School Choice Advocates See Quiet Start to Legislative Session
Face The State Staff Report
DENVER - As legislators convene for the new legislative session this month, political insiders are suggesting that the decision by House Democrats to reinstate a politically damaged committee chairman to his position was made to appease union campaign contributors.
Rep. Mike Merrifield, D-Manitou Springs, quietly resumed his post at the helm of the House Education Committee on Monday more than nine months after his resignation over a well-publicized email that condemned school choice supporters to a “special place in hell.”
Political consultant Katy Atkinson, a consultant to moderate and conservative political causes, said top Democrats may have perceived that they had little reason to replace Merrifield with a legislator more open to supporting charters and other parent-friendly education options. “The Democratic leadership is not that concerned in particular about their standing in the school choice community,” she said. “They’re more concerned about all the money they get from the [Colorado Education Association].”
Colorado’s Democrat candidates received nearly $280,000 in direct teachers union contributions in 2006, compared to just over $20,000 for Republicans. According to Colorado League of Charter Schools Executive Director Jim Griffin, Democrats did little to soften their reputation as the anti-school choice party after Merrifield stepped down from his post last Spring. Merrifield was replaced by another union-funded legislator, Rep. Judy Solano, D-Brighton, who temporarily assumed the chair. “I never viewed having one or the other in charge as a particularly big deal,” he said.
While Democrats will once again be led on education policy by Merrifield, it appears that the lawmaker is attempting to soften his image with school choice supporters. A recent article in the Colorado Springs Gazette suggested that Merrifield’s opposition to charter schools may have softened after meetings with Mark Hyatt, president of the Classical Academy in Colorado Springs.
Griffin remains skeptical. “[Merrifield] is not going to vote for something we care about," he said. "He’s still going to vote for something that we don’t like, but I think it’s worth something to build the lines of communication.”
Griffin added that the meetings between Hyatt and Merrifield probably mean there won’t be any new vitriolic messages like the “special place in hell” email from last March.
“It’s less likely that he’ll try to pull something behind the scenes without the courtesy of calling to let us know,” he said. “Maybe he’s been chastened a little bit.”
Still, Atkinson said the effects of the 2007 email revelation are irrevocable for the El Paso County lawmaker, especially if he faces a Republican challenger for re-election this fall.
“All the political damage that can be done to Merrifield has already been done,” said Atkinson. “Anything that can indirectly motivate the base will be helpful to Republicans.”
Meanwhile, Griffin has observed that, unlike last year, there have been no early signs of anti-charter attacks in the 2008 legislative session. “It’s quiet—too quiet,” he said.
Breathe...... breathe
On January 23rd, 2008 Diogenes says:
OK, so on January 18, you used the words "personal attack and baseless innuendo" because you somehow clairvoyantly knew that three days LATER, I'd refer to you by name and use that horribly insulting word "schtick"?
Try sticking to the subject instead of running off on tangents. Granted, it's a subject you'd rather not face, but be brave. Fact is that FTS and guys like you got played, pure and simple, by the dreaded Merrifield and Romanoff (among others). It's not the end of the world, really.
Take a deep breath. You'll live through this.
Ah, yes
On January 21st, 2008 Socrates says:
Call me by name, accuse me of "schtick" and that's not a personal attack or baseless innuendo.
LOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!!!
Do you have ANY idea how transparent you are?
Socrates is using his old tired schtick
On January 21st, 2008 Diogenes says:
When you complain about "personal attack" and "baseless innuendo", shouldn't it be required that you don't start the conversation with comments like "Madman" and "nuttier than Doug Bruce"?
Merrifield's likely not going anywhere. The Republicans (my party, by the way, just not El Paso County style) haven't found anybody to beat Mr. Merrifield, because the voters see through false/misleading rhetoric, at least some of the time.
The real problem here is that Face the State and its kneejerk supporters are embarrassed that they trumpeted what wound up to be a bogus story last spring. It's pretty clear to most observers what happened:
1) FTS quoted Merrifield out of context, and fired up their base. (Merrifield was directing his comments towards a small, specific group of charterizers/ privatizers/ etc. namely the school board detritus surnamed Christen and Cox. But hey, why let facts stand in the way of a good partisan rant?)
2) Democratic leaders needed to defuse the issue before it gained legitimacy.
3} Merrifield needed some time and strength to battle through his cancer treatments.
4) Merrifield gets sent to the corner as "punishment" and another Democrat keeps his seat warm for his return in the 2008 session.
5) Merrifield returns as scheduled in 2008 and resumes his chairmanship.
FTS and Company were so proud of themselves for "taking down" Merrifield that they couldn't see they were being duped. It could be that they were so busy patting themselves on the back that they missed what was happening right in front of them.
Of course there will be a challenge
On January 18th, 2008 cologeek says:
And the email comments will show up on TV, radio, and billboard ads. His recent "make nice" meetings with Mark Hyatt were to give him cover on this, nothing more.
Merrifield has no concern for the educational wellbeing of Colorado's children, just the bank accounts of the CEA.
Ah, I see that the democrat party hack has shown up.
On January 18th, 2008 Socrates says:
And it's very interesting that you're so immediately defensive, so immediately ready to go to the personal attack and baseless innuendo to defend Madman Mike Merrifield. Tells us a lot, it does....like about what you're scared of.
Face it, the voters will hold his own words, correctly reported, against him. No one has changed those words. Madman Mike said them himself and got booted from his chairmanship as a result.
Laughable, really
On January 17th, 2008 Diogenes says:
to presume that any e-mail sent in early 2007 will have any bearing on an election in 2008, especially since its text has been twisted beyond recognition by the Republican Party shills, errrrrrrrr Face the State. (Sorry, it's so hard to keep them straight.) There hasn't been a Republican who's gotten close to seriously challenging Merrifield, so what's going to change now? Bruce Almighty is a great example of how the El Paso Republicans can't seem to get out of their own way.
All the political damage?
On January 17th, 2008 Socrates says:
I hope that damage is enough to get Madman Merrifield out of office. He's nuttier than Dougie Bruce, by far.