Hick '16? Zip, zero, zilch

John Hickenlooper needs to accomplish a thing or two as governor before floating his 2016 trial balloon for president, scoffs John Andrews in the September round of Head On TV debates. Why not, replies Susan Barnes-Gelt, since America loves quirky, and Hick is quirk personified. John on the right, Susan on the left, also go at it this month over school board races, Proposition 103 to raise Colorado taxes, the GOP presidential contenders, and Denver's lucrative cowtown image. Head On has been a daily feature on Colorado Public Television since 1997. Here are all five scripts for September: 1. HICKENLOOPER FOR PRESIDENT? John: Being Mayor of Denver must mess with your ego. Hancock was barely sworn in, and he launched a national celebrity PR campaign. Hickenlooper was barely sworn out, and he launched a whispering campaign for president. What a joke. His accomplishments as governor so far are zip, zero, zilch, nada. Cool it, Hick.

Susan: America loves quirky and Hick is quirk personified! Washington is so dysfunctional – on both sides of the aisle - that Hick’s aw shucks may have traction. As for accomplishments: Pailn? Bachman? Perry? Newt? Hmmmm – not sure qualifications count for much.

John: I know you have to defend your side, but I also know you think John Hickenlooper was a mediocre mayor. Now he’s a mediocre governor. What equips him for the White House? Does Obama run him for VP next year – the Hick Ticket? Then is he in line for next time – Hick Sixteen?

Susan; Hick was a mediocre Mayor because he’s not comfortable taking strong, controversial positions. His aversion to exercising power made him popular but ineffective. He is far more potent as a consensus driven bully puppeteer in the polarized world of partisan politics. Hick in 2016!

2. SCHOOL BOARD RACES

Susan: Our K-12 public education system is broken and needs a massive governance overhaul. Colorado school districts including Aurora and Cherry Creek can’t even field candidates. Others – like Denver and Douglas County – are engaged in ideological warfare – the unions versus the reformers. Time for change.

John: Citizens across Colorado – probably including YOU, watching us right now – will soon get mail-in ballots to elect a neighbor to the local school board. Please, please, get informed and get involved. Teachers are great, but teacher unions tend to put money ahead of kids. Bad show. The reformers deserve your vote.

Susan: What happens when there are NO good choices? Choosing the lesser of two bad options is hardly a vote for progress. Neither the reformers nor the traditionalists have a corner on truth. The system is broken and needs to be overhauled. Well intended citizen volunteers are ill-equipped to manage complexity.

John: Susan, Susan, get a grip. Public education isn’t hopeless, it just needs better leadership – and the school board races offer lots of good choices to provide that. But if the teacher unions keep electing their pawns, learning performance will never improve. Citizens have to step up.

3. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL FIELD NARROWS

Susan: The first Republican presidential primary debate suggests the field is down to two candidates: Texas Governor Rick Perry and hedge fund tycoon Mitt Romney. Though it’s way too early to predicts, if angry tea partiers control the primaries, it looks like Perry will prevail.

John: Not so fast. In September 2007, Republican polls showed Giuliani and Thompson far ahead, McCain far behind. Didn’t work out that way. The GOP nomination to replace Obama in 2012 won’t be settled for six months at least. Bachmann and Palin are still in it. And the economy makes Obama so vulnerable.

Susan: Dream on teenage queen. Short of Jeb Bush getting into the mix, the R’s will nominate Romney. Even the heavy tea drinkers suspect Perry’s stand on Social Security. Romney, the chameleon, will lose. Unless Michael Bloomberg runs as an independent.

John: The Bloomberg who botched the 9/11 commemoration is not headed for the White House. Neither is anyone named Bush, heaven help us. But no one named Obama is likely to live there after January 2013 either. This president has made everything worse – the economy, the deficit, our national security. Obama has to go.

4. STATE BUDGET – TAX OR DROWN

Susan: DU’s Center for Colorado’s Economic Future predicts that structural flaws in the state government combined with two recessions, mean the long-term fiscal stability of state government’s at stake. I know you think government ought to drown in a bathtub – but a bi-partisan group of leaders disagree.

John: Governments at every level are in danger of drowning themselves in debt. Colorado is no exception, and just like the federal government in Washington, our state has a spending problem, not a revenue problem. Raising taxes right now would hurt job creation and postpone needed reforms. Vote no on Proposition 103!

