The Hardest Thing in Life Is to Know Which Bridge to Cross and Which to Burn

I live in the 6th Congressional District of Colorado. This is thought to be the wealthiest district in Colorado. It's a district where Republicans make up 44% of the electorate and Democrats make up only 24% of the electorate. It's a district that has never elected a Democrat to the United States House of Representatives. In the 2004 presidential election and the 2004 congressional election, President Bush and Republican Congressman Tom Tancredo won nearly 60% of the vote.

But this year, along with the scent of winter snow emanating from the Rocky Mountains, there is a distinct smell of change in the air. There are very few signs of support for the McCain/Palin ticket - almost no signs in the lawns and practically no bumper stickers on the cars of my neighbors. On the other hand, the Obama/Biden campaign just opened another office in the affluent Denver suburb of Highlands Ranch. And the latest local news poll shows Obama leading in Colorado by 12 points. This is an amazing accomplishment since Colorado has only supported a Democrat for president one time in the last 40 years (Bill Clinton in 1992).

Then again, maybe this shouldn't come as a surprise. In 2006 Colorado elected Governor Bill Ritter, a Democrat, by a wide margin, including a 3-point victory in my district. And during 2004, the Democratic Party captured a U.S. Senate seat, another U.S. House seat and was also able to take control of both houses of the Colorado General Assembly.

A lot of this is attributed to the growing population - Colorado has gained an electoral vote in three of the last four national censuses - and the importance of carrying the Latino population - nearly 20% of the population and a group that favors Obama by over 40 points. Furthermore, Colorado has more college degrees per capita than any other state, while it lags behing in the number of Colorado-born citizens that attend institutions of higher learning. Colorado isn't like a lot of the other western states anymore; this is an increasingly educated and forward-thinking population that is cutting ties with the old guard.

Senator McCain made two stops in Colorado yesterday and claimed that he "knew the West." I watched both of his stump speeches yesterday and did not hear one solid proposal from Senator McCain. He devoted his entire time to smearing his opponent and trying to influence the supporters his local campaign managers rounded up that Senator Obama wasn't prepared. If Senator McCain "knows" so much, then how come he doesn't know that Colorado voters want to hear what he plans to do as President of the United States and not what he plans to disagree with as a United States Senator.

Senator McCain still has a chance to win the nine electoral votes in Colorado - the Republican Secretary of State (and Republican nominee for the 6th Congressional District of Colorado), Mike Coffman, has done a lot to purge voter rolls and very little to ready the state for this election - but the sun is setting fast on this once-Republican stronghold.