Yesterday, Twitter erupted with news that Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Polis, who is running for Governor in Colorado, refused to take a stance in support of Jordan Cove. Jordan, who?
Jordan Cove is a pipeline project that would open Western Colorado natural gas development to markets in the West Coast and beyond. It would mean vast economic development opportunities for Western Colorado, and, let’s be honest, Western Colorado hasn’t exactly been an economic engine for the state.
Even Governor Hickenlooper and Sen. Bennet support Jordan Cove, so this really should be a no-brainer. Supporting economic development is good, limiting economic development is bad.
This is why Polis is so problematic. It’s not just that he’s a Democrat, which, obviously, a conservative blog would take issue with, but that he’s the kind of Democrat that would put the economic (and otherwise) well-being of his constituents in the back seat to the (vocal) passions of his special interests.
This chasm shows not only that he’s a weak leader and can’t take a strong stand on something that should be even friendly to enviros – hello, natural gas is a cleaner burning fuel – but also that Democrats are so divided that it’s not clear how they’re going to get their act together for this blue tsunami that’s allegedly supposed to arrive in 3…2…1….
We’re not holding our breath.