Susan: We’re drowning alright – in our own excesses – waging two wars while we cut taxes, failing to keep up with China in infrastructure and educational investments, coddling Wall Street while we ignore Main Street. The deficit is mounting – leadership, vision, courage and vision.

John: As a free and open society with Judeo-Christian roots, I like our chances against communistic China, decadent Europe, or barbaric Islam. But we do have a responsibility deficit, and the result could be fiscal collapse. Feeding the beast with more taxes is not the answer. Vote no on 103!

5. STOCK SHOW TO AURORA?

John: Who will win the Stock Show tug of war between Denver and Aurora? Ranchers, farmers, and rural Americans everywhere must be laughing at the sight of politically correct, environmentally superior big-city folks scrambling after the National Western pot of gold. I guess being a cowtown is no embarrassment after all.

Susan: The Stock Show adds nearly $100 million to Denver’s general fund, and millions more to the coffers of downtown businesses, hotels, restaurants, bars and retailers. Meantime the National Western spends $1 million plus lobbying to move, rather than maintain its facilities. Bad judgment I’d say.

John: Mayor Hancock understandably hates to lose that revenue, hence his fight to keep it – so far consisting of one more committee. Woo hoo. But the bigger question for Hancock is the one I asked during his transition – can he streamline taxes and regulations to make Denver a magnet for economic growth?

Susan: Denver taxes are among the lowest in the region because the City has more commercial property and sales tax receipts than other jurisdictions. The development of the Gaylord Hotel with a $300+ million subsidy is a much greater threat to downtown’s economy than an already streamlined regulatory system.

Hang onto your wallet

Coloradans had better brace to fend off the same bad idea as President Obama wants to impose nationally: higher taxes, warns John Andrews in the August round of Head On TV debates. No, replies Susan Barnes-Gelt, the idea is a good one and indeed doesn't go far enough. John on the right, Susan on the left, also go at it this month over the Tea Party, the Obama record, debt and deficit issues, and the Denver mayor's wobbly start. Head On has been a daily feature on Colorado Public Television since 1997. Here are all five scripts for August: 1. TAX INCREASE HEADS FOR 2011 BALLOT

John: Hang onto your wallets, Colorado. The same liberal Democrats who want Congress to raise federal taxes are coming at us this fall with a sneaky ballot issue to raise state taxes. A tax hike in this economy? No way. In Denver as in DC, the problem isn’t revenues, it’s spending.

Susan: Rollie Heath’s tax increase to fund K-12 and Higher ed is a good idea. Unfortunately, it doesn’t go far enough. Rather it solves funding problems in the short term, but not the long. It’s a band aid when a transplant is needed.

John: Fortunately TABOR makes politicians ask permission before taking our money in the belief they can spend it better than we can. Voters aren’t likely to give permission at a time when so many are out of work and businesses are hesitant to hire because we have too much government already.

Susan: We agree on the conclusion – Heath’s initiative is the wrong answer at the wrong time – but we’re far from agreement on the reasons Businesses are afraid to hire because government has failed to invest in infrastructure, education and people. Colorado’s budget needs a comprehensive restructuring. Until then – no more band aids.

2. TEA PARTY – HEROES OR VILLAINS?

John: At a scary time in our history, the best thing America has going for us is the Tea Party. Thank goodness for this grassroots movement of fed-up taxpayers finally demanding some fiscal responsibility from the Washington politicians. Biden calls them terrorists. McCain calls them hobbits. I call them heroes.

Susan: Zero tolerance for diversity, for critical thinking, for investing in education, infrastructure or people – that’s the tea partiers. IF they have so much disdain for government, why don’t they get real jobs – earn an honest living, pay taxes, social security and health care?

John: Like the patriots of 1773 who stood against King and Parliament, the Tea Party of today is an uprising of self-reliant citizens standing against Democrats and Republicans to take this country back. In smearing them, you discredit yourself. If we do avoid fiscal collapse, we’ve have the Tea Party to thank.

Susan: Pul EASE John! The Tea Party has been effective in persuading otherwise rational leaders that lack of investment in America, in jobs and people and not raising taxes for 1% of zillionaires is nuts. Debt is not the problem – Fear and ignorance are.

