Dems suspect Owens of political motives

Lynn Bartels, Rocky Mountain News

Thursday, June 29, 2006

Gov. Bill Owens never mentioned illegal immigration in his first seven State of the State speeches.

When he did bring it up, in his eighth and final speech to legislators in January, he twice stressed it was a problem that needed to be solved at the federal level.

So Owens' insistence these days that illegal immigration is so important that Colorado voters should have a say on the issue in November is seen as grandstanding by some Democratic lawmakers.

They can't help but point out that it's an election year and a number of voters are ticked off by illegal immigrants.

"I remember the governor going on Russian trade tours, but I don't remember him talking about immigration," said state Rep. Terrance Carroll, D-Denver.

Carroll said what else he remembers is Owens spending much of his two terms "running away from" the illegal immigration crackdown pushed by U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo.

"Maybe, we should start calling the governor 'Both Ways Bill,' " Carroll said.

The Republican governor on Wednesday called lawmakers back into session to deal with illegal immigration but said politics had had nothing to do with his decision.

He said he wouldn't even have thought about a special session if the Colorado Supreme Court earlier this month hadn't rejected an illegal immigration ballot measure that voters in both parties believed would be on the ballot.

Immigration is expected to be the hot-button issue that brings voters to the polls this year.

Former state Sen. Norma Anderson, R-Lakewood, said she hasn't seen anything like it since the term-limits movement was all the rage nearly 20 years ago.

"Everybody hated politicians so they thought term limits was a good idea," she said. "You learn to hate a group of people. Now it's illegal immigrants."

Consider: The Trailhead Group, a GOP political group, is polling on illegal immigration.

Director Alan Philp said in one Adams County legislative district more than 80 percent of the voters, either Republican, Democrat or unaffiliated, said they would be less likely to vote for a candidate who backs in-state tuition for illegal immigrants.

Political consultant Katy Atkinson said she expects lawmakers in the special session will introduce bills they know don't stand a chance of passing, but will put lawmakers on the record on where they stand on illegal immigration.

"Will that be used in an election?" she said. "You bet."

Owens in January talked about the growing concern about illegal immigration and noted that both parties had introduced bills to deal with the issue.

"But we also need to note that regardless of what we do here in Colorado, the ultimate solution lies at the national level," Owens said, in part.

"I will work with this legislature on Colorado-oriented immigration issues, though the real heavy lifting must be done at our nation's Capitol."

bartels@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-892-5327