Governor Hickenlooper's increasingly common propensity to dawdle, delay and generally avoid taking any position or make any decision that doesn't poll over 60% has now become readily apparent to the wider world with his refusal to enforce basic public safety laws over the Occupy Denver squatter camp. While the squatters hold the public park hostage, stinking up the joint and refusing to leave at night, Hickenlooper has been confronted with a clear choice: anger his liberal base or enforce the law.
For such a non-politician pol, the choice should be easy. Enforce the law. He hasn't. Dawdling has been his leadership M.O. The Governor went on Mike Rosen's show on 850 KOA two days ago and stuttered and stammered illegitimate excuses for why he wasn't able to enforce the law on protesters from his side of the political aisle.
Enough is enough, enforce the damn law, Senator Greg Brophy (R-Wray) bellowed from these pages yesterday. But Hick continues to dawdle.
Today, Senator Brophy doubled down, releasing this statement:
“All of Colorado is watching and the Governor has already set a dangerous precedent by allowing this to happen.
He cannot avoid his duty and responsibility to enforce the law. The First Amendment guarantees the right to free speech, not the right to trespass. He needs to take action immediately and end this circus before matters get worse.”
With Hick lacking the guts to take a position on the proposed $3 Billion tax increase known as Prop 103, angering his liberal base in not doing so, Hick may be afraid to incur any more anger from his left flank. Does anyone doubt he would have shut down the squatter camp long ago if it had been pro-Life protesters?
Now with Rep. Wes McKinley (D-Walsh) trying to relive the 60s in his TeePee alongside the squatters, Hick has an even more uphill political battle to confront. Now he has to chuck out not only "smelly hippies" but a "smelly legislator" as well.
Does Hick have the guts to do his duty as Governor?
We'll find out later this morning when he holds a press conference with Mayor Hancock and Attorney General Suthers.
If he does the right thing, Brophy’s back-to-back executive brow beatings will be the reason why.