Sen. Cory Gardner’s March 1 telephone version of a “town hall” debate was anything but.
Rather than appear in Durango before the constituents he ostensibly represents, he chose to hold well-staged tele-events, or monologues, with no opportunity for a back-and-forth exchange of ideas and concerns.
Scheduled when most people were at work, advertised just hours before the event was to begin – then moved up half an hour at the very last minute – participating couldn’t have been more difficult. And though I signed up on time, I failed to receive the promised phone call to be included in the conference.
Undaunted, I listened in and submitted my question online – which was never asked or answered.
The senator fielded maybe a dozen questions, almost entirely from callers on the Front Range, and one from Durango.
It was little more than political theater, where he could appear to be “meeting” with his constituents while hiding behind his desk in Washington.
Sorry, Sen. Gardner, Southwest Colorado deserves full representation in Congress, and the only way you’re going to fulfill that obligation is by showing up in person and engaging us face to face.
My primary concern is the environment. Poll after poll has shown that Coloradans of all political stripes overwhelmingly support public lands, a clean environment and renewable energy. Yet, Gardner doggedly votes against the will of the people.
He claims to vote down common-sense environmental protections – like Stream Protection Rule HJR38 – under the guise, “regulation is best handled by Congress, not agencies, since it’s more directly accountable to the people.”
Really? When and how is that going to happen? Congress has rarely dealt effectively with big-picture issues like war declaration, health care, equal rights, gun violence, etc. How are they ever going to delve deep into the minutiae of ensuring our air is safe to breathe?
Or is that the plan? Handing agency-specific regulatory control over to a grid-locked Congress might be the best way to stymie regulation altogether!
Hmm, it’s crafty, but not slick enough to pass unnoticed.
Sen. Gardner, and for that matter, Rep. Scott Tipton, must listen to the spectrum of people they represent.
They signed up for this job. We pay their salaries. Their refusal to show up is inexcusable.
Jeremiah St. Ours
Durango
