Lessons of Spitzer’s license reversal

Tom Curry National affairs writer • Profile • E-mail

WASHINGTON - It was an unusual Capitol Hill event: a press conference to concede defeat, rather than to celebrate victory.

In front of a fog-shrouded Capitol dome Wednesday morning, New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, joined by a dozen House Democrats from New York State, admitted that he’d misjudged the public sentiment.

Spitzer officially withdrew his proposal to offer drivers’ licenses to many of the state’s one million illegal immigrants, a move which came after several days of hints in the New York news media that he’d do so.

“I’ve listened to the legitimate concerns of the public,” he told reporters.

Elected only 12 months ago with a spectacular margin of 1.6 million votes, Spitzer suffered a setback that seemed to unsettle his Democratic colleagues.

Spitzer blamed the federal government for having “lost control of its borders and having “allowed millions of undocumented immigrants to enter our country.”

Governor laments 'fear mongering'
Spitzer and the New York House members were fuming at those who’d opposed his license idea and who might use illegal immigration as a voter motivator in future elections.

The debate over illegal immigration had become “toxic” Spitzer said. “The consequence of this fear-mongering is paralysis.”

The New York Democrats who spoke after Spitzer were even harsher in their criticism of their opponents.

“This (idea) became victim to ignorance, indifference, and, yes, hatred,” argued Rep. Jose Serrano. “This country still, even in our great state, has great fear and great anger toward immigrants.”

Rep. Jerrold Nadler said the nation was passing through “a period of hysteria.”

Then Rep. Gary Ackerman took the microphone to suggest sardonically that opponents of illegal immigration ought to catch an immigrant and have him “hog-tied” in front of the Capitol; the federal authorities, Ackerman said, wouldn’t come to deport him.

It was a revealing focus group of politicians who seemed angry and somewhat nervous about how illegal immigration will affect next year’s races.

Absent from the Spitzer event at the Capitol was Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y. She did issue a statement saying, "I support Gov. Spitzer's decision today to withdraw his proposal."

She added, "As President, I will not support drivers' licenses for undocumented people and will press for comprehensive immigration reform that deals with all of the issues around illegal immigration including border security and fixing our broken system."

Last month during a debate among the Democratic presidential contenders, she said that Spitzer's proposal "makes a lot of sense." Her attempts to clarify and modify that statement drew sharp fire from her rivals.

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