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April 02, 2010 08:55 PM UTC

The Colorado Governor's Race, In a Picture

  • 89 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

At the risk of oversimplifying the Colorado Governor’s race in 2010, this, in a nutshell, is why Republicans are in trouble.

This picture is from last night’s Nugget’s game, in which Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper rode a bicycle onto the court to deliver the game ball before tip-off. As we saw this picture, we were reminded of a quote from State Republican Party Chair Dick Wadhams in early February:

“If this election has to be about whether voters like John Hickenlooper, we will lose. This guy is dangerous. If we allow him to run as the quirky mayor of Denver, he is dangerous.”

As much as we all like to pretend that elections are about issues, they really aren’t that way anymore (if they ever were). In today’s media climate, elections are popularity contests, first and foremost, and Republicans like Scott McInnis and Dan Maes are just never going to be more likable than Hickenlooper.

There are few politicians in Colorado who could pull of this bicycle basketball maneuver and make it look genuine, rather than the folksy publicity stunt that it is. Think about it — who else could do this and not come across as completely fake? When all is said and done in November, it is this difference that McInnis and Maes just cannot overcome.

As an aside, this is also a strong counter-argument to the old (and we believe, long disproved) adage that a Denver politician would have a hard time winning statewide; you think the Mayor of Longmont would be able to arrange this kind of free press in the Denver market?

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89 thoughts on “The Colorado Governor’s Race, In a Picture”

  1. They need all the help they can get down the stretch. They’ve been playing like garbage without George Karl and K-Mart–especially away from the Pepsi Center.

    Hick is the least of my worries.

      1. when he won election to the Senate, but he wasn’t exactly a Denver elected official. The same could be said of Roy Romer when he was elected governor.

        You’d probably have to go back to Dick Lamm, who ran from a primarily Denver (and some Arapahoe County, if memory serves) elected office. Floyd Haskell would be the other most recent statewide winner from a Denver elected office, though he wasn’t in the legislature when he ran for the Senate.

        Other governors and senators were elected elsewhere before winning statewide office: Mark Udall from Eldorado Springs, Bill Owens from Aurora, Wayne Allard from Loveland, Ben Campbell from Ignacio, Hank Brown from Greeley, Tim Wirth from Boulder (though he lived in West Denver when he was first elected), Bill Armstrong from Littleton. Gary Hart was living in Denver but hadn’t been elected before when he won statewide.

        SaveCo’s point is a good one to keep in mind — Colorado voters don’t tend to elect Denver politicians statewide. Whatever happens in the primary, both Democrats running atop the ticket this year will be Denver pols.

        2. 1. There aren’t a lot of high-profile Denverites who did run for a big statewide office in recent memory. But more importantly…

          2. As we’ve discussed here before, voter demographics in Colorado have dramatically changed in the last decade. Now that 85% of registered voters live along the Front Range, you’re really at a disadvantage if you are not from the Metro area.

          1. But I think SaveCo is making a point about Denver elected officials, not metro area or Front Range ones. And there have been high-profile Denverites who’ve run for statewide office and lost in recent memory — Tom Strickland (twice) and Dottie Lamm for the Senate, Ken Gordon for secretary of state.

            Maybe it’s less the case anymore that the rest of the state resents Denver or thinks big-city pols are too high falutin, but there’s probably a good reason Ritter was the first Denver pol elected statewide in decades. It’s not because Denver officials lacked ambition, fundraising ability or party bona fides.

    2. There have been plenty of Denver residents who have won statewide office, but in context, I think SaveCoH2O may be asking who was the last person holding an elected city office in Denver to be elected statewide. I believe there has been only one – John Routt, who was Colorado’s first governor, later served as Mayor of Denver, then was elected Governor again in the 1890s.

      Anyone know differently?

  3. great for a ball game (and CO Polsters) but it’s not too funny when your unemployed or underemployed with a stack of bills staring you in the face.

