Democrats face law and order dilemma

Politico ^ | Nov 6, 2007 | David Paul Kuhn

[vietvet67]

Last week there was a feverish debate following Hillary Clinton’s rhetorical acrobatics over proposals to grant driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants. Yet it’s the uniform backing of this policy by the leading Democratic presidential candidates that may prove more foreboding for liberals in the general election.

The rising American discontent with illegal immigration has the potential to sever Democrats from the majority of voters — especially those in the working and middle class — like no issue has in four decades.

During the mid-1900s, Hubert Humphrey was one of the toughest anti-crime mayors in America. But by the 1968 presidential campaign both Republican Richard Nixon and independent George Wallace were viewed as more capable than the Democratic nominee of doing the “best job in handling law and order,” according to a poll that year.

Another survey found that urban upheaval was considered a top concern by nearly as many Americans as the war in Vietnam.

Now some Democrats are accusing Republicans of demagogy over illegal immigration. Liberals tried a similar strategy in 1968 over riots, crime and racial unrest. While there may have been merit to some of these charges, it was Democrats who ended up paying a political price.

Democrats in 1968 focused heavily on courting the black vote, then roughly one in 10 voters. There was a sense that Democrats could not emphasize curtailing riots and rising crime without devaluing hard-won gains in civil rights.

Liberals rightly emphasized the problem of rampant police abuse. But they glossed over the fact that lawlessness was increasingly defining American life — between 1960 and 1972, the violent crime and robbery rate tripled and the aggravated assault, rape and murder rates all doubled.

[RC2]

It is also a problem for the legal Mexicans in this country. They don’t want to be used by Hillary just to get their votes and then dumped later on. They know that Hillary is just doing the walk to get their votes. Legal Mexicans in this country don’t want the illegals here either. Democrats, if they turn on the illegals, they will loose potential votes. If they side with the illegals, they will loose America’s votes. They pander to anyone and everyone. It’s time for American Democrats to finally admit that their politicians really don’t care about them.

[Grampa Dave]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1922237/posts

77% Oppose Drivers’ Licenses for Undocumented Immigrants
Rasmussen Reports ^ | November 06, 2007

Posted on 11/07/2007 6:55:55 AM PST by Clintonfatigued

Seventy-seven percent (77%) of American adults are opposed to making drivers licenses available to people who are in the country illegally. A Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that just 16% take the opposite view and believe that undocumented immigrants should be allowed to get a license.

State surveys in Virginia and Kentucky show similar results.

[Gatún(CraigIsaMangoTreeLawyer)]

“It’s time for American Democrats to finally admit that their politicians really don’t care about them.”

It’s time for the American Republicans to finally admit their politicians really don’t care about them either.

[Verginius Rufus]

Humphrey was mayor of Minneapolis from 1945 to 1949. Back then he probably didn’t have to worry that fighting crime would lead to accusations of racism.