Parade: A moment of silence for Markey
As I have done for the previous four years, my Independence Day started with a broadcast of the Greeley Stampede Independence Day Parade. I do this each year with George Gray from AM Colorado on News Talk 1310 KFKA. As usual, I have a couple of observations about the parade.
First, it’s boring. There are very few “floats.” Most are entries that include people riding in an classic car or a truck pulling a flat bed trailer full of people or people walking with a banner. That’s it. It’s tough to call a boring parade. It’s even harder to make it sound exciting for listeners.
The parade participants can’t throw candy or give out literature. It’s one dimensional with almost no interaction between parade participants and the audience. Stop with the nannyism. The Stampede needs to bring back the fun. Bring back candy and water gun fights.
The other observation involves our Congresswoman Betsy Markey. First, her carbon footprint for July 4th was much larger than mine because I rode my bike while she rode in a very cool but not very eco-friendly corvette. Also, when she went by there was awkward silence. No booing. No cheering. Nothing. The street sweepers got more reaction. I don’t know how she did along the rest of the parade route but when she passed my position in front of Cache Bank and Trust, she got no response what so ever. It seems that she has not connected with Weld County.
Markey has to win Weld County to win re-election in 2010. She beat incumbent Republican Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave in Weld County by a margin of 53-47 percent but a look at the vote totals tells an interesting story. Weld County didn’t suddenly shift to the left.
According to the Denver Post, in Weld County Markey received 44,790 votes to Musgrave’s 39,056. Obama and Udall both got more votes than Markey (46,644 and 44,948 respectively) but lost the county. John McCain received 55,913 votes. Do the math. That means 16,857 McCain voters did not vote for Musgrave and 11,123 didn’t vote for Markey. If the next GOP contender wins those nearly 17,000 votes back and makes a slightly better showing in Larimer County where Markey got almost 61 percent of the vote, then the GOP candidate can win. The other counties in the 4th CD all favored Musgrave by large percentages, and I don’t see that changing. I realize this sounds like a very big “if” but from someone who lives in the 4th CD, it’s really not.
Congressional Quarterly reports that Markey votes with her party a mere 92 percent of the time and with the President 88 percent. I guess that is supposed to indicate Markey’s “independent” streak. Problem is she votes with her party and Obama when it’s important to them despite the wishes of her constiuents. Markey’s yes vote on cap and trade proves that.
July 27th, 2009 at 8:45 pm
I love your critique of the parade. It could not have been easy to write.
You are so, so very correct.
First in your water gun fights! … ie. “The Stampede needs to bring back the fun. Bring back candy and water gun fights.”
Second in your overall Betsy Markey update!
Carry on!
July 30th, 2009 at 6:47 am
[...] rallies are meant as a very strong message to freshman Democrat Congresswoman Betsy Markey, who I already think is going to have a difficult time getting re-elected due to her horrific vote [...]
August 9th, 2009 at 9:14 am
[...] their representative is during this August recess. According to the Fort Collins Coloradoan, Congresswoman Betsy Markey is in Israel on a “fact-finding trip.” After her return, residents anxious to speak [...]
August 13th, 2009 at 2:10 pm
[...] Congresswoman Betsy Markey released her Congress on Your Corner schedule. According to a press release on her Web site, Markey will hold the following events to discuss health reform: 08/18 Congress on Your Corner Ft Collins 9am – 12pm 08/19 Congress on Your Corner Greeley 11am – 1pm 08/20 Congress on Your Corner Longmont 3pm – 5pm 08/21 Seniors Day Event Greeley 1pm – 3pm 08/22 Congress on Your Corner Ft Lupton 10:00am – 12:00pm 08/24 Tele-Town Hall Meeting District-wide 7:30pm – 8:30pm 08/26 Congress on Your Corner Ft Collins 10:30am – 12pm 08/28 Congress on Your Corner Ft Morgan 9am – 10:30am 09/01 Congress on Your Corner Johnstown 8:30am – 10am 09/02 Congress on Your Corner Windsor 1pm – 3pm 09/03 Congress on Your Corner Estes Park 3:30pm – 5pm [...]
August 23rd, 2009 at 1:29 pm
[...] Congresswoman Betsy Markey wants health care for EVERYONE, which by definition must include illegal aliens. In a letter asking for physician support during her 2008 campaign against incumbent Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave, Markey wrote: The United States spends approximately 15% of our GDP on healthcare, and yet 45 million Americans are uninsured and many more underinsured. The current system of coverage is expensive, unsustainable and highly inefficient. We must address how to provide healthcare to everyone in the most efficient and equitable way. [...]
July 5th, 2010 at 1:06 pm
[...] it’s still boring. I’ve been critical of the Stampede parade in the past because it is sterile. A few years ago, the Stampede Committee put a stop to the [...]