Category Archives: Rep. Ed Perlmutter

Neguse, Crow Top List of Most Effective Members of Congress

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  by: Colorado Pols February 27, 2023 at 12:31 PM MST

Rep. Joe Neguse (D-Boulderish)

We wrote last week about answering one of the bigger questions from the 2022 election cycle: Are Democrats in Colorado really a lot better than Republicans when it comes to both governing and campaigning, or are Republicans just THAT BAD? The answer, as we discussed, is simple: “Yes.”

Colorado Public Radio reports on another proof point in this regard:

Out of 435 U.S. House members, Colorado Rep. Joe Neguse came in top of the class for the 117th congress, at least when it came to getting bills signed into law, according to the website GovTrack.us.

The Boulder Democrat had 13 bills passed into law, either as stand-alone legislation or incorporated into larger packages, a record he said is reflective of a Colorado ethos of “rolling up our sleeves, finding ways to build bridges and work with people who might have a different worldview than your own to get things done.”

Neguse added he’s made it a priority to deliver results for the communities he represents, “so that means to me finding ways to get bills across the finish line, onto the president’s desk, [and] to pass laws that ultimately are going to have an impact on people’s lives here at home.”

Colorado Democrats are working hard on governing. Colorado Republicans are…doing other things. Congressman Joe Neguse (D-Boulderish) was responsible for the most success in enacting legislation, but Rep. Jason Crow (D-Aurora) was not far behind.

Here’s how Colorado’s Congressional delegation stacked up in the 117th Congress (2021-22) in terms of “legislation enacted” via GovTrack.us:

Legislation signed into law by sponsor for 117th Congress (2021-22).

 

There are a lot of other interesting numbers in the GovTrack.us analysis…

 

Missed Votes

This is a good marker of the degree in which a Member of Congress is living up to the bare minimum of their job responsibilities. Colorado Republicans missed the majority of votes among the state’s Congressional delegation, topped by Rep. Ken Buck (R-Greeley); Buck ranked #29 for the largest percentage of votes missed in the 117th Congress (5.5%). Congressperson Lauren Boebert (R-ifle) ranked #102 (2.4%), and Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colorado Springs) checked in at #126 (2.0%).

None of the Democratic members of Colorado’s delegation missed even 1% of the total votes in the 117th Congress. Neguse led the way on that metric by missing just 0.1% of all votes.

 

Bills Introduced

Rep. Lauren Boebert is (probably) #1 in Tweets and near the top in Angertainment, but otherwise proved fairly useless in the last Congress.

Both Neguse (#3, 99 bills) and Crow (#24, 54 bills) ranked in the top quarter of all Members of Congress in terms of number of bills introduced. Boebert checked in at #62 with 41 bills introduced, many of which were silly resolutions attacking President Biden for one thing or another.

The rest of Colorado’s delegation rounds out thusly: Buck (#194, 25 bills); Rep. Ed Perlmutter (274, 18 bills); Rep. Diana DeGette (#303, 16 bills); and at his typical position in the rear, Lamborn (#350, 12 bills).

 

Bills Passed Out of Commitee

Neguse leads the way here (#5, 20 bills), followed by Crow (#23, 11 bills); Perlmutter (#75, 6 bills); and Lamborn (#93, 5 bills). DeGette and Buck tied at #183, with 3 bills each making it out of committee. Boebert tied for #379 by failing to see a single piece of legislation advance out of a committee hearing. 

 

Click here to check out the complete report card for the 117th Congress.

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Perlmutter’s Final “Government in the Grocery” Event

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  by: Colorado Pols August 26, 2022 at 1:53 PM MDT

Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-Jefferson County)

Democrat Ed Perlmutter, who is retiring this year after serving eight terms in Congress representing Jefferson County, will hold his final “Government in the Grocery” event on Saturday.

Via a press release from Perlmutter’s office:

On Saturday, August 27th, U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter (CO-07) will hold his final Government in the Grocery event. A signature event of the office, Perlmutter started the Government in the Grocery program when he first took office in 2007 in order to better hear from constituents and meet with them one-on-one in their local community. The first Government in the Grocery was held on January 27, 2007 in Wheat Ridge. Over the years, Perlmutter has held 105 Government in the Grocery events and 22 office hours, including virtually during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout these events, the office has helped approximately 3,370 people across cities such as Aurora, Brighton, Arvada, Edgewater, Federal Heights, Northglenn, Commerce City, Westminster, Lakewood, Wheat Ridge, Golden, Bennet, and Thornton…

…While the average attendance ranges from 20 to 30 people, some Government in the Grocery events have seen upward of 200 people. For example, in 2009 during the Affordable Care Act debate and in 2017 after President Trump first took office. Over the years, Perlmutter has met with hundreds of constituents during these informal meetings on topics ranging from jobs, mortgage issues, the economy, Veteran issues, national budget, national security, Medicare, debt, education, medical research, health care, human rights, animal rights, war and many others. Ideas for legislation, support for legislation, constituent assistance and more have resulted from these meetings.

Perlmutter’s “Government in the Grocery” events were an ideal symbol of a Congressman who never forgot the importance of being available to his constituents. Perlmutter first started holding his grocery store meetings in 2007, and continued them throughout his tenure in Congress (pausing only after Arizona Rep. Gabby Giffords was seriously wounded in a shooting at a grocery store in January 2011).

Perlmutter’s final grocery store event will be held on Saturday at the Safeway store on 9160 W. Colfax Avenue in Lakewood from 10:00 am – Noon.

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Tim Reichert is the Most Boring Candidate in Colorado

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  by: Colorado Pols February 10, 2022 at 1:31 PM MST

Republicans in the new seventh congressional district seem to be pinning their 2022 hopes on an economist named Tim Reichert as the likely challenger to State Sen. Brittany Pettersen (D-Lakewood) in the battle for the seat being vacated by the retiring Rep. Ed Perlmutter. There are other Republicans in the CO-07 field, including Laurel Imer and Erik Aadland, but Reichert stands out because he seems willing to spend his own money financing a congressional bid (while Imer and Aadland are struggling to attract support).

Like most everyone else in Colorado politics, we don’t know much about Reichert other than the fact that he wrote his campaign a personal check for $500,000. Earlier this week, Reichert was a guest on The Dan Caplis Show on KHOW radio; we decided to listen in on the interview in order to get more acquainted with Reichert. What we heard was the equivalent of an NPR radio host reading from a college economics textbook.

 

REICHERT: As I was saying into your microphone a moment ago…my first introduction to the economy was an introduction to inflation. My dad would take me to the grocery store. He taught me how to reach deep into the canned good shelves to find this can of beans, or corn, or whatever it was we were looking for, that had been priced, say, two weeks or three weeks prior. And that blew my mind as a kid, right? I mean, the fact that my father’s wage could be lessened by 2% or 3%, you know, in a matter of 3-4 weeks is an amazing thing.

Mesmerizing!

