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DENVER -
Colorado lawmakers had a front seat to history Tuesday as special guests for President Barack Obama's historic signing of the $787 million economic recovery package.
But the enthusiasm of Colorado Democrats at their state playing host to the historic signing of a bill they helped pass was tempered by a keen awareness of what's at stake -- for their own political futures, and the country's.
"This is an important first step," said Sen. Michael Bennet, who aimed to show his support for the stimulus bill while lowering expectations that it'll fix the economy overnight. "This recession's getting deeper, faster and people are feeling it. This is a serious, serious time that we're in and I think it's going to take us a long time to climb out of this ditch that we're in."
Bennet, a surprise appointment to replace Interior Secretary Ken Salazar in the Senate, may have the most at-stake electorally; and is already travelling the state, at once introducing himself to voters away from the Front Range and explaining the votes he's already casting on their behalf.
"I was in Cortez, on the western slope, where there's a lot of debate on whether the stimulus is a good thing or a bad thing," Bennet said. "And I understand the skepticism. People are hurting, losing their pensions, retirement savings. But, one older lady stood up at the end of my talk there and said she learned back in the Great Depression that America can do anything if we all come together. And I believe that's true."
At least in Washington, the stimulus has hardly brought lawmakers together. Only three of 217 Republicans in Congress voted in favor of the stimulus bill. And, already, Democrats thought to be electorally vulnerable in 2010 are being attacked for supporting the plan in new radio advertisements funded by the National Republican Congressional Committee.
Two of them are from Colorado: Reps. John Salazar and Betsy Markey, both of whom represent districts where Republicans still hold the advantage in voter registration numbers.
"It is a Republican district, where I'm from, but I've talked to a lot of Republican businessmen and there is more support for this stimulus than you would think," said Markey, who, as a first-term congresswoman, is perceived to be the most vulnerable of all and will likely face a strong challenge in two years.
"They are going after me, and that's fine," Markey said. "But I'm not worried about that. I'm worried about what this stimulus will do for the people of Colorado and the people of my district. This will save 8,400 jobs in my district alone. And a lot of that will come in transportation. We're getting about $500 million for transportation infrastructure, and we're going to use that to address our crumbling roads and bridges."
In addition to the transportation dollars, Colorado will receive millions for education and new energy development.
"We are in tough economic times and that's what justifies a package this big," said Rep. Ed Perlmutter. "It has tax cuts for virtually everyone in Colorado, families and businesses; but really the New Energy Economy is what spurred the President to come to Colorado."
Namaste Solar, the Boulder-based company that installed the solar panels on the roof of the Colorado Governor's Mansion, and those atop the Museum of Nature and Science, which President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden toured prior to the stimulus signing, stands to benefit from the stimulus, according to its CEO, Blake Jones.
"We were looking at scaling back, at layoffs," said Jones. "Because of the bill President Obama is about to sign today, our pessimistic outlook has been injected with new hope and optimism."
But, Republicans argue that much of the money being spent in the stimulus is "wasteful pork" and are looking to shift the economic debate towards concern over the federal deficit. In light of that, Democrats are seeking to remind the public that it was President George W. Bush's spending spree that pushed the country off the economic cliff.
But, the massive stimulus bill has given Republicans a political opportunity to overcome that perception, which many attribute to their 2008 electoral losses, and to convince the country that they've found religion again on spending.
In the battle over the stimulus, President Obama won his first big battle. But it's success or failure, over the next 18 months, will determine which side wins this political war.
"This is a first step, but it's an essential step," said Bennet. "This will begin to get us turned around, to unfreeze credit markets. But it's going to take time. People have to understand that."
But the enthusiasm of Colorado Democrats at their state playing host to the historic signing of a bill they helped pass was tempered by a keen awareness of what's at stake -- for their own political futures, and the country's.
"This is an important first step," said Sen. Michael Bennet, who aimed to show his support for the stimulus bill while lowering expectations that it'll fix the economy overnight. "This recession's getting deeper, faster and people are feeling it. This is a serious, serious time that we're in and I think it's going to take us a long time to climb out of this ditch that we're in."
Bennet, a surprise appointment to replace Interior Secretary Ken Salazar in the Senate, may have the most at-stake electorally; and is already travelling the state, at once introducing himself to voters away from the Front Range and explaining the votes he's already casting on their behalf.
"I was in Cortez, on the western slope, where there's a lot of debate on whether the stimulus is a good thing or a bad thing," Bennet said. "And I understand the skepticism. People are hurting, losing their pensions, retirement savings. But, one older lady stood up at the end of my talk there and said she learned back in the Great Depression that America can do anything if we all come together. And I believe that's true."
At least in Washington, the stimulus has hardly brought lawmakers together. Only three of 217 Republicans in Congress voted in favor of the stimulus bill. And, already, Democrats thought to be electorally vulnerable in 2010 are being attacked for supporting the plan in new radio advertisements funded by the National Republican Congressional Committee.
Two of them are from Colorado: Reps. John Salazar and Betsy Markey, both of whom represent districts where Republicans still hold the advantage in voter registration numbers.
"It is a Republican district, where I'm from, but I've talked to a lot of Republican businessmen and there is more support for this stimulus than you would think," said Markey, who, as a first-term congresswoman, is perceived to be the most vulnerable of all and will likely face a strong challenge in two years.
"They are going after me, and that's fine," Markey said. "But I'm not worried about that. I'm worried about what this stimulus will do for the people of Colorado and the people of my district. This will save 8,400 jobs in my district alone. And a lot of that will come in transportation. We're getting about $500 million for transportation infrastructure, and we're going to use that to address our crumbling roads and bridges."
In addition to the transportation dollars, Colorado will receive millions for education and new energy development.
"We are in tough economic times and that's what justifies a package this big," said Rep. Ed Perlmutter. "It has tax cuts for virtually everyone in Colorado, families and businesses; but really the New Energy Economy is what spurred the President to come to Colorado."
Namaste Solar, the Boulder-based company that installed the solar panels on the roof of the Colorado Governor's Mansion, and those atop the Museum of Nature and Science, which President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden toured prior to the stimulus signing, stands to benefit from the stimulus, according to its CEO, Blake Jones.
"We were looking at scaling back, at layoffs," said Jones. "Because of the bill President Obama is about to sign today, our pessimistic outlook has been injected with new hope and optimism."
But, Republicans argue that much of the money being spent in the stimulus is "wasteful pork" and are looking to shift the economic debate towards concern over the federal deficit. In light of that, Democrats are seeking to remind the public that it was President George W. Bush's spending spree that pushed the country off the economic cliff.
But, the massive stimulus bill has given Republicans a political opportunity to overcome that perception, which many attribute to their 2008 electoral losses, and to convince the country that they've found religion again on spending.
In the battle over the stimulus, President Obama won his first big battle. But it's success or failure, over the next 18 months, will determine which side wins this political war.
"This is a first step, but it's an essential step," said Bennet. "This will begin to get us turned around, to unfreeze credit markets. But it's going to take time. People have to understand that."
