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Ta da
……Diane Mitsch Bush https://dianeforcolorado.com is a politician whose life, Wikipedia says, was influenced by books. Two books. An old version of her website said reading Rachel Carson’s “Silent Spring” and Michael Harrington’s “The Other America” in high school inspired Bush to a “life long passion for public service.
……Diane Mitsch Bush‘s current website skips Michael Harrington, but not Rachel Carson. She writes that her mother helped her put other people first. Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy — two American leaders assassinated in 1968 — the year she graduated from high school.
……Diane Mitsch Bush certainly was a student. A Summa Cum Laude graduate of the University of Minnesota, she got PhD in sociology there as well.
……Despite the reference to her mother, it is hard to track the influence of her family. Diane Mitsch Bush‘s website has a blurry picture of her with her mom. Google doesn’t add anything. Nothing is there. Nada.
……Diane Mitsch Bush has, however, become a figure in Colorado. People in Colorado know her. She could win this election. Analysts describe the district as Likely Republican. Nate Silver’s 538 gives her a better chance of winning than any other Democrat in a Likely Republican district — nearly 40%.
……People in Colorado know her as an effective legislator. She was a County Commissioner from 2007 to 2012. She was a state representative from 2013 to 2017. As a state rep she won awards: Most effective freshman legislator, the Farmers Union’s most effective legislator, the Livestock Association’s most effective legislator, Conservation Colorado’s Legislator of the year. Rural groups that don’t necessarily agree with each other agree on her.
……Diane Mitsch Bushcame to Steamboat Springs in 1976 apparently planning to combine finishing writing her doctoral thesis with skiing. Not out of tune with the 70s.
……During the ten years before she was elected county commissioner, Diane Mitsch Bush describes herself as being involved in tourism, transportation, and the economic challenges facing family ranches and farms. She also taught at the Colorado Mountain College — a school with eleven Colorado campuses. The Steamboat Springs campus currently lists twenty-five faculty members including a professor of ski and snowboard business.
……Colorado has been a good life for Diane Mitsch Bush. Like many candidates in 2018, her larger political ambitions were spurred by the 2016 election. She counts Colorado’s natural beauty as one of things endangered by Donald Trump and the Republicans he leads. She wants to fight them in Washington.
……Her opponent, Scott Tipton, is vulnerable in a tough fight.
……On personal corruption grounds. He has apologized to the House ethics committee because his daughter was soliciting contracts from other congressional offices. He has been criticized for awarding a contract to his nephew. His campaign attorney and manager share an office address with a SuperPAC funded by oil and gas interests.
……On policy grounds. He rejects the scientific understanding of climate change. He suggests natural climate cycles have caused recent warming. He opposes the Paris accords. He has drafted proposals on oil and gas drilling that appear to come from the people who fund his neighbor SuperPAC. He has opposed infringements on private company water rights. He has an 8% score from the League of Conservation voters.
……On more policy grounds. He voted to replace the Affordable Care Act with the Republican semi-alternative. He opposes gay marriage. And, remember this is Colorado, he opposed the use of medical marijuana for veterans.
……Diane Mitsch Bush does not have these kinds of vulnerabilities. What would make her vulnerable to Republican attacks?……Regarding public lands, Diane Mitsch Bush says she is a ” ‘strident’ supporter of science-based, stewardship-oriented policies that protect our country’s environment.” No matter the policy, politicians probably should avoid declaring themselves “strident” about anything.
……On health care, Diane Mitsch Bush expresses support for single payer health care. As a result she has been accused of being a socialist, a follower of Bernie Sander’s. When she talks about next steps for health care, she describes making improvements to the Affordable Care Act. Democrats talking about an eventual movement to a single payer health care plan have not made themselves vulnerable. Neither has Diane Mitsch Bush.
……On gun safety, she says she stood up to the NRA. That is a positive in many places these days. Is is a vulnerability in Colorado? Not the way Diane Mitsch Bush does it. She advocates “true, nationwide background checks similar to those we passed in Colorado.”
……Unless something serious surfaces, Diane Mitsch Bush https://dianeforcolorado.com/, in a year when a Blue Wave is appearing, could beat Scott Tipton. Tipton, himself is a product of the Red wave of 2010. He defeated an incumbent Democrat that year.. Help Bush create and participate in a Blue wave. Help her win this election. With resources, she can win.
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