The Obama administration likes to talk about "leading from behind." Governor Hickenlooper prefers blue ribbon panels and backing only popular provisions. For some, like The Denver Post editorial board, blue ribbon panel discussions constitute enough leadership to please. Not so for state Senator Greg Brophy (R-Wray). For Brophy, leadership means actually getting out in front and blazing a trail for others to follow.
Barely more than a year ago, blue-ribbon panels were a bad word for former Governor Bill Ritter's attempts to avoid leading. Brophy believes that it's high time that Hickenlooper feel the same sting of the commission cop-out.
In an Op-Ed in today's Denver Post, Senator Brophy throws down the gauntlet and lays out his vision for real budgetary reform. He doesn't speak in vague generalities about making things better for business or being good stewards of tax dollars, but expounds on serious and substantive policy that the Legislature and Governor could make real in only a few months time.
From ideas for Medicaid reform to getting the federal goverment's hand out of Coloradans pocket to pay for other state's infrastructure with our gas tax revenue, Brophy's article reads like a blueprint for the next legislative session.
He didn't hide behind a commission or poll his policies to ensure they already have the support of a sizeable majority of citizens — he led.
As he says in his article:
There is a difference between concrete ideas and blue-ribbon panels that kick the idea down the road past re-election. Coloradans deserve leaders who tell the truth and lead the way.
Brophy has quickly become the leading detractor of both Governor Hickenlooper and the political establishment too skittish to challenge the popular incumbent. We hope others take notice of Brophy's chutzpah and realize that Hick's honeymoon is over.
While The Denver Post editorial board may be happy with a classroom discussion moderator as Governor, Brophy has the cojones to call BS. We need more Chris Christie and less Charlie Rose in these tough times. The Post's constant rhetorical back rubs of Hick only allow him to avoid the tough issues for longer. Brophy, like us, expects leadership from the state's CEO, not poll-tested platitudes.
Brophy's call for action on the Occupy Denver squatter camp helped kick the Governor into action. We're hoping his latest call for change yields a similar response.
To read his Op-Ed in full click here.