Who vetoed HB-1072 and why?

Jon Caldera wants credit for the veto. The complicit media, union strategists and Democratic legislators must take some of the blame. And GOP Machiavelli Dick Wadhams almost certainly played a role in shaping biased media coverage.

But is it silly of me to suggest that the responsibility for Friday's HB-1072 veto rests solely on the shoulders of Governor Bill Ritter?

Colorado is a weak-governor state; the power lies with the legislature. So it's not surprising that Ritter used the way-out-of-porportion circus surrounding HB-1072 as a chance to make a statement using the biggest hammer he had at his disposal.

In this context, the veto feels less like a capitulation to the rightwing noise machine and more like a message to the legislature.

Message received. Yesterday's Denver Post reported that Democratic House Speaker Andrew Romanoff would assemble a "council of business and labor leaders to advise the legislature in light of the bitterness between the two sides over House Bill 1072." Why? Because both sides "have an interest in educating the workforce and reducing the cost of health care." [Ed. - Emphasis added.]

Ritter's veto has reminded everyone exactly what the Colorado Promise goals are: Guaranteed healthcare, reformed education and a New Energy Economy.

Well done, Governor. So long as those goals are, in fact, met.