John Hickenlooper refuses to say if he supported the targeted $500 billion COVID-19 relief bill Senate Democrats filibustered and killed earlier this week, the Colorado Sun reports in their Unaffiliated newsletter.
President Trump reamed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for refusing to consider a bipartisan deal that could pass both chambers of Congress.
President @realDonaldTrump: Nancy Pelosi and the Democrat party are blocking a relief bill for the American people for political reasons#Debates2020 pic.twitter.com/dp500eSUs0
— Team Trump (Text VOTE to 88022) (@TeamTrump) October 23, 2020
In last week’s debate, Hickenlooper criticized Republicans and Democrats for blaming each other over the lack of progress on a stimulus deal, and said he would embrace a “lean” bill that could pass the Senate.
CONFIRMED by a @Hickenlooper staffer: Hick lied last week when he said he'd support a targeted COVID relief bill. #copolitics #cosen https://t.co/ekWPz4SzVf pic.twitter.com/JyugoLng09
— Meghan Graf (@MeghanGraf) October 21, 2020
After the vote on the “lean” $500 billion bill failed, Hickenlooper blamed – you guessed it – McConnell and refused to say if we would have supported the bill.
Does Hickenlooper support the bill? His campaign refused to say, declining to answer multiple questions from The Sun.
Instead, Hickenlooper pointed the finger of blame at the Senate Republican leader — in other words, doing exactly what he said was the problem. “Mitch McConnell is deliberately sabotaging COVID relief negotiations,” Hickenlooper said in a statement.
Somebody check on Hickenlooper. He clearly doesn't know that the Senate:
1) Voted on COVID relief today
2) Dems blocked itHick lied to Coloradans last week when he said he'd support the type of targeted relief that was killed by Dems today. Keep up, John. #copolitics #cosen https://t.co/k97aSznyMF
— Meghan Graf (@MeghanGraf) October 21, 2020
This episode demonstrates the fictional idea Hickenlooper would ever cross Senate Democrat Leader Chuck Schumer and exercise bipartisan judgment in the Senate.
More importantly, it shows Hickenlooper’s cries about struggling Colorado families desperate for additional PPP and unemployment insurance relief are just cheap political talking points that he will drop at the first sign of trouble.
The Senate stimulus bill blocked by Democrats did in fact include unemployment benefits, as well as billions of dollars for schools. Democrats killed a separate bill earlier this week to provide another round of PPP loans.
Hickenlooper’s campaign is completely funded and owned by party leadership.
Sending Hickenlooper to the Senate would only stack the chamber with another partisan Democrat who would never stand up to party bosses, and we already have that useless excuse for leadership in U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet.