This is a copy of the announcement speech Josh Penry just gave. If he ad-libbed at all in the speech it will not be reflected here.
Good morning. Well it's an incredible honor to stand with you here this morning -- along with Jamie, Emme and Chase, my parents and family, and so many friends. Thank you Representative McNulty, thank you Stacy Mascarenas, both, for your generous words and strong support. Both of these new faces represent a new generation of leadership who are playing an important role in getting our Party, our state and our country heading back in the right direction.
And to my wife Jamie: I couldn't be more proud of her. She's right, I didn't make her give that speech, but after that performance, I
might ask her to do it again. Are you with me? Jamie is a
remarkable woman – I've never met anyone stronger. I'm lucky to have her as my wife, and Colorado will be fortunate to have her as First Lady.
And we are both lucky to have such terrific kids – Chase and Emme are our pride and joy. This election is important, but they are more important. And that's why you're going to see us out a lot, together, as a team, on the long and exciting journey ahead.
It is a truly beautiful day here in Western Colorado. But we're used to that, aren't we?
But this day is just a little bit different.
That's because today is a new day... a new day for those of us who know Colorado can do better.
A new day for those of us who see the direction of this country and our state, and we're concerned, and we're ready to push back, to fight back and chart a new beginning.
A new day for you and me and so many others who are ready to move beyond the failed leadership and failed choices of both political parties that have landed our economy and our politics in the ditch.
Yes, today is a new day for those of us who believe that, no matter how tough the times, no matter how bad the news, no matter how difficult the choices right now, our best days are still ahead.
I believe it, our best days are ahead. Colorado can do better. But it won't happen automatically…. or easily …. or without tough choices and real sacrifice. The next Governor of this State has big challenges waiting on that desk.
And yet, despite all the challenges, Colorado can find its way back to progress and prosperity. I believe it. If we pull together, if we come together, we can change the course of events ….we can get this great State moving in the right direction again.
And that's why we're here this morning -- to get Colorado moving again. To get this economy back on its feet and moms and dads working again. To push an "all of the above" energy policy that generates more energy for America and more jobs for Coloradans. To raise standards in our schools, expand educational opportunity, choice and achievement for students, and make sure college remains affordable and within reach for those who strive for it.
Yes, to take a fresh look at the state's budget, put an end to the business-as-usual tax and spend mindset in Denver, and prove that the state can invest in schools and roads and public safety and other priorities without asking for a new tax or a new fee with the dawning of each new day.
These are goals we share, this is an agenda that will get Colorado moving again, and it's the reason I'm running to be the next Governor of the State of Colorado.
The 2010 election is shaping up to be one of the most important in the history of this State. The stakes are real -- and it's a whole lot more than a simple contest between Republicans and Democrats.
Because, let's be honest, in recent times both political parties have
let America and Colorado down. They've failed this generation, and
worse, they've failed those to come.
And as Republicans we've got to 'fess up to our share of it all.
Over the last decade, our Party managed to surrender the mantle of good government and fiscal discipline. Our leaders in Washington nearly doubled the national debt, expanded the reach of entitlement programs they once promised to reform, and they were complicit with government bailouts and buyouts that felt like a taxpayer sell-out to most red blooded Americans.
Looking back on it now, what happened is clear: power became the end to some in our party, not the means, and spending became the vehicle to preserve that power.
And somewhere along the way, the Party that once stood as a bold champion for reform and fiscal restraint quickly became the embodiment of business as usual.
Fellow Republicans, our party is in the political wilderness for a reason -- we earned it. And we will never earn the right to govern again unless we acknowledge our Party's past failures and make a clean break from them.
Now, that doesn't begin to excuse what's happening in Washington now.
President Obama, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi have taken the fiscal
mess they inