LETTER TO THE EDITOR
By Adriana Cueva

Colorado Springs Gazette

January 12, 2023

The Republican coalition of the newly minted 2023 Colorado State legislature has been whittled down to 19 against the Democrat 46 supermajority. That’s remarkably similar to the twenty antagonists who stood against the nomination of Kevin McCarthy for Speaker to the US House of Representatives just last week. But what a different tale was told by these two august groups.

Twenty in the US House stood firm against the inevitable nomination of Speaker McCarthy. But on the way to his knighting, this intrepid group squeezed out a list of concessions that could forever shape the way business is conducted in the House. Consider: a balanced budget, single issue bills, reading the bills before passing them, public access to unreleased J6 videos. Matt Gaetz was quoted, “We got everything we wanted.” And the battered Kevin McCarthy assumed his leadership post. He is only one vote away from having his gavel removed if he fails to comply with the demands of the 20.

Contrast that with a feckless few GOP in our own State House. All 19 could have easily stood on principle and with their constituents by supporting Republican nominee Scott Bottoms, and still not affect the outcome. Instead, 11 deliberately identified themselves with the Democrats. “Republican In Name Only” is no longer just a clever acronym. It is the very identity of these opportunistic, indifferent, self-serving politicians who make no pretense of standing for the party platform or the membership who elected them.

Adriana Cueva

Colorado Springs