If you’re still awake, here’s Reichert explaining his professional background:

 

REICHERT: So, I went into industry. I was a partner at Ernst & Young for a time. I led their economics practice for a chunk of the midwest, and later went into investment banking — an advisory firm — I was there for about five years. I started my own firm in 2011, built that up to about 50, 55 economists in five offices here and one in Israel, and sold it in 2018. And, you know, when COVID hit…I have had this, it’s more than a research interest, it’s really sort of a labor of love studying the erosion of the middle class in this country. And I took my COVID year to write a book on — a manuscript, it’s not yet published — a manuscript on the causes of the decline of the middle class. And I kind of chronicled how this happened. How we’ve gotten to this place that the Founding Fathers were so concerned we might land in.

Gah!

There is a part later in the interview in which Reichert says, quite seriously, “People don’t realize this, but we had six homestead acts in our history.” Fascinating stuff!

Reichert had better be prepared to self-fund the hell out of this campaign. It’s going to be very, very expensive to make him seem at all interesting to the average voter.

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New “Big Line: 2022” Updates

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  by: Colorado Pols February 2, 2022 at 11:47 AM MST

With all of the fundraising reports from 2021 now available, we took a moment to make some adjustments to The Big Line: 2022. Here’s a brief synopsis of what changed (and what didn’t):

 

U.S. SENATE

Incumbent Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet remains the clear favorite here, so the only movement is on the Republican side. You can argue whether or not State Rep. Ron Hanks is a clear threat to Bennet given his fundraising troubles, but Hanks is following the same script that won Darryl Glenn the GOP Senate nomination in 2016. Gino Campana and Joe O’Dea look to have the most resources of all the Republican candidates, which puts them in the best position to attract undecided voters in June.

Eli Bremer and Deborah Flora drop into a lower tier after last week’s Senate debate in Lakewood showed that they don’t have anything interesting to say nor a clear strategy moving forward. Hanks, Campana, Bremer, and Flora are all going the State Assembly route for ballot access; there’s probably only room for two of them.

 

GOVERNOR

No real movement here. Hiedi Heidi Ganahl is still Hiedi Heidi Ganahl.

 

CO-03

This race will likely be decided in the June Republican Primary between Rep. Lauren “Q*Bert” Boebert and State Sen. Don Coram. Democrat Don Valdez has seen his fundraising numbers drop off significantly, while Sol Sandoval continues to spend as much money as she brings in to her campaign; both Democrats are just treading water at this point.

 

CO-07

Brittany Pettersen has cleared the Democratic field and is well-positioned to win this race. On the Republican side, State Rep. Colin Larson is probably not running, but some big Trump donor named Timothy Reichert has stepped into the fray.

 

CO-08

While the race in CO-07 seems to be getting clearer, the opposite is taking place in Colorado’s newest congressional district. Fundraising numbers for the top five hopefuls were pretty similar at the end of 2021. Both the Democratic and Republican Primaries are shaping up to be close fights. Keep an eye on Weld County Commissioner Lori Saine; if she can maintain her fundraising efforts, she’ll be in good shape to bring home the right-wing base in June. 

 

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CO-07 Update: Two More Republicans, No Other Democrats

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  by: Colorado Pols February 1, 2022 at 2:06 PM MST

Timothy Reichert, apparently.

The race to succeed retiring Rep. Ed Perlmutter in CO-07 has a new challenger on the Republican side and more clarity for Democrats.

State Senator Brittany Pettersen (D-Lakewood) has locked down the Democratic side of the race with Perlmutter’s endorsement and subsequent endorsements from Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Denver); Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Denver); Rep. Joe Neguse (D-Boulderish); and Jason Crow (D-Aurora). In fact, we’d have a hard time even coming up with a potential Democratic challenger to Pettersen at this point.

On the Republican side, we’d bet against a run from State Rep. Colin Larson (R-Littleton), one of the few remaining Republican elected officials in Jefferson County (which is the heart of the new CO-07). Larson has been pondering a run for weeks and has regularly kicked the can down the road on a potential decision. Larson told Ernest Luning of the publication formerly known as the Colorado Statesman that he planned to make a decision by the end of last week, which didn’t happen.

Larson may be dissuaded in part by the decision of Timothy Reichert to seek the Republican nomination in CO-07. As The Colorado Sun reported last week, Reichert is hoping that his ability to self-fund a campaign — his announcement came with news that he had written his campaign a $500,000 check — will make up for the fact that nobody knows who he is.

Reichert is President and CEO of a Denver company called Economics Partners. He was a big donor to former President Donald Trump and has some, uh, interesting policy views; in 2010, Reichert wrote an opinion piece for a religious publication in which he argued against the use of contraceptives in general.

As far as we can tell, Republicans Laurel Imer and Erik Aadland are still running in CO-07. Some dude from Teller County named Carl Andersen has also announced his intentions to seek the Republican nomination.

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All Together Now: Perlmutter Endorses Pettersen For CD-7

0
  by: Colorado Pols January 27, 2022 at 3:06 PM MST

State Sen. Brittany Pettersen (D).

We wrote a week ago about the decision by popular Jefferson County Commissioner Lesley Dahlkemper to not run for the CD-7 congressional seat being vacated by longtime Democratic Rep. Ed Perlmutter, which along with the similar announcement by Rep. Brianna Titone of Arvada clears the primary field for state Sen. Britanny Pettersen of Lakewood–who as readers will recall was the frontrunning candidate to replace Perlmutter in 2018 when Perlmutter briefly entertained a run for governor.

Today, Rep. Perlmutter made Pettersen’s nomination to succeed him in this substantially redrawn but still D+7 district as close to a foregone conclusion as politics allows with his glowing endorsement:

“Brittany is a tough campaigner and a thoughtful public servant who will hit the ground running in Congress,” said Congressman Ed Perlmutter. “Brittany understands the struggles facing so many Coloradans right now and will fight for our community in Washington. She will continue to work to help Coloradans and businesses recover from the pandemic and build a brighter future for our children, grandchildren and her young son, Davis. She has my support and I will do everything I can to help her win.”

Brittany, like Ed, is a born and raised Coloradan who grew up in Jefferson County and attended Jeffco Public Schools. She overcame significant challenges growing up and was the first in her family to graduate from college.

Brittany lauded the congressman’s long service to Colorado and the nation.

“Ed has been a mentor and friend to countless Coloradans. His leadership embodies his love of people, our state and our country,” said Sen. Brittany Pettersen. “Like Ed, I promise to get up every single day and fight for the hardworking people of Colorado’s 7th Congressional District and make sure they always have a voice in Washington,” said Pettersen.

Rep. Perlmutter marked Sen. Pettersen’s 100th official endorsement of her campaign for the 7th district since her Jan. 11th announcement.

That should be that, and despite some new turf to tour in the new mountainous southern part of the district Pettersen is expected to hold the seat comfortably against any current or rumored GOP challenger. Pettersen clearing the Democratic primary field early takes much of the suspense out of this contest, and helps suppress bravado-based misconceptions that CO-07 is a competitive race worth Republican investment.

