March 15, 2023 12:44 PM UTC

Republican Lawmakers Surprised that Actions Have Consequences

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• by: Colorado Pols

Colorado House Republicans are sad.

The GOP’s micro-minority office issued a statement on Tuesday complaining about how they were not included in a discussion about a joint resolution (HJR23-1018) declaring March 14, 2023 as “Equal Pay Day.” The entire statement is worth examining, both for the absurdity of the text itself and for the very obvious point that Republicans seem to have missed completely.

Here is that statement broken up into paragraphs:

The Colorado House Republican Caucus released a joint statement on today’s resolution brought forth by the Democrats regarding women’s equal pay:

We’re not clear on whether this is a joint statement from Republicans in both chambers — which would make sense, given that the topic is about a joint resolution — or just a “joint statement” in that it represents all House Republicans.

We are disappointed that once again we weren’t notified by the majority caucus about this resolution, nor were we included in any discussions leading up to it being presented on the House floor. It is a recurring theme in this chamber that we are not even given the courtesy of being consulted about resolutions involving issues pertaining to women. [Pols emphasis] Unfortunately, time and again the talk about inclusivity seems to actually mean the exclusion of diverse opinions.

Given that “Equal Pay Day” is something that comes up every year at this time, legislative Republicans probably should have expected this discussion — just as they should have expected a Martin Luther King, Jr. resolution that they literally refused to co-sponsor. But that’s a minor point.

This statement seems to forget that less than two weeks ago, Republicans turned a fairly uncontroversial resolution about the “Equal Rights Amendment” into a ridiculous circus of disgusting diatribes attacking transgender people and abortion rights. Republicans behaved in such an awful manner that Rep. Brianna Titone (D-Arvada) — the first transgender lawmaker in state history — took to the House Floor the following day to politely ask her GOP colleagues to stop being such complete assholes.

Legislative Democrats may have decided that they weren’t interested in doing this AGAIN after what happened on March 2, and who could blame them? 

While we believe that equal pay is an important issue and we will continue to fight for the women in our state; we expect and deserve to be included in these discussions. We refuse to take part in the political games that are being played in this chamber by the majority, and we will not stop fighting for what is right for Colorado’s women. [Pols emphasis]

Um, no, that’s not what’s happening. House Republicans have proven particularly disinterested in participating in any sort of useful discussion during this legislative session. Every single week since early January has been filled with off-topic and offensive ranting from House Republicans. Things have gotten so out of hand that we can’t even say for certain who is actually in charge of the GOP caucus.

Moving forward, we will continue to work towards a fair and reasonable solution to the issue of equal pay. We believe that it is important to have an open and honest dialogue about this issue and to include diverse opinions from both sides of the aisle. [Pols emphasis]

If you want to have “an open and honest dialogue” about any issue, then you also need to make some sort of effort yourself. Instead, GOP lawmakers have threatened “civil war” over gun safety legislation and have prided themselves in opposing anything that involves governing. Last week concluded with a pointless “filibluster” by House Republicans on a measure to create a three-day waiting period for gun purchases. After making fools of themselves for 12 hours, the GOP’s 19-member micro-minority gave up and watched the legislation pass easily on second reading in the House. Republicans even had the gall to complain that Democrats weren’t listening to speeches that were specifically intended to waste everyone’s time.

Legislative Republicans have spent more than two months telling us exactly who they are, beginning with the first day of the legislative session on January 9 when freshman Rep. Ken DeGraaf (R-Colorado Springs) demonstrated the lack of self-awareness in his caucus with a quote about how “we” never learn from history.

Here’s what everyone else has learned from recent history: If you ask House Republicans to offer an opinion on an issue, someone will inevitably pull down their pants and take a dump on the floor right in front of you.

Legislative Republicans can spend the majority of their time catering to their extreme MAGA base by debasing both their fellow lawmakers and Coloradans in general…

…Or they can expect Democrats to take them seriously.

But they can’t do both, and they sure as hell can’t complain about a situation they created for themselves. 

Colorado Republicans seem to have truly internalized the belief that they are always the victims in every scenario. Perhaps this is what blinds House Republicans to the consequences of their own actions and creates the idea that a “give and take relationship” means that Democrats give and Republicans take. Democrats have figured this out, and so have Colorado voters in recent election cycles.

We reap what we sow. Even if you are a Republican.