Rebukes flow over Bruce remark

Alan Gathright and Chris Barge

Published April 22, 2008 at 11 p.m.

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Photo by Preston Gannaway / The Rocky

Rep. Douglas Bruce waves during a House session on Monday, after calling migrant workers "illiterate peasants."

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Rep. Douglas Bruce's branding Mexican farm workers "illiterate peasants" has drawn international rebukes and calls from Colorado Hispanic leaders for his ouster.

Yet, House leaders don't plan further sanctions against Bruce, who made the controversial comments Monday while criticizing a fellow Republican's bill to expedite temporary visas for workers to combat a farm labor shortage.

"I don't think we need 5,000 more illiterate peasants in Colorado," said Bruce, drawing gasps from fellow lawmakers.

He was gaveled to silence by the floor chairwoman, Rep. Kathleen Curry, D-Gunnison, who barred him from speaking further on the bill.

"He received a pretty quick and fair censure right at the time," said House Majority Leader Alice Madden, D-Boulder. Madden added that she did not know what further action could be taken under House rules.

"I don't expect he'll change his behavior and frankly we know he likes the attention," Madden added. "At some point, you start rewarding bad behavior by giving him attention."

House Minority Leader Mike May, R-Parker, who called Bruce's penchant for provocative conduct a disastrous distraction for Republicans, agreed the incident was handled properly on the House floor.

"We can't go filing ethics investigations every time someone says something we don't like," May said.

Anyone with knowledge of a lawmaker's misconduct may file a complaint with leadership.

House Speaker Andrew Romanoff, Madden and May, will decide whether to take up any complaint or dismiss it.

If an ethics investigation were launched, the punishment could include suspension, censure or expulsion.

"I found them not only unfortunate but offensive," Eduardo Arnal, Mexico's Consul General in Denver, said. "I believe these types of comments do not contribute to the discussion on immigration between Mexico and the United States nor in the search for solutions."

Anti-Defamation League Regional Director Bruce DeBoskey said, "Bruce's comments reflect the bigotry and xenophobia that lay just below the surface of the debate on immigration in this country."

While the bill would "permit legal temporary agricultural workers in Colorado," DeBoskey said, "Bruce's rhetoric feeds the hateful, dehumanizing hysteria surrounding the presence of foreign workers in our country."

The House passed the guest- worker bill on a 46-18 vote. It now goes to the Senate.

gathrighta@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5486

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