If there is one trait of Gov. Susana Martinez, a Republican, that irks lawmakers on the opposite side of the aisle, it is her reluctance to negotiate. Ms. Martinez handles the Legislature in much the same way that she made a name for herself as a county prosecutor — a tough-as-nails approach that helped carry her all the way to the state’s highest government post.
On one of the defining issues of her tenure, the fight to repeal the state’s law allowing illegal immigrants to get a driver’s license, her persistence — or intransigence, depending on whom you ask — may have paid off. She immediately embraced a bipartisan bill introduced on Feb. 13 that would do just that; though to hear her tell it, she also gave in by supporting an alternate driver’s license for young immigrants benefiting from deferred deportation.
There are Republican leaders out there who have spines. Unfortunately, at the present time almost none of them work in Washington. Gov. Martinez was my secret sleeper wish for the VP slot last fall and, in retrospect, I’m glad she’s not dragging that baggage around.
This piece by the Times isn’t too negative (she’s “pandering to her party” on immigration is probably the worst thing in it), which should change in a hurry as her national stature rises.
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