Thread: Clue us in, Democrats growl at Eliot Spitzer

Clue us in, Democrats growl at Eliot Spitzer

Democrats to Gov. Spitzer: Clue us in.

Spitzer's allies are furious about what they view as his consistent failure to keep them in the loop on his controversial driver's license plans.

Spitzer didn't give his friends an early heads-up either in September - when he proposed letting illegal immigrants get the same licenses as citizens - or last week, as he prepared to backtrack on that pledge in a deal with U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, the incensed Democrats charged.

"He didn't consult us before, he didn't consult us now," said state Sen. Ruben Diaz (D-Bronx). "He let me go on the Senate floor and make a fool of myself. Now I have to take the time to stand up, eat crap and apologize. Eat my pride."

Some Spitzer allies saw the driver's license debacle as yet more proof of his disdain for the Legislature and lack of understanding of the ways of Albany.

"All in all, this really didn't move the governor forward," said one labor leader who endorsed Spitzer last year. "I just hope they'll be able to start to get things right. ... There's not a lot more political capital left."

In hopes of making peace, Spitzer met yesterday morning at his favorite upper East Side diner, Three Guys, with Diaz and other Democrats who supported his plan even as Republicans and nearly two-thirds of New Yorkers opposed it.

The meeting did not go well, Diaz said. The lawmakers - a small group of elected officials, most of them Hispanic - felt Spitzer had sold them and their constituents out by agreeing to a three-tier license system in which illegal immigrants can access only nonfederally recognized IDs.

The new plan is a far cry from what Spitzer touted when he spoke to Senate Democrats in Albany last Monday and pledged to continue fighting for what was "right" - letting illegal immigrants get the same licenses as citizens.

Spitzer didn't mention at the time that his administration had been in negotiations with Chertoff for weeks.

After meeting behind closed doors with Spitzer, the Democrats engaged in an impassioned, four-hour debate on the Senate floor during which one lawmaker accused Republicans who opposed Spitzer's plan of being racist.

Assembly Democrats are equally upset. They blocked GOP efforts Tuesday to force a vote to rescind Spitzer's plan, even though his proposal is hurting Democratic candidates in upcoming local elections across the state.

"These people are totally incompetent," one prominent Assembly Democrat fumed about the Spitzer administration. "He has done major damage."

Sources close to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan), who has been a staunch Spitzer ally, said Silver is angry the governor didn't inform him until late last Friday about the ongoing talks with Chertoff.

Silver so far has been mum on Spitzer's deal with Chertoff, consistently refusing to comment since the agreement was formally announced Saturday morning.

Spitzer's top aide, Richard Baum, insisted the governor's plan to let people without a Social Security number get licenses hasn't changed, even though those IDs now would be clearly marked as not federally compliant.

"The idea that we promoted one thing and did another is inaccurate," Baum said.

As for telling allies about the Chertoff talks, Baum explained, "It's almost impossible for the governor to negotiate with the secretary of homeland security and talk about it."


http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2007/10 ... _spit.html

This whole thing with drivers licenses for illegal aliens is totally absurd. I can’t believe how easy it has become to openly discuss breaking federal law when it comes to aiding, abetting, and encouraging to stay. This whole debate is insane at best.

When you can openly defy and publicly speak of defying the law, what dose that say about your nation’s legal system. It appears the law only applies to a few.

Those IDs for illegal aliens are a bunch of crap. What a waste of time, ink and plastic. Those "undocumented" will get in line as many times as they please and run around with as many cards as they please. This is just foolishness at its finest.

The Democrats are mad because this blocks the illegals from registering to vote.

"He has done major damage."

Dixie

The meeting did not go well, Diaz said. The lawmakers - a small group of elected officials, most of them Hispanic - felt Spitzer had sold them and their constituents out by agreeing to a three-tier license system in which illegal immigrants can access only nonfederally recognized IDs.

The new plan is a far cry from what Spitzer touted when he spoke to Senate Democrats in Albany last Monday and pledged to continue fighting for what was "right" - letting illegal immigrants get the same licenses as citizens.

I thought the idea was to give them driver's licences so they could DRIVE. Now they're pissed because their ID won't be federally recognized? I GUESS IT WON'T, YOU'RE HERE ILLEGALLY, UNLAWFULLY, UNDOCUMENTED, WHATEVER. You're not entitled to the same rights as lawful citizens. You shouldn't be getting any ID in my opinion. And then Spitzer meets with Hispanic leaders to appease them. WTF is wrong with this guy? He'a a nut job.