Diary of a Mad Voter: Dems should come clean on labor promises

In the aftermath of a front page Sunday Denver Post editorial condemning Gov. Bill Ritter's secretive push to impose collective bargaining on state employees, state Democrats are floundering in their response. The question: What should they be doing to help rebuild the trust they've lost with voters?

The Post editorial didn't just condemn Ritter's pro-labor executive order; it went into detail about the dire consequences that could result from the governor's actions: "We're concerned this may be the beginning of the end of Ritter as governor."

But is this the beginning of the end? Will Ritter be Colorado's first one-term governor in nearly 60 years? Certainly, elected officials have survived worse than this, but if Ritter wants to shake his well-earned reputation as a back room operator, he needs to start opening the governing process to the public.

While Ritter attempted to bounce back this week in both major Denver newspapers with his own opinion pieces defending his actions, he has now been effectively pegged by Colorado's opinion leaders as someone who resorts to sneaky political maneuvers to avoid an honest political debate.

But all is not lost for Ritter. He can begin patching up his sinking ship by revealing to voters any other promises he has made — including those he intends to keep — to Big Labor organizations. He can begin this process by releasing all union questionnaires he filled out during last year's campaign.

Ritter should also be open about any communication he and his staff have had with Howard Dean, chair of the Democratic National Committee. Voters deserve to know whether Ritter's executive order was a quid pro quo for bringing the party's convention to Denver next summer.

Of course, Ritter can opt not to reveal anything to the public. But the assumption could then only be that he has something to hide or that as the Post put it "he's simply a toady to labor bosses and the old vestiges of his party — a bag man for unions and special interests. "

And certainly unions are ready for results after the hefty investment they made to Democrats during the 2006 election. Denver political strategist Rob Fairbank, a former GOP state legislator, tallied up union small donor committee contributions in that election and concluded that labor contributed $2.5 million in anonymous contributions to Colorado's statewide and local candidates.

Other Colorado Democrats, including House Majority Leader Alice Madden, who benefited heavily from labor's support in 2006, are now attempting to aid Ritter's recovery. Madden leads the failed resurgence by attempting to perpetuate class warfare so bigoted and ignorant that it now threatens to alienate all Republican voters — who now still hold a statewide registration advantage over Democrats.

Madden sounded off in Tuesday's Rocky Mountain News, briefly defending Ritter before launching a visceral attack on the GOP:

"This executive order is, number one, about opening lines of communication and making employees feel like they are an important part of the process," she said. "Why that scares Republicans, to me, seems like part of their continued war on the middle class…While Bill Ritter is busy governing, the Republicans are busy campaigning."

So let's get this straight. This executive order is "about opening lines of communication" by creating a more inclusive process? If that's the case, then Ritter shouldn't have resorted to secrecy to introduce the order — announcing it late on a Friday afternoon, without a press conference, and without giving legislators an opportunity to reform, improve or vote on what could ultimately be one of the most expensive personnel decisions Colorado has ever faced.

But Madden's sophomoric spin didn't just stop there. If justice is served, her rhetoric attacking the GOP for its "continued war on the middle class" will fall flat on its face. After last weekend's debacle, it's clear that Democrats are the ones who are actually perpetuating such a war.

Madden fails to remember that when government expands, it's middle class taxpayers that pay. According to the Post editorial, collective bargaining can drive up the cost of doing business by 30 percent. What will this do the tax-paying small business owners who provide the vast majority of jobs in Colorado?

Madden is drinking too much of the Big Labor Kool-Aid. Today, just 7 percent of Colorado's workforce is unionized. While union money plays a key role in modern elections, its role in the free market continues its sad plummet.

But Madden is headstrong. She'll likely continue her attack. And it could be good for Republicans. They can position themselves politically as the legitimate voice of small business owners and employees — the non-unionized hard-working coalitions that have been largely forgotten by the Democratic majority currently holding the reins at the state Capitol. The GOP should focus on the real issues that affect real Coloradans, including the rising costs of government mandates and red tape.

So is the Post right that Ritter's executive order is the beginning of the end for a previously popular governor? Time will tell. In the meantime, Democrats must resolve their internal dilemma — do they represent the special interest labor money that filled their campaign coffers or the hard-working Colorado small business owners who voted for them on Election Day? In 2006, voters fell hard for Big Labor's "pro-business" message. They aren't likely to fall for it twice, especially if Ritter and his friends continue their back room approach.

Editor’s note: Jessica Peck Corry's weekly blogs are part of a feature on The Denver Post's PoliticsWest.com site called "Diary of a Mad Voter." The group blog, published in partnership with NewWest.Net/Politics, is intended to give a glimpse into the hearts and minds of several independent-minded voters and thinkers in the Rocky Mountain West in the '08 election cycle. Check back regularly at www.politicswest.com for "Diary of a Mad Voter."

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