Much ado has been made about the challenges in forwarding the sales tax increase bill that would potentially fund transportation bonding, but what escaped media attention (except for Marianne Goodland at the Colorado Independent) are the intra-Democrat fights happening under our state’s Golden Dome. Here’s an excerpt from the Independent about a confrontation between Democrats Senate Minority Leader Lucia Guzman and House Speaker Crisanta Duran:
“Sonnenberg met with Speaker of the House Crisanta Duran Wednesday evening, a meeting that did not include his Senate partner on the bill, Democratic Senate Minority Leader Lucia Guzman of Denver. That led to a ‘politically energized communication with the Speaker in the wee hours of this day,’ Guzman said, where she told Duran that ‘This is my bill’ and indicated she wanted Duran to butt out.”
In fairness to Guzman, Duran has proven herself to be at the least a bad negotiator and at the worst a negotiator in bad faith. Republican Sen. Jerry Sonnenberg expressed frustration over Democrats’ lack of good faith negotiating in the hospital provider fee bill, SB17-267, to Complete Colorado‘s Sherrie Peif:
“If we’re not going to have any negotiations in good faith, then what they have done has not been in good faith. If we’re not going to have negotiations, then there is no point in having a damn bill.”
Democrats will have to answer to their constituents come election time about why they did not negotiate in good faith (and, thus, failed to accomplish anything). In the meantime, we have to admit that a little blue on blue violence is delicious.