In Colorado in 2022, the political drama will occur elsewhere.

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Dahlkemper Won’t Run in CO-07; Path Clear for Pettersen

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  by: Colorado Pols January 20, 2022 at 12:00 PM MST

State Sen. Brittany Pettersen (D-Lakewood)

The dominoes continue to fall in the wake of Rep. Ed Perlmutter’s surprise retirement announcement earlier this month — and they keep falling in favor of State Sen. Brittany Pettersen (D-Lakewood).

As Ernest Luning reports for the publication formerly known as the Colorado Statesman:

Jefferson County Commissioner Lesley Dahlkemper has decided against running for the Colorado congressional seat held by retiring Democratic U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter. Instead, the Lakewood Democrat plans to stick with her bid for re-election, she told Colorado Politics.

Dahlkemper, a former member of the Jefferson County school board, said last week that she was considering joining the Democratic primary after Perlmutter’s surprise announcement on Jan. 10 that he wouldn’t seek a ninth term representing the Jefferson County-based 7th Congressional District.

“I’m lov[ing] serving as a county commissioner and working on issues that matter in Jefferson County — reducing wildfire risk, expanding open space and trails, helping small businesses and struggling families navigate COVID recovery and more,” Dahlkemper said in an email. “My focus is on re-election this November. Even though I’ve won two countywide elections in Jeffco, I’m not taking anything for granted this November.”

Dahlkemper’s decision to stay out of the Democratic Primary in CO-07 is significant news. Dahlkemper is the wife of former state lawmaker Mike Feeley, who famously lost the first race for CO-07 in 2002 to Republican Bob Beauprez by a mere 121 votes; she has built up a solid political career of her own after serving on the Jefferson County School Board and winning a seat on the Jeffco Board of County Commissioners in 2018.

Pettersen shot out of the gates quickly in CO-07, officially announcing her candidacy one day after Perlmutter’s retirement news broke. Her campaign promptly rolled out a massive list of major Democratic endorsements, followed by an announcement that she had banked $200,000 within five days of launching.

Pettersen may yet face a Primary challenge in June, but it would be tough for any Democrat to catch up to her now. State Rep. Brianna Titone (D-Arvada) has talked about running but doesn’t have the same campaign infrastructure in place. We’ve heard whisper of a few other potential names on the Democratic side, though nothing concrete. Anybody still pondering a decision had better move quickly with precinct caucuses beginning in early March.

On the Republican side, Laurel Imer and Erik Aadland have been in the race since 2021. State Rep. Colin Larson (R-Littleton) said last week that he planned to make a decision on a potential campaign by the end of this week; according to Luning, Larson is still thinking it through and now says he’ll have something to say “next week.”

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Brittany Pettersen Announces Run for Congress in CO-07

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  by: Colorado Pols January 11, 2022 at 12:51 PM MST

State Sen. Brittany Pettersen and son Davis.

State Sen. Brittany Pettersen officially announced today that she will seek the now-open seat in CO-07 being vacated by the retirement of eight-term Rep. Ed Perlmutter.

As John Aguilar reports for The Denver Post:

“Getting good people elected to office is more urgent than ever,” said the state senator from Lakewood, who served in the state House as well. “When I see threats to the very fabric of our democracy, the stakes couldn’t be higher.”

Pettersen, 40, is so far the most prominent Democrat to go after the 7th Congressional District seat that’s been held by Perlmutter since 2007. He announced Monday that he plans to retire when his term ends in January 2023.

In her 10 years serving in the state legislature, Pettersen said several issues have risen for her as critical: mental health, gun safety, education and opioid addiction. Her mother became “wildly addicted” to pain pills after hurting her back and it took years to get her the treatment she needed.

“It was through my life experiences that I saw how absolutely broken our behavioral services system is,” Pettersen said. “I have taken my story to fight for others.”

She is also proud of her work on getting Colorado’s red flag gun bill passed in 2019. The controversial bill created the legal framework for judges to order the removal of firearms from people they determine to be at risk of harming themselves or others.

Pettersen’s entry into the CO-07 race is no surprise; the Jefferson County native was briefly a candidate for Congress in 2017 and has been open about her interest in eventually succeeding Perlmutter. As Pettersen noted in a press release this morning:

“Congressman Perlmutter’s leadership embodies his love of our state and our country. Ed has always reminded me, both through his words and his actions, that being elected isn’t about him, it’s about fighting for the good people of the 7th Congressional District to make their lives better.”

Pettersen’s announcement included endorsements from several prominent Democrats, including State Senators Jessie Danielson, Janet Buckner, and Dominick Moreno. That show of support, coupled with her quick jump into the race, establishes Pettersen as the early favorite in a newly-redrawn district that stretches further south than it has since the seat was first created in 2002 but is still centered around Jefferson County. According to the Colorado Redistricting Commission’s analysis of recent elections, the new CO-07 favors Democrats by 7 percentage points; national prognosticators, such as “Sabato’s Crystal Ball,” have labeled the district “clearly Democratic.”

Two Republican candidates — Laurel Imer and Erik Aadland — have already been running in CO-07, though neither are particularly well-known names or experienced campaigners. State Rep. Colin Larson, one of the few remaining elected Republicans in Jefferson County, has been threatening to jump into the race and reportedly plans to make a decision within the next week or so. As is the case with the rest of the Republican Party in Colorado, the cupboard is pretty bare for other potential GOP candidates.

On the Democratic side, Arvada State Rep. Brianna Titone and Wheat Ridge Rep. Monica Duran have expressed interest in a Congressional run, though either would face an uphill battle against Pettersen. Former State Senator and current Jefferson County Commissioner Andy Kerr — who was also briefly a CO-07 candidate in 2017 — is not believed to be interested in the race. Fellow Jeffco Commissioner Lesley Dahlkemper is a possibility, though she announced her own re-election campaign just last weekend.

It’s entirely possible, and perhaps even likely, that the race for CO-07 will just come down to Pettersen and whichever no-hope Republican emerges from the June Primary election. Those looking for more Congressional political drama may have to settle for the crowded field in Colorado’s new CO-08.

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BREAKING: Ed Perlmutter Ends An Era

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  by: Colorado Pols January 10, 2022 at 10:46 AM MST

UPDATE: The Colorado Sun’s Jesse Paul:

The new 7th District is forecast to favor Democrats by 7 percentage points, and thus lean heavily in the party’s favor. That’s based on an analysis of the results of eight statewide races between 2016 and 2020…

Two Republicans were already seeking to unseat Perlmutter this year: Erik Aadland, an Army veteran who was initially running for U.S. Senate, and Laurel Imer, who served as a 2020 delegate for President Donald Trump and ran unsuccessfully for a state House seat two years ago.

A number of Democrats are expected to race to replace Perlmutter in the 7th District. State Sen. Brittany Pettersen, D-Lakewood, has vowed to seek to represent the seat when Perlmutter steps down.

—–

Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D).

