Views from the Editor
Democratic Congresswoman lashes out at Trump’s “Big Beautiful” Bill
Rick Langenberg
Teller County may be regarded as a ripe paradise for Republican voters and gun rights activists, but a streak of blue still makes a surprise landing inside our GOP dominated kingdom at times, at least occasionally.
One of these occasions occurred during a recent Woodland Park town hall on June 18, conducted by Congresswoman Brittany Petersen, who represents Colorado’s 7th Congressional District that voters from Teller County and the lower Ute Pass now reside in. Give our congressional representative an A-plus for courage in surviving a full day of GOP skepticism in an area not known for welcoming Democrats.
Amidst tight security, capped by having several police officers monitor the meeting and the pleading for bipartisan unity by Teller County Commission Chairman Dan Williams, Petersen got a super-warm reception at a town hall, with the set location not revealed to registered participants until hours before the event. Regardless, she came out swinging in criticizing the infamous “Big Beautiful” funding bill endorsed by President Donald Trump, along with federal plans to sell more than 200 million acres of public lands. Petersen cited the potential impacts for all residents and the probable complete decimation of the Medicaid system, and she presented some pretty scary numbers regarding impacts to the future of health care and insurance costs.
The reaction she received was quite impressive, considering that Teller County is a basic GOP haven. It shows that the blue movement here has some passionate followers, even if they can’t garner enough votes to elect a county commissioner, or another elected spot at the county level.
Here are a few forum highlights, based on our view.
*No Gun Control talk. Nothing against the array of forums done locally by the Teller Rifles group and Sheriff Jason Mikesell, but I think we got the message regarding local opposition to state gun control measures. It was refreshing to hear other topics take the center stage, such as holding onto public lands and protecting the benefits for military veterans and discussing concerns about a potential World War III.
*Reaction from small, but hearty group of blue supporters. This was quite impressive, as the forum featured many participants, garbed in blue to show that they are not thrilled with the current direction of the GOP Party. In my opinion, better overall competition between both parties up here in Teller County would be a healthy sign. I can remember back in the early 1990s, elections in Teller often generated close tallies between the Republican and Democratic candidates for key county offices. Not so anymore, with most Democratic challengers lucky if they can garner 40 percent of the votes. Even when Barack Obama energized the Democratic party in the state during his first run for the oval office, several Democratic challenges for Teller commissioner spots at the time just couldn’t muster much support. And this is when the Dem national party even had a local office in Woodland Park.
*Call for bipartisanship. Kudos to Dan Williams, who played the role as peacemaker and even politely scolded his own Republican Party, noting that they have strayed too far from a party that advocated fiscal conservatism to one that now has become completely hung up over cultural conflicts and “what you are doing in your own bedroom.” Williams also appeared to advocate absolute caution on the international war front, which was quite encouraging from someone who is well experienced in actual combat situations. Petersen, in a stance not different from other Democratic congressional leaders, questioned the timing of the military invasion directed by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against Iran. (At the time of the forum, the U.S. invasion had not occurred yet against certain Iranian nuclear sites). Surprised actually that more foreign policy issues didn’t surface at the town hall). Dan’s continual call to “reach out to your neighbor” resonated well with the large crowd in attendance.
*Detailed Grip on the Facts. Congresswoman Petersen definitely is well versed on the ramifications of the Trump, 550-page funding bill that should be thrown in the garbage can. If you don’t agree with Petersen, then check out the claims of Elon Musk, former head of the Department of Government Efficiency. The impacts are just too enormous for average working Americans. The table discussion, featuring Williams, Petersen and Dr. David Steinbruner, a chief medical officer of UCHealth, was enlightening and depressing at the same time. It seems like hospitals could experience a dire future if the legislation is passed. But the issue that really got under the skin of most attendees dealt with the sale of public lands, including prime recreation areas. “It is our Colorado way of life,” noted the congresswoman, in expressing opposition to this plan, comments that generated a huge applause.
*No End Game Strategy. This is one major flaw in the assault voiced by the congresswoman in trouncing Trump on many fronts, from his tax plans to tariffs to war mongering. Where do we go from here, and what is the counter-plan of the Dems. The Dems, who have a nasty habit of killing their own cadre of former leaders, still have not recovered from the Nov. 2024 elections. There is continual Monday-morning arm-chair quarterbacking over what went wrong.
Get over it and learn to lobby like Trump. No matter what his critics proclaim, Donald Trump knows how to work the floor in getting members of Congress to support his proposals. In many ways, he represents a more bizarre version of the old school, “you will do what your president tells you to do” style of lobbying, orchestrated by Lyndon Johnston, our 36th president.
Yes, I know, their views couldn’t have been more contrasting.
In any case the next few months should be interesting politically both on the national and local fronts.
Let us just hope that the apocalyptic science fiction rock n’ roll song, Wooden Ships, done by both Crosby, Stills and Nash and Jefferson Airplane in the late 1960s doesn’t become our new reality regarding the impacts of a future nuclear war.
