You Shouldn't Be Against Immigration in NY

Not if you're the recently appointed Senator, that is. According to the Times, Kirsten Gillibrand's anti-immigrant stance is drawing fire from immigration groups. She opposes any type of amnesty for illegal immigrants; sought to make English the official language of the US; opposed giving drivers' lisences to illegal immigrants; and was, according to the Times, given a "B" grade from Americans for Better Immigration, which supports tougher immigration laws.

These views are fine to have, but not if you live in a state where more than 16% of the residents are Hispanic, according to the US Census Bureau. On top of that, New York is a very liberal state: only 3 of its 29 congressional delegates are Republican. What means is that some New York Democrats are more conservative than, say, their California counterparts.

But it also means there's not much room to maneuver to the right. Representing a conservative Congressional district in eastern New York, with approximately 600,000 constituents, is a lot different than representing a whole state, especially when you've got a city of 8,000,000 very liberal people to consider.

I'm not saying that Gillibrand will fail. But I am saying that, in light of her pretty conservative views towards gun control and immigration, she's got a lot of political reconsideration to do. Her constituency just changed dramatically and if she wants to represent New York State as a whole, she'll have to change her viewpoints. She's a politician, she can do it. The only question is whether she will.