January 22, 2010 08:33 PM UTC

Democrats Should Heed Lesson of GOP Loss in 2004

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• by: Colorado Pols

As we’ve written here on more than one occasion, the primary reason behind the Republican Party’s fall from power in the state legislature in 2004 is not difficult to understand. Led by Sen. John Andrews, the GOP was obsessed with divisive social and political issues when voters were looking for leadership on larger problems like education and transportation.

In a year in which Democrats are already thought to be facing tough odds at the polls, their focus on core issues like the budget needs to be laser-sharp.

Enter Sen. Suzanne Williams, as The Denver Post reports in a front page story today:

A state lawmaker wants high schools with American Indian mascots to get approval to continue using them from a state board.

Sen. Suzanne Williams, D-Aurora, who is one-quarter Comanche, said she doesn’t want to ban team names. But she said she’s concerned with American Indian mascots that are caricatures – “with a funny nose or something” – and wants communities to have a “healthy dialogue about their heritage.”

Williams introduced a bill this week that would require all public and charter high schools with Indian mascots to “either cease using the American Indian mascot or obtain approval for the continued use of the American Indian mascot or another American Indian mascot from the Colorado Commission of Indian Affairs.”

Senate Bill 107 also includes a provision that schools would be fined $1,000 a month if they used Indian mascots past July 2013 without commission approval.

Williams praised Arapahoe High School’s handling of its mascot, a warrior logo designed by a Northern Arapaho artist 17 years ago, and said she would like to see other schools follow suit.

Sen. Scott Renfroe, R-Greeley, said he was outraged at the proposed fines and called the measure “a pathetic attempt at circumventing local control.”

“It’s such an overreach in a year when we are faced with budget challenges,” he said. [Pols emphasis]

Even GOP gasbag Scott Renfroe, whose greatest hits quotations include comparing homosexuality to murder, was quick enough on his feet to understand exactly why this bill is so dangerous for Democrats.

The last thing Democrats need in 2010 are front page stories highlighting proposed legislation that does not address a pressing issue (school mascots aren’t exactly a hot topic) and makes Democrats look like they aren’t paying attention to the issues that overwhelmingly matter most to voters right now (the budget, the economy and jobs). Even if you think Sen. Williams’ bill is vitally important, and we don’t, introducing it early in the session in an election year is idiotic at best. This is the kind of bill that should be run in off-election years, when many other small-interest social or interest-group legislation is normally introduced.

Democratic leadership under the Golden Dome had better get a handle on this kind of thing quickly, or they’re going to be looking at a lot of disinterested voters in November. Republicans lost control of the state legislature for following this very same path; Democrats should know better than this, because they’ve seen the ramifications firsthand.