U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar said Thursday the political shift that will put him in the majority party in the Senate should force a new wave of bipartisanship.
“Instead of one-party rule, which essentially is what we’ve seen in Washington, what you are going to have in Washington is a dialogue that brings Republicans and Democrats together to hopefully address the issues that we are facing,” Salazar said.
He added that he thinks the election also positions Colorado to lead in helping to make America independent of foreign energy sources.
He said he already has talked with Gov.-elect Bill Ritter and state leaders “about moving us forward and making Colorado the renewable energy capital in the world.”
Salazar said Democratic congressional leaders already were talking with him about a shift in committee assignments, possibly including a seat on the finance committee, which helps write tax laws.
Salazar currently is assigned to committees that deal with agriculture, energy and natural resources, ethics and veterans affairs issues. He also is a member of a special committee on aging.
He said he thinks the election could cause President Bush to shift toward the style he used as governor of Texas.
“In Texas he developed a reputation for reaching out to Democrats,” Salazar said. “That hasn’t been the case in the last two years. He has been very partisan, and I think that has caused some of the gridlock we’ve seen in Washington.”
Staff writer Christopher N. Osher can be reached at 303-954-1747 or cosher@denverpost.com.
