The Denver Post is running an article questioning the GOP strategy calling for a special session on immigration. From the article, "When Gov. Bill Owens threatened last week to call a special legislative session to get an initiative cutting off state services to illegal immigrants on the ballot, most saw it as a clever way to win Republican votes in November. But a punitive approach to immigration in a heavily Latino state is a risky strategy for Owens and his party, pollsters and some Republican analysts say...
"Indeed, the Colorado governor's tack is a stark contrast to the approach taken by GOP officials in Arizona when a similar ballot proposition called 'Protect Arizona Now' was passed two years ago. There, the Republican Party officially distanced itself from the measure, remembering the costs the California GOP paid after Prop. 187, which denied illegal immigrants access to schools and health care. Though it was approved overwhelmingly by voters in 1994, Prop. 187 created a surge of Democratic support among California Latinos, affirming the power of Democrats in that state. But historical lessons may be hard to apply in today's quickly changing and contentious debate. There are key indications that Latino voters don't necessarily see punitive immigration policies as targeting them. Exit polls in Arizona showed that about 45 percent of Latinos supported 'Protect Arizona Now.'[...]
"But a spate of recent national polls provides plenty for the state's GOP to ponder as it seeks to make immigration a wedge issue in November. A poll by the nonpartisan Latino Coalition shows that Hispanics approve of the way Democrats are handling the immigration issue by a 3-to-1 margin. Another by the Pew Research Center shows that only 33 percent of Latinos support denying social services to illegal immigrants, compared with 83 percent of conservative Republicans - voters who are likely to support the GOP anyway. Robert Deposada, head of the Latino Coalition, said that Republicans must walk a fine line as they keep one eye on electoral necessities of November, another on the long-term relationship with Latino voters...
"Still, Colorado Republicans can be forgiven for wanting to seize the moment. Veteran political analysts say that illegal immigration has grabbed voters' attention more quickly and powerfully than any issue in recent memory. But a counter movement has emerged. Immigrants and Latinos have marched in massive demonstrations across the country, including some of the largest protests in Colorado's history. Many of those marchers are not citizens and can't vote. And Republicans appear to be betting that Latino voters, who typically turn out in low numbers anyway, won't be motivated by the immigration issue to vote in November...
"Perry Vasquez, head of the Colorado chapter of the Republican National Hispanic Assembly, believes Latinos will cut through the political rhetoric to support a comprehensive solution like the guest-worker program being championed by President Bush. Still, he offers a warning: As the Colorado GOP ramps up action on the immigration issue, they need to reach out to Latino voters and reassure them that this is about illegal immigration, not Latinos generally."
Diane Carman: "I love the smell of raw, naked politics in the morning. The initiative, which was drafted by Defend Colorado Now, a group spearheaded by former Gov. Dick Lamm, would amend the state constitution to restrict non-emergency public services (except those required by federal law) to U.S. citizens and legal immigrants. It prescribed that legal residents sue the government to enforce the law. The court ruled that the measure violated the single-subject rule, which prompted Lamm to find his inner John Andrews and call it 'outrageous judicial activism.' Gov. Bill Owens joined the judge-bashing, calling the decision 'arrogant.' Now, it's worth noting that neither of these guys complained when the same court sunk Initiative 74 on the same single-subject rule with the same justice, Nathan Coats, delivering the same dissent three weeks ago."
Category: Denver November 2006 Election
7:14:35 AM 
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