December 8, 2006 8:30 AM
Owens: I'll pass on '08 Senate run
If Sen. Wayne Allard decides not to run for re-election in 2008, Gov. Bill Owens won't be among the Republicans shouting "Pick me."
Allard is expected to announce whether he will run again early next year. Owens has been widely mentioned as a possible candidate if Allard decides not to seek re-election.But the governor, who will leave office Jan. 9, told 9News that while the speculation is flattering, a Senate campaign is not something he is interested in.
Discussion
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December 8, 2006
9:17 AM
Tree writes:
Owens is ready for retirement with entitlement and a huge Gov. pension. He's lazy. He's not a natural go getter and leader. He's a gopher for the R party. I think he drove the limo himself to pick up Shrub everytime AF1 landed in Aurora. We've kicked his ass and his wife has kicked his ass and that leaves him down for the 10 count. See ya Owens, 'tanks for nothin'- Caddy Shack.
December 8, 2006
9:29 AM
jay writes:
This guy has been phoning it in for years...don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out.
December 8, 2006
10:20 AM
Kevin Jones writes:
Owens presided over the electoral implosion of his party in this state. One doesn't think that would be rewarded with national office.
December 8, 2006
10:25 AM
gr8fuldude writes:
Basically he's been bush's lapdog for the duration. Will be good to see a change very shortly.
December 8, 2006
10:39 AM
774 days to go writes:
He was a harsh critic of Clinton then his marriage dissolves for some unreported reason (I bet he had an affair). He is a harsh critic of state taxes then he is a poster boy for C and D because of his budget shortfalls. He presides over Colorado in a time that we went from a Clinton boom to a Bush bust and proved he needed a Clinton boom to be a success. He also was a state stump man for the worst president in history. I think he is retiring from politics for the right reasons: he is washed up.
December 8, 2006
10:41 AM
jay writes:
Kevin, although I am no fan of Owens and am certainly not sticking up for him, it wasn't Bill that brought about the "electoral implosion of his party in this state"...that was more a product of the national backlash against the Republicans' terrible track record in general...although Owens’s track record here in the state certainly didn't help any.
December 8, 2006
9:56 PM
Justin Stone writes:
774 days to go on December 8, 2006 10:39 AM
Very poor logic skills here...
Being a harsh critic of Clinton for perjury vs. marital problems???? why is it wrong to criticize someone for lying to a jury? And what business is it of yours about his marriage? Owens didn't criticize Clinton for marital problems, but for lying under oath. You said "his budget shortfalls" How is Owens responsible for the budget shortfalls? The economy goes through tough times occasionally and that's not Owens fault. You can argue whether C and D were the best way to handle the shortfalls, but don't blame budget shortfalls on Owens. And your "Clinton boom to a Bush bust" statement shows your ignorance. it's much too long a topic to cover here, but you're wrong about it nonetheless.
jay on December 8, 2006 10:41 AM
What is wrong with Owens track record? Examples please?
December 8, 2006
11:30 PM
Kevin Jones writes:
"..that was more a product of the national backlash against the Republicans' terrible track record in general.."
You'll recall that the Dems took over the state house in '04, before anti-GOP hatred was a major issue.
December 9, 2006
6:26 PM
just sayin' writes:
Owens looks like Woody from Toy Story
December 11, 2006
10:12 AM
jay writes:
"What is wrong with Owens track record? Examples please?"
Justin I never said there was anything wrong with Owens's track record. I said "Owens’s track record here in the state certainly didn't help any"...because it doesn't. His track record is vanilla. He gave us CSAP's...a mediocre policy at best. What else? He happened to be govn'r when we fulfilled the decades-planned expansion of the Valley Highway.
Okay...good timing...well done. He wasn't horrible because he didn't do any major damage besides making C & D unfortunate, necessary evils for ignoring the state's financial situation until it was at critical mass. Considering his track record of "helping" Republican candidates, you'd think they'd keep Owens in the basement during election years...and amazingly...I haven't seen him much in...say...three years.
Case in point:
(From the conservative site www.totheright.com)
Pete Coors: Handpicked by Owens, loses U.S. Senate seat after using underhanded tactics to dispatch primary opponent.
Bob Beauprez: Handpicked by Owens, loses governor seat and 7th Congressional District after using underhanded tactics to dispatch primary opponent.
Greg Walcher: Owens crony, loses 3rd Congressional District after using sleazy tactics to dispatch primary opponents.
Kiki Traylor: Handpicked by Owens in the primary, defeated by “ultra-conservative” Mike Kopp, who went on to win the general election despite predictions of doom from the Owens crowd and an obscene amount of self-loans from the Democratic candidate.
Dale Hall: Backed by Owens in the primary for his support of Referendum C, defeated by “ultra-conservative” Scott Renfroe, who went on to win the general election.
Affie Ellis: Handpicked by Owens to be part of his “legacy team”, loses House District 29 race.
Countless Legislative Races: Taken out by Bill Owens’ decision to make a backroom deal with Democrats that enabled them to claim to be “tougher on immigration” than the Republican candidates.
These examples again from http://wwwtotheright.com ...whose content speaks for itself.
Back to the original point...Owens’s appears to be the kiss of death for Republican candidates...to those on the far right.
The truth, ironically, lies more to the middle.
The truth is that you can't scapegoat Owen's for the party's losses, nor can you dismiss him. His track record is a limp-wristed push at best. The catastrophic losses the Republicans suffered nationwide are a result of a national backlash against their track record...nationwide...at all levels of local and federal government. This periodically happens when one party swings too far in a particular political direction. There is the inevitable centering.
We tried the neo-con, uber far right plan...and guess what...it’s not a good blueprint for success. So be it. Everyone makes mistakes...we won't hold it against the Nascar Dads and the Soccer Moms...the rest of you still look suspicious though. Hopefully we can learn from our mistakes and point the ship in the right direction.
And their is the rub Justin...right now we are not learning from our mistakes...and sometimes it is tough to watch.
December 11, 2006
11:32 AM
Hogar De Vuelta (العودة) writes:
He is just another RINO who has suffered the fate of all RINOs,....... slaughter.