The Colorado Senate race: Hickenlooper v Gardner. A warning to Democrats

CPR has an excellent analysis of what happened in the Democratic Senate primary.. The one bit I would add to it is the impact COVID and the police brutality protests had on the outcome. It was especially difficult for Romanoff to counter Hickenlooper's name identification and general public familiarity with his governors' record. Hick was a very well known quantity and was a generally popular governor and still in recent memory. For the pragmatists, Hick was a sure winner over Gardner in a trending blue state, and Romanoff was either too left or an unknown quantity to see him as a sure bet to beat Gardner. I thought once voters knew him better, he would beat Gardner, too. However, air time media focus was so saturated with COVID and George Floyd coverage that there was no space for much free media coverage of the Colorado Senate primary. Advertising was not enough to give a full picture of Romanoff's assets. I also noted that Romanoff managed to work the word "progressive" into his ads, positioning himself on the left in a more moderate state not yet deep blue. In addition, key national progressive leaders did not campaign on behalf of Romanoff, and in fact, supported Hick, as this CPR report noted. My concern is that the issues raised by Romanoff, Hick's ethics, environmental and racial issue stumbles, will show up in Gardner's supporters' ads. Not that such issues represent Gardner's approach, but it would serve to suppress progressives' turnout on behalf of Hick. Divide and conquer is an effective political strategy. It can be used to pit more progressive Democrats against moderate Democrats, asking what difference does it make on these issues (a plague on both of their houses). It worked really well in Trump's victory over Hillary. Imagine where this country would be on issues dear to progressive hearts if Hillary had won. Trump has set about to destroy any progress Obama had made on those issues. If there is a lesson to be learned, we should not fall into that trap of progressives not voting because they could not stand either candidate. What is at stake is way more important than being sore losers. National observers believe the winner of the Colorado Senate race will determine the slim margin of whatever party holds more votes in the Senate. What is critical above all is that Democrats must carry Colorado because the Senate makeup will depend on it. If the Senate continues as the majority in control of the GOP, even if by one vote, Biden, if elected, would have a tough time getting even a moderate agenda passed. If Trump gets re-elected, then bye-bye environment, democracy, and health care, and hello to a Trumpster dominated Supreme Court.
Imagine, too, that if Trump chickens out, fears via polls he will lose the election for sure , he announces he will not run for a second term (Lyndon Johnson did that) and leaves the field to Pence, What then? If the RNC and GOP Senators support Pence through whatever the process or timing is to replace Trump, Pence is likely to rise. The never Trumpers, Lincoln Project, moderates, are only 10 to 20% of the GOP. Pence is appearing to position himself as a person Republicans turned off by Trump's incompetence and character flaws, but not his agenda, could support with enthusiasm. Pence is making his move now. That may account for Pence's recent campaign-style and local media focused visits to red states. The race may be entirely different in November than it is now so it is important not to count on anti-trump sentiment to turn out the swing vote. Progressives staying home could also ensure a Pence victory. As Bernie Sanders said recently, not voting for Biden is irresponsible. That same statement could apply to the Democrats in the Colorado senate race.

The Associated Press called the race at 7:21 p.m. MDT.

CPR.ORG

John Hickenlooper Wins Colorado Democratic Senate Primary

The Associated Press called the race at 7:21 p.m. MDT.

The real Beauprez stood up this morning: anti dream act, still opposing key women's issues, claiming one of the best US state economies is not enough; he could do better

The real Bob Beauprez, Republican candidate for Colorado's governor, is finally standing up this morning on two key issues that will affect the demographics of a large segment of Colorado's voters.  On Fox News (Denver 31) Beauprez affirmed his opposition to abortion  in the case of rape and incest.  He saw the only  reason he approved for abortion would be if the life of the mother would be in jeopardy. He said he opposed the personhood amendment, not because he disagreed with it, but because it was a bad tactic.  The GOP indeed has a problem with single women in this election and he did not help increase his support from that group of voters .  He tried to play both sides of the issue when he promised he  would enforce federal laws on choice (whatever they were).  That should make neither side of those issues very happy.

Hispanics make up 14% of Colorado's voters, enough to swing a narrow election.  In fact,  Beauprez reaffirmed his opposition to the dream act in no uncertain terms. The reason he gave borders on pandering to non Hispanics when he said that there is a limit to admissions in state institutions and that allowing undocumented young people to go to college (using in state tuition) would keep "others" from attending.  That statement deserves close scrutiny and some raised eyebrows.

Beauprez based his positive campaign on his hyper pro business stance to help Colorado's economy. With Colorado ranked as number one in job and economic growth in the nation, and Weld County the fastest growing county, it is a difficult platform for running against incumbent John Hickenlooper, who is taking a victory lap on his pro business administrative reforms and results. All Beauprez  could say  to gild the economic lily is that we could do better if we followed his formula of becoming even more business friendly by wiping out many regulations. and eliminating any uncertainties, encouraging more energy investment in the state.  (Read: a vote against the  fracking ban would have eliminated any uncertainties). That is the best he could do since Hickenlooper convinced the anti fracking activitists to take the issue off the November ballot.   Guess it is Katy bar the door when it comes to consumer and environmental protection, but he wisely  did not offer any specifics.  It is always politically  safer to keep to generalities, right?

Bob Beauprez, who is he?

Who is Bob Beauprez, the Republican taking on Gov. John Hickenlooper in November?  He is a relatively unknown to the general public since his last elected office ended seven years ago, and his stance on issues is missing on his website. Polls show a close race. The campaign will heat up after Labor Day, but what positions Beauprez takes on issues may change the poll numbers.

What we know is that Beauprez was a two-term congressman until 2007, serving western slope District 7, and he lost to Democrat Bill Ritter in the general election for governor in 2006 by 17 percentage points.  Since then he has served as editor in chief of A Line of Sight, an online magazine.  He published one book, “A Return to Values: A Conservative.” There is a limited record of public statements he made in 2012 and later.  From that, it is possible to get a sneak preview of what may come.

He will be a good fit for rural Colorado, but not necessarily for urban/suburban voters. He will perpetuate a gender gap, may neutralize an increase in the Hispanic vote gap, and will risk attacks that “he is too extreme for Colorado” in spite of his businessman demeanor.

Beauprez already had a Romney 47% moment caught on YouTube, similar to what many consider the turning point resulting in the reelection of President Obama. Four years ago Beauprez noted 47% do not pay federal income tax.  Failing to note that 47% percent do not earn enough to be taxed, he concluded, “Almost one half of the population is perfectly happy that someone else is paying the bill.”   He defended his remarks again on July 2, 2014, on KWGN.

A recent Quinnipiac poll concluded that issues of importance to Colorado are the economy, jobs, and health care, to the exclusion of the rest.  A poll revealed 60% say Colorado’s economy is “excellent” or “good” while viewing the national economy as the reverse.  Gov. Hickenlooper, also viewed as business- and energy sector-friendly, may neutralize or win that issue.

Regarding Obamacare, what Beauprez would do differently is not known.  Would he yank it from those who are already benefiting or find an acceptable substitute that provides the same protection from insurance company practices of denial for preexisting conditions and benefits of affordability for the 400,000 in Colorado who were uninsured prior to the ACA?  Colorado’s exchange marketplace is ranked as one of the top four most successful in the US.

A nonpartisan, nonprofit  group “On the Issues,” however, has looked at Beauprez’s positions on record and assessed  him to be a conservative on the right, opposing higher taxes on the wealthy, green energy as a priority, women’s unrestricted rights for abortion, and same-sex marriage. What he favors are school choice vouchers, absolute right to gun ownership, and privatizing social security.  He is neutral on a pathway to citizenship for illegal aliens, perhaps recognizing that Hispanics comprise 12% of the state’s voters.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlPWULnF8fgW 

http://www.ontheissues.org/Bob_Beauprez_VoteMatch.htm

What could be done to stop the carnage of mass shootings

Was Sandy Hook the last straw? Will the public finally demand action be taken to stop the epidemic of mass shootings?

I can see members of my family who are NRA members and sympathizers rolling their eyes: “Here it comes. More gun control legislation. And there go Second amendment rights.” But I have also seen much public soul-searching about why our society has become so afflicted and some wondering if we cannot lock up those whom we think will commit violence.

The horror of the massacre of children and teachers in Newtown, Conn., had so many of us in tears last Friday. It hit too close to home. A daughter is an elementary school teacher in Jefferson County and the children she teaches will eventually attend Columbine High School, the Colorado icon for the mass shooting violence copy-catted around the world.

Our grandson attends elementary school less than an hour from Newtown and his school was locked down as the tragedy unfolded. Both our grandson's father and my daughter had the same reaction. They pointed fingers at the NRA because the powerful lobby group has opposed even limited measures fearing they would lead to the slippery slope to greater restriction of constitutional rights.

Per the U.S. Supreme Court, we do not need to abandon Second Amendment rights to take reasonable measures. However, the public's repulsion over the murders of young children committed with a semi-automatic weapon will indeed spark federal focus on controlling the type of ammunition, high capacity magazines, and/or access to assault weapons, including closing the gun show loophole. At least the carnage could be reduced by such measures since semi-automatics allow so many to be killed without skill in so short a time.

Can more be done by mental health professionals, society, and concerned family members to stop a troubled person from becoming a mass killer? The answer is a qualified yes. The number of potential incidents can be reduced, but not completely eliminated

During the weekend, I spoke with psychologist Dr. Judith Holland , specializing in trauma and disaster intervention, with Centus Counseling in Denver, a low-cost faith based mental health service . She said that even professionals have only 50-50 chance of predicting who would become violent. However, mental health professionals, police, and families can take action, put a patient in 72 hour hold for evaluation if the person appears to be a danger to himself or specifies a target of planned violence.

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper interviewed on CNN Sunday, said he had already proposed more gun control, expanding the “hold,” more background checks, affordable access to mental health professionals, and setting up a 24 hour hotline.

Dr. Holland pointed to the high cost of mental health care and limited insurance coverage as one of the culprits. (Obamacare requires comprehensive mental health insurance coverage). Another barrier to seeking help is the lingering stigma of mental illness which leads to denial and keeping secrets. She believes in more education to change attitudes. Mental illness should be no more a stigma than say, diabetes.

Gov. Hickenlooper also cited the culture of violence fostered by video games and entertainment media featuring the use of semi automatic weapons. I agree. Violent superheroes are part of todays' culture. The entertainment industry must do more than just rate games and movies; it needs to take responsibility for their products. Dr. Holland believes it would be helpful if news reports do not refer to the shooter by his/her name in order to reduce copy cats seeking a legacy of their names in headlines.

Higher security measures and armed guards at theater and school entrances may sadly become more common, but those are only Band-Aids covering greater problems.

This also appeared as a column in www.skyhidailynews.com today
Also visit www.mufticforumespanol.blogspot.com for the translation to Spanish