Driver licenses for immigrants: The story has legs
One of the most heated moments of the Philadelphia debate on Tuesday was the Dodd-Clinton exchange on driver licenses for illegal immigrants. Without going into who was right and whether Clinton was avoiding an answer, I said on Tuesday that the Republicans were sure to use this all the way to next November -- with most issues radioactive for the GOP, immigration is one issue on which they still have an edge.
First off, the dynamics of Clinton's damage control are truly fascinating. Hillary had a choice: Either to protect herself in the primary and take a position on the plan to answer her rivals accusing her of avoiding questions (in which case she had no choice but to support it given she was almost there on Tuesday); or she could protect herself in the general election and continue avoiding answers, knowing that embracing the plan would be used against her by the GOP. That she announced her support for the plan shows that the Clinton camp does not believe she has locked the primary. Contrary to what we thought, Clinton is not yet in general election mode... and that's a great thing, especially if she takes good positions such as this one (which is not a given for a Democrat apparently, since Dodd opposes the plan).
Rudy Giuliani jumped all over the issue on Wednesday, prefiguring what a Hillary-Rudy match-up might look like next year. But most surprising -- and revealing of how much the GOP thinks this is golden for them -- the NRCC is blasting Democratic House members on the issue! This is (via Marc Ambinder) the press release against Connecticut's Murphy:
The issue is also playing out in local races, with the New York GOP using it to hurt the Democrats upstate (remember, the whole thing started with Governor Spitzer in New York), and you can be sure we will see similar fliers next year in the presidential race:
Some of the nastiest exchanges in 2006 were on immigration. But remember, it did not do Republicans much good then. The GOP clearly believes they can do a better job in 2008. And it might have too, given that it are running out of wedge issues.
First off, the dynamics of Clinton's damage control are truly fascinating. Hillary had a choice: Either to protect herself in the primary and take a position on the plan to answer her rivals accusing her of avoiding questions (in which case she had no choice but to support it given she was almost there on Tuesday); or she could protect herself in the general election and continue avoiding answers, knowing that embracing the plan would be used against her by the GOP. That she announced her support for the plan shows that the Clinton camp does not believe she has locked the primary. Contrary to what we thought, Clinton is not yet in general election mode... and that's a great thing, especially if she takes good positions such as this one (which is not a given for a Democrat apparently, since Dodd opposes the plan).
Rudy Giuliani jumped all over the issue on Wednesday, prefiguring what a Hillary-Rudy match-up might look like next year. But most surprising -- and revealing of how much the GOP thinks this is golden for them -- the NRCC is blasting Democratic House members on the issue! This is (via Marc Ambinder) the press release against Connecticut's Murphy:
Rep. Chris Murphy (CT-05) is bobbing and weaving on the issue of providing driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants. When asked about the issue, Murphy’s answer was reminiscent of Hillary Clinton’s vague, yet troubling statement. On an issue as basic as providing legal documentation to individuals here in the country illegally, Murphy refused to take a stand.
The issue is also playing out in local races, with the New York GOP using it to hurt the Democrats upstate (remember, the whole thing started with Governor Spitzer in New York), and you can be sure we will see similar fliers next year in the presidential race:
Some of the nastiest exchanges in 2006 were on immigration. But remember, it did not do Republicans much good then. The GOP clearly believes they can do a better job in 2008. And it might have too, given that it are running out of wedge issues.
posted by Taniel at
10:54 PM
3 Comments:
This issue is very likely to hurt Hillary and Democrats in the Presidential race, but is a real stretch to tie this all the way down to Democratic candidates at the local level. They tried to do this to Democrats all over the country with the Michael Dukakis furlough issue all through 1988 and it failed miserably.
Also, why are they going after Chris Murphy. CT-05 is a blue district and this type of demogoguing does not play well here like it might in a less wealthy district like MA-05.
By
Mr. Phips, At
02 November, 2007 22:03
Drivers licenses are "legal documents". It scares me to think that a sitting U.S. Senator ( never mind a presidential candidate) would advocate giving legal identification to ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS. The "I was hit by an illegal immigrant in a car accident so what do I do" argument is a straw man. I was hit by an unlicensed driver ( who was a legal citizen) 20 year ago. I still have problems.
Doesn't one need a driver's license to vote?????
By
Anonymous, At
05 November, 2007 07:39
How can anyone complain about Republicans using Hilary's stance on licenses for illegals against local races when Democrats have been doing that for the past 5 years? There are races here in NJ for something as local as a freeholder, and the ad on the radio mentions how the Republican candidate agrees with George W. Bush! They act like the candidate was in the room with Bush advising him on things. I say what's good for the goose is good for the gander.
By
Anonymous, At
05 November, 2007 11:48
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