October 14, 2016 12:42 PM UTC

J. Paul Brown's Jedi Mind Trick

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• by: Colorado Pols

Over the last couple of years, the fight in the Colorado General Assembly over funding a highly successful program to provide long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) to low-income and young women in Colorado has been a major political flashpoint. Republicans in the legislature have proven highly resistant to funding the program despite an estimated 40% drop in unintended teen pregnancy–some citing fiscal concerns, others denouncing inter-uterine devices (IUDs) as some kind of “perpetual abortion machine.”

This week, Republican Rep. J. Paul Brown of Ignacio was asked about his stand on the LARC program during a candidate forum at Western State University in Gunnison. And here’s what Brown, running in a tough race for re-election against Barbara McLachlan, had to say:

I do support LARC. I went against my fellow–some Republicans–to vote in favor of LARC. [Pols emphasis] When we were debating the budget, I’ve been pounding really hard for K-12 education and transportation, uh education. There was an amendment that came up on LARC, and I voted in favor of that. I knew it was gonna be killed. But I do favor LARC, just so you know.

Unfortunately for Rep. Brown, as the Durango Herald’s Peter Marcus reported last spring, that’s not accurate. Although Brown had voted in favor of LARC funds in the past…in 2016, not so much:

Brown flipped, supporting the effort to strip funding.

Last year, Brown was persuaded by a fellow Republican, Rep. Don Coram of Montrose. Coram carried the legislation that would have provided $5 million to expand the Colorado Family Planning Initiative program.

Health officials say the program lowered the teen birth rate in Colorado by more than 40 percent, and Brown said at the time that he thought it would lead to fewer abortions.

After reversing course last week, he said he has “mixed emotions.”

“I still feel that it prevents abortions, but there’s a difference of opinion, and I just felt like I ought to stick with the caucus today with that amendment,” Brown said after the vote last week. [Pols emphasis]

The truth is, when Rep. Brown had the chance to “go against” his fellow Republicans and support LARC funding, he voted against the funding. Because he “just felt like” he needed to “stick with the caucus.” In other words, the exact opposite of what he claimed in this week’s debate! Obviously a story about standing up to one’s partisan colleagues sounds a lot better than caving to them, especially when Republicans are in the dregs of popularity.

With that said, it needs to be true.