Earlier today, we wrote about how desperate the left is to cast Colorado Republicans as weak going into the 2016 election. An astute reader brought to our attention the fact that this was not the first example of the left grasping at straws to push this narrative. In a bizarre twist, the left is trying to accuse Republicans in the state Senate of voting “every which way”, as if that’s a negative attribute. Take this email from Colorado Capitol Watch:
“Cadman’s ‘cat herding cats’ environment contrasted sharply with House Speaker Dickey Lee Hullinghorst’s corgi nipping Democratic heels. Hullinghorst had the Governor in her back pocket to press interests. The voting range for House Dems looks like this: 363 Yes’s to 3 No’s (Majority leader Crisanta Duran) to 346 Yes’s to 11 No’s (Rep. Dan Pabon).
The spread between Cadman and Marble is 85 NO votes; the spread between Hullinghorst and Pabon is 7 No votes. The Republicans have become the disorganized party.
Three Republican Senators joined Marble in a cohort of frequent No voters: Tim Neville -81 No’s; Jerry Sonnenberg – 74 No’s; and MAJORITY WHIP Randy Baumgardner – 73 No’s.
Even so, Cadman helped pass 359 of the 366 bills that got through both chambers.”
Colorado Capitol Watch claims to be nonpartisan, but is, in fact, run by partisan former Democratic legislator Paula Noonan. The truth is this email reveals just as much about its author as it does about Republican State Senators. One of the fundamental differences between Republicans and Democrats is that Republicans place value on the individual where Democrats place value on the collective. So, it’s not surprising that Republican state Senators would vote independently. And, really, isn’t that a good thing? Don’t we elect representatives to vote their districts, not be a rubber stamp for their party or the governor?
Here’s another insightful piece from this Colorado Capitol Watch email – despite the independent streak that Republican Senators exhibited, Republican Senate President Cadman helped pass 359 of the 366 bills in this year’s legislature. That actually speaks to Cadman’s strength as a coalition builder both within his own party and across the aisle.
May we recommend that the left finds a new talking point? We would guess that Republicans and middle of the road folks think independent thinking among legislators is a positive attribute. But, who are we to stand in the way of the left making Republican legislators look appealing to voters?