Obama Stands By Support For Spitzer Plan

Sen. Barack Obama, D-Il, is standing by his support for granting driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants, even after Gov. Eliot Spitzer, D-NY, abandoned the proposal amidst rising political opposition.

"Obama said in the debate he supported it and he's standing by it," an aide to the Senator told the Huffington Post. "He supported a similar bill in the state senate as a law enforcement measure."

Obama's backing stands in stark contrast to the position taken by Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY, whose campaign now cites the issue as a basic policy difference between the two Democratic frontrunners.

Earlier today, Clinton applauded Spitzer's decision to take the measure off the table. "As president, I will not support driver's 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," she said in a statement.

Spitzer's withdrawal of the hotly-contested proposal, and Clinton's subsequent support of his decision, sparked a fierce back-and-forth between the two leading Democratic presidential candidates. This afternoon, Obama's spokesman Bill Burton pressed the perception that Clinton is reluctant to take tough stances on this and other issues.

"When it takes two weeks and six different positions to answer one question on immigration," he said, "it's easy to understand why the Clinton campaign would rather plant their questions than answer them."

In a statement released late Wednesday afternoon to the Huffington Post, Clinton spokesperson Phil Singer shot back:

"It's unfortunate that the other campaigns are employing hot rhetoric, but there are basic differences between the candidates: Sen. Clinton would not give driver's licenses to undocumented people, Senator Obama would, and nobody seems to know what Senator Edwards believes on the issue."

The issue of whether to grant driver's licenses to illegal immigrants was thrust into the 2008 campaign two weeks ago during the Democratic presidential debate at Drexel University. Clinton said, at the time, that she supported Spitzer's desire to provide safety and security on New York's roads but not necessarily the proposal itself. Obama said, as he does now, that he supported the measure, while Edwards said he could not support it in the absence of more comprehensive immigration reform.

Spitzer announced this morning that he was dropping the plan because he believed it stood little or no chance of being passed into law.

"I've concluded that New York state cannot conduct this program on its own," the governor said. "It does not take a stethoscope to hear the pulse of New Yorkers on this topic."

Comments

[themodernleader]

In the absence of Federal legislation the States are forced to act in the name of public safety and tax collection. Spitzer and Obama are correct in recognizing de facto existence of walking, talking, reproducing and working humans who also drive vehicles with fake documents or illegally.
In my City illegals are given a free pass much of the time for driving without a license. Otherwise, the jails would be full of humans whose only desire is to work to make a better life for themselves and their love ones.
As the American Republic declines, rather than deal with the real issues, our despicable leaders and demigogic media stir up resentment and scapegoating of minorities. Misplaced blame comes back to further damage the blamers while those creating the mess we confront sit in the driver's seat and gloat over their emerging power and control.
As with most Americans I am appalled by the existence of illegals in our Country. But the solution must be a National solution. In a vacuum of Federal neglect, the individual States must act in the best way possible to manage a precarious predicament of conflicting laws. Affording driver's licenses and identity cards to documented, illegal aliens has been found a workable, if unsatisfactory solution, in the absence of Federal policy.

[tkk]

Great, another George W. Bush. Don't consider what the people want, just do whatever to appease your "base."

71% of the people in New York opposed this plan.

[Jimmyboyo]

they will be driving ANYWAY!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!! The point was to document them in some way.

hillary flipity flopity clinton

was for it

then against it

does she stand for anything?

[Boadicea]

Wow, looks like Clinton went home and checked the polls on this one! PHew! That was close on, huh, Hill? Here's hopin' no one notices the complete about face in a matter of days!

[jwws007]

another candidate i can't vote for. i'm tired of politicians telling people what's right and wrong

[Stevelagain]

It's Clear that if President, Hillary Clinton will sign any bills that support illegal immigration. The radical left is with business on importing cheap, illegal workers.

The only reason Hillary finally moved off of her "principal" was because the bill failed in New York and was increasingly unpopular and damaging.

I think those of you for socialism, communism, radical left wing agenda need not worry about Hillary, she will pass whatever radical left wing, high taxing, big government bills your congress will send her.

But until she takes the Whitehouse shes not about to stand up for legislation that fails and is massively rejected by an outraged public.

You folks want someone in the Whitehouse that will DIE for their radical left wing principals. Hillary will not do that because Hillary number one principal is power, to stay in power, to get more power.