As posted a few minutes ago to Facebook, popular longtime Democratic incumbent Rep. Ed Perlmutter of Jefferson County announcing that he will not be running for re-election in 2022:

After much thought and consideration, I have decided not to run for reelection. I have loved representing my friends, neighbors and fellow Coloradans in the Congress of the United States of America. I will miss meeting the voters of the new 7th District – it is truly the most beautiful district in America. It’s got the best of Colorado in it and even though the numbers are slightly tighter we will win. I’ve never shied away from a challenge but it’s time for me to move on and explore other opportunities. There comes a time when you pass the torch to the next generation of leaders. I’m deeply gratified that our bench in the 7th District is deep and fortunately we have a strong group of leaders who are ready and able to take up that torch.

I have had the privilege of serving my community for 25 years in some elected capacity and it has been an honor of a lifetime. I am particularly proud of the work my staff and I have done to ensure hardworking families can continue to enjoy our Colorado way of life. We’ve helped expand renewable energy research at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory creating thousands of good-paying jobs; helped grow Colorado’s aerospace community, including securing funding for the Orion project and pushing forward with human space exploration; elevating the public safety risk of the cash-only cannabis industry here in our state and across the country; and ensuring Veterans across the Rocky Mountain region get the best possible care with the completion of the world-class VA Medical Center in Aurora.

I want to thank my wife Nancy, my family, my staff, my colleagues and especially my deepest gratitude goes to the people of Jefferson and Adams Counties for the honor of serving them in the U.S. House of Representatives all these years. The masthead of the Denver Post once said, “Tis a privilege to live in Colorado” and indeed it is. It’s been a privilege and honor of a lifetime to serve Colorado, the state I love and have always called home.

We’ll be watching for the tributes to roll in, and well as the expected announcement of a candidate to succeed Rep. Perlmutter in Congress. CD-7 as redrawn in last year’s redistricting cycle is somewhat less but still sufficiently blue to be an expected hold for Democrats, and as we saw when Perlmutter briefly ran for governor in 2018 some of Colorado’s best candidates on the bench in Jefferson County are ready to take the baton.

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So, About that New Congressional Redistricting Map…

41
  by: Colorado Pols September 7, 2021 at 2:02 PM MDT

If you were paying attention to Colorado politics over the weekend, you might have noticed a lot of people running around like they were on fire.

On Friday, Colorado’s Independent Congressional Redistricting Commission released a new proposed map of Colorado’s eight Congressional districts (officially called “First Staff Plan”). As Thy Vo and Sandra Fish report for The Colorado Sun today, there is much wringing of hands and discussions of viewpoints considering some pretty significant new district lines being proposed:

The dozen members of Colorado’s Independent Congressional Redistricting Commission questioned nonpartisan staff Monday about the latest draft map of the state’s U.S. House districts as they prepare to hear from the public about the plan this week.

The map, introduced Friday based on 2020 census data and which has thrown Colorado’s political world into a tizzy, is markedly different from an initial proposal based on 2019 population estimates.

Before we go any further, we should point out that the map introduced on Friday is not necessarily the map that will determine Congressional boundaries for 2022. The Redistricting Commission will hold four public hearings this week for comment on the First Staff Plan (FSP) Map, which can be confirmed with a ‘YES’ vote from 8 of the 12 Commission members. If this map is NOT approved, the nonpartisan redistricting staff can present as many as two additional proposals before the Sept. 28 deadline to finalize redistricting boundaries.

But if the “FSP Map” ends up being close to a final version of what we can expect for the next decade, then there is plenty to talk about. Here’s what that map looks like (CLICK HERE for a bigger version):

 

(more…)

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Colorado Democrats Push to Lower Medicare Age to 60

7
  by: Colorado Pols September 3, 2021 at 12:42 PM MDT

(Clockwise from top left): Diana DeGette, Joe Neguse, Ed Perlmutter, and Jason Crow

All four of Colorado’s Democratic Members of Congress — Reps. Diana DeGette, Joe Neguse, Jason Crow, and Ed Perlmutter — have signed onto legislation seeking to lower the age for Medicare eligibility from 65 to 60.

As CNN reports:

This legislation comes as Democrats are working to expand Medicare benefits through their multi-trillion-dollar spending proposal being used to fulfill much of President Joe Biden’s domestic agenda. The lawmakers are introducing this legislation with the hopes of it being included in the final reconciliation package…

…Lowering the eligibility age from 65 to 60 is widely popular across the Democratic caucus, with 70% pledging to support the measure earlier this year. It is even a priority that Biden himself has called for. Lowering the eligibility age by five years would expand Medicare to at least 23 million people, according to the cosponsors of the legislation.

In addition to trying to include a lower Medicare eligibility age in the reconciliation package, Democrats also want to use the voting maneuver, which allows them to pass legislation without relying on Republican votes, to also include a historic of expansion of Medicare to cover hearing, dental and vision care for the first time.

Polling data shows that reducing the age for Medicare qualification and expanding the program to cover hearing, dental, and vision care are both broadly popular ideas.

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D’oh! Buck Deletes His Own Gibberish Tweet on Spending

2
  by: Colorado Pols August 23, 2021 at 2:14 PM MDT

The non-official Twitter account for Congressman Ken Buck (R-Greeley) Tweeted out a spectacular bit of nonsense this afternoon before somebody apparently came to their senses and hit the ‘DELETE’ button. But, alas, nothing ever REALLY gets erased from the Internet, so we can show you exactly what Team Buck hoped to delete:

Since-deleted Tweet from @BuckForColorado

 

The screenshot above is taken from this video, which shows a Colorado State Chamber of Commerce event from last week that featured Buck and fellow Colorado Reps. Joe Neguse (D-Boulderish), Doug Lamborn (R-Colorado Springs), Jason Crow (D-Aurora), and Ed Perlmutter (D-Jefferson County). In the clip that was Tweeted (and deleted), Buck is yammering some nonsense about why the State Government should pay for things instead of the Federal Government (jump ahead to the 40:25 mark HERE).

Buck seems to be upset that the Colorado legislature would use COVID-19 relief funds — as requested by many Colorado business leaders — to help backfill the coffers that support unemployment benefits. But his point is rather in-artfully articulated:

BUCK: Nobody, nobody in either party wants to deny someone daycare services. For those that can’t afford daycare services, there absolutely should be daycare services. And there should absolutely be services available for those who can’t afford that. And there absolutely should be services available for those who can afford that and want to pay for it. The question really is, which level of government writes the check? And we’re faced with the issue now — if there are daycare services that are necessary, state government should write that check. State government has to balance its budget. The federal government doesn’t balance its budget. So to take federal money in an unbalanced way, in a deficit-spending way, to pay for those expenses is wrong. [Pols emphasis] Again, the governors are the group that decided how to shut down their economy, how to manage the situation on the ground in each individual state.

