Keystone – The Colorado Republican peace summit Saturday turned into a war of words between the party’s gubernatorial candidates – revealing that a deep rift remains in GOP ranks over Referendums C and D.
In separate interviews and speeches at the state Republican Party central committee meeting, U.S. Rep. Bob Beauprez and former University of Denver president Marc Holtzman traded jabs over how they handled the campaign and its aftermath.
National and state Republican leaders, meanwhile, pleaded with the party faithful to re-unite and confront a common enemy: Democrats.
“Let’s come together and remember there are fundamental differences we have with the other party,” said acting state Treasurer Mark Hillman in a ringing speech that stressed the shared values of Republicans.
“We are the party of the individual,” he said. “They are the party that views everyone as a member of some group. We are the party that believes success should be rewarded and repeated. They believe success should be taxed and retarded. We believe in equality of opportunity, and they believe in uniformity of outcomes. We believe in personal responsibility. They believe in the litigation lottery.”
But the speeches by Holtzman and Beauprez showed the wounds of the past campaign season remain raw.
Holtzman repeated his assertions that Beauprez had straddled both sides of the ballot measures. Beauprez accused Holtzman of misleading people about his solid opposition.
“I raised C and D, not so much to cry over spilled milk, but to demonstrate that this was a important issue facing Colorado,” Holtzman said after his speech to the Republican State Central Committee. “I was going to take a leadership stand, and he hid in the tallgrass.”
Beauprez said Holtzman was attempting to make an issue where there isn’t one.
“The only place there’s a mystery in anybody’s mind is his,” Beauprez said. “He’s trying to create a wedge where there isn’t a wedge. Not only there, but in so many other places.”
Gov. Bill Owens, a longtime supporter of the state constitution’s Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, backed the plan easing TABOR’s revenue limits.
Owens’ position caused some TABOR true believers to call him a traitor to fiscal conservatism. The measures let the state keep more taxpayer money during the next five years.
Holtzman, who served in Owens’ administration as secretary of technology, said his former boss “has allowed us to drift” from the conservative vision set forth by former President Reagan.
“I think the governor lost his way, and it’s unfortunate because it does not reflect the first part of his administration where a lot of good and constructive things were accomplished for Colorado,” Holtzman said.
Owens was not at the weekend meeting because he is on vacation in Russia.
Party leaders acknowledged that time must pass to heal the wounds of this year’s election.
“You have the election and you move forward,” Beauprez said. “We do that every day in the House. I think we’ve just got to get to the point that we realize what the bigger objective is and pretty soon the objective becomes let’s win the next election and off we go.”
State party leaders brought in a high-ranking mediator – Republican National Committee chairman Ken Mehlman – to remind officials of their common cause. Mehlman was the featured speaker at a Friday night fundraiser, which attendees paid $75 per person to attend.
“One of the biggest applause lines I got in there was when I talked about the importance of party unity,” Mehlman said after the event.
“I talked about if you agree with somebody on 80 percent and disagree on 20 percent, you’re an 80 percent friend, not a 20 percent enemy.”
Staff writer Mark P. Couch can be reached at 303-820-1794 or mcouch@denverpost.com.
