Spitzer Abandons Plan to Issue Driver’s Licenses to Illegals
Governor Eliot Spitzer is abandoning his unpopular plan that would allow illegal aliens to receive Driver’s licenses:
Gov. Eliot Spitzer is abandoning his plan to issue driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants, saying that opposition is just too overwhelming to move forward with such a policy.
The governor, who is to announce the move formally on Wednesday, said in an interview Tuesday night that he did not reach the decision easily.
“You have perhaps seen me struggle with it because I thought we had a principled decision, and it’s not necessarily easy to back away from trying to move a debate forward,†he said.
But he came to believe the proposal would ultimately be blocked, he said, either by legal challenges, a vote by the Legislature to deny financing for the Department of Motor Vehicles or a refusal by upstate county clerks to carry it out.
“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.â€
This is a smart move considering that New Yorkers, by a wide margin, are against this ill begotten plan.
But, there is a lot of opposition. A Channel 2 News/Buffalo News Poll shows nearly 72 percent of voters in Erie County disagree with the plan. It came under fire at a committee hearing in Albany today. Erie County Clerk Kathy Hochul says she also disagrees. But, if she’s made to enforce the policy, she plans to call the authorities if illegal immigrants come to apply for licenses.
“If someone comes into office and it’s determined they are not here legally, we will let the authorities know, we will contact Sheriff Howard and he will send someone over to investigate,” Hochul said.
Spitzer will recover from this, he has a few years to take the focus off this issue before he comes up for reelection, but he didn’t shelve the plan in time to stop it from becoming an issue for Hillary Clinton, as evidenced by her poor performance and hedging at the last Democratic debate.
We leave you with a question: Will Hillary Clinton now claim that she was against the whole thing to begin with, despite all evidence to the contrary?
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Posted by Susan on November 14, 2007 10:37 am
» Filed Under ACLU, Border Control/Homeland Security, News, Politics As Usual
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