        1. Ritter had no experience working with the leg. (and neither has Hick).  That’s been one of your (D’s) biggest criticisms of Ritter. And Hick stumbled out of the gate and offended them at a couple of speeches in Denver.

          Scott knows the ins and outs of the legislative process which in my mind trumps brewing beer and marketing the Denver Nuggets.

              1. I can’t imagine Wadhams and all the other kingmakers didn’t have anything at all to say about the whole “I would have beat Udall” fiasco.

              2. One of the endearing qualities of Democrats is that we acknowledge that we are imperfect beings and are subject to committing errors and making mistakes.  The beauty of our party is that we don’t think it is a sin to make a mistake as long as you can learn from it.  Hickenlooper met with legislative members and they came to a meeting of the minds on how to move forward.  The messaging is going to just get better.  Obama shows this same ability to learn, adapt and improve his performance.

                Unfortunately this is not a trait that Republicans often display and like the dinosaurs are destined to be replaced because they can’t adapt or adjust after making a mistake.  All they do is deny that a mistake happened so they can never learn from it.

                Hickenlooper is going to do fine because like Pete Coors he knows that to be a successful businessman you have to be able to communicate your ideas.

              1. because he had a crappy opponent. But his claimed ignorance of seniority could come back and bite him if he claims he’s red-hot about how the legislature works.

                When it comes to “jobs, jobs, jobs,” I’ll take Hick. He’s actually done it. All Scooter’s done is talk about it.

                1. Obama,Ritter Mike B, Andrew R as far as I know haven’t owned and operated a small (or large) business. They have been public servants for the most part and voted/supported/pushed legislation that they feel will help the economy and create jobs. Hick knows how to market beer successfully; that doesn’t mean he has a clue how government programs encourage or discourage job creation.

                  1. Last I heard, Hickenlooper is an elected official of some government entity or another. (This is in addition to his experience at creating actual private sector jobs.)

                    Michael Bennet has NOT been a public servant for much of his life at all (remember, he was in the employ of an evil Republican for a while).

                    Then there is the fact that Ritter isn’t running for anything.

                    In short, you might want to brush up on your talking points, Ellie.

                  2. … if you’re going to blast Hick for not having governmental experience. Or we could live in make-believe land and I can blast McInnis for lacking governmental experience too…

                  3. I’m talking about Hick, who has actually run a business and created jobs. Scooter hasn’t.

                    Last I looked, Scooter wasn’t running against Obama, Ritter, Bennet or Romanoff.

                    But the day is young.

          4. McInnis has legislative experience from, what, two decades ago? That’ll make all the difference! Good thing all the major lobbyists have his number on speed dial!

          5. You and everyone else who reads Colorado Pols are the minority — we are the people who do pay close attention to candidates and races. The average voter isn’t going to know much about Hickenlooper or McInnis as far as their political backgrounds and whether that makes them likely to be a good Governor. They’re just going to vote for the person they like better.

          7. regulations have cost the state “thousands” of jobs because the surrounding states are hunky dory with exploiting the land and don’t have the darn constraints of taking care of the land.

            I would guess that being in the executive branch of a major metropolitan city who has to work with a city council and a hundred million plus budget would prepare him quite well for an executive position in the state government.  Not to mention his tackling big projects like the new Denver Jail and the DNC Convention would prepare him for handling big projects at the state level.

            Scotty prepared for a life of lobbying which isn’t quite on the same scale as being an every day executive with personnel and budget decisions to make.

            1. I don’t care if its marketing beer, or owning a restaurant, or a laundramat, or whatever.  It takes a lot of energy, creativity, hard work and determination.

              That is why I like Hick.  Plus there is just some type of je ne sais quois about him.  He is a very likeable guy.

    3. Every candidate for every office is going to talk about how they are best for the economy and job recovery. They all see the same poll numbers.

      The key in this race, as with most races, will be in how candidates stand out from each other.  

