About the same time Joe Biden (read: Bid-en) was delivering the penultimate speech leading up to Obama's signing of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, less than 3 miles away, a smaller event was taking place at the foot of the Capitol Building in Downtown Denver. The press was there (FOX News was actually the only press present). Ex-Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave (R-CD4) was there. A bunch of people wearing McCain/Palin shirts were there.
The mood was jovial to say the least. People were standing around holding Jumbo checks to the tune of $30,000. A dark haired Mexican woman was standing at the foot of the Capitol, the sign behind her reading "Stimu-Less Future", and in front of her a huge vat of pulled pork. The 'Pork-Barrel' Sandwiches were being consumed by about 6 to 7 people all huddled around the lady's table.
Given: Of the approximately 150 people at the Anti-Stimulus rally, being held on a windy yet beautifully sunny day, only one equated Barack Obama with the Nazis.
Colorado went for Bush in 2000 and in 2004 before turning blue in 2008. It is a state that hasn't been hit too hard by the economic downturn (by 'too hard' I mean it only has a 1 billion dollar deficit this year). Obama highlighted Boulder as one of the more progressive communities in the nation in terms of Renewable Energy and spoke to growth potential of that industry in Colorado (He talked briefly about the Namaste Solar Company. There are other, bigger companies in Colorado working on Photovoltaics such as Bella Energy - the company that put the Solar Panels on the Capitol Building. Currently, Colorado has 90,000+ jobs in the Renewable Energy Field).
So why the rally? Why is everybody on the right so hard on the stimulus? What did the Stimmy ever do to you?
If nothing else, the Stimulus signified this administrations commitment to taking America in a new direction, and Americans don't like new directions (if you don't believe me, check out NYTimes Columnist David Brooks). It is hard for someone who has worked their entire life building equipment for the oil and gas industry--one of Colorado's largest--to imagine a sudden switch to installing solar panels; not to mention they angst they might feel towards their President actively campaigning for it.
Colorado is a lot like Texas, in fact it's ex-Senator turned Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar still wears a 10 gallon cowboy hat! They Western mentality of freedom and isolation is strong out here. It is not uncommon for someone to be liberal in almost every sense of the word, and at the same time be pro-life. Growing cities make for strange bedfellows.
(Sorry for the bad foto quality, blame the crackberry pearl)
7 comments:
Colorado just wilds period. The Klan straight ran the state until the 1930s. I've met both the biggest hippies and the biggest rednecks in that state. Basically keep yourself in Denver, Jefferson and Boulder Counties, the mountains and no where else. Whatever you do, stay far far away from anywhere south of Denver.
"We've learned a little something about Colorado. There is absolutely no middle ground in this state. Your'e either a rapture-awaiting promise keeper, or you drive a car that runs on gorp."
-Jon Stewart
well jeremy,
i happen to like colorado springs, and the surrounding area. higlights include the broadmoor, manitou springs and the garden of the gods. there are several good restaurants, and a limited amount of academics due to colorado college aka "the harvard of the west".
the four corners region is absolutely stunning. durango is a lovely town, and there is a whole bunch of big ass sand dunes about 2 or 3 hours southwest of pueblo.
The eastern plains of colorado have little to offer the conventional traveler. It is one of the most sparsely populated regions in the continental US. But that very desolation is part of the plains' allure. While exploring eastern colorado, one might think that they went back in time, to a simpler day. It is a region where salt of the earth people still live off the land, much the same way as they have since their ancestors (whether shawnee or german) arrived.
Colorado College is real real ill. for those who don't know, instead of semesters they do 3 week immersion courses. Unfortunately it is not in or around Colorado Spring. It's actually up in the North in Ft. Collins.
Thanks for the skinny on the Stimmy. They call themselves pro-life (so who isnt?) but what they really are is Anti-Choice.
Thanks for the skinny on the Stimmy. They call themselves pro-life (so who isnt?) but what they really are is Anti-Choice.
Colorado College is definitely in the springs. Colorado State a.k.a the redneck devry of colorado is in fort collins. and while CC is dope, Colorado Springs is the Evangelical capital of the world complete with their own 10000+ seat megachurch, and the pastor who was getting dome and doing meth on the regs with that gay hooker. I didn't mean to hate on the rest of the state as i'm sure the four corners region and those other places VT mentioned are nice. but politically, other then the American Indian reservations, they might as well be utah or texas.
u right. my bad
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