CO-04 (Special Election)
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(R) Greg Lopez
(R) Trisha Calvarese
90%
10%
President (To Win Colorado)
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(D) Joe Biden*
(R) Donald Trump
80%
20%↓
CO-01 (Denver)
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(D) Diana DeGette*
90%
CO-02 (Boulder-ish)
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(D) Joe Neguse*
90%
CO-03 (West & Southern CO)
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(D) Adam Frisch
(R) Jeff Hurd
(R) Ron Hanks
40%
30%
20%
CO-04 (Northeast-ish Colorado)
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(R) Lauren Boebert
(R) Deborah Flora
(R) J. Sonnenberg
30%↑
15%↑
10%↓
CO-05 (Colorado Springs)
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(R) Dave Williams
(R) Jeff Crank
50%↓
50%↑
CO-06 (Aurora)
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(D) Jason Crow*
90%
CO-07 (Jefferson County)
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(D) Brittany Pettersen
85%↑
CO-08 (Northern Colo.)
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(D) Yadira Caraveo
(R) Gabe Evans
(R) Janak Joshi
60%↑
35%↓
30%↑
State Senate Majority
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DEMOCRATS
REPUBLICANS
80%
20%
State House Majority
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DEMOCRATS
REPUBLICANS
95%
5%
March 14, 2013 08:15 AM UTC
21 Comments
no…
O&G is arguably the state's most important issue right now. Yes, gun control and civil unions are important, but everybody depends on a strong economy and O&G are part of that. So how Hick handles it is much more likely to be his legacy than these other passionate issues. If we view it as a negative (and I do – giving an industry everything it asks never does the locals any good), the issues sheer importance outweighs the other positives.
I don't know what to do about it, personally. Hard lefties like wade norris will bluster about primaries, but that's simply not within the realm of possibility, never mind reality. We can withhold donations for his reelection, but it appears he won't need much because he won't face a serious challenge. Maybe we can just keep telling him that this matters. Unlike Dave, I don't perceive him as being "owned" by O&G. O&G is his background. He's naturally sympathetic to them, and is probably one of the only politicians who really understands drilling. That doesn't excuse his disingenuous "I drink fracking fluid" statements or his other pooh-poohing of the concerns of those living with drilling, but it does offer a plausible explanation for his independent arrival at such opinions. If so, perhaps he can be persuaded to pay closer attention to our concerns.
Yeah, that's probably overly optimistic…
We promoted this because it should make for an interesting discussion. One thing we think deserves a change: Hickenlooper has always been solid on the issue of civil unions and LGBT rights in general. We wouldn't characterize him as "late to the game," in fact this is one of his stronger progressive issues.
Obviously this post is for discussion purposes, but we think Hickenlooper's record should be fairly represented.
I thought when the Civil Union bill was first introduced he stayed neutral on it and didn't commit to signing at first???
Addressing TABOR and the fact that the State of Colorado has (nearly) the lowest state revenue per capita in the nation does not have to "come from the Legislature." The level of support we provide for education in Colorado is an embarrassment. There is nothing preventing Hick from getting out front on this issue, bringing proposals for referred measures to the Legislature every year. Hick chooses not to lead on this issue. The reality is that most Colorado politicians are primarily concerned with their electoral prospects, rather than the good of the state. Many Colorado elected officials are unwilling to take any personal political risk for the betterment of Colorado. They are "politicians." As you know, we have arrived at a point where many Colorado politicians prefer to break the state's (PERA) contracts in lieu of taking the political risk of asking voters to end the state's subsistence government. (Obligatory mention of pet issue.)
I think the half full, half empty question has to be viewed in terms of what the GOP alternative would be (and I agree with Ari that there isn't going to be any D alternative via ousting Hick in a primary) and in that light, I'd have to come down on the half full side.
I don't agree with Dave's apparently dim view of alternative energy. Agree somewhat on competence issues but the way Dave says that Ritter "loves alternative energy" sounds dismissive of the goal as well as the execution. I appreciated Ritter as a voice for alternative energy. The man simply wasn't cut out to be a successful politician in the executive arena.
Hick is much better suited to that role and his positions on many issues are in line with what most Dems want. Unfortunately where he diverges, such as on vital O&G related issues, he really diverges and his willful misleading on the whole fracktail nonsense was deplorable.
