Nancy Johnson touches the political third rail today in Danbury

What is Nancy Johnson thinking? Doesn’t she realize that she’s handing Chris Murphy a gift when she visits Danbury today?

This evening, Nancy Johnson is about to do something that NO other political person facing re-election would ever think of doing...she's meeting with a radical anti-immigration group that many people in Danbury consider to be racist and out of touch with the majority of the population.

Today, Johnson is meeting with the U.S. Citizens for Immigration Law Enforcement, an anti-immigration group that was originally part of Paul Streitz's group, Connecticut Citizens for Immigration Control (CTCIC). Although the group is no longer a part of Streitz clan, many of their members belong to both groups and their message is basically identical to CTCIC's (as well as irrational): throw the illegal aliens out period (no compromise).

When the CTCIC formed last year, many politicians distanced themselves from them because of their radical ways and outlandish publicity stunts. To this day, Mayor Boughton (the person who started the campaign against illegal immigrants and the immigration system) hasn't met with these people and for good reason...they're basically nuts and meeting with them would be political suicide. No other political figure has met with this group of wackos...not until today that is.

If Nancy Johnson is so concerned about immigration, why isn't she meeting with the person who raised the issue (Mayor Boughton) and meeting instead with a group which many people in Danbury consider to be racist. They are also well known for spreading misinformation (immigrants bring diseases, linking illegal immigrants to 9-11) and many people consider them the root of the racial tension in the area?

If Johnson thinks that her meeting with these anti-immigrant extermists will win her votes come November, she should think again. She's meeting with a group of folks who couldn't even get more than 100 people to come out to their anti-immigration forum a couple of months ago (which they highly publicized) whereas the last thing the pro-immigrant groups did in Danbury attracted over 1,200 people (look at the photo below).
Many in the area do not want to have anything to do with the anti-immigrant wackos and many in the city wish they would just go away as their hate rhetoric was assisted in placing a dark cloud over Danbury, a city which was onced named the number 1 city to live in America.

In the end, Johnson's meeting with the members of U.S. Citizens for Immigration Law Enforcement will only give the anti-immigrant advocates a false sense of legitimacy.

You can bet that her visit will become a political issue as the election season heats up. Somewhere, Chris Murphy's campaign is just grinning.

In the end, Johnson will regret ever meeting with this group and she should fire whoever told her that meeting with the anti-immigrant extermists was a good idea.