Feb 13 2008
Steve Ivester: 10th Congressional District
Steve Ivester, Democratic candidate for North Carolina’s Tenth Congressional District made a blog post concerning the illegal immigration problem over at BlueNC:
Many Republicans, following the style of Carl Rove, claim that Democrats are soft on illegal immigration. In fact the owners of our larger farms and factories (many but not all Republican) are the real beneficiaries of this illegitimate labor force. It can be manipulated and exploited through careless direct hires or contrived sub-contract arrangements. However, working people (many, but not all, Democrat) are the ones who have been most hurt. As I have traveled the district during the last twelve months meeting and talking to thousands of people, I am finding many Democrats who are angry and vocal about this issue. I am also finding businessmen, farmers, and others who fear over-reaction. Democrats are not soft on Illegal Immigration, and Republicans are not the only defenders of our liberty.
Most politicians either dodge this issue entirely or take over-blown, un-realistic, but popular, hard-line stands such as the one Mr. McHenry laid out in his mailer. They agitate people’s concerns but do little to find realistic solutions.
We do not need a Congressman in Washington who panders to our whims or exploit our fears. We need someone who knows the District and leads by a combination of consensus and vision (the art of the possible). I am such a person and invite you to check out my ideas, involvement in the life of my District and related experience on many issues at www.steveivester.com
I recommend you check out his Web site. He is a centrist Democrat and seems to have a fairly common sense approach to the issues. He has a primary battle first with Daniel Johnson, if he wins that election he’ll presumably go on to battle McHenry for his seat in November. I say presumably because McHenry also has a primary challenger. This is a very Republican district so I don’t know what the odds are of either Democrat defeating McHenry, but McHenry is a sleaze so maybe with their centrist stances it’s possible. I would be quite pleased to see McHenry replaced.
There is going to be a lot of excitement to keep watch over in the Tenth this year.