And by the way, when my friend Ed [gestures toward Perlmutter] says that Colorado had less deaths than Florida, Florida has always been a magnet for seniors. [This is seemingly meant to be a joke] Seniors are the most vulnerable, they went to Florida, and Colorado is one of the youngest, healthiest states in the country, and so to compare those two is kind of apples and oranges. But when you’re talking about this unemployment benefit, I think it’s really important to understand that Colorado has to step up in some way and accept some of the responsibility for that. I haven’t seen the bill yet — I’m not going to pass a judgment on the bill at this point — but in my mind, I think we have to make sure that we are putting the burden on the right level of government.

You can see what that’s probably not the best bit of public speaking for Team Buck to promote. We’d encourage you to watch the video yourself, if nothing else to catch the priceless reaction from Rep. Perlmutter as Buck rambles along.

One Twitter follower quickly noticed a different problem with Buck’s rambling:

Buck spent the early part of his career as a prosecutor with the U.S. Department of Justice before serving two terms as the Weld County District Attorney. He was elected to Congress in 2014.

In a separate segment, Buck also decried the existence of extended unemployment benefits, repeating the oft-used GOP talking point that extended UI benefits are preventing the American workforce from fully recovering after the pandemic. Actual research, in fact, has shown that THERE IS NO EVIDENCE to support the idea that extended UI benefits were encouraging some Americans not to seek employment.

It’s well-known that Ken Buck will take every position on every subject at some point. Occasionally he even tries to make a logical argument, but most of the time — as in the segment above — Buck just spouts out words in an order that might make sense in his head but dies a quick death when exposed to outside air.

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The Get More Smarter Podcast (ft. Rep. Ed Perlmutter)

0
  by: Colorado Pols August 16, 2021 at 10:25 AM MDT

This week on Episode #83 of The Get More Smarter Podcast, hosts Jason Bane and Ian Silverii talk with Congressman Ed Perlmutter (D-Jefferson County) about all of the work he and his fellow Democratic Members of Congress are doing to bring back federal money to their districts for community projects and infrastructure improvements.

Later, we look into the news that Joe Biden is still the President of the United States despite the efforts of “MyPillow Guy” Mike Lindell, with some bizarre (and probably illegal) help from Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters.

Catch up on previous episodes of The Get More Smarter Podcast at GetMoreSmarter.com.

Questions? Comments? Complaints? Hit us up at AngryRants@getmoresmarter.com.

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What Does Blue Do For You?

24
  by: Colorado Pols July 15, 2021 at 1:23 PM MDT

Back in May, we wrote in this space about reporting from The Colorado Sun related to how Members of Colorado’s Congressional Delegation were going about trying to secure federal funding for important local infrastructure and community projects in the wake of relaxed rules on “earmarks” in the new Congress.

Colorado Republicans in the House of Representatives have insisted that they will NOT participate in “member designated projects” or “community project funding requests” as part of some sort of narrow-minded protest against the earmark process in general. In March, Rep. Ken Buck (R-Greeley) even penned an Op-Ed for Newsweek in which he stated that “earmarks go hand-in-hand with corruption.”

Perhaps realizing that not supporting local projects is a bad look, Buck has since “Buckpedaled” on his opposition to earmarks with mealy-mouthed language about how he “supports” efforts by the City of Greeley to obtain funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation for the Greeley Regional Interchange Project. Of course, Buck could have just made the funding request himself, but that would have conflicted with his efforts to pretend that he is ethically superior to other Members of Congress.

The point here is that while Colorado Republicans are shaking their fists at some mythical “Earmark Goblin,” Democrats in the House of Representatives are doing a LOT of work to move along important infrastructure and community projects in their home districts.

 

Perlmutter

Congressman Ed Perlmutter (D-Jefferson County), for example, helped to push through federal funding that will assist in making roadway and bike lane improvements on Federal Parkway; removing and replacing the I-70 Eastbound and Westbound bridges over 32nd Avenue; widening State Highway 72 (Indiana Street); and improvements to Wadsworth Blvd. and Colfax Ave. If you live in Arvada, Golden, Wheat Ridge, or Lakewood, you know how significant these improvements will be for your daily commute. Perlmutter also secured funding for 10 community projects (CPF) in CO-07, including body cameras for the Thornton Police Department; improvements to Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport; multimodal improvements to State Highway 93; and renovations for a new pediatric health clinic in Commerce City.

Congresswoman Diana DeGette (D-Denver) promoted infrastructure projects that will revitalize the 16th Street Mall in Downtown Denver and replace miles of decades-old light-rail track, switches, and concrete flatwork throughout Denver’s light-rail system. DeGette’s CPF requests includes money to help the City of Denver convert an old hotel into lodging for homeless residents; the creation of more affordable housing in Montbello; and assistance for Urban Peak in building a homeless shelter for children.

Crow

Congressman Jason Crow (D-Aurora) secured money to improve the Interchange at I-25 and Belleview; the intersection at Easter and Havana in Centennial; and the expansion of Gun Club Road in Aurora. His CPF requests include expanding services to domestic violence victims in Adams County; renovating the Village Exchange Center Facility;  funding for at-risk intervention and mentoring projects; and money for the Aurora Comprehensive Community Mental Health Center.

Congressman Joe Neguse (D-Boulderish) helped push through funding for improvements to the Frisco Transit Center; State Highway 119; State Highway 52; State Highway 14; US 36; and the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnel on I-70 that a good number of Coloradans will travel through at least once this year. His CPF requests include funding for domestic violence services in Adams County; support for a mechanical engineering partnership between Colorado State University and Adams State University; emergency operations in Gilpin County; wildfire risk reduction throughout CO-02; and a rural outreach partnership program run by the University of Colorado.

By comparison, Republican Members of Colorado’s Congressional Delegation made sure that local communities in their districts RECEIVED ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

Zip. Zilch. Nada.

Reps. Ken Buck, Doug Lamborn, and Lauren Boebert have brought $0 federal dollars back to their districts and local communities in 2021.

 

Guess who loses when Reps. Ken Buck, Lauren “Q*Bert” Boebert (R-ifle), and Doug Lamborn (R-Colorado Springs) refuse to participate in the process of procuring federal funding for local and community projects? The people who live in their district, that’s who.

(In Lamborn’s case, we’re not including any money that was spent on allowing his adult son to live in a storage room in the basement of the U.S. Capitol).

And who benefits from this refusal? Nobody, really, other than a couple of conservative grouches who work for anti-spending think tanks somewhere. Certainly nobody in Colorado is gaining anything from the inaction of these three Republicans. The constituents of CO-03, CO-04, and CO-05 should just be glad that Colorado has two Democratic U.S. Senators who are endeavoring to help fund other projects around the state.

If you want your elected officials to Tweet and gripe about social issues while ignoring their responsibilities to constituents, then you’re probably thrilled with Buck, Boebert, and Lamborn.

For everyone else, we’ll say it again: Elections matter.

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Crow, Neguse, Perlmutter Tell Schumer To Ditch Filibuster

1
  by: Colorado Pols April 23, 2021 at 9:11 AM MDT

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Sen. Michael Bennet.

