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February 23, 2010 11:20 PM UTC

Oh Noes, Politics!

  • 14 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

You’ll enjoy this article in today’s Durango Herald:

Democrats are ripping Republican state Rep. Scott Tipton for missing a tricky vote last week on the agriculture budget.

The Cortez legislator called the charge “the ultimate cheap shot” because he was excused in advance for the vote.

The spat offers a glimpse into how politically savvy legislators can force votes that put the other side in no-win situations. In this case, Democrats want to use the episode against Tipton in his congressional race against U.S. Rep. John Salazar, D-Manassa.

The vote came Wednesday, when the House was debating dozens of bills that cut the budget by nearly $360 million. Republicans and unaffiliated Rep. Kathleen Curry offered amendments to cut the state payroll in each department, for an additional $10 million savings.

Tipton voted for all of them in initial votes. Democrats for the most part opposed the amendments. They were all defeated, except for the Agriculture Department pay cuts. Enough Democrats supported the agriculture amendment in an initial vote that the Agriculture Committee chairman had to force an on-the-record vote to protect the department he oversees.

The tactic happens a lot on budget bills because one side can pit two of the other side’s interests against each other. In this case, it was agriculture vs. the GOP strategy of pushing across-the-board payroll cuts…

Anyway, this wasn’t actually about longshot CD-3 candidate Scott Tipton, who is probably right about being excused and doesn’t come out looking any worse for wear (for what it’s worth), but the much more politically in play Cory Gardner running in heavily agricultural CD-4. Gardner stuck with the majority of the GOP caucus in voting to cut the Ag Department, providing that much more in terms of ammunition to use against him with farmers in his aspirant district. In the end, Minority Leader Mike May had to cast a key vote to protect the department from this unpopular and by-then singular cut–which would have been laid at the feet of GOP candidates had it passed.

But the funny part is all the pearl-clutching outrage over this kind of thing happening, as if such political byplay isn’t the point of the majority of GOP bills introduced this year, from Dave Schultheis’ religious freedom bill to HB10-1261, the perennial fetal homicide “kill this” bill. The only reason they exist at all is Focus on the Family’s direct-mail wing, so chill with the melodrama.

And maybe it’s time explain to that restive GOP base why Minority Leader May didn’t want this say-we-want-a budget cut to, you know, actually pass, turnabout being fair play and all.

Comments

14 thoughts on “Oh Noes, Politics!

  1. and is it signed by his parents?  Cuz, if not, he will have to go to the principal’s office.

    I love it.  “He was excused” is a great response.  If you’re six.  Tipton needs to come out with a clear, short response to this issue that doesn’t sound petulant.  Otherwise, the Dems will continue to hit him with it.  And, no, I don’t think an excuse letter will work.

    1. A member asks to be excused if they know they are going to be out of town or otherwise detained.  Often in an emergency – car wreck, death in family, plane grounded or car stalled because of weather someone makes a call to get the member excused.  It’s also common courtesy.

      I have no idea why Scott Tipton asked to be excused but you need to familiarize yourself with the rules before you make fun of him for following the rules.  

      1. But you make it sound like it only happens in emergencies — “death in the family”? “car wreck”? — which is not true.

        Cory Gardener’s absence was excused when he was attending a fundraiser in D.C. instead of being at the Capitol for military appreciation day. The point is, if it’s important to be at the Capitol, make sure you’re there.

      2. that his absence was acceptable but it sounds terrible politically.  He needs a better answer than saying something along the lines of it’s not fair.  Salazar can use a good push to get out to the district more often and Tipton will need to show more skill than this to get his attention.

      3. According to the Herald story, he said he had an afternoon meeting. With whom? What meeting was more important than being on the floor voting?

        It could have been perfectly legit, as Ellie’s post points out. But we don’t know, and won’t unless Tipton comes clean.

      1. He said the babies with HIV will teach the mothers a lesson. So I guess he favors some sort of sex ed — just not the kind with workbooks and film strips.

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