Still, I have to give him a half full compared to any alternative on the horizon just now. Happily, he doesn't need much help getting re-elected so I don't feel the need to actively support him with donations or volunteer hours. He'll do fine without me.
From the NEA website:
(Note that the Colorado Education Association supported the breach of the state’s PERA pension contracts in 2010. Also, these NEA stats may not be current.)
http://www.nea.org/home/18093.htm
Nothing new. Our stats sucked long before Hick. Blame voters saying yes to Brucing, no to education and a deep recession. Blame the tangle of locked in amendments that sounded good to voters in place of legislators working out a budget. School districts like the Littleton district where voters say yes to increases to fund schools ( as well as the library and our sweet museum that often showcases local artists) have done pretty well all along. As far as underfunding schools goes, we have met the enemy and it is us.
I think his "half-empty" problems go a substantial step beyond his fracktail bloopers. Here's the shoe that may be waiting to drop — he has threatened to sue any and every local government in Colorado that dares to exercise their legal responsibility to manage the lands within their borders and to protect public health. We haven't heard much – individually or collectively – from local government yet regarding this threat. I believe there's more to come on this issue.
Agreed, but a Republican governor wouldn't be an upgrade and he's not going to be ousted in a primary. Sometimes it is what it is.
Thanks for the post Dave. There's little doubt that you are the resident Republican apologist around here but Hickenlooper's performance is very much open to interpretation as your thoughtful article points out.
There is no question that Hickenlooper is grade A compared to his 2010 opponents and is solid on progressive social issues. He'll sign these hot button social issue bills and deserves a lot of credit for making them law.
Where he is weak which is surprising is his total lack of vision regarding the direction of our state economy. He scrapped Ritter's New Energy Economy initiatives and replaced it with this ambiguous project titled (TBD) which fits. We're kind of a rudderless ship without any definite direction other than a constant frack-baby-frack theme.
Hickenlooper is better than the competition by two miles but he can definitely improve his game if we wants to be considered anything other than a likeable and goofy caretaker of the office.
I said when he first announced he was running that he would win, he would be tremendously better than the Republican alternatives, and that I would be mad at him a lot. All true. And I am (mad at him a lot).
And I can not even say I am "disappointed." That would imply I exepcted something different. I didn't.
Very wise. We play the hand we're dealt and hope for a better hand next time around. The GOP purity thing doesn't seem to be working out too well for them in now violet blue Colorado. Not something we would do well to adopt.
You know I love you, BC, but this is one place we differ…
I would strike "deplorable" and insert "unacceptable". While it (a primary) is certainly unlikely to happen, there is still a lot of time for Hick to piss off even more people.
the problem isn't whether Hick is half-full or half empty, the problem is that COGA (like most bodies made up uf Republicans) thinks the glass is theirs.
I took the liberty of turning your sort of Zen like post into a Haiku. I know, don't I have anything better to do?
Half full? Half empty?
The most important question:
Who will have the glass?
Three quarters empty. Our governor is a huge disappointment. There will always be tons of money to be made on oil and gas in this state. Merely requiring the companies to do their exploration and recovery while adhereing to reasonable environmental safeguards is not going to put them out of business. And letting the public know what is in their fracking fluid is not unreasonable.
And his mealy mouthed support for no-brainer policies seems to indicate that he's trying to position himself for some higher office or appointment. Please, no. He's lame and I can't wait for his term to be up.
yes
I'd say David had it right at the end of his initial comments: "engineered to large." Somethin' kinda funny happened to Hick after the 2008 DNC when he got a taste of the big stage and started aspiring nationally rather than repping locally. Now he's "too big to fail" in Colorado, and too small a man to do anything but allow his strings to be pulled by image-makers who are, in the end, just stringin' him along. Kinda sorry for the guy, actually, but it's a bed he made.
I'm surprised that he has so much public criticism. I don't agree with many of his policies. I belive that the advice he gets to basically be an independent rather than a Democrat will back fire on him. Perhpas it has been. I think he's a good man that belives in his convictions. The state is economically recovering. I'd say half full.
Uh, the fact many of us don't agree with many of his policies would natrually lead to much public criticism, would it not? That's a surprise?