Colorado Public Radio’s D.C. correspondent Caitlyn Kim reports, 100 House Democrats sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer pleading for Senate Democrats to take action on ending the legislative filibuster–the logjam now threatening the bulk of the ambitious agenda passed by the House and awaiting their fate in the Senate:

“My constituents do not care about arcane Senate rules or procedures,” said Democratic Rep. Jason Crow of Aurora. “What they care about is ending gun violence. What they care about is providing quality affordable health care to their children. What they care about is the climate crisis.”

Crow admitted he’s not an expected champion for ending the filibuster, given the purple congressional district that he represents, but the second term lawmaker said he has had enough of seeing “bill after bill after bill” pass the Democratic-controlled House, only to die in the Senate…

Colorado Reps. Joe Neguse and Ed Perlmutter also signed onto the letter. Neguse highlighted bills around voting rights and gun safety that the House passed, but went nowhere in the Republican-controlled Senate last session and look to be stalled this year because the Democratic-controlled Senate cannot get past that 60-vote barrier.

“Our constituents are tired of excuses. They are tired of inaction. They expect the Senate to do its job,” Neguse said. “It’s time for the Senate to get it together and take action and start legislating for the benefit of the American people.”

In the U.S. Senate, of course, the so-far intractable opposition of Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia to eliminating the legislative filibuster is a problem for which no solution has yet emerged. Among Colorado’s two Democratic Senators, Michael Bennet is by far the most vocal proponent of changing the rules to get legislation passed, citing his decade of experience in the Senate watching good bills die on the vine.

The situation will come to a head, and Senate Democrats who are standing in the way of the Democratic agenda arriving on President Joe Biden’s desk will have to make a choice. That choice will have a major impact–materially, and also politically on Democratic performance in the 2022 midterms.

Local Democrats should be thankful for Bennet, encouraging John Hickenlooper to do the right thing when the time comes, and reciting the Alcoholics Anomymous serenity prayer for the Joe Manchins they cannot change.

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Ed Perlmutter Has Had Enough of This Election Fraud Crap

4
  by: Colorado Pols January 12, 2021 at 1:49 PM MST

Congressman Ed Perlmutter (D-Jefferson County) is making headlines today for challenging Republican Rep. Jim Jordan — an Ohio Republican and close ally of President Trump whom Trump is awarding the Presidential Medal of Freedom — during a remote House Rules Committee hearing on a proposed resolution to encourage implementation of the 25th Amendment to remove President Trump from office:

Here’s the transcript of today’s exchange:

PERLMUTTER: I would just say, sort of from one lawyer to another, Mr. Jordan, in a cross-examine sort of way…isn’t it true that Joe Biden won the election?

JORDAN: [After a long pause] Um, yes, he’s going to be President. And I’ve never said, as the Chairman indicated earlier, that this election was stolen. What I have said…very clearly, is half of…

PERLMUTTER: Mr. Jordan! Mr. Jordan!

JORDAN: …half of the electorate, both Republicans and Democrats, have concerns, and we have called for an investigation…

PERLMUTTER: Mr. Jordan! Mr. Jordan! It was a simple question. Isn’t it true Joe Biden won…

JORDAN: Yes, he won, but there are serious problems with this election that deserve an investigation, and that’s what I’ve called for. And it’s not just Republicans who think that…

PERLMUTTER: Okay…

JORDAN: Countless numbers of Democrats think that this thing had problems, too. We’ve called for an investigation, but you guys won’t do it…

PERLMUTTER: Mr. Jordan! Mr. Jordan!

JORDAN: End of story. Nevermind the fact that a third of…you asked me a question and I’ve got to give an answer.

PERLMUTTER: I asked you a yes or no question! Please! We’re trying to bring this nation back together, Jim. Jeez! [Pols emphasis]

[pause]

I really just want to bring this back together. I don’t like these resolutions. I support them. We had damage, injury, to this nation…the likes of which we haven’t seen for centuries. And I just want the people to know from somebody who is in a leadership position, as you are, that Joe Biden won the election. Kamala Harris won the election. They’re President-elect, Vice President-elect, and they will be inaugurated into the position of President and Vice President on January 20th. Yes? [Pols emphasis]

JORDAN: You know who has said that? The President of the United States has said that…

PERLMUTTER: Okay. That’s all…

JORDAN: But you guys…want to impeach this President. You want to look at the 25th Amendment.

After a moment of talking over each other, Perlmutter continues…

PERLMUTTER: Look, I’m not trying to bark at ya.

JORDAN: [laughing sarcastically] Well, you could have fooled me.

PERLMUTTER: No. I’m not barking at ya. I just need to have a declarative statement from you so that we can potentially get through the next week without more violence.

JORDAN: Okay.

PERLMUTTER: That’s all I’m asking ya.

JORDAN: Okay.

PERLMUTTER: I mean, you and I have been here together for a long time.

All we can say is this: Thank God there are still some adults left in the room (and we’re not talking about Jim Jordan).

 

 

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LIVE: Colorado Election Night 2020

28
  by: Colorado Pols November 3, 2020 at 5:04 PM MST

UPDATE: Colorado called for Joe Biden and John Hickenlooper by national outlets at 7:01pm.

Welcome to blue statehood.

—–

Wondering where to watch tonight’s election returns? Well, wonder no more!

Your friends from “The Get More Smarter Podcast” will be LIVE tonight for an Election Night Extravaganza. Special guests will be dropping by throughout the evening to discuss 2020 election results in real time. We’ll kick things off at 6:30 pm on Facebook and Periscope. Check us out on YouTube or CLICK HERE FOR THE FACEBOOK LINK.

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Perlmutter Okay with Tele-Voting, But Congress Isn’t There Yet

2
  by: Colorado Pols March 18, 2020 at 12:07 PM MDT

Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-Jefferson County)

Colorado’s legislature has suspended work until March 30 as a result of the Coronavirus outbreak, but what about Congress? As Amber Phillips writes today for The Washington Post, we still don’t have much of an alternative to requiring a group of mostly older Americans to continue to congregate in person in Washington D.C.:

Every minute they stay in session to do that, they are putting their own health at risk. More than a dozen lawmakers have self quarantined after brushes with coronavirus. Yet any delay would put Americans’ lives and livelihoods at risk. There is no way to fully do what health officials are calling for — social distancing — while passing legislation.

There has been a bipartisan effort to get all this done as quickly as possible, but politics is also creeping in and delaying action.

Congress does not currently allow for remote or tele-voting in any scenario, which is something you can probably add to the list of changes that will be discussed sooner rather than later.

Congressman Ed Perlmutter was a guest on The Get More Smarter Podcast on Tuesday with hosts Jason Bane and Ian Silverii. The Jefferson County Democrat discussed a number of questions related to Coronavirus and the federal government response — including this issue. Here’s a snippet of that conversation relating to whether or not Congress could change the way it conducts business:

BANE: The Colorado legislature has suspended work until the end of the month. What is the scenario in which Congress could do something similar? Could you hold votes remotely? Is that even possible?

