Re-elect Rep. John Salazar
Durango Herald
John Salazar is a good fit for the 3rd Congressional District. He should be re-elected.
This district extends from Wyoming to New Mexico, from Utah to the eastern plains. It includes ranchers, miners, trust-funders and telecommuters. In some places, the GOP primary is the election; in others Barack Obama won by more than 80 percent.
There is no way to perfectly reflect all those perspectives, and Salazar does not. Instead, he keeps to the moderate end of his party and focuses on his district.
The result is a lot of unhappy ideologues - and a lot of people who enjoy seeing good things get done and bad things opposed.
Salazar is a Democrat endorsed by the National Rifle Association. He also belongs to the fiscally conservative "Blue Dog" coalition, but he voted for the stimulus package and health-care reform.
That is not inconsistent. Those all matter to his district.
The health-care bill, flawed though it is, served to dynamite a decades-old logjam, a precondition to moving forward. And while it is frequently said the stimulus did not work, it was never considered an economic cure-all. Its point was to keep us from repeating the Great Depression, and in that, it appears to have worked.
Salazar also has an independent streak. TheDenver Post, using numbers from the National Journal, says Salazar voted against the Democratic leadership more than 40 percent of the time.
It is his district that counts. Salazar is working to protect the Hermosa Creek watershed, the Dolores River and wilderness in the San Juans. He opposed gas drilling on Perins Peak, the Desert Rock power plant and federal seizure of private land around Piñon Canyon.
He got money for U.S. highways 550 and 160, funding to fix Mancos' water supply and millions for the Mesa Verde visitors center. He worked to improve health care in La Plata County and veterans' care nationwide. He supports federal payment of tuition for out-of-state Indian students at Fort Lewis.
The full list is longer, but the point is simple: Salazar has paid attention to his district - not to partisan battles and culture wars.
Re-elect John Salazar.
