In a recent attempt to redefine all mankind under his limited political scope, John Andrews would have us believe there are only two visions for America in this year’s election.
Honestly, I don’t think Coloradans of any political persuasion care to be so lightly categorized, or characterized.
I’d like to suggest a broader vision for Colorado. One where politicians follow the advice of eighth-grader Rachel Gabbard in her winning essay in the Longmont Times-Call’s 2010 writing contest. “Leaders,” she writes, “must be understanding of circumstances beyond their own and not be judgmental of what others bring to the table.”
Quick and dirty character assassinations and sound-bite labels are used by those who don’t trust the electorate – they don’t believe the electorate understands difficult concepts or nuanced issues. Thus, they strive to oversimplify concepts and choices.
Lumping everyone into a binary system of “fit” or “unfit” categories does not create a continuing dialogue for governing. And it rejects the possibility that a leader in the Democratic Party could accept good ideas and principles all along the political spectrum.
In the recently concluded legislative session, Democrats and Republicans worked together to help Coloradans. We balanced our budget, rescued the PERA retirement system, created more opportunities for Coloradans to attend college, passed K-12 education reform, expanded the use of natural gas in the production of electricity, and much more.
Yes, there were difficult votes and partisan fights, but we were able to compartmentalize these instances so they didn’t interfere with our ability to make real progress in other areas.
Sometimes I wish I lived in Mr. Andrews’ world because it’s very simple. There is a “Yes” or “No” answer for every question that comes his way. “Maybe” or “It depends” are not options.
In the real world, especially in America where people are free to think and act for themselves, things aren’t that tidy. Collaboration, communication, acceptance, empathy … these are the characteristics to look for in our leaders.
Governing has nothing to do with one man’s rigid ideology, and everything to do with bringing people together, listening to different perspectives and forging compromises to solve problems.
Posted by SenatorShaffer as Blog at 4:24 PM UTC []
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The Colorado General Assembly plugs into Western values of personal responsibility, compassion and cooperation.
Unlike the scene in Washington, D.C., our success this year stemmed from the creation of a respectful environment fostered by both Democratic and Republican leadership. We are not Washington, D.C., and we worked together to pass a balanced budget, fix PERA, reform K-12 education, make higher education accessible and affordable, expand renewable energy, create jobs, and much, much more. Colorado was well served by its legislature in 2010.
The session ended about a month ago. Since then, I’ve visited with a number of groups and constituents and many have made similar observations. Their sentiments generally go something like this:
“If you asked me a year ago if the legislature would pass major, bipartisan legislation to help our colleges and universities … or to shore up the PERA retirement system … or to increase the use of natural gas in energy production … I would have said it couldn’t be done.”
Before the session started, I would have agreed with them. We ended the prior session on a partisan note. But we also learned from our mistakes and committed to making 2010 as bipartisan as possible. Indeed, 2010 was successful because of our bipartisan work.
Of course, there were partisan moments and tough decisions and difficult votes. But we balanced our budget, passed good legislation and, when possible, worked together for the people of Colorado.
Coloradans are tired of partisanship taking over politics. You see it every night when you flip on the TV. Apparently, partisan bickering provides good entertainment value and drives ratings for television and radio. Unfortunately, it doesn’t help us develop constructive solutions to very real problems.
Of course, there will always be naysayers – especially in an election year. But, partisan rhetoric is divisive, representing the kind of thinking Colorado voters have rejected in the past several elections. Instead of building bridges to bring people together and solve problems, it divides our communities and encourage us to work against each other, not with each other.
Building off the successes of the 2010 legislative session, we will continue to move forward in an inclusive way. We must remember that we are ALL on the same team. Yes, there are philosophical differences between Democrats and Republicans, but it’s time we learn to allow these differences to strengthen us, instead of weaken us. That’s exactly what we did during this past legislative session. And our bipartisan work was far better than any of the partisan measures brought forward on either side.
As the Senate President, I will continue to work to build bipartisan coalitions. It is time we focus on “what is right” instead of “who is right.” This is the least you can expect from your elected officials.
Posted by SenatorShaffer as Blog at 8:10 PM UTC []
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