RUSH: ... New Yorkers, New York liberal Democrats, are livid. They are outraged over the decision by Governor Spitzer to pull his driver's licenses for illegal immigrants plan. First up, Charlie Rangel at the Spitzer press conference.
RANGEL: There is no question that nobody's thinking about identifying, deporting, jailing these people. They are part of our economy; they are part of what America was supposed to be and will continue to be. But, somehow, for political reasons, we've been able to stigmatize to such a degree that those who challenge the system are being called unpatriotic. There's no question that we lack the leadership on the national level to change the tone.
RUSH: You know, Charlie, I tell you, "lack the leadership on the national level to change the tone"? It seems to me that we have a president who tried to change the tone with you people, and when he tried to change the tone with you people, all you did was stomp on him. He led this issue, Charlie. You Democrats stood on the sidelines letting the president take the bullets on this from the American people. You didn't want to get involved because you wanted the Republican Party divided over this. Now that it's boomeranged, as almost everything's done lately on the Democrat side, now, all of a sudden, you're absent leadership on this? What about Senator Clinton? What about Senator Schumer? What about you? What about President Bush? Where were you joining him on this, Charlie, if it's so important?
If these people are the backbone of America -- and, by the way, that's a stretch. Immigrants to America have never been illegal, the backbone of the country, the melting pot. These comments that these guys are making make it clear, do they not, that this is purely a political partisan issue to them. It is those guys who are making this political. They are making it partisan. Those of us who oppose all of this are simply standing for the rule of law, and American tradition; American exceptionalism. Charlie Rangel, Spitzer, Hillary Clinton, any number of Democrats, are doing just the opposite. They're willing to wreck the country's foundations, traditions, and institutions regardless, as long as it gives them more voters and a greater chance to win elections. Now, Gary Ackerman, a congressman from New York, also at the Spitzer press conference today, and he loses it a little.
ACKERMAN: This might not have been the exact right plan, but the governor is on to something, and that is that we have to really be attentive and try to solve this problem. Those people who just want to use the jingoistic terms that are popular, round 'em all up, put 'em on planes and send 'em home, I challenge them. Call the immigration commissioner of this country, tell 'em that you've just caught an illegal immigrant, and you have 'em hog-tied here right in front of the US capitol, come and collect 'em, and I guarantee you no one is going to show up because they don't know what to do with them, and that's the problem.
RUSH: Well, you guys are the ones in Congress, for crying out loud, Ackerman, Rangel, all these people are in Congress, and you're blaming who? It's like you guys are spectators? You're just standing around watching all this? You have no impact on it? You coulda done any number of things about this. By the way, who is it that these people are referring to when they keep talking about rounding 'em up and flying 'em home on airplanes? Nobody was ever talking about deportation. We were talking about border security first. Get that done and stop the flow. Then we'll deal with the problem of the 12 to 20, whatever millions are here. But if you don't do the border first, then nobody is going to take anybody seriously on this issue because we've been here and done that, 1986 Simpson-Mazzoli Act. I don't want to relive all this, but I'll tell you what, it's going to be an issue that will be predominant throughout the presidential campaign. And it's about time. This issue should have always been part of the presidential campaign, and now it is.
Liberals Livid Over Spitzer Loss