3. IS OBAMA A FAILED PRESIDENT?

John: Can it be only three years ago that Barack Obama was hailed as the second coming at the DNC in Denver? It seems three eons. The magic man who was going to heal the planet has turned out to be the worst president since Jimmy Carter. 2012 can’t come soon enough.

Susan: President Obama has presided over the toughest economy since the Great Depression. Yes, he owns it now. But the debt, deregulation and tax scams he inherited from George W Bush and the Republican Congress share the blame. After all, they inherited a surplus from Bill Clinton in 2000.

John: Lame excuses from the previous decade won’t help Obama win a second term. His weird idea of “leading from behind” is what most Americans consider not leading at all. Liberals are alienated and conservatives are motivated. The independent voters who elected him last time have had it. Bye bye, Barack.

Susan: Compared to whom? Mitt ‘ of course corporations are people’ Romney? Michelle ‘Jimmy Carter & Barack Obama were responsible for the swine flu” Bachmann? Rick ‘super pac riddled with conflicts, yet to be vetted’ Perry? I’m with the Let’s have a better tomorrow, tomorrow crowd. Obama wins.

4. HANCOCK’S FIRST WEEKS

Susan: Denver Mayor Michael Hancock has had a tough first weeks. Press honcho announced he’s focused on national press; Hizzoner’s backtracked on his stock show position – though he hasn’t articulated one.. And his mayoral staff? Inexperienced, overpaid and naïve. It can only get better . . .

John: Looking toward downtown from my home in Arapahoe County or my office in Jeffco, it seems the Mayor of Denver doesn’t have the stature the metro area is used to. Hickenlooper stood tall. Likewise Webb and Pena, agree with them or not, were leaders. But Michael Hancock? Not yet.

Susan: It didn’t help that the campaign was defined by negative attacks and the politics of personality. Hancock wins on narrative and charisma but his failure to articulate detailed plans and a coherent vision is a problem. If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there.

John: You should have listened to me, Susan. I said Bill Vidal should run. I said you should run. Or you should be Hancock’s chief of staff. Or Democrats and Republicans should fight it out for mayor so voters have a choice. Denver will survive this, though. It’ll be fine.

5. DEFICIT BATTLE

Susan: The problem is not the deficit. It’s a failure to invest in America – roads, bridges, highspeed rail, transit, education. With the jobless rate upwards of 10-percent, the country needs investment. Put people back to work and generate revenue and progress. DC’s luddite view panders to the lowest common denominator.

John: Bush tried a big stimulus and it failed. Obama tried a huge stimulus and it failed. Now you want more stimulus? Absolutely not. The deficit is our problem. Red ink in the trillions, a national debt bigger than the GDP, America’s credit rating downgraded. We need spending cuts and entitlement reforms.

Susan: Yeah and a double-digit unemployment rate, combined with a policy of not closing loopholes, addressing uncontrolled entitlements and refusing to tax the mega rich is certainly the road to a sustainable future. DC is pushing the problem down to states and cities. That’s a recipe for failure.

John: Recipe for failure is exactly what Obama is cooking up, Susan. The high unemployment is his doing. The refusal to reform entitlements is his doing. Tax increases won’t fix either of those. What we need is responsible citizens and responsible leaders. I actually wrote a book about it – Responsibility Reborn.

Obamacare worse and worse

Conflicts of interest may discredit Colorado's newly formed health insurance exchange, worries Susan Barnes-Gelt in the July round of Head On TV debates. Look closer and you'll see the exchange concept itself is pure corporate statism, replies John Andrews, adding this is one more reason Obamacare must go. John on the right, Susan on the left, also go at it this month over the 2012 presidential outlook, the Stock Show's move to Aurora, Mayor Hancock's early moves, and the Denver Police Department. Head On has been a daily feature on Colorado Public Television since 1997. Here are all five scripts for July: 1. HEALTH INSURANCE EXCHANGE QUESTIONED

John: Obamacare requires every state to create a new bureaucratic monster called the health insurance exchange. Colorado House Republicans went along when they should have told the Feds to get lost. Now we learn the board of the exchange is big business in bed with big government, pure corporate statism. That helps no one.

