Denver Metro Young Republicans

Looks like the right to work in Colorado has escaped oblivion at the last moment, thanks to a surprise veto from Governor Ritter.

Gov. Bill Ritter said he liked a pro-union bill and thought its opponents had engaged in unfair attacks — yet he vetoed the measure.

“In substance, I agree with House Bill 1072, and I made that clear to labor,” Ritter said Friday. But, “there should have been dialogue about it. That didn’t happen.”

“The message is this: We’re going to do things differently,” he said.

Perhaps I should have written “escaped oblivion for now“. The measure stirred up such a hornet nest that he wasn’t able to sign it…for now. After some pro-forma “dialogue”, the same measure will eventually be re-introduced, with much fanfare over how it has been “fixed” to address the concerns of the business community (never mind the fact that those “fixes” will be cosmetic changes only). Why else would the president of the Colorado AFL-CIO have this bland, pro-forma reaction:

“We are obviously extremely disappointed that Gov. Ritter felt it necessary to break a campaign promise under pressure from big business,” Steve Adams, president of the Colorado AFL-CIO, said in a brief statement. “We hope this is not a harbinger for what lies in store for the working men and women in this state.”

…instead of screaming bloody murder over being betrayed, as he would if 1072 were truly dead and not “just resting”?

Keep an eye on this measure. Garlic and holy water probably won’t repel it, but the light of day apparently has.