PERLMUTTER: Well, there is a section of the House rules that deals with voting when there has been some kind of an attack, or a natural disaster, or contagion — it actually addresses contagion. It allows for a lower quorum, but at this point, I think, there is no provision for tele-voting, if you will. 

There’s been a request by a number to have that put into place, but at this point, if we have a big vote, then we’re going to be given, I think, 24 hours notice. Those who can get on a plane will go back and vote. And we’re going to vote not en masse like we ordinarily do, because that seems to be the petri dish for passing this virus. But we’ll [vote] in small groups at a time until everybody who is there can vote and has voted. 

There are a lot of things in play right now, but the Congress is still in session.

BANE: Do you think you would be comfortable with voting remotely, tele-voting? For you personally, are you okay with that?

PERLMUTTER: Yes. Yeah, I would be comfortable with it. 

Obviously we have to make sure that it’s well-secured, and can’t be hacked, but there are a number of ways that we could protect against it. Again, in a situation where there’s an emergency that doesn’t allow people to get back to the chamber. So, I am comfortable with that…

…There are others in the caucus who are not comfortable with that and want us back at the seat of government in the Capitol, or nearby, anyway. 

You can listen to the entire interview at GetMoreSmarter.com, or click on the audio player embedded after the jump below…

(more…)

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Get More Smarter on Wednesday (March 18)

15
  by: Colorado Pols March 18, 2020 at 10:39 AM MDT

Welcome to the Coronavirus outbreak, Fox News viewers; we’ve been busy. It’s time to Get More Smarter. If you think we missed something important, please include the link in the comments below (here’s a good example). If you are more of an audio/visual learner, check out The Get More Smarter Show or The Get More Smarter Podcast. And don’t forget to find us on Facebook and Twitter.

BECAUSE CORONAVIRUS…

*Colorado Coronavirus info:
CDPHE Coronavirus website 

*Daily Coronavirus numbers in Colorado:
 http://covid19.colorado.gov

*How you can help in Colorado:
COVRN.com

 

► Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says the Senate is moving “at warp speed” (which is about “half-speed” in regular person parlance) on producing a massive stimulus bill in response to the Coronavirus outbreak. As CNN reports:

Two GOP sources told CNN’s Manu Raju that Republican senators are close to reaching an agreement among themselves on the details of Mnuchin’s plan. The conference plans to meet later on Wednesday to discuss where they stand, with one of the sources expecting an agreement by lunchtime.

The idea is to cut a deal among themselves, and then try to hammer out a bipartisan agreement with Democrats on a massive package that could pass Congress in a matter of days. But Democrats have their own plans, so there are hard-fought negotiations ahead.

The bill McConnell is talking about would be the third major piece of federal legislation to move through Congress this month:

BILL ONE
The first bill, which started in the House, passed the Senate, and was quickly signed by President Trump, dealt primarily with medical and emergency response needs. This was the bill that was opposed by only two House Members, one of who was Rep. Ken Buck (R-Greeley). In the Senate, only Kentucky Republican Rand Paul voted “NO.”

BILL TWO
The second bill, which also started in the House, deals with issues like paid family leave and Coronavirus testing and health care regulations (Rep. Buck also voted against this bill). McConnell is pushing the Senate to vote on the legislation this week — though Sen. Rand Paul is again throwing wrenches — and it will almost certainly be signed by President Trump shortly thereafter. Outside groups have been pressuring Republican Senators to quickly support this legislation.

BILL THREE
This is the trillion-dollar “bailout” bill that will likely include sending money directly to Americans within the next couple of weeks. Politico has more on this third major piece of legislation:

Senate Majority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.) said Tuesday there is a “high level of interest” among Republicans for a Trump administration proposal to send as many as two $1,000 checks directly to individual Americans to help respond to the economic slowdown, a move that could cost an estimated $500 billion, according to GOP sources.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin made a pitch for the initiative at a lunch with Senate Republicans on Tuesday, part of an $800 billion-plus package being floated by the White House that also includes as much as $250 billion in emergency loans for smalls businesses being hit by the economic slowdown.

Under the Mnuchin plan, direct payments — on a means-tested basis — could be sent to American via the IRS as early as next month, although even that may not be as fast as some in Congress want.

For more on these bills and a host of other Coronavirus-related questions, check out this interview from Tuesday with Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-Jefferson County) on The Get More Smarter Podcast:

► Two members of Colorado’s congressional delegation are in self-quarantine after being alerted that they may have had contact with an infected person. From The Denver Post:

U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner and U.S. Rep. Jason Crow both announced Tuesday that they’re self-quarantining after coming into contact last week with a constituent who subsequently was found to have the coronavirus.

It’s not clear if it was the same constituent, but the contact was on the same day — March 11 — and both men were notified of the contact by the same health department.

“I was alerted today by the Tri-County Health Department that a Coloradan who visited my Washington office for a constituent meeting has tested positive for coronavirus,” Gardner, a Yuma Republican, said in a press release.

“While I am not showing any symptoms at this time, I have made the decision to self-quarantine out of an abundance of caution,” he added.

Crow is also not reporting showing any symptoms but is self-quarantining for precautionary reasons.

 

► President Trump is finally getting his border shutdown…with Canada. The United States and Canada have agreed to close the border to all non-essential travel.

 

If you’re looking for political news that isn’t about Coronavirus, it’s available right after the jump…

 

(more…)

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The Get More Smarter Podcast: Rep. Perlmutter Talks COVID-19

2
  by: Colorado Pols March 17, 2020 at 5:03 PM MDT

This week on The Get More Smarter Podcast, hosts Jason Bane and Ian Silverii (he’s back!) devote an entire episode to the Coronavirus with a special guest, Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-Jefferson County). Our interview with Perlmutter took place Tuesday morning, so this is as fresh as we get!

Questions? Comments? Complaints? Hit us up at AngryRants@getmoresmarter.com.

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | TuneIn

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The Get More Smarter Podcast: Bold Predictions for 2020

7
  by: Colorado Pols December 26, 2019 at 12:06 PM MST

This is it: The final episode of 2019 for The Get More Smarter Podcast. To close out the year, hosts Jason Bane and Ian Silverii discuss the most important Colorado political stories of 2019 and look ahead to 2020 with some bold predictions. Will Democrats take control of the U.S. Senate in 2020? Can Sen. Cory Gardner win re-election? Which one of Colorado’s seven Congressional seats could flip next year? 

And for the first time, Jason plays America’s worst favorite game, “Duke or Donald.” Ian is the current record-holder in the game that nobody really wins, but can Jason take the title in the last episode of 2019?

The Get More Smarter Podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Buzzcloud, Spotify, and Overcast. You can also follow the Podcast on Twitter @MoreSmarterShow. If you have a question or comment, hit us up at AngryRants@GetMoreSmarter.com.