Susan: Seems like policymakers all ‘round – the elected’s who appoint and the industry and business people appointed – need a tutorial on conflict of interest. Hickenlooper’s appointments to the Health Insurance Exchange Board are awful. The fox isn’t just guarding the hen house - he’s living in the master suite.

John: Susan, it’s worse than that. The health insurance exchange is a conflict of interest by definition. The board appointments by legislative leaders and the governor were all quite legal. But the exchange law itself rigs the marketplace and harms consumers. Massachusetts could warn us. Obamacare is fatally flawed. Out with it!

Susan: Massachusetts’s residents love their health care system – Mitt Romney got something right as governor. The current, unregulated system benefits health insurance companies – currently enjoying record profits. The current system works for insurance execs and shareholders. Hick needs to revisit his appointments.

2. PRESIDENTIAL RACE HEATS UP

Susan: The 2012 Presidential race is on. The R’s have a fundamental problem – finding a candidate who appeals to the drown-government-in-a-bathtub contingent, dominating the primary process and nominating someone who can appeal to moderates and independents in November. Despite the tough economy, I’m betting on Obama.

John: Your take on 2012 is backwards. The only drowning to we face is a rising tide of unemployment and foreclosures, with Uncle Sam awash in red ink and Barack Obama in over his head. Good luck on that reelection. Republican challengers Mitt Romney, Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry, Tim Pawlenty could all beat this president.

Susan: The majority of voters want solutions – not partisan bickering and negative attacks. Ronald Reagan beat incumbent Jimmy Carter because he had a positive message and uplifting vision. The current R frontrunners are negative, small minded dividers. Huntsman is the only viable option and he can’t win the nomination.

John: Obama has made the economy worse. He has made the deficit worse. His policies will worsen health care and worsen national security. He just can’t lead. Maybe one of his fellow Democrats will take him down next year. One of the strong Republicans, Gov. Romney, Gov. Perry, Gov. Pawlenty, Congressman Bachmann, definitely will.

3. STOCK SHOW MAY LEAVE DENVER

John: My first time at the National Western was 50 years ago, but I remember it like yesterday. For a lot of us, the Stock Show is Denver. But money talks, and now Aurora is talking loudest. It’s a tough test for in a down economy for Michael Hancock as Denver’s new mayor.

Susan: The National Western is the only urban stock show in the country. It needs 3 times the acreage it has. The issue is not will they move, but who pays? Denver should not pay for the stock show to Aurora unless we retain the revenue.

John: The larger issue is how the people’s hard-earned tax dollars should be used and where the coercive power of government should be allowed to reach. Massive subsidies to private businesses are on the table here, driven by the Gaylord fat cats. Aurora’s election for mayor may become a referendum on the deal.

Susan: There are no winners when politics trumps policy. The issue ought to be what’s best for the region and the stock show. Balkanized local government pits city against city – to neither’s benefit. There’s a win-win is this challenge. But I’m not sure rational thinking will prevail.

4. HANCOCK’S EARLY MOVES

Susan: Denver’s new mayor – Michael Hancock - has his hands full. A tough budget, belligerent police leadership and the threatened stock show exit. The weak economy and bloated transition process has made identifying the right appointees challenging. Janice Sinden, his first-rate chief of staff is a good start.

John: I like it that Mayor Hancock is not a showboat. The guy seems sensible, steady, and real. I like it that he appointed Sinden, a business-minded Republican. I liked his gutsy, decent campaign style. He didn’t pander to unions or hide his religious faith. Now we’ll see how he governs.

Susan: The quality of his appointments will reveal a lot. He needs to bring in smart people with fresh perspectives, not the usual retreads and campaign payoffs. He’s got to replace tired leadership at the urban renewal authority and other policy commissions if he wants to be effective.

John: Lots of people watching this don’t live in Denver. But wherever you live in Colorado, you’d like to hope that Denver is a city on the rise, not on the decline. The keys to that are dynamic free enterprise, excellent schools, and a proud civic spirit. That should be the Hancock agenda.

5. POLICE DISCIPLINE QUESTIONED

Susan: The majority of Denver cops are great. But one out of 17 have discipline problems serious enough to question their veracity in court. Combined with the costly rash of excessive force cases – the DPD needs systemic overhaul. A chief – new to the department is a start.

