Obama Takes A Risk On Driver's Licenses For Ilegal Immigrants

San Francisco Chronicle:

Sen. Barack Obama easily won the African American vote in South Carolina, but to woo California Latinos, where he is running 3-to-1 behind rival Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, he is taking a giant risk: spotlighting his support for the red-hot issue of granting driver's licenses to illegal immigrants.

It's a huge issue for Latinos, who want them. It's also a huge issue for the general electorate, which most vehemently does not. Obama's stand could come back to haunt him not only in a general election, but with other voters in California, where driver's licenses for illegal immigrants helped undo former Gov. Gray Davis.

Read the whole story: San Francisco Chronicle

Comments

[Clem2]

I agree that the way the US is going, with all our jobs shipped to other countries, the only thing we will be making is promissory notes! (that was a good one).

However, take exception that liberal Dems are for illegal immigration. None that I know personally are.

Big business wants them here which is why they are here.

Liberal dems are not big business.

I do think Barack's stand is a mistake, tho.

[MidSection]

Obama will not win latino votes. a recent survey of latinos found that over 60% percent of them thought that african americans were lazy and untrustwor­thy....lat­ino's do not like African americans.­...they find them crass and not to be trusted...­.let the guy pander....­it's what he does best.

[uglybetty]

I have a HUGE problem with the headline about Colorado ,loving Obama !!!
Since it's MY home , how come I have never heard a word about Obama, except on national news ???
Don't kid yourselves Obama FANS, we will choose FOR OUR SELVES !!!

[Average]

Could it be his TRUE COLORS are beginning to show--and I'm not talking about his race.

[CrankyCurmudgeon]

“The law, in its majestic equality, forbids rich and poor alike to sleep under bridges, beg in the streets or steal bread.” Not only did Anatole France say that, he also said "I prefer the folly of enthusiasm to the indifference of wisdom." Seems to pretty neatly sum up the argument in favor of Barack for President, eh?

To equate the illegality of people coming here, without proper documentation, to make a better life, with the breaking of all laws seems to be the sophistry to me. It was illegal to hide Jews in Germany and the countries occupied by the Nazis during WWII. I suspect most of those screaming about the illegality of immigrants here in the U.S. would have gladly bowed to that dictum as well.

[lefilmnoir]

This won't go over well with most voters. He may have just lost the nomination.

[KristenfromMA]

Let's all try to remember that 'illegal' is an adjective, not a noun. Mmkay?

[Ides]

I'm tired of people saying he's pandering. He's held this belief since at least November. He's not pandering, he's a far-left Liberal. SURPRISE, Liberals hold unpopular positions to the Left of everybody else.

The more Democrats hear his policies the more unpopular he'll become among moderates and he'll either lose the "core" of the Democratic Party or maybe Hillary's supporters will wake the fuck up and realize there's a Progressive who can win the presidency.

[SearchingForPericles]

Obama has always been for licenses for illegals.

He butchered the same question that HRC butchered in the preceding debate.

The earlier poster has it wrong somewhat. HRC switched her position. Obama did a bit of dancing, saying he wouldn't PROPOSE the matter (push for it), but when finally cornered by Blitzer, admitted he would vote for it.

Now, one can disagree with the position, or argue about if it is wise or not, but that has been his consistent position throughout the campaign.

If it is pandering, its not pandering come lately, its been constant.

[seamusnh]

This may help Obama in the race against Hillary but it will come back to bite him in the general election if he gets that far... The Republicans will have a field day with this....

[zreeb]

I firmly believe they should be able to get a Driver's License, and at the same time up the penalty, imprisoned or deported if it's offered yet they fail to obtain the license and insurance.

[Zhonni]

DRIVERS LICENSE OR NOT, THEY ARE GOING TO DRIVE.

Why not get them out of the shadows, and teach them the rules of the road to protect American citizens? This drivers license has to be different though. They also need to get insurance.

This is supposed to be a SAFETY issue and not a WEDGE issue.

[MinnesotaProud]

One more nail in his coffin!! But, Hillary will do it too! She changed her position because she knows if she is elected, she will give all the illegals every benefit available to tax paying citizens. As a life long Democrat, I and every Dem I know are voting Republican. We see where the Dems will take us in the future. Anyone who says they will stop the illegal invasion and deny our entitlements to illegals will win this election!!!

[StephenDedalus82]

First of all, can we not use the term "illegals" to describe human beings. The Republicans already have an edge on the framing of this topic, just as they usually do. Secondly, this topic is likely to be the get-out-the-vote tactic for Republicans as gay marriage was the last time around. Luckily xenophobes don't all gather in churches and can't be bused to the polls.

[realitytrumpsbull]

I have something further to add to all of this:
I'm for giving illegal aliens driver's licenses, too, and a visa stamp in their passports, just like we have to carry and get if we travel abroad. What's good for the goose is good for the gander. If you want to operate a motor vehicle on an american road, I want you to have a driver's license. In the case of a citizen of Mexico, that needs to be an international driver's license. If you operate a motor vehicle on an american road, and you do not have a license, I want the police to impound your car, and charge you lots of money so you won't do that anymore, and if you hurt somebody, even worse deliberately, I want them to lock you in a little room so I can drive to work and not have to worry about you plowing into me, either deliberately, or by accident.

People like Barack tend to come from a fairly liberal standpoint, run-amok immigration, do-whatever domestic legislation, that kind of thing. Freedom. You sure hear that word a lot.
But, there is a balance to be attained to, a common standard of acceptability in terms of
what will be permitted, and what won't. This administration's kind of tried to take everybody on a national growth tear. Agendas. Don't you just love agendas? And, don't forget to play nice, or the hyphenated­-americans liberation society will be after you...spea­king farsi or somesuch.