It's a Nguyen, Nguyen Situation

This a local story, I don't know how much national exposure it's getting. If you want to read about it, the Orange County Register is giving it good coverage.

The 47th Congressional District in California is composed primarily of the City of Garden Grove, plus adjacent sections of surrounding cities. The incumbent, Loretta Sanchez, changed her party affiliation a decade ago from lifelong Republican to Democrat to unseat the notorious B-1 Bob Dornan. She is being challenged this term by Tan Nguyen, a Republican candidate who hopes to become the first Vietnamese-American member of Congress.

Nguyen's staffers, with his approval, sent out to the 14,000 households in the district, in which reside registered voters with Hispanic surnames, a notice. This notice stated that immigrants are not allowed to vote. Further, it stated that immigrants who voted would be guilty of a felony and would be fined, imprisoned and deported. It conspicuously does not mention the citizenship requirement for voting, a clear attempt to frighten qualified voters from exercising their franchise. I am unable to stop myself, at this point, from mentioning that Mr Nguyen, is himself, an immigrant, while Ms Sanchez is not.

The Orange County Registrar of Voters, upon discovery that this mailing had taken place, moved to immediately send out a clarification, to these 14,000 households, as to the actual status required to vote, in unambiguous terms. He was constrained from doing so, by the Orange County Board of Supervisors, who voted, with the exception of one, that it was not appropriate. The Orange County Board Of Supervisors are, of course, with the exception of one, Republicans.

The Register printed a copy of this notice. It is very, very slick. It is very likely not a product of Nguyen's staff, but from an outside source. There will, of course, be an investigation. The publicity will probably counter any damage that was done and may in fact mobilize enraged Democratic voters in the district. It will also no doubt cause disgusted Republicans to either not vote, or to vote for Sanchez.

The real problem with this type of behavior, on either side of the political fence, is that it further polarizes a political landscape, in which both sides see the other as criminals, bent on winning at any cost, even that of subverting the democratic tradition that is our proudest possession. This is not a productive course for our nation to take. The kind of political tactics that are more and more being used in this country, while effective, come at a cost we cannot afford.