John: The whole reason for government is to see that streets are safe, neighborhoods are peaceful, citizens are secure in their persons and property. Law enforcement is tough, thankless work. The men and women who do it deserve our gratitude and the benefit of the doubt. I hope the new mayor knows that.

Susan: Public safety is the centerpiece of government. The police department’s mission is to protect and serve – not abuse and lie. Lack of transparency and accountability destroys public trust and that’s where Denver is now. The department and the city will be better off if the bad seeds are removed.

John: Perfection never happens in this world. Policing is no exception. The outgoing chief, Gerry Whitman, is a man of honor and deserves our salute. The former chief, Jim Collier, was right when he warned against demoralizing the force. Don’t do it. The manager of safety, Charles Garcia, doesn’t understand policing. He should go.

Sober up, spenders!

Washington spenders are like drunks on a binge, says John Andrews in the June round of Head On TV debates. It's bad, agrees Susan Barnes-Gelt, but she contends the solution must include tax hikes as well as entitlement reform. John on the right, Susan on the left, also go at it this month over Hancock's win for Denver mayor, Hickenlooper's first six months, the politics of natural disasters, and the 2012 presidential outlook, and results of Colorado's legislative session. Head On has been a daily feature on Colorado Public Television since 1997. Here are all five scripts for June: 1. RAISE THE DEBT CEILING?

John: Washington politicians with borrowed money are like alcoholics with a bottle. They can’t stop themselves. But if they don’t, there’s hell to pay. Every American should root for Boehner and the Republicans to make Obama and the Democrats sober up. Do not raise the debt limit without massive spending cuts.

Susan: Both sides of the aisle are all wet on this one. Of course we need to get a handle on entitlements just as we need to revamp the tax code. And as for the rating agencies – very same who failed to identify the 2008 financial collapse? Gimme a break!

John: Well, you’re half right. Fewer handouts, yes. More taxes, no. We can never tax our way out from under the tens of trillions in impossible promises to future recipients of government medicine and government pensions. The GOP must insist on entitlement reform in return for raising the debt ceiling.

Susan: My prediction: both sides will play cat and mouse with this issue until after the 2012 election. It's a scare tactic typical of the Beltway. Federal government has become increasingly less relevant as both sides move to the extreme. Without serious tax and entitlement reform, and major investment in technology and infrastructure our kids and and theirs are doomed.

2. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES

John: “Barack Obama has failed America.” Those words of Mitt Romney sum up the reason why millions of Americans are eagerly watching the field of Republican candidates for 2012. Gov. Romney, Gov. Pawlenty, Speaker Gingrich, Congresswoman Bachmann, Senator Santorum, or businessman Herman Cain, could all do a better job than Obama.

Susan: Mitt Who? Health care Mitt? Pro-choice Mitt? Buttoned up Mitt? Shirt sleeve Mitt? Who is that handsome guy with the unruffled hair? Even in federal races, where there are too many layers between the candidates and the voters, authenticity rules. Can’t trust the messenger – the message is lost.

John: Warning, viewer discretion advised. My Democratic friend dares not mention her party’s president, the underwhelming Barack Obama, or her party’s vice president, the laughable Joe Biden. But no wonder – with unemployment rising, health care unpopular, and bankruptcy threatening, ridiculing Republicans is your only hope.

Susan: I’m proud to wave the Obama/Biden flag. This calm, and collected administration never succumbed to angry rhetoric - right or left. Elections are about differences and there's lot's at stake. Do Michelle Bachman, Mitt Romney or Newt have the judgment to move us forward? I don't think so.

3. HICK’S FIRST SESSION

Susan: Governor Hickenlooper had a pretty good first session. Thanks to a divided legislature, he didn’t have to deal with lefties or right wingers. He angered the K-12 crowd by cutting ed dollars but made up for it by vetoing cuts for kids’ health. Our a-partisan governor came out OK.

John: Does Hickenlooper get it that reckless spending is a dagger at the heart of our democracy? His tough stand on public employee pensions says yes. But the veto on cost-sharing for medical coverage says no. His overall passivity says no. The high-visibility activist mayor is gone. What gives, Susan?

Susan: Hick was a high visibility Mayor, but hardly an activist. He is a moderate whose approval numbers remain very high because of his commitment to please all the people all (well most of) the time. His style is better suited for partisan politics where straddling the middle works.

