Thread: Immigration number 1 issue in Colorado

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 00745.html

Immigration

Sunday, July 30, 2006; A05



Republican House candidate Rick O'Donnell has come to one clear conclusion from hours spent knocking on doors in the Denver suburbs. Immigration is the No. 1 issue "by a factor of 10" in Colorado's 7th District. "The anger that the border is not secure is visceral and real," he said.

O'Donnell is running in one of the most hotly contested House races in the country. Incumbent Rep. Bob Beauprez (R) has given up the seat to run for governor. Three Democrats are competing in the Aug. 8 primary to run against O'Donnell, who has no GOP opposition.

Republicans in Colorado's 7th and several other bellwether races hope a hard-line stance on immigration will help stoke voter turnout for their candidates. GOP congressional leaders announced last week that they will hold 21 hearings around the country on immigration during the August recess.

Democrats, too, are banging the immigration drum in the 7th. One candidate, Peggy Lamm, highlighted -- although vaguely -- immigration among a handful of promises in her campaign's first ad, which began airing last week. "I'll do something about illegal immigration," she says in the spot.

Democratic state Sen. Ed Perlmutter, also vying for the nomination, said interest in the issue during a recent Senate debate roiled but lately has subsided. O'Donnell predicted that whoever wins the Democratic nomination will have to talk about immigration more aggressively in the fall: "I think Democrats are scared of the issue."


-- Dan Balz

Half the dam dogooders in this state are afraid to touch it. Thank God, I'm in Tancredo's district.

Half the dam dogooders in this state are afraid to touch it. Thank God, I'm in Tancredo's district.

Chey, at least they are doing something about it in your state. I wish something would start moving here in UT. I know our UT Minuteman are doing everything they can, but we need more. Compared to many other states, UT is moving at a snail's pace.

Sippy, have you been to the Burger King in Park City? I was there back in February? Where did they find all of those workers? Not one Caucasion, African-American, Native American, or Asian-American employed there!


I noticed that SLC is full of Latinos. I asked the front desk guy about it at my hotel in SLC, and he said that they mostly came in the last couple of years, to fill jobs. He didn't say if they were legal or not. I suspect that about half of them are legal. When you encounter them in SLC or Park City and many of them can barely speak a word of English, it doesn't look too good for their citizenship status.

I think that coordinating partnerships between local businesses and high schools/colleges is a way to get local businesses on the path to using legal student labor. That's an idea.

Ostrich

I think that coordinating partnerships between local businesses and high schools/colleges is a way to get local businesses on the path to using legal student labor.

Ostrich - it sounds like a really good idea.

Having said that, I'm a skeptical person any more. Would the highschool/college students be willing to work for peanuts?