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I've never been a major fan of Ken Chlouber, my state representative and now, a candidate for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate.
Granted, Chlouber (he prefers that it sound like
clover,
rather than chowder
) often does what
state representatives are supposed to do.
He made sure that the Colorado Convention Center used stone from Colorado -- Kramer's district, in fact -- rather than from Wyoming. Chlouber has hustled yet another state prison for Chaffee County. Chlouber is not the typical Republican in a three-piece suit; he was drawing unemployment when he first ran for the legislature.
But he panders; in violation of the Colorado and U.S. constitutions he swore to protect, he favors prayer in public schools.
George Bush does the same thing. But Republicans love Bush, whereas the Republican hierarchy of Colorado ignores Chlouber; they're still looking.
The Colorado Republican Hierarchy is very fussy. What do they want when they anoint a candidate?
Do they want someone who believes in the traditional principles of the Republican party? Robin Heid sought the GOP nomination for governor in 1990. Heid was fervently against gun control and government regulation. But as far as the Hierarchy was concerned, Heid had leprosy.
Are they worried that the wrong candidate might embarrass the party? Then why did they emerge with flaky John Andrews -- who conducted controlled-prayer experiments with bean sprouts -- as their gubernatorial candidate in 1990?
Do they want someone who can win elections? In 1980, they rigged the state convention so that Mary Estill Buchanan, Colorado's popular secretary of state, couldn't get on the primary ballot. She petitioned aboard, and won the primary. She almost beat Gary Hart for the U.S. Senate; if the Hierarchy had supported her, she would have won.
But consider the true goals of the Hierarchy: subsidies for big business, appreciation for their real estate, more water projects, protection for their monopolies.
Seen in this light, things like the GOP's preference for unelectable candidates and Don Bain's contribution to Tim Wirth begin to make sense.
Why bother winning an election when there are so many Democrats like Roy Romer, Tim Wirth and Federico Pena who are eager to do your work for you?
If all goes well, the Republican Hierarchy gets what it wants. If things backfire, the other party gets the blame.
Chlouber, who's an effective campaigner with occasional flashes of populist rhetoric, will thus be ignored by the Hierarchy. They'll find some cardboard candidate to lose to Wirth, who will continue business as usual. It's brilliant.
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