Duke's blog

The Democratic Party finally released what appears to be their official strategy/talking points intended to counter the Republican immigration wedge.

Now, I'm not a high paid consultant, or a professional Washington strategist with a long history of losing campaigns, but for the life of me I can't seem to figure out what the Democratic leadership is trying to accomplish with this plan.

Up until now it appeared that the "Republican-lite" strategy developed by Rahm Emanuel and the DLC centrists looked like it would become the party line. But with this new strategy, recently released on the party's website, I frankly haven't a clue what the Dems ultimate plan is.

The strategy in essence revolves around a few key concepts:

• The Republicans are using the immigration issue for political gain
• The Republicans had plenty of time to fix immigration and didn't
• The Republicans have been unable to secure the border
• The Republicans are using fear and bigotry to scapegoat immigrants
• The scapegoating isn't working

Of course there's one glaring omission in this strategy …. there isn't any sort of a alternative plan proposed

Back in the fall of 2006, after two men arrested for hate crimes committed at a Laguna Beach day laborers work center were freed by that city's District Attorney's Office, many voiced concerns about the increasing level of violence directed at the immigrant and Latino community in what has quickly become ground zero in the war over immigration: Orange County California.

But more importantly, it raised serious questions about who was actually behind this increased violence.

While certainly no hotbed for liberal thinking, increasing evidence seems to point to a covert campaign by small group of influential residents, community leaders, and some of the nation's most virulent hate-groups to fan the fires of hatred in order to make OC the most immigrant unfriendly place in the nation.

Later this week, the Laguna Beach day laborer center will once again be drawn into the national spotlight when yet another lawsuit filed by anti-immigrant groups will attempt to shutter its doors. But perhaps more important than what goes on in the judge's chambers, is what's gone on behind the scenes to make this lawsuit possible in the first place.