    5. between 7-11 to lift up the unemployed and feed the hungry?  Just asking what your anointed one did that was a better use of his time.  Wasn’t he meeting with his corporate donors to elicit more campaign money for negative attack ads this summer?

      1. Or aren’t you aware that Scott McInnis shaved off his porn star mustache in a pathetic, desperate attempt to come across as more likeable?

    6. so thanks for giving me something to think about.  In the end I concluded it was a really disingenuous post because we all know that Republicans worship the rich and hate the poor so your post comes off as pretty silly fantasy writing.

      Republicans in general believe that poor people deserve their condition and station in life because they didn’t pull themselves up by their bootstraps like the rich bankers who cashed in their bonuses.  Republicans always cut social service programs first because they know that the poor aren’t likely to vote.  Republicans consider abstinence only sex education programs a higher priority than helping the poor.  

      Democrats like Hickenlooper on the other hand consider social justice an important part of our American traditions and work really hard to provide adequate funding for poverty and equal education programs.  Hickenlooper as probably already helped more people through Denver city budgets than McInnis ever will in his entire lifetime.

      Your petty little post shows how desperate you are to find anything to disparage Hickenlooper for even if it is issues that favor him.

      2. did win. Another loss would have been a backbreaker, the win gives Nugs a whole new lease on life in the quest for home court advantage.  That’s how tight things are. As superstitious as athletes are, wouldn’t be surprised if they had Hick do it for the remainder of the regular season.

      1. …while riding a bike is quite a trick shot.  It’s a wonder he didn’t pull a Ritter and end up taking a trip to the Knife and Gun Club.  

    1. ..it’s unavailable here in our nation’s Capital. However, the former Denver brewery known as Flying Dog is created in Maryland, so the pain is eased somewhat.

  8. And I say that with love.

    Wadhams is going to run Mcinnis  as “Not the Democrat.” Period.

    Democrats believe that it will be possible to debate the issues and even present some facts, in a reasonable manner. NOT.

    Republicans have established, already, that everything wrong is because of the Democrats…that is why Republicans have refused to cooperate in anyway with the current administration.  They have branded the Democrats as the enemy and the message is “Don’t vote for Democrats.” Period.  Facts and issues have nothing to do with it. The repubs are already taking a victory lap.  Just check those polls.

    And, of course, the repubs control the public radio airwaves and so will be able to continue to blast this message 24/7.

    Ed Schultz has taken up the cause of the dominance of conservatives and republicans on political talk radio.  He contends that 91% of political talk radio is conservative…on the top five radio conglomerates in the country, and that 98% of Americans every day, listen to the radio…if only for a few minutes. I rest my case, but no one is listening.

    1. Republicans have been running on personalities ever since Reaganomics proved to be a disaster.  They have no new ideas or solutions and just recycle their stale “do nothing” approach to every issue.

      The funny part is their personalities have consistently sucked and are a real turnoff.   From Beauprez through McInnis they constantly produce old white stiffs who are about as enjoyable as a case of Giardia after a camping trip.  McInnis is just another grumpy old guy making false claims to cover up the fact that reality has a liberal bias.

      This is why Hickenlooper is a particular problem for them and the core of this topic by CP.  Hickenlooper is as likable as they aren’t.  It is bad news when you can’t run on the issues and your people look like dopes compared to the sunny opposition.

      2. I believe that what the  quoted study (2007)  reported   was that most Americans turn on the radio..usually in the car…for a few minutes every day….

      1. The first thing is to make sure that dems are not ignoring this.  IMHO, no campaign will be successful as long as repubs control this propaganda machine..

        Ultimately, I would like to see the Fairness Doctrine, limits on ownership so that we don’t have media conglomeration, and the move of political talk radio to satellite or subscription radio.

        Any solution to any problem begins with acknowledging the problem.

    4. had used Wikipedia at least once  to look up what a radio was and how it was used.  They learned that it’s like a podcast but without the video.  Oh and Ed isn’t exactly an unbiased source about the influence of radio.

