You know you’re in flyover country if maps in East Coast newspapers routinely misplace the state where you live, presidents who visit spend more time fly-fishing than anything else, and voters can’t remember when – or if – there’s a presidential primary.
Because it’s irrelevant.
With a measly 44 electoral votes among them, the eight states of the Rocky Mountain region – Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Wyoming, Montana, Utah, Idaho and Nevada – have been flyover country for decades.
Dismissed as Republican strongholds, the Rocky Mountain states long have been viewed as populated with voters who are ornery, bull-headed and tougher to corral than the local livestock. So when the Democratic presidential hopefuls scheduled the first stop on their 17-month-long road show in Carson City, Nev., last week, it was a stunner.
In the post-2006 election world, flyover country just may be hard to ignore. One indication of a more dynamic political environment since the Rocky Mountain states elected five Democratic governors and a bevy of Democrats to the U.S Senate, the House and state legislatures is the quiet emergence of a regional think tank focusing on lefty issues.
For 20 years, the nonprofit, nonpartisan Independence Institute in Golden and the Goldwater Institute in Phoenix dominated the West and generated support for tax-limitation movements, school voucher programs and a host of pet causes of the political right.
Now the directors of Western Progress believe it’s their moment. Fred DuVal of Phoenix is president of the board, which also includes Edward Romero and Ned Farquhar of New Mexico, Frankie Sue del Papa of Nevada and Maggie Fox of Colorado. Funding is coming from private donors and foundations, including the Wyss Foundation, which has been involved in conservation and other regional issues.
“We want to be a resource arsenal for people who want to talk about issues progressively,” said Roxana Bacon, an immigration lawyer, former president of the State Bar of Arizona and executive director of the institute. She defines “progressive” as “action-oriented,” solving problems and building the connections necessary to get things done.
The first issue on their agenda is to ratchet up the effort to develop alternative-energy sources. Everywhere, but especially in the West, interest in renewables is spreading like wildfire.
“Look at this convergence of factors: everything from the war in Iraq and the disappointment there, which leads you to say, ‘Was one part of this to help us stabilize a foreign oil source?’ … to Al Gore’s movie … to seeing places where it’s actually working,” Bacon said. “All of a sudden there’s a feeling that we can really do this.”
Developing a viable alternative-energy industry will require an intense focus though, and a lot more momentum than it can get from laissez- faire tax credits.
“Everybody has tax credits, and they’ve been unevenly successful, so it’s obvious tax credits alone aren’t going to do it,” she said. “We have to have a conversation about what you do to get new money invested, new companies involved and some real entrepreneurial zeal.”
Bacon said the Rocky Mountain states are well-positioned to seize the opportunity.
“Wind and sun are the most attractive of the renewables, and we’re it. We’ve got it top to bottom in this region,” she said. “Plus we’ve got the proximity to California, so we have a buyer for what we produce.”
The debut event for Western Progress will be a conference on alternative energy May 17 and 18 in Phoenix. Bacon said it will feature “an eclectic group” of scientists, university faculty, business people, working folks and decisionmakers.
“We’re not interested in just being your friend, though,” she said. “We want to be provocateurs. We want to get the thinking away from looking at the next election cycle.”
They’re not about to be seduced by the sudden interest in 44 measly electoral votes. They want results.
Diane Carman’s column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. She can be reached at 303-954-1489 or dcarman@denverpost.com.