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Republicans Flummoxed on Prescription Drug Pricing

10
  by: Colorado Pols December 16, 2019 at 2:00 PM MST

Image via AARP

While you were reading about impeachment news last week, you may have missed a significant vote in the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives addressing an issue that is of utmost concern to American voters in 2020: Reducing the outrageous costs of prescription drugs.

The “Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act” (HR-3) passed out of the House on Thursday on a largely party line vote (Colorado’s four Democratic House Members voted “YES,” while all three Republicans voted “NO”) and will now head to the place where all good pieces of legislation go to die: The desk of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. As CBS News explains:

Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s bill would cap Medicare recipients’ out-of-pocket costs for medicines at $2,000 a year. It would use about $360 billion of its projected 10-year savings from lower drug costs to establish Medicare coverage for dental care, hearing, and vision, filling major gaps for seniors.

But the legislation has no chance of passing the Republican-controlled Senate, and the White House has issued a veto threat. Still, Democrats saw a victory in the message their bill sends to voters…[Pols emphasis]

…Pelosi is claiming bragging rights because her bill would deliver on the promise that President Trump made as a candidate in 2016, when he said he would “negotiate like crazy” to lower prescription drug prices for Medicare recipients. It’s a pledge that Mr. Trump has backed away from as president.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Sen. Cory Gardner don’t know where to go from here.

Polling data continually shows that health care and prescription drugs top the list of voter concerns in 2020…much like they did in the Democratic wave year of 2018. A recent survey from Healthier Colorado found that 82% of Colorado voters believe that prescription drugs are too costly; nearly half of voters say that health care in general is unaffordable. The bill passed last week in the House of Representatives has the support of groups such as AARP, but McConnell won’t touch it in part because it is fiercely opposed by the pharmaceutical industry. As Politico reports today, the issue has put Republicans in a bind:

Yet with an election year cresting and massive divisions among his members, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is staying put. Associates say the Kentucky Republican is not eager to make a move that splits his caucus and could incur the wrath of the well-financed pharmaceutical industry.

A final decision will wait until after the Senate’s impeachment trial. Many Senate Republicans, however, know they need to do something to satisfy Trump and avoid the awful optics of doing nothing at all.

Senate Finance Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) this summer advanced a bill that would fine drugmakers that hike prices above inflation rates, but from the start it had more Democratic support than Republican backing. Even though a significant number of GOP members say it’s a bold stroke with crucial presidential support, many Republicans liken the move to price controls that would kill innovation.

This quote from Louisiana Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy sums up the absurdity of the GOP’s position: “Thank goodness Republicans control the Senate. That said, we still need something to make medicines affordable.” Ya think?

Republicans have lambasted impeachment investigations against President Trump as a distraction from the key issues facing average Americans, but Democrats snatched that stool right out from under them last week by multitasking on important topics. As The Hill explains:

Vulnerable Democrats in swing districts can point to the legislation as keeping a long-held promise to let Medicare negotiate drug prices. Members can show they are focused on kitchen table issues despite the chaos over impeachment.

The bill also gives moderate Democrats in Congress a chance to tout a health care issue that’s separate from the “Medicare for All” debate consuming the Democratic presidential primary.

“If a Democrat wins the White House and the party takes control of the Senate, a bill to allow the government to negotiate drug prices seems much more likely to pass than Medicare for All or even a public option,” said Larry Levitt, executive vice president for health care policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Congressional Republicans are now in the unenviable position of arguing against the substance of legislation that would reduce health care costs for millions of Americans. Republican leaders can shake their fists at the idea of “price controls” for prescription drugs, but that language only makes a dent with pharmaceutical lobbyists; controlling prices is exactly what average voters want to see from Congress on the issue of prescription drug costs.

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Gardner’s Annual Christmas Party Returns to the Brown Palace Tonight

3
  by: Erik Maulbetsch December 6, 2019 at 12:34 PM MST

(Promoted by Colorado Pols)

Senator Cory Gardner has been hard to find in Colorado this year. This evening, however, he and his family will be at Denver’s historic Brown Palace for his annual Christmas Open Home party.

According to the invitation, Gardner says he’s looking forward to seeing his fellow Coloradans come out to show support for our Western Values and get into the holiday spirit.

The holiday gathering is officially hosted by Gardner’s political action committee, Project West PAC. The committee spent over $1.2 million during the last election, including $430,000 in direct contributions to federal candidates. Recipients included the other three Republican members of the Colorado delegation, and 44 of Gardner’s GOP colleagues in the U.S. Senate.

The PAC is managed by the Starboard Group, the fundraising firm of choice for Colorado Republicans. The Starboard Group team tweeted a picture of themselves from the party last year.

The photo included their intern at the time, right-wing social media personality, Ashley St. Clair, who earlier this year was dropped by Turning Point USA for partying with white nationalists.

(more…)

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This is What Elected Officials Are Supposed to Do

3
  by: Colorado Pols September 16, 2019 at 3:12 PM MDT

Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-Jefferson County) held his 100th “Government in the Grocery” event last weekend.

We all get tired of negative news, even if we recognize that the negative aspect of a story might be what makes that story relevant in the first place. Media outlets report on airplane crashes but never list out every flight that landed safely in a given day. “Dog Bites Man” is not a newsworthy headline because it’s not unique, but “Man Bites Dog” will get your attention every time.

It is for similar reasons that we often discuss the inexplicable inaccessibility of Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Yuma), who can be easily located in cardboard form but can be almost impossible to find in real life. It is not normal — nor should it be — for an elected official to be so completely disconnected from his or her constituents. To quote Kyle Clark of 9News:”Citizens shouldn’t have to be detectives to meet with their representatives.”

Or, to put it another way, Sen. Gardner is the “Bizarro” version of Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-Jefferson County).

Perlmutter was first elected in CO-7 in 2006 and hasn’t lost a re-election contest ever since. In fact, Perlmutter has won every one of his re-election bids by at least a double-digit margin. There are many reasons for Perlmutter’s success, but at the top of the list is a very simple explanation: Constituent services. Perlmutter makes it easy for his constituents to find him and goes out of his way to provide assistance — which is exactly what you should expect from your elected official.

Rep. Ed Perlmutter holds a “Government in the Grocery” event in 2007.

Over the weekend, Perlmutter reached a milestone by holding his 100th “Government in the Grocery” event, in which he sets up a table at a grocery store in the district so that constituents can talk to their Congressman directly. From a press release:

Perlmutter started the Government in the Grocery program when he first took office in 2007 in order to better hear from constituents and meet them in their local community. The first Government in the Grocery was held on January 27, 2007 in Wheat Ridge. Perlmutter holds these events on a regular basis at different grocery stores in cities across the 7th Congressional District and meets with constituents one-on-one about whatever is on their mind.

“I believe being accessible and engaging often with constituents is essential to the fabric of our democracy,” said Perlmutter. “The Government in the Grocery program is an easy and convenient way for constituents to share their concerns, ideas and questions and, in turn, makes me a better representative.”

Congratulations, and kudos, to Congressman Perlmutter.

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