What defines talent in “leadership” these days; perhaps the # of UFO’s one has seen. So many Senators are causing heavy damage to our “system” by enacting frivilous short-sighted laws and policies that often sound great around their inner circles of “affluents”, neglecting everyone but their personal constituents. Meanwhile, the rest of us will have to master living “off the grid”, growing our own food, and just forget about the concept of leadership; we’ll all be on our own, the way we already are!
Think back folks. Democrat Senators were, in 2004, the folks beating on President Bush to pass a so-called ‘9/11′ bill. Yet Rep. Sensenbrenner one-up’d them with the Real ID Act of (May) 2005. Even before then, New York, under Pataki, implemented the rule that licenses for legal aliens here(such as those on a work or student visa or someone seeking asylum) would expire at in one year or at the end date of their visa, whichever was sooner. This complied with a major July 2004 recommendation of the 9/11 Commission. The 19 hijackers had acquired 57 licenses and IDs and nearly all of them expired well after their visas did (Mohammed Atta was issued a Florida license that expired in September 2007).
Since then, a coalition of open-border Democrats and Libertarian privacy advocates have undermined ‘The Real ID Act of 2005.’ In February 2007,Senators Akaka, Tester, Leahy, and Sununu introduced a bill to repeal the Act.
If you think Republicans “won” on this issue, you need to read this from today’s Washington Times.
I can see that you are not too familiar with Pataki and Rudy then. Rudy was endorsed by the New York Liberal Party. Calling New York Republicans “RINO’s” may be giving them too much credit.
flenser - Agreed. Calling almost any New England politician a Republican might be a stretch. Some run and are elected with an (R) after their name, but actions generally don’t come close to conservative. (Current governor of Rhode Island I think might be an exception)
This snake will come back to bite New York, another day.
Oh but the proposal “made sense” to Hillary, the front-running candaidate to the oval-office, her husband used for orgies. Oh, in politics, these little things like morals don’t matter. What matters is wealt and votes.. just ask dubya.
Tom Tancredo is one candidate who has nothing but American interest at heart. WIll Americans make the mistake of ignoring a patriot? At their own peril …..
http://www.teamtancredo.typepad.com
The reason he backed down? Us, the “WE THE PEOPLE” who are tired of leaders who think they know what is best for us, even if it is against our wishes and our best interest.
We still need to keep hammering Spitzer to recall the 23,000 Driver’s Licenses he allowed to be handed out WITHOUT the expiration date of the person’s LEGAL stay here, in the United States.
We also need to force our Federal leaders to follow the lead of the FBI in NOT recognizing the Mexican Matricular Consular Card. That ID is worthless in Mexico. Anyone who attempts to VOTE, obtain a Driver’s License and other common things like opening a bank account IN MEXICO, well, they will NOT be allowed. You see, that id is not accepted in Mexico as a valid form of ID because Mexico knows and understands that they do not have a system in place to verify the true identity of those persons that are illegally residing in the United States.
So, if Mexico will not accept it, why in the world would we allow our states to accept it?
Keep hitting the phones, emails and visits to your leaders. Remember, Illegals can drive here legally with the driver’s license issued by their home country or can easily obtain an International one.