Obama era Democrats campaigned on transparency in government, and yet Colorado is still so behind the times our state legislature still refuses to allow video cameras to broadcast committee hearings.
The Democrat-controlled House and Senate has resisted pressured for years to join the long list of other states where lawmakers aren’t ashamed to show their face.
And now we may know why.
Democrat State Rep. Junie Joseph of Boulder confesses that her fellow elected representatives aren’t professional or responsible enough to behave on camera.
“Sometimes the conversation in the Well is sooo theatrical and out of this world that I wonder if we did not have a live webcast would the conversation be so lively & theatrical?” Joseph said on X, referring to live video feeds of House floor proceedings.
Only audio recordings are permitted of committee hearings where legislation is crafted, and good luck guessing who is speaking.
“We only have 120 days to get our work done,” Joseph said.
We already provide recordings of committee hearings. Sometimes the conversation in the Well is sooo theatrical and out of this world that I wonder if we did not have a live webcast would the conversation be so lively & theatrical? We only have 120 days to get our work done. https://t.co/xh0IA9mtZ4
— Junie (@Junie4Colorado) September 6, 2024
It’s like telling the boss you and your office mates should be excused from job performance reviews because everyone’s just goofing off all the time.
C-SPAN has been televising live proceedings of Congress for 45 years, and also covers high profile committee hearings.
Holding elected officials accountable by watching them do the job to which they were elected is not some radical notion Coloradans recently concocted.
Reaction to Joseph’s admission was swift and unyielding.
Fellow Democrat state Rep. David Ortiz, a disabled vet who uses a wheelchair, reminded his fellow Democrats running the joint that video coverage is also an accessibility issue.
Another commenter offered the helpful suggestion that the legislature should shorten the session to 90 days, so they don’t have so much time to waste playing games and dwindling away our individual rights and liberties.