June 18, 2010
In California, Facing Illegal ImmigrationBy RANDAL C. ARCHIBOLD
In the closing days of the Republican primary in California, Meg Whitman vowed to get tough on illegal immigrants, and in a radio commercial even brought out a big gun, a former governor, Pete Wilson. He is known for his advocacy of Proposition 187, a 1994 initiative that sought to deny public services to illegal immigrants. It was blocked by a federal court, but remains a sore point with Latino voters. Now, after winning the primary, Ms. Whitman reveals her opposition to the proposal in new Spanish-language television commercials, and embraces concerns dear to Latinos.
THE SCRIPT The radio ad in the primary, “Tough as Nails,” has Ms. Whitman speaking, before Mr. Wilson jumps in.
Whitman: Don’t be fooled by misleading ads, my position on immigration is crystal clear. Illegal immigrants are just that, illegal. I am 100 percent against amnesty for illegal immigrants. Period. As governor, I will crack down on so-called sanctuary cities like San Francisco who thumb their nose at our laws. Illegal immigrants should not expect benefits from the State of California. No driver’s license and no admission to state-funded institutions of higher education. And I’ll create an economic fence to crack down on employers who break the law by using illegal labor.
Wilson: This is former Gov. Pete Wilson. I know how important it is to stop illegal immigration, and I know Meg Whitman. Meg will be tough as nails on illegal immigration. She’ll fight to secure our border and go after sanctuary cities. Please join me in supporting Meg Whitman for governor.
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The TV ad, a “Different Kind,” (as translated by the campaign) plays over a montage of images of a smiling, cheerful Ms. Whitman interacting with Latinos.
Announcer: Meg Whitman is a different kind of candidate. She is a business leader ready to fix Sacramento, ready to create more jobs and better schools in California. She respects our community. She is the Republican who opposes the Arizona law and opposed Proposition 187.
She means real change. She has a specific plan for a new California. With more jobs, better schools and less bureaucracy.
She includes all of us. Meet Meg Whitman. A different kind of candidate, and the governor California needs.
ON THE SCREEN A montage of video of Ms. Whitman chatting and smiling with Latinos.
ACCURACY It is a matter of dispute whether Ms. Whitman’s position on illegal immigration is “crystal clear.” The only thing clear is the ads were aimed at different audiences. California already bars driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants, and prohibiting illegal immigrants from attending state-funded colleges is likely to be a tough sell to the Democrat-controlled Legislature. As for the new ad, Ms. Whitman did speak out against the new Arizona law, which gives local police authority to seek the deportation of illegal immigrants, but she did not mention that position in any primary ads. When Proposition 187 was passed, Ms. Whitman was not living in California but she said last year that she would have voted against it.
SHELF LIFE The campaign of Jerry Brown, her Democratic opponent, is already crying hypocrisy, but Ms. Whitman’s camp says she has long reached out to Latino voters. Winning them over is key; they are about one-fifth of the electorate and tend to vote Democratic, so Ms. Whitman needs to capture a large share of that vote to prevail. It is safe to say Mr. Wilson will probably not be appearing in any ads aimed at them.
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