How else are you going to get a radical liberal in there? You need someone like Hillary that will pander to the masses to gain power, then stick it to the masses when she supports all the stuff the people are against.

I think you folks will be very pleased with Hillary once she is in the Whitehouse.

[EliPariser08]

'Sen. Barack Obama, D-Il, is standing by his support for granting driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants...'

'night, Buckwheat

[GrouchoMarxist]

Good for him for taking a position and sticking with it regardless of how popular/unpopular it may be.

[shaefromTn]

Obama what part of illegal do you not understand?

[akhinaten]

Leading by polls is not leadership in the true sense of the word it is “following from the front”.
The question goes to here motive to run for the office of the presidency.
A person who just want to win by all cost ...... is really a dangerous person.
Tell me any political reform that have not being unpopular.
I don’t understand, the kind of people who are so single track minded that if a leader does not agree with them and tell them what they want to hear, instead of what they need to hear they jump boat.

What do you think we should do with the “undocumented workers”?

1 deport....­..........­..........­..........­. They are 20 million we could not rescue the thousands that were victims of Katrina.

2. Starve them to death by criminalizing giving employment to them.
Do you really want to leave in a nation where able body people are forced to stave it will erode the public moral.

3. Just turn a blind eye to it.
That is the ostrich alternative, we should just bury our heads in the sand.

4. Give amnesty
Tomorrow million more are coming over the border.


There is no alternative in America politics.There is the republican and the other-republican, how can you be outsmarted by people who use fear to govern. It is a monumental failure of leadership. Leading by polls the Clinton stile, total unwillingness to pay a political prize for once own convictions, how can you have respect for a leader who don’t know were to lead you, who turn to you for directions.

[Luc65]

Here we go. It clearly shows why one never should ask to asnwer a complex question by a Yes or a No! Tim Russert put HRC on the defensive by asking a question that nobody should have answered by a yes or no.

She clearly demonstrated that:

- She would support officials who comes with new ideas to solve the immigration problem.

- She would also take her time to assess the real implication of that idea before answering by yes or no, which any intelligent person should do.

The bottom line is by endorsing the driver license proposal, Obama shows how immature he was to jump the gun. The idea was perhaps good, but it worth nothing if there is not a strong support behind it.

[AntonBursch]

Clinton spokesperson Phil Singer shot back:

"It's unfortunate that the other campaigns are employing hot rhetoric, but there are basic differences between the candidates: Sen. Clinton would not give driver's licenses to undocumented people, Senator Obama would, and nobody seems to know what Senator Edwards believes on the issue."
----------­----------­----------­----------­-----

This is why I won't vote for Hillary Clinton for President. She had my vote early on and this kind of shit is why I changed my mind.

[TuffPosh]

It'd be nice if the HuffPost had gone the extra step and had asked Obama pointed questions about his scheme.

It'd be nice to get a run-down of all the types of illegal activity Obama supports.

For instance, Spitz tried to change the rules to make it easier for illegal aliens to vote. Would Obama make that illegal activity easier?

What about incentivizing future illegal immigration? Everyone knows his border plan will never be implemented, so he's supporting all those associated forms of illegal activity too.

Perhaps in a future post Stein can enumerate the different types of crimes and illegality Obama supports.

--
P.S. Please go to Obama's campaign appearances and ask him this question:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiullH5jU1A

[Sisyphuss]

Obama is wrong on this one, IMO. But at least he's been consistent (albeit consistently wrong).

[irishamerican]

Good for you Obama.
You are going to show that you won't shrink from debate. You will take a stand and not be a flip flopper. NOW is the time! like you said on Saturday night. Take a stand and argue your positions! Bravo!
Is this a really unpopular thing to say?
Yes it is.
Is that any reason to Flip Flop like Hillary?
Hell no!

Maybe now you can talk about what REALLY needs to be done. It wouldn't hurt to bring up the fact that it isn't the President's job to hand out Driver's Licenses. That's the State's job. It would help to point out that the very argument the Republicans are trying to make on this issue is violating their long held reliance on "State's Rights", namely, if they don't like it, their Governors can change it. Oh, by the way, 18 States ALREADY HAVE DL's for Illegal Immigrants. What do those Governors have to say about it?
I am confident that you will diffuse this hot potatoe with logic, reason, and integrity. In the end, even if people don't agree with you on the issue, your integrity will still be intact, and NOBODY will EVER be able to call you a Flip Flopper.
Bravo Barack, Bravo!