John: Straddling may boost the governor’s polls for now, but it’s no substitute for real leadership in a state with chronic budget deficits, too much union power, and too little job creation. Colorado needs a gutsy chief executive like Christie in New Jersey, or if you prefer Democrats, Cuomo in New York.

4. HORRIFIC STORMS

Susan: Unprecedented weather catastrophes - tornadoes, floods and storms hit Memphis, Raleigh, Tuscaloosa, Joplin MO, Minneapolis and most recently Springfield MA. Countless deaths, cities and towns destroyed. And the Republican House doesn’t want to pay for disaster relief?

John: In the words of President Grover Cleveland, my favorite Democrat, it is the people’s responsibility to support the government, not the government’s responsibility to support the people. Natural disasters are always with us, and federal aid is already massive. A few severe storms don’t justify a budget blowout or a carbon tax.

Susan: I get it. We pay taxes to wage war, support tax cuts for the rich, protect privilege and ignore the common interest. To bad if public infrastructure fails or natural disasters hit. Let state and local government or the individual carry the burden. There’s a recipe for a toxic tea party.

John: Folks, if you like melodramatic fantasy, go with that. But here’s the reality: FEMA, the disaster relief agency, is getting the extra money it needs with bipartisan votes of Republicans and Democrats. Those tornado and flood victims do deserve help. But Susan, the ultimate storm, fiscal collapse, is still coming.

5. HANCOCK WINS RUNOFF FOR MAYOR

John: Congratulations to Michael Hancock as he moves up from City Council to Mayor of Denver after galloping to win from behind like Secretariat. There will be no political dynasty for the Romers or the Penas, but the Webb dynasty has new life. Now for the hard work of governing.

Susan: I’ve known Michael for twenty years – truth is – the late great John –National civic league – Parr was Hancock’s real mentor. Michael builds a big platform. There’s room for everyone, and that’s the Denver way. He is a good man and has the makings of a great mayor.

John: Hancock has his work cut out. The onetime Broncos mascot takes office facing third and long, with his team behind. Denver has weak job creation, a structural budget deficit, sagging morale in its public safety agencies, and union problems in its public schools. Roll up your sleeves, Mayor Mike.

Susan: Fortunately non-partisan local government facilitates problem solving. No pointless fights over ideology. Michael will have the chance to build a strong team and make structural budget adjustments. Not to mention revamp the cop shop. Public education? A very challenging dilemma.

Ryan shows up Obama

Paul Ryan's bold approach to federal deficits and debt will backfire, predicts Susan Barnes-Gelt in the May round of Head On TV debates. Not hardly, replies John Andrews; President Obama left a leadership vacuum on the fiscal debacle, and this lowly congressman has filled it. John on the right, Susan on the left, also go at it this month over the mayor's race in Denver, the politics of natural disasters, the 2012 presidential outlook, and results of Colorado's legislative session. Head On has been a daily feature on Colorado Public Television since 1997. Here are all five scripts for May: 1. RYAN TAKES ON THE DEFICIT

Susan: Wisconsin Republican Paul Ryan offered up a deficit plan that opened the garage door of opportunity to President Obama and Democrats in Congress. His proposal to privatize Medicare so inflamed his constituents– who voted him in by a 70% margin – that the national guard was summoned to a town meeting.

John: Nonsense on stilts. Where do I start? First, any uproar by the Wisconsin left was manufactured, not spontaneous. Second, Paul Ryan’s budgetary roadmap to keep entitlements from bankrupting the country is not only good public policy. It also exposes Obama as shallow and weak – a leader who has failed to lead.

Susan: My, my you’re cynical. Town meetings are orchestrated by the opposition? I wish the Dems were that strategic and well-organized! Sorry. Average people in both parties are horrified by cuts to programs they’ve paid into while the uber-rich and the Pentagon remain untouched.

John: The reason Americans gave Obama an electoral shellacking and fired Nancy Pelosi as speaker was that they were unhappy with the government takeover of health care and horrified at the impending fiscal disaster. Even then, the president refused to get serious about entitlements. More power to Paul Ryan for doing so.

2. RUNOFF FOR MAYOR

John: For Denver to be well governed as the capital of our state and region matters to everyone across the West. The campaign for mayor needs more energy and more honesty in the final round. The choices are Chris Romer from downtown and Michael Hancock from the neighborhoods. I like Romer.

