March 19, 2005: Headlines: COS - Brazil: State Politics: Rocky Mountain News: After her surprise victory over Chris Gates to become chair of the Colorado Democratic Party, Pat Waak avoided discussing her liberal political view
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March 19, 2005: Headlines: COS - Brazil: State Politics: Rocky Mountain News: After her surprise victory over Chris Gates to become chair of the Colorado Democratic Party, Pat Waak avoided discussing her liberal political view
After her surprise victory over Chris Gates to become chair of the Colorado Democratic Party, Pat Waak avoided discussing her liberal political view
After her surprise victory over Chris Gates to become chair of the Colorado Democratic Party, Pat Waak avoided discussing her liberal political view
Salzman: Spectacle is focus in Gates ouster
News, Post should outline which 'liberal' issues could doom or help state Dems
March 19, 2005
After her surprise victory over Chris Gates to become chair of the Colorado Democratic Party, Pat Waak avoided discussing her liberal political views, telling the Rocky Mountain News on March 9 that, "I have trouble with labels."
But Waak's spin didn't stop reporters from essentially labeling her a liberal anyway, and rightly so, based on her past.
On March 8, the News informed readers that Waak, a supporter of former U.S. Senate candidate Mike Miles, ousted Gates "with the backing of the party's more liberal members." The Denver Post (March 7) reported that Waak's victory was fueled by "Miles backers and like-minded progressives." Miles himself supported Waak.
With liberal meat being ground through the news cycle, the dailies raced for quotes from a band of political analysts who - sounding like a CD in repeat mode - moaned that taking on more liberal positions could doom the Colorado Democrats (a News headline March 7 read, "State Dems wanted 'change'/Ouster of chairman could spell trouble later, analyst says").
And here's where Waak has a point about labels.
The dailies never illuminated which dreaded "liberal issues" Waak's critics believe would cause the downfall of the Democrats. Stringent mercury standards? Opposition to the No Child Left Behind Act?
In fact, even though the Post found prominent space to quote Gates calling Waak and her supporters an "odd crowd" (March 8), the paper found no room at all for different viewpoints about the appeal - or lack of appeal - of a range of "liberal" issues. Neither did the News.
The political spectacle is more fun to read about than issues, anyway, you have to admit - which might explain the Post's obnoxious March 7 headline, "Progressive 'jihad' stirs upheaval at the top." Please.
In any case, to put some flesh on the liberal label, here are some positions that I consider "progressive": support for single-payer universal health insurance, expanded renewable energy programs as a step toward energy independence, the legalization and taxation of marijuana, a livable wage, taxing the estates of millionaires, more help for the millions of people in impoverished nations who die of hunger-related diseases each year, increased permits for guest workers, basic civil rights for all people, including gays. And many more. (Disclosure: I have clients who favor reforms like these.)
I would have appreciated reading different opinions on whether adopting any of these progressive positions could make the Democratic Party stronger, rather than simply the shallow analysis that any move to the ill-defined "left" by the Democrats means they lose or get weaker.
Or is it true, as Waak tried to emphasize, that the Democrats simply need to mobilize the grass roots, communicate a unified message, and focus on their "core values" (Post, March 7)? The dailies could shed more light on how this connects - or doesn't - with the specific issues Waak's liberal supporters and voters in general care about.
When this story was posted in March 2005, this was on the front page of PCOL:
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Story Source: Rocky Mountain News
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Brazil; State Politics
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