Hop aboard as I transport you to Colorado for a few hundred words. Colorado is a bluish-purple state in transition; but certainly not blue yet. It’s not the kind of place where an AOC-type Democrat can win in 2020. A pure progressive would get killed in a statewide general election so a somewhat conservative Democrat or someone who takes a middle of the road approach embracing the best parts of both the progressive and conservative political philosophies is in order. I contend that John Hickenlooper is the latter. Let’s explore.

Hickenlooper began his career as a geologist equipped with a master’s degree in the subject. His next step in life was to become a small businessperson running a brewery. That was a success and he left with $7 million in his pocket.

As a small businessperson he had been active in the community. His new found wealth gave him the opportunity to do it fulltime. He served two terms as the mayor of Colorado’s state capital and largest city, Denver. In 2010 and 2014, (both mid-term years which are traditionally very challenging for Democrats), Coloradans elected him as their governor in close races.

Republican Senator Cory Gardner’s seat is up in 2020 and he is very vulnerable. The Democrats need this seat if they are to flip the Senate in 2020. I made it an open secret that I was opposed to Hickenlooper’s flirtation with the Democratic presidential nomination.  As a “first round draft choice” his Party and his country needed him, to run for Gardner’s seat. I was happy when he dropped out of the presidential race and shortly thereafter announced for the Senate. To continue with the sports analogies: when you need a game to clinch a championship you don’t start the second string. I have to wonder if he ran for the presidency to raise his national profile and perhaps some cash.

Hickenlooper is widely viewed as a pro-business Democrat. While he certainly is not a pure progressive, he has enough sensible qualities for a progressive to comfortably support him. The American economy is a mix of capitalism and socialism, so a hybrid candidate makes perfect sense.

As mayor Hickenlooper was the driving force behind bringing light rail to metro Denver. That is both environmentally friendly, helpful to the lower economic strata and a boost to business. Everybody wins.

While widely viewed as pro-fossil fuel, the geologist in Hickenlooper has come out and he has worked to install several environmental protections. Middle of the road and everybody got some of what they wanted.

Hickenlooper has worked to achieve Medicaid expansion. Today one of the pillars of his campaign is affordable health care and prescription drugs.

Hickenlooper is against capital punishment which will make progressives happy. Interestingly he came to that stance primarily over concern that the death penalty wasn’t being equally applied across racial and economic classes. I share that evolvement and primarily for those identical concerns.

Guns are a tough issue across most of America but particularly in a western state. Hickenlooper has been instrumental in gun regulation while preserving Coloradan’s Second Amendment rights. People lives and their constitutional rights can be simultaneously respected and protected.

The team needed John Hickenlooper to stand up, play this “position” and with a personally frustrating delay he ultimately answered the call in plenty of time to get the job done, For the good of Colorado, America and the world telltheturhonthem.com enthusiastically endorses John Hickenlooper for the Unites States Senate from the great state of Colorado.

This article was written well ahead of publishing in order to accommodate my travel schedule.

This article is the property of tellthetruthonthem.com and its content may not be used without citing the source. It may not be reproduced without the permission of Larry Marciniak.