Ripple Effects
Amid Ongoing Political Tensions, Colorado Lawmakers Shift To Guns, Mental Health, Vaccines And Economic Recovery
By Penfield W. Tate III
For the GPHN
Sadly, the wrong kind of history has been made again. Donald Trump, on his way out the door, incited a violent riot leaving five dead, dozens seriously injured and a nation — and indeed the world — shaken.
It was inevitable that he became the first president ever impeached twice. Last month’s Senate trial reminded me of episodes of the Twilight Zone.
The impeachment managers cited facts, quoted Mr. Trump and played footage of the riot to make their case that he caused an insurrection. The defense, when they weren’t talking about how wonderful former Sen. Everett Dirksen was (I know, I didn’t understand either), railed that the entire impeachment trial was a political vendetta. The defense even said that the impeachment managers’ prosecution of the charge was “well done.”
Making Colorado proud
Reports came out that even Trump was screaming about how bad his lawyers were. In their defense, they had little to work with. They were the backup team, as Trump’s first group of his lawyers resigned en masse days before the trial because they did not want to argue a lie and claim that he had actually won the election. As I have said before, you can’t make this stuff up.
The trial put Colorado in a good light and elevated our political profile as two of our own, U.S. Reps. Diana DeGette and Joe Neguse, were part of the House prosecution team. Truly remarkable that Colorado had two members on the nine-member team and by all accounts, they were the stars of the prosecution effort. Watching them work should have made all Coloradans proud.
The fact that the trial ended in acquittal means very little. The vote was 57 to 43 in the Senate — seven Republicans voted to convict — making it the most bipartisan impeachment vote to convict a president in U.S. history. Sen. Mitch McConnell’s vote to acquit and then his post-trial rant against the former president highlighted how weird, unjust, and political the acquittal had become. We’ll see if criminal charges follow the former president.
They joined the mob
It’s unfortunate. Had the outgoing president focused more on the pandemic rather than lies about winning the election and going on about weird conspiracies, it seems to me that we would be further along in our response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Anyway, goodbye and good riddance. That seems to be the theme and mood of the country.
But be forewarned, the repercussions of Jan. 6 run deep and wide. Unbelievably, we saw elected officials from at least nine states — including Colorado — join the mob in Washington, D.C. State Rep. Ron Hanks, a Republican from Penrose, defended his decision to miss part of Colorado’s 2021 legislative session to support the former president and “march with his supporters to the U.S. Capitol.”
Rep. Donald Valdez (D-La Jara), subsequently sought to have a legislative panel convened to investigate Hanks and consider having him stripped of committee assignments or expelled from the body. Democratic House leadership did not entertain Valdez’s request, but the situation speaks to the tensions sure to permeate this year’s legislative session.
The repercussions won’t end with one representative. Just as violence beset the national capitol, similarly motivated people protested at the Colorado State Capitol. Last session the General Assembly considered a bill to make it a felony to make a credible threat against a state or local elected official. Expect to see this bill reintroduced, and likely with a different result. There is a history of elected officials having spurious liens for outrageous amounts filed against their property by anti-government activists, but the threats of actual physical violence are really something of a new wrinkle. And not a good one at that.
Under the gold dome
While the politically charged environment is sure to weigh heavily, the General Assembly has hopes of passing significant legislation this session. A bill to allow “natural organic reduction” or human composting will once again be up for consideration. While controversial, it is reported that bipartisan support and some potential support from the environmental community may help it move toward passing.
Efforts to have mental health wellness exams covered in insurance policies will once again be introduced, even though Gov. Jared Polis’ objections to new insurance mandates are well known. A revived measure to create a hybrid state public insurance option targeted to reduce premiums will be considered as well.
As always, gun legislation will be back on the docket. This is one of those issues where, as a society we cannot seem to achieve closure. A measure requiring safe storage of guns in homes and one requiring the reporting of stolen weapons will see committee hearings. Also, expect more legislation on extended waiting periods to acquire a firearm.
And as with the start of this second strangely bifurcated session, we saw Gov. Polis use his State of the State message to stake his claim to the legislative and other priorities he’ll be pushing this session.
With at nearly 6,000 dead in Colorado due to COVID-19, Polis vowed to continue to keep his eye on defeating the disease. With 60 percent of Coloradans over 70 vaccinated, Polis pledged continued and new efforts to vaccinate more people, vowing to “leave no one behind.” Doubling down on his assault on the pandemic, he also announced working with the Joint Budget Committee on a $1 billion stimulus package to help individuals and small businesses.
Losing and winning
Funding for Colorado’ crumbling roads and bridges will also be a Polis priority. As will be a push to attain 100 percent renewable energy in the state by 2040 in an effort to combat climate change. The extreme weather around the country in February – snowstorms and power outages in Texas, Oklahoma, Washington, the Midwest and the Eastern seaboard – make it clear that we are losing this battle to save the planet.
Finally, the governor’s idea to not tax seniors whose only source of income is Social Security is likely to be very popular.
There will be plenty in the political arena to keep us entertained as we continue to remain socially distant and masked. Stay safe and get vaccinated as soon as you can.
Penfield W. Tate III is an attorney in Denver. He represented Park Hill in the Colorado House of Representatives from 1997 to 2000, and in the State Senate from 2001 to February 2003. He lives in Park Hill.