      1. Ed makes no pretense of being objective, nor do I.  I believe the study came from the Center on American Progress in conjunction with a think tank specializing in media.  CErtainly that source could be considered liberal.  However, the facts about ownership and percentage which those top five owners devote to conservative political talk are facts.

        As to what percentage listen to radio, I guess you could dispute that.  But what is your point, gg?  That is doesn’t matter because only some people listen to the radio? Or, that the American people decided to let the Republicans control the public airwaves?  Or that only really really poor people and really really old people listen to the radio and the former don’t count and the latter don’t vote. OH, WAIT A MINUTE…

        1. Sorry if I hit a raw nerve making fun of an aging medium.  I’m just not so sure we need to spend time trying to win the battle of the air waves when social networking on the Internet looks like the next big communications medium.  I haven’t tuned in to talk radio for a while but see it as having dwindling influence as the old ditto heads die out.  You might be right that it is a big scary issue but I’d bet on the Internet as a better way to locate and motivate voters.

          1. We absolutely need to win the battle of the airwaves because it has been, I believe, the key factor in destroying the Obama

            agenda.  You and David, as well as others, may well be absolutely right about the power of the Internet, but what you fail to explain is the collapse of  Obama support which was based on the that medium, alone.

            It is simplistic to assume that some people listen to the radio and some people use the Internet and that the two groups are mutually exclusive. I believe the statistical term is “discrete.”  That is not true.  Political talk radio uses the Internet as a source of “information” and to reinforce what is said on republican talk radio.  I heard one republican strategist say that the republican triad is Fox Cable, the Internet and talk radio.   With those three, they do not NEED votes in Congress to destroy Obama.

            My arguments, again.

            1) Demographic: The largest demographic in radio listeners are the old fogies, such as me.  However, this group is the whitest, the group which did not vote for Obama, and the group which has the highest voter turnout on off year elections.  They are not the only ones, by any means, who listen to political talk radio, they are the largest demographic group within the radio audience.

            2) Fund raising and voter turnout.  Political talk radio championed Scott Brown, nation-wide, encouraging listeners to go to his website and contribute…which they did in overwhelming numbers.  Political talk radio promoted him and also used the Internet to “locate and motivate voters.”  Ditto for VA and NJ, although those were governor races and the issues more complicated and the role of the national talk media not as pronounced.

            3) COLORADO Focus:  There are eighty hours a week, more or less, of LOCAL Republican political talk radio in Colorado, now.  The republicans have a very specific agenda designed to give them control of the legislature and the governor’s seat.  Strategically, this is critically important because these are the people who will redistrict the state based on the census and will appoint judges who will hear any appeals of legislative decisions on redistricting.

            4) Constitutionally, IMHO, the Republic cannot survive if one party has control of the radio public airwaves. Ethically, morally, and constitutionally, we cannot allow the public airwaves to used, without contest, to promote one party government, as well as to spread lies.

            1. I would dispute a couple of points but I think your broad understanding of the power of radio is reasonable if not a bit like conservatives complaining about the “liberal bias” in the traditional media.  It will be interesting to see what kind of strategies would work in denting this dominance.

  9. just enough time to catch something like:

    “Obamacare means the government will spent 10 Billion dollars hiring 16,000 new IRS agents to check out your insurance plans*….now for a traffic update.”

    *I actually heard this statement while dial spinning…

    1.  for an hour you will hear that statement 5-6 times.

      change the am dial and you can catch it on multiple stations all within 5 minutes.

      the false information propaganda loop runs 24-7

      this morning Laura Ingram was counting the days since it’s passage…

      I wonder if she will still be counting days in 10 years?

      1. I listened to Ingram this am, also…..for the first time. I didn’t even know she was still on in the Denver area….KLZ….”The new conservative voice.”

        She went after Michelle Obama for talking about the difficulties of working mothers……Laura is, of course, the catholic Ann Caulter…no kids, no difficulties…

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