April 25, 2011 10:00 PM UTC

Wouldn't That Be Nice, Speaker Tom Massey Edition

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• by: Colorado Pols

As the Pueblo Chieftain’s Patrick Malone reports, most annoyingly for Speaker Frank McNulty:

House Speaker Frank McNulty, R-Highlands Ranch, said he doesn’t view Massey as a threat…

Regarded by most in the Legislature as the most moderate member of the House majority, Massey is in the middle of Democrats and his own party on some votes.

“I’m viewed as a moderate Republican, so Democrats sometimes think I’m sympathetic to certain issues that they find hard-line Republicans aren’t always sympathetic to. Education, health care, those are probably the best examples,” he said…

The extreme right flank that arrived with a handful of new Republican additions to the House and aided the party’s ascent to power has amplified Massey’s moderation. He said that with the passage of time, effective lawmakers learn the differences between what they believe and what they can accomplish…

Pace confirmed he has discussed with Massey the possibility of elevating him to speaker with support from Democrats. Pace downplayed the significance of those talks. “I have in passing and in no serious conversation said to Massey that it would be fun if we made him the speaker,” Pace said.

Some of you might recall in 2009 in the Tennessee legislature, when a relatively unknown and moderate Republican named Kent Williams became Speaker of the House with unanimous support from Democrats–and his own vote. We take Rep. Tom Massey at his word when he says he has no interest in such a move, and in truth we doubt Massey possesses the cutthroat political instincts necessary to become a Republican Speaker of the Colorado House, let alone to drive a sitting Speaker from power with Democratic support. As many would-be GOP Colorado Speakers can tell you, it’s a very rough business even under normal circumstances.

Of course, as the pivotal swing vote in a divided 33-32 chamber, maybe Massey’s got all the power he needs. But even if this is all just harmless speculation, which it certainly seems to be, you can’t help but think that glowing press like this for Rep. Massey, along with the accolades he’s getting around the state for brokering millions of dollars in relief for public education, will pay dividends for him if and when he decides he wants to be more than a state representative.

And, well, no, there’s really nothing about this story that’s good for Speaker McNulty, or the “extreme right flank” that McNulty helped bring to the legislature–is there?