Susan: Three surprises in the May election: A little known but very impressive young man won Hancock’s Council district – Chris Herndon beat political warhorse Chris Martinez. Debbie Ortega got a whopping 46,000 votes in the at-large race. And – less than 1600 votes separated Romer from Hancock. Hancock’s got momentum.

John: Denver is the economic engine for Colorado’s prosperity. It needs a dynamic CEO. Voters can gamble on Councilman Hancock, or they can hire an experienced businessman and dealmaker in Senator Romer. The race is neck and neck. I wish it was Republican vs. Democrat and a proper election with polling places.

Susan: Ain’t gonna happen. In two words – investment – banker. If Romer pins his strategy on his 25-years as a bond jockey, he’s –pass the marmelade – toast. People have no confidence in bankers and less in Wall Street. Hancock wins – trustworthiness, likability, authenticity and biography. Read my lips . . .

3. TORNADOES IN THE SOUTH

John: Life is fragile, community is vital, and economic growth saves lives. Those are the lessons from the Alabama and Mississippi tornadoes with their awful death toll. Nature’s random destructiveness should keep us from ever taking a single day for granted, or forgetting how much we need each other.

Susan: Yes and in the face of catastrophe, the convener of help is the federal government. The very same federal government Grover Norquist, chief manipulator of all things Republican, wants to drown in a bathtub. Political leaders in Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee and Georgia are undoubtedly rethinking their allegiance to Grover.

John: Such massive tragedy is not Republican or Democratic or political at all. A windstorm in Alabama or Bangladesh, an earthquake in Japan or Haiti, simply makes us weep for the victims. It also reminds us that developed countries survive these things better. Anti-growth environmentalism has a cost in lives.

Susan: The horrendous loss of lives and treasure isn't a political issue. But, the reality of response and recovery is political. It will cost hundreds of millions, perhaps billions to rebuild Tuscaloosa - not to mention the other places impacted. The federal government's row is critical. That's political.

4. 2012 PRESIDENTIAL RACE

Susan: The 2012 Presidential race is on. Fortunately for the Democrats, the tough economy, three wars and total beltway disarray are being eclipsed by the bombastic egotism of Donald Trump. This pro-choice, democrat-supporting buffoon has quickly replaced Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann as your party’s flavor of the month.

John: Obama and Trump deserve each other – two self-promoting con men, both hollow at the center. But Susan, you’re right. The president’s birthplace is the least of his problems. Barack the Great has not revived the economy, not made us safer in the world, not handled gas prices. He’s really vulnerable.

Susan: Obama’s successful targeting and killing of Osama Bin Laden is a game changer. Period. All the goofy birther nonsense, challenging his abilities as a leader, his patriotism and resolve are suddenly non-issues. And his call to George Bush before any public announcement was classy.

John: The TV speech never mentioning Bush was not classy. It was tough policies of the last administration, Guantanamo, interrogations, rendition, bitterly criticized by Obama but continued anyway, that finally took down the arch-terrorist. Nor does Bin Laden’s death lessen the Islamic threat. Defeating Obama in 2012 is still imperative.

5. COLORADO LEGISLATURE

Susan: Redistricting dominated this year’s legislative session. Despite the bi-partisan committee, neither party came off looking good. As in previous years, the courts will draw the Congressional district lines. Other than the shameful defeat of the bill giving in-state tuition to undocumented students, the session was a solid C-.

John: Thank goodness Coloradans voted for divided government. A Republican State House this year finally demanded budgetary sanity after four years of reckless tax and spend policies under Bill Ritter and the Democrats. I give the session a B. Hickenlooper even took on the teacher unions. Wisconsin, here we come.

Susan: Please John – you, former Colorado Senate President, know better. The state’s discretionary budget is tiny and voters weigh in on every tax increase. Both parties must stop kicking the can down the road and make some tough decisions. Divided government is fine. But where’s the leadership?

John: When you as a liberal say “leadership,” I as a conservative hear “bossiness.” Divided government makes it harder for politicians to butt into our lives – that’s good. And as a former senator, Susan, let me say this: Lawmaking isn’t easy. One hundred Colorado legislators of both parties deserve our thanks.