The old order passes quickly. There was a nice photograph of former Gov. Bill Owens on the front page of Tuesday’s Denver Post, joking with new Gov. Bill Ritter, but there wasn’t a lot of coverage about what Owens had to say.
The outgoing governor is a bittersweet figure at an inaugural. He has been the most visible figure in state news coverage for years. Now he’s leaving the spotlight.
Owens left gracefully and eloquently. And that was the same way Ritter arrived. Owens bowed out with grace; Ritter bowed in with vigor. The new governor is not noted as an orator, but he rose to the occasion Tuesday.
Owens spoke for about five minutes, Ritter for about 15 minutes. Both focused on hope, unity and bipartisanship. It’s customary at this time of year, up through the middle of January, for everyone to talk that way. There is more ceremony than controversy.
Owens said there’s too much negativism and not enough serious debate in government these days – the thoughtful sort of debate, based on intellect more than ideology. “We’ve blurred the line between policy and politics,” he said. He said seeking the consent of the governed has been his guiding principle.
Owens often has said that George W. Bush was his mentor, the former Texas governor reminding the incoming Colorado governor eight years ago that he was elected to be a leader of all the people. Owens has done a better job of that than his coach.
He says he hasn’t changed his political philosophy over the years. He’s still a conservative, and despite his working with the Democrats to pass Referendum C in 2005, he still believes in the small-government ideals of TABOR.
The turnover of power was well-planned and laced with good humor. It was the biggest crowd – and one of the better speeches – I’ve witnessed at an inaugural.
It has been 44 years since Democrats controlled the governor’s office and both legislative chambers. There may have been some Republican regret amid the ritual. But for now there were smiles and roses and brassy flourishes from the National Guard band. There was a loud, smoky 19-gun salute from a single artillery piece. (So, in fact, it was a one-gun salute 19 times. And few could resist pointing out – as they always do – that the cannon was aimed at the City and County building).
Two jets flew over at just the right time, as the Colorado State University Chamber Singers were wrapping up the long and rarely heard official state song, “Where the Columbines Grow.”
It was an unexpectedly crisp day. The high was supposed to be 50-something, but there was a temperature inversion. Ritter said Coloradans are fortunate because their mountains give them reason to look up instead of down. It’s a good thing the snowy peaks were still visible through the smog; otherwise the metaphor would have been spoiled.
Ritter spoke of “bold ideas and brave actions,” but such ambitious planning is difficult for Colorado politicians. The electorate has imposed restrictions, including term limits and fiscal rules, which remove the legislature’s unilateral power to tax and severely limit its spending options.
But before the middle of January, there still is a huge desire to hope and to imagine a better future. A future, as Ritter put it, based on hope and unity – not Republican vs. Democrat or left vs. right, but a future based on shared objectives.
“We promise a reason to hope,” he said.
At this point, halfway into January, before the legislature bogs down in bills and minutiae and partisanship, that is still a possibility.
Fred Brown (punditfwb@aol.com), retired Capitol Bureau chief for The Denver Post, is also a political analyst for 9News.
