FOX 31’s Eli Stokols reports:
Former Gov. Bill Owens, Colorado’s last Republican governor, will be named as a co-chair of Gov.-Elect John Hickenlooper’s transition team, FOX 31 has learned…
Naming Owens as part of his transition team continues Hickenlooper’s campaign effort to reach out to members of both parties and is the first big symbolic gesture of his transition that he will continue to lead in a bipartisan, apolitical way, according to his staff.
Bill Owens is probably the best choice available to Gov.-elect John Hickenlooper to help him reach out to moderate Republicans, and the GOP-leaning business community as a whole. A lesser figure would not be taken seriously by the Republicans Hick needs to win over, and most Republicans of the level of prominence necessary are too partisan to consider it.
Though you have to wonder if even Bill Owens will be able to broker a peaceable relationship with the Frank McNulty-led Colorado House–some of them think Owens is a traitor for daring to support 2005’s Referendum C, and others probably wouldn’t take advice to work with Democrats if Jesus himself descended from heaven and commanded them to.
But kudos to Hickenlooper for trying, and good for Owens to set aside partisanship and help.
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I thought they were extinct.
They voted for Hick, a few even voted for Bennet. They undervoted a lot of races. They’re hoping the party will regain its senses someday.
would Bill Owens be considered a moderate.
Another thread said there were about 5 of them in the legislature. That’ll keep Bill busy, seeing if he can get them to go against their leadership and all the extremists.
any Rs in the legislature than GW has over any Rs in congress. But I guess if Hick wants to make a show of being bipartisan why not use Owens? He’s probably got plenty of free time on his hands these days. Remember when he was supposed to be the rising star, future presidential prospect? Well, he doesn’t have to worry about all that any more, does he?
Thanks to Gov. Owens from this moderate Democrat.
Really good one! Now to mop up the coffee you just made me spit all over my keyboard.
“Great” is relative.
Owens presided over a substantial amount of accounting gimmickry to balance the budget during the first Bush recession.
like “New Century Colorado,” which Owens pushed soon after he became Governor, as a way to cut waste from the state budget. I’ve got a story about that . . .it WAS gimmickry.
Wow, Bill Owens just added to his cred in this liberal’s books. I always appreciated his support, even water-carrying, for Ref C and taking his party’s flak for it. Here again, it looks like he’s doing the right thing and not the politically right thing.
Disclaimer: I disagreed with Gov. Owens on almost everything except Ref C. And he’s a savvy political guy – I’m sure he sees that this statesmanlike move won’t hurt him.
This move firmly puts Hick in with the R business and behind-doors political movers. I hope Dems aren’t too disappointed in their new D-lite gov.
As for my recation, I’m perplexed. I’m not sure whether I should laugh, or whether I should cry?
ever presented himself as either very partisan or very left of center. Any disappointed Dems either haven’t been paying attention or were willfully believing in a fantasy Hick of their own creation the way many believed in a fantasy liberal Romanoff.
Me, I knew exactly who I was voting for in Hick: an electable, centrist, pro-business Dem as opposed to one of the two wacko righties. It would be silly to be disappointed that he hasn’t magically turned into something other than what he’s always been and always presented himself to be. No deception. He won our votes fair and square.
Though I suspect that Hick will do a better job with messaging.
Compared to Bush and the Republican Hit Parade, Obama did look like a liberal, despite all of his “one America” talk – especially when compared to the rational-for-the-moment John McCain.
Hickenlooper, OTOH, is succeeding the very moderate and no-nonsense Bill Ritter, and his opponents ran so far to the right that they could taste Atilla the Hun’s dust.
Hard to see much of a political future for him, but would his livelihood be helped as a transition co-chair for a new governor?
…or is he simply wandering in now cuz he don’t have no job?
I am sorry but didn’t the election following Ownes result in a 15 point victory for the Dems. Say what you want about Ritter but people elected a Dem following him. Yet the new Gov decides he wants to go back. Wonder how this is going to go over in all those Democratic headquarters that had Hickenlooper signs in their windows.
Owens is merely one of a million co-chairs. His opinion won’t really matter or anything. He’s just there for purdy.
You actually thought a politician had convictions (of the non-felonious sort)? You thought Hick was in it for anything but his own personal status? That he wouldn’t compromise anything or anyone to “make his mark”? Did you just arrive on this planet?
If this is just another indication that Hickenlooper will run a “Republican lite” administration rather than a Democratic administration, my worst feels will be realized.
The next couple of years are going to be rough. The next guv needs to be capable and practical, not bound to ideology.
Apparently McNulty didn’t get the memo about the importance of capability and practicality vs. ideology?
McNulty just drove the first nail in his own political coffin.
Anybody look at the whole list? 6th up from the bottom?
Does Hickenlooper also want to eliminate the department of education like his transitional edu-czar does?