Monroe County An Experimental Lab for National GOP
Gov. Spitzer recently floated a plan (it’s merely being discussed, not implemented yet), to make it easier for undocumented immigrants to get NY state drivers licenses. Regardless of how you feel about the idea (I personally see positives and no real negatives, but that’s a different article), it’s interesting to see how the local GOP is trying to make political hay out of it.
Just like with many other things recently, I’m noticing a real parallel between national GOP strategy/actions, and local. Check out this mailer which attacks Niki Tsongas, who is up for a House seat in a special election in Massachusetts (courtesy of OpenLeft).
This race is regarded as a testing ground for GOP ‘08 messaging:
The Republicans are testing out messaging with the Ogonowski campaign. The flyer is not true - the Lowell Sun didn’t make those arguments.
(snip)
The combination of blurring on Iraq, calling for bipartisanship, and nativism is an expected formula for Republicans who have to run against their party without losing their base.
Now, where else are we seeing immigrants being brought up as an issue? Hmmm.
Even the D&C ed board can see it. Mixed in with the usual, requisite “all sides make good points” editorial stuff, is the heart of the matter:
…the debate about the change seems more focused on gaining political brownie points than finding a viable solution.
Why else are majority Republicans in the County Legislature scheduling a vote this week on a non-binding resolution that allows Dinolfo to disobey the governor’s mandate? They are likely to adopt a measure saying it’s OK for Dinolfo to disobey a state mandate as a protest of the governor’s disregard for federal immigration law.
Yes, this is lunacy.
You see, even Billy Idol gets it! How does it feel, Monroe County, getting a sneak preview of GOP ‘08? What an honor that Steve Minarik gets to champion the proud tactics of the national GOP again and again!
Related posts:
Terrific post. When the D&C says something is “lunacy”…okay, I can’t find a phrase that works here.
I think the common theme of Republicans at the local, state and national level is that we must be afraid. And they are doing whatever they can to maintain that fear - with the concommitant (and ridiculous) claim that they have made us safer. They urge more security, more intrusion, more uniting against a common enemy, creating more power and less ability to question it. Two great things I read tonight:
http://www.firedoglake.com/2007/10/11/12187/
http://www.consortiumnews.com/2007/092607a.html
So what do we do on a local, state and national level, to fight this destruction of the America we love and the Constitution that created and nurtured it?
[...] without Social Security numbers. And on Rochester Turning, a look at how the Monroe County GOP is bringing the xenophobia on the immigration [...]
[...] a wash as an issue for them. It certainly won’t be health care. It will be immigrant-bashing. We’ve already written (via OpenLeft) about how Republican Jim Ogonowski used anti-immigrant rhetoric to [...]