If the dialogue doesn’t change soon, the collective campaign being waged by three candidates for governor in Colorado could be the most inept in the state’s history–and we’ve had some pretty bad campaigns.
In a couple of so-called “debates,” these three guys have not offered a single clue about how they would solve the state’s problems.
(Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, shown at left, is just one of three candidates vying to replace one-term Gov. Bill Ritter.)
By President Bill Clinton
I was proud to carry Colorado in 1992, but you should be even prouder of what Andrew Romanoff did to turn the state blue. He worked harder than anyone in Colorado to put Democrats in positions of power — and to use that power to benefit every single citizen. Andrew won. Colorado won.
By Steve Vairma
President, Colorado Council of Teamsters
A lot of working men and women nowadays are wondering how and why the nation’s financial manipulators—including Wall Street bankers, stockbrokers, insurance companies, pharmaceutical manufacturers and others–seem to have an inside track to our U.S. senators and representatives.
By Mike Hall
AFL-CIO
It was Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) in his previous incarnation as an author and comedian who called Rush Limbaugh “A big fat liar.” Well, others can address the first part, but Limbaugh himself has again offered solid evidence about the liar part.
The Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), which would have made it easier to organize workers who want to be union members, is fast becoming a dim memory, with little chance of even being considered this year.
If it isn’t passed this year, odds are that EFCA will never become law, and major labor law revisions, which would add some balance to labor-management relations, will not be achieved in your lifetime.
By Steve Vairma
President, Colorado Council of Teamsters
A high-powered management law firm–which has offices in 16 states, including Arizona and Colorado—recently published an interesting article on its website that says employers sometimes can’t blame their employees for joining a union.
No kidding.
Union officials were steamed at the Obama administration after the Arkansas primary election Tuesday in which yellow dog incumbent Democrat Blanche Lincoln won a not-too-surprising victory over Lt. Governor Bill Halter.
Governor Bill Ritter’s decision not to run for re-election in 2010 is a wonderful, belated Christmas gift to Colorado Democrats in general and organized labor in particular.
With Ritter at the head of their ticket, the Democrats would have gone down to an ignominious defeat in Colorado, possibly losing their majorities in both the house and the senate.
Governor Bill Ritter received an early Christmas gift in November when Josh Penry bowed out of the Republican gubernatorial primary campaign in favor of Scott McInnis, a fraying but familiar politician who aspires to be a heavyweight, but has never been more than a bantamweight.
Colorado unions will face a serious challenge in the New Year as they attempt to endorse candidates for state and national offices.
Mike Rosen, radio station KOA’s talk show blabbermouth, is at it again, characterizing union members as “thugs” in a recent column on the ongoing health care debate.
In his Denver Post column, Rosen attempted to compare various elements of the left to the rightwing nuts, many of whom have been photographed carrying guns while demonstrating at locations where President Obama has been speaking.
The question today, sports fans, is, “What would Bill Ritter have to do to regain the trust and support of organized labor in Colorado?”
Unless he can convince many Colorado labor leaders otherwise, Governor Bill Ritter will lose support of many powerful unions that were instrumental in his 2008 victory.
And the possibility that Ritter can convince them otherwise is very slim, indeed.
Here in Colorado, veteran labor observers can’t remember when the Denver Post ever supported a worker’s issue, either national or in the state.