Cory Gardner Sneaks Into Littleton, Gets Pummeled

[TexasTowelie]

Last edited Tue Jun 25, 2019, 06:45 AM - Edit history (1)

A story from yesterday’s Englewood Herald, one of the many small newspapers published by Colorado Community Media, offers a fascinating look at a recent unannounced–or at least under-announced–visit by Sen. Cory Gardner to the south Denver metro suburb of Littleton. Reporting on a visit that nobody we’ve spoken to seems to have even known took place last Monday, reporter David Gilbert documents a tough tour for Gardner, hit with hard unscripted questions from Coloradans who needed no prodding from the “paid protesters” Gardner insists are shadowing his every step:

Gardner’s tour in downtown Littleton on June 17 started at Dirt Coffee, where founder Lauren Burgess told the senator that Medicaid is vital for the shop’s employees, who are primarily on the autism spectrum or have other intellectual or developmental disabilities.

“Disability is the only minority group that any of us can join,” Burgess told Gardner. “Our world is all about Medicaid.”

Gardner did not respond at length to Burgess, but thanked her for her support for people with disabilities.

Back in 2014 during Gardner’s run for the U.S. Senate, Politico profiled the race and accompanied Gardner on a trip to visit Meals of Wheels patients. Confronted with a patient who warned Gardner that her life depended on Medicaid, Gardner responded confidently “we got to protect Medicaid.” The problem is that Gardner had voted before in the House and many times in the Senate after 2014 to gut Medicaid funding. We’ve often thought a follow-up with that Medicaid patient, assuming she’s still with us, would be newsworthy–but at least Gardner learned enough from that experience to not make any promises this time.

On the issue of climate change, Gardner trotted out what we assume will be his go-to line for 2020:

[Bradford Auto Body owner Mickey] Kempf said nearly two-thirds of his shop’s business is repairing hail damage, which he said is getting worse in recent years — a problem he said may be partly the result of climate change.

“Climate change is real, and we have to address it without destroying the economy,” Gardner said when asked about Kempf’s observation.

Read more: https://www.coloradopols.com/diary/123536/cory-gardner-sneaks-into-littleton-gets-pummeled

[bearsfootball516]

1. His re-election chances are on life support.

Colorado is getting bluer by the day. As long as the democratic nominee in Colorado doesn’t have a massive screw up, Gardner’s chances are extremely slim.