Ooops! We went too far.
What do you do when you were elected as a moderate, but after a year of jamming through one of the country’s most liberal, progressive agendas, you now have to face the voters? If you’re Governor John W. Hickenlooper, you go running to the unabashedly liberal New York Times to have them plead your case. Yet, even the fount of American liberal thought can’t work a great enough miracle to resurrect Hickenlooper’s so-called centrist stance.
Sorry Hick. Too little, too late.
The article notes how one-party ruled states have overreached and now are quickly trying to moderate in time for November’s elections, and, naturally, the Times felt it was only appropriate to lead with Hickenlooper on this topic.
“One year ago, Gov. John W. Hickenlooper, a Colorado Democrat, stood before a state legislature controlled by his party and laid out an aggressive agenda… When Mr. Hickenlooper stood again before the legislature last week — after a year in which three Democratic state senators who supported his bill were forced from office — there was little mention of gun control, or for that matter, any potentially divisive social or fiscal issue.” [The Peak emphasis]
The leftist blogosphere is trying hard to make everyone believe the overreach by Hickenlooper and Dems last year wasn’t really overreach at all. But, somebody forgot to send the talking points to the New York Times. Max Potter, was that you?
“Mr. Hickenlooper, who is facing a potentially difficult re-election this November, is not alone in recalibrating in the face of suggestions that he and other elected officials might have overreached.
…(T)he muted agenda in Colorado and elsewhere suggests that in some cases, the party in control pushed beyond the will of the general electorate.
…Dick Wadhams, a former Colorado Republican chairman, said he considered Mr. Hickenlooper extremely vulnerable because of Democratic overreach: In addition to guns, Mr. Hickenlooper strongly supported a $950 million tax to increase funding on education that was rejected by voters on the ballot last year.
‘They just went down a Democratic liberal wish list and just rammed it through,’ he said.” [The Peak emphasis]
Perhaps Hickenlooper can have his good ol’ buddy liberal U.S. Senator Mark Udall give the Times a call and get this sorted out because this is definitely not the narrative Hickenlooper wants out there as he hugs cows on his tour of rural Colorado to demonstrate how un-Denver-centric he is. War on rural Colorado? There’s no war on rural Colorado!
Hey, did you also hear he once owned a brewpub?!
Unless of course the Colorado Republican Old Boy Net manages to plant its flat feet in one of those cow's flops that Hick and Udall are clinging to, if recent history is any lesson. I for one am quite concerned about that potential misstep.
You could also say that Brophy is a clever politician who wants the Latino vote. Just sayin.
Brophy voted for in-state tuition. He is a moderate at best. Not a true conservative.
Hick is gone… Udall is gone… and we're looking at taking the state legislature back. This state is going back RED… ENOUGH of the Liberal Agenda! The Democrats are the ENEMY.
Jeff….I would encourage you to visit another state that allows grocery stores to sell liquor, wine, and beer. You will see plenty of small liquor stores doing just fine. If the logic is that jobs will be lost, then you are assuming no jobs in grocery stores will be created from stocking this product. The idea that jobs will be lost is not logical. The current liquor law is restricting free markets to work. If you feel liquor stores selling this product will cost jobs, I encourage you to go ask Wal-Mart to close their doors. How many grocery stores and small business owners lost business or closed because of Wal-Mart. Maybe we should start with them?
Andrew Fournier The idea of allowing full strength beer, liquor and wine in grocery stores will cost jobs. Many small stores will be forced out of business because they can't compete. Maybe allow full strength beer in grocery stores but no more.
They did shoot themselves in the foot with the introduction of a bill to ban abortion.
The recalls coupled with the fairly sizable margin on the statewide referendum to legalize marijuana only provided more proof that much of Colorado is high independent, even libertarian if you will, and they are not supportive of big government, a lot of regulations and clearly do not support divisive, restrictions on personal freedoms and liberties.
After a year of liberal power grabbing in Colorado and as evidence in the polls, most Coloradans are rejecting wholesale liberalism being forced onto Colorado. It seemed the GOP would easily gain ground in November.
Then, the GOP does what they seem to do best. Open their mouths and insert their feet. The introduction of a bill to ban abortion on top of the finger pointing at each other on the subject likely will result in less ground in November. There is no chance of the bill passing. Colorado may have been very conservative at one time, it is not anymore. However, it's not a liberal bastion either. The GOP, in hopes of gaining control of the legislature probably just blew any chance they had with the introduction of HB 14-1133. What is more baffling is the lack of GOP leadership to squash this idea before it was introduced.
Abortion is not going to see any state level restrictions in Colorado, ever. It is the polar opposite of gun control and the many, many moderates, independents and libertarian minded will run from this issue stifling any chance of putting in the people we need to over turn bad gun laws.
The liberals lied, cheated and stole their way into the Colorado legislature. They will remain there because the GOP in the state (and country) continue to do the most damage to themselves via self inflicted wounds.
Maybe if we vote Hick out of office everyone can start buying wine, liquor, and full strength beer in the grocery store. Just saying…..you can buy weed in Colorado, but not a beer at the store? Gimme a break….
Brophy can win the state. Tancredo has too much negative name recognition to win moderate voters.
Tanc for Gov.
Unless the republicans shoot themselves in the foot, Hickenlooper won't be governor next year. Are you listening Greg Brophy? Quit attacking Tom Tancredo.