The Curious Stranger, a New England Democrat import to Colorado politics, has written to clarify his views on the change of power in the state party:
Don’t be misled by those with points to score, these comments don’t imply a lack of confidence in Pat Waak, just an aversion to change in the wake of success.
That’s all well and good. Though he may not worry as much about Waak’s hard-core left-of-center ideology – not a nice fit for Colorado – he does recognize the inherent dangers of trying to fix what “ain’t broke.” And perhaps the dangers of such a closely divided and disputed vote, as well.
I’m going to be frank here. The Republican Party in Colorado has its share of problems and divisions, too. But moving leftward politically is not the answer for either party.
Neither is ramming a blank-check budget reform package through the state legislature. It’s easy to develop swelled heads and an exaggerated impression of your own power when you’re in the majority at the Capitol. Such a condition has afflicted the Republicans before, but so soon for the Democrats?
If they’re going to rebuff all efforts at compromise – and if they’re going to push a surefire losing proposal onto the statewide ballot this year – Colorado’s Democratic leaders are deluded into thinking their grip on state legislative power is tighter, safer, and more permanent than it really is.
Both polls that have been done on this issue show less than 40 percent support for Romanoff’s plan – the least popular of a series of options presented to the voters. This isn’t an argument against the merits of the Democrat plan (there are enough of those), but a practical argument against their ability to promote an acceptable fix to the state’s budget shortfall.
Or maybe the Democrats’ strategy is to come up with a proposed solution that the voters will reject in 2005 so that their visions of an adoring public still need them in 2006 to “solve” the problem. No, go ahead, keep thinking that way… (Smile)
Strictly speaking, I’m a New England Republican import and at this point a pretty dedicated centrist. I voted for Bush Sr but learned my lesson and switched my affiliation to Democrat after moving to Colorado in ’96.
I’ll also point out that there is no evidence that Waak posseses a ‘hard-core left-of-center ideology’ although I’ll grant you the Colorado GOP desperately needs to make it appear so in order to have a chance in 2006, so I understand why you need to drum on that point over and over. It’ll take a lot of drumming to drum out all memory of how the Republican’s tried to resolve the budget crisis when they had a chance: by renaming Mt Democrat to Mt Republican and protecting us from consensual sexual acts.