Arrogance of cloistered Dems yields Colorado conservative wins | DUFFY
There’s a downside to having dominance over every part of state government. It breeds arrogance and isolation.
This year’s election drove that fact home.
Consider Aurora and Proposition HH — which make the point for very different reasons.
In Aurora, there is a 2-to-1 registration advantage for Democrats. Mayor Mike Coffman squeaked to victory four years ago, and the City Council had been dominated by the hard-left. But then several reformers from the center-right were elected who, with Coffman, began to offer strong, common-sense policies to address rising crime, spiking homelessness and increasing cost of living.
Those policies made a tangible positive difference, and voters gave a thumbs-up. Coffman was re-elected comfortably and, depending on the final vote count, conservatives may have up to eight of the 12 City Council seats.
Quality-of-life issues aren’t partisan or ideological. They are fiercely practical. This was true in urban centers decades ago, in places like New York City and Philadelphia, places of lawlessness and disorder. Moderate mayors of both parties cleaned the mess up with support from a center-left electorate.
Why? Liberals don’t want to be mugged, robbed or assaulted any more than anybody else. And that is true in Aurora. Be clear in explaining what you are doing, get results and you get votes.