Tipton: Making Southern Colorado Awfully Nervous

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by: Colorado Pols

As the Pueblo Chieftain’s Patrick Malone reports:

House Minority Leader Sal Pace, D-Pueblo, quizzed Tipton on federal support for the Arkansas Valley Conduit and asked the congressman whether he supports a “permanent ban” on Pinon Canyon expansion…

Tipton said he has a meeting scheduled soon with the secretary of the Army, and Pinon Canyon is certain to be a topic. He said expansion of the maneuver site is not imminent.

“They have no money to make any purchases,” he said, referring to Congress’ action not to fund any proposed expansion of the site by the Army.

However, Tipton told Pace that could change in the future.

“Circumstances may change down the road in the national interest,” he said. “So, your word ‘permanent’ may be a little too strict.” [Pols emphasis]

…”I disagree with him,” Pace said. “I think we need a permanent ban on Army expansion at Pinon Canyon. I was disappointed that he was so dismissive about some of the concerns in Southeastern Colorado. We have a new congressman, and I guess he has new priorities.”

Who knows? Perhaps military-heavy Colorado Springs will get redistricted into Scott Tipton’s CD-3, and Pueblo and the southeast quarter of the state will get redistricted out. That’s about the only scenario in which Tipton temporizing on the expansion of the Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site could possibly be a political benefit in 2012. We’ve said before that the issue of Pinon Canyon’s expansion does not unify Republicans; in fact the issue pits two traditional GOP constituencies, pro-military and pro-property rights, against one another.

Heck, even Marilyn Musgrave had the sense to avoid this proverbial minefield.

15 thoughts on “Tipton: Making Southern Colorado Awfully Nervous”

BlueCat says:

February 3, 2011 at 7:27 pm

they keep reelecting him. They deserve him. Unfortunately that means the rest of us are stuck with this invisible Rep., who obviously holds his constituents in contempt, voting on national legislation important to all of us in the US congress. Thanks voters of CD5.

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1. BlueCat says:
  
  February 3, 2011 at 7:29 pm
  
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  1. Ralphie says:
    
    February 3, 2011 at 7:31 pm
    
    It’s a distinction without a difference.
    
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    1. BlueCat says:
      
      February 3, 2011 at 7:41 pm
      
      to at least look like I’m making sense.
      
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      1. MADCO says:
        
        February 4, 2011 at 9:36 am
        
        Maybe not.
        
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JeffcoBlue says:

February 3, 2011 at 7:33 pm

Washington is going to chew him up and spit him out. He’ll be repeating so many spoon-fed talking points that the trip-ups will be fast and furious now.

Sal Pace for Congress!

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1. gertie97 says:
  
  February 3, 2011 at 7:41 pm
  
  and his staff better get on the ball. He obviously needs to be prepared with talking points on everything, since he can’t think on his feet.
  
  If he’s in front of an adoring audience of true believers, he can spout the usual rhetoric and they love him. But get him into situations where thinking people might ask about things over than the party-approved rhetorical issues, and he trips all over.
  
  It’s gonna be a long two years, at least.
  
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onebigrepublican says:

February 3, 2011 at 7:34 pm

Marilyn Musgrave led the fight. Had it not been for he aggressive tactics regarding Pinon Canyon Salazar would not have jumped on the bill. She was about to embarrass Salazar in his own District, and she forced his hand.

At that time no politician knew how lucrative the decision to support a moratorium would be for garnering political capital.

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1. JeffcoBlue says:
  
  February 3, 2011 at 7:36 pm
  
  Scott Tipton still doesn’t.
  
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  1. onebigrepublican says:
    
    February 3, 2011 at 7:39 pm
    
    Member of Congress would not support a permanent ban would be if they are planning a statewide run for something. Is he keeping options open?
    
    If he is, that is dumb. He is a Congressman, and that is the end of the road politically speaking. I like the guy though. Seems level headed.
    
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    1. MADCO says:
      
      February 3, 2011 at 8:20 pm
      
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dmindgo says:

February 3, 2011 at 8:01 pm

I’m in the district. I supported Salazar. And I agree w/ Tipton.

A permanent ban is silly. For now, the military should take no for an answer on the issue. We cannot make a permanent ban anymore than we can make a unicorn fly.

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1. OneEyedOwl says:
  
  February 3, 2011 at 9:00 pm
  
  The Pinon Canyon expansion is a rotten idea, and I hope it never happens in my lifetime. We don’t need any more bombing ranges, and Scott Tipton would do well to say so.
  
  But I guess if future generations of Coloradoans want to turn the state into a training ground for global warfare, that’s their business.
  
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ajb says:

February 3, 2011 at 9:46 pm

There’s no such thing as permanent. If you can vote to ban something, you can vote to allow it again later. This extends all the way to the constitution (e.g., Prohibition).

But it makes good political theater and will sway more than one voter.

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efntrooper says:

February 10, 2011 at 10:52 am

Folks, give Tipton a real challenger from the Democratic side. Sal Pace has never had a serious challenger for his seat, and he keeps getting elected because of this fact. If he has to go up against an actual candidate that can put two sentences together, when he has to fight for his seat, he’s going to lose. He really doesn’t have a support base, and turnout for him is very very very low. There are many other good candidates that can represent Colorado more effectively. If you want Tipton to keep representing CD-3 then field Pace as a candidate. Trust me – he’ll get his clock cleaned, not so much by Tipton, but by every voter in the Distrct who hates obvious career politicians, which Pace is – somehow despite being a young man. He’s never done anything but politics and that’s not what the public wants these days. They want men who have worked and built things besides their own careers. Pace is a bad pick, and once the other candidates emerge, people will see this fact. I live in his District and know for a fact that he didn’t even vote in the caucuses in 2008. Really bothered me. It was because he didn’t want people to know if he supported Obama or Hillary. I’ve never had any respect for him since then. He showed up to campaign for himself, but then for some reason just disappeared when the hands were being counted.

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