Hal Bidlack
Properly, it’s mid-December, and the Colorado state Republican Celebration has begun that awkward and ugly process required of all political events following huge electoral defeats: a glance again at what went unsuitable and why. And as these GOPers ponder their shortcomings, the winners are shifting ahead. Two latest Colorado Politics tales spotlight these variations and what they present is kind of attention-grabbing, particularly from the viewpoint of a reasonable Democrat like me.
A narrative from final week took an in-depth have a look at what’s going on inside the state GOP proper now. For context, these GOPers are assembly to mirror on a real shellacking in November. The Republicans entered the 2022 election cycle holding a single statewide workplace, and located after Election Day that they now held, effectively, zero. Heidi Ganahl had been a CU regent and was the Republican nominee for governor. She misplaced by a large and historic 19 share factors. You’d have to return to 1990 for a extra decisive loss, when Roy Romer received his second time period by 26 factors.
Up and down the poll, 2022 was a catastrophe for a celebration that was, each inside Colorado and nationally, hampered by, effectively, awful candidates usually spouting nutty conspiracy theories.
Coming into the election most of the most profitable GOP candidates, by way of successful their social gathering’s nomination, had been robust Trumpers and election deniers. From Tina Peters, who’s dealing with seven felony expenses right here in Colorado, to Herschel Walker in Georgia, and throughout our nice land, the Trumpier and nuttier the candidate, the extra doubtless it appeared that she or he would win the GOP nomination for a wide range of workplaces.
And, effectively, they beautiful a lot all misplaced.
So the place do considerate and reflective Republicans place blame for his or her debacle? Properly, for some, you conclude that the GOP misplaced as a result of they weren’t conservative and loopy sufficient. To be honest, they don’t really use the phrase “loopy.” Fairly, as seen in a latest press convention by GOP activists, you assault the institution GOP as being too reasonable, and never leaping far sufficient into the morass that’s election denial. Even Trump lately stating that elements, if not all, of the Structure needs to be “terminated” isn’t sufficient for these most excessive GOPers to again away from the massive lie. After all, as a partisan Dem, I’d like to see the GOP proceed to appoint candidates based mostly on nothing greater than Trump loyalty, as that significantly will increase the chances of electing extra Dems.
And because the GOP engages in a public meals struggle, one other Colorado Politics story highlights what one of many winners has been as much as.
Again in 2008, throughout my very own failed run for the U.S. Congress, I occurred throughout a really good younger man who was sensible as a whip and really succesful. I used to be happy that he helped out a bit on my marketing campaign, and I stayed in contact with him. His identify is Jason Crow, or as most people know him now, Congressman Jason Crow.
Crow is a fellow navy vet and served as an Military Ranger with distinction, as demonstrated by his a number of fight medals. When he got here residence from two fight excursions, Crow determined to run for Congress and fortunately received. And as a navy vet and nationwide safety skilled, Crow has been fairly lively in his position as a member of the Home Armed Providers Committee and, curiously, as a member of a little-known however necessary a part of NATO: the Parliamentary Meeting. Crow is kind of an skilled in terms of the warfare between Russia and Ukraine, and his views are extremely revered.
After I began out my navy profession, I used to be an ICBM launch officer, aiming missiles at our adversaries. We had been recurrently briefed on the then-Soviet Union’s navy power, and I recall being impressed by their numerical benefits in Europe when it got here to tanks, troops and different weapons of warfare.
However because it seems, as Crow notes, Russia isn’t the good navy energy, at the least by way of typical non-nuclear weapons, that we might have thought it was. Crow is certain Ukraine is definitely prone to win this warfare, each time the day arrives that Vladimir Putin realizes he simply can’t win and is compelled to the negotiation desk.
Crow notes the Ukrainian navy has reformed their offensive operations in a approach that has change into fairly efficient when coping with Russian forces. Crow has visited Ukraine twice, together with lately in the course of the warfare, and he has change into an necessary determine in U.S. overseas coverage within the area.
These two CoPo tales level out a world of distinction between Colorado’s political winners and losers. Whereas the state GOP squabbles and fights, the elected Dems are plugging away at native, state and nationwide points. Personally, I hope the GOP ineptitude continues. Heck, Tina Peters is even now mulling over operating for state GOP chair. Former GOP chief Dick Wadhams famous, with little question an ironic tongue firmly positioned in cheek, that “the excellent news for Tina, if she runs for state chair, I don’t assume there’s something within the bylaws that prohibit a state chair from serving from a jail cell.”
And so, pricey readers, to awkwardly recast an excellent Robert Frost poem and a little bit of Lewis Carroll, the Colorado GOP has determined to take the highway much less traveled. However that highway is extra prone to finish in a mad hatter’s tea social gathering than in electoral success. The Dems, it appears, are content material to cope with actuality, and that may very doubtless serve them a lot better.
Keep tuned.
Hal Bidlack is a retired professor of political science and a retired Air Power lieutenant colonel who taught greater than 17 years on the U.S. Air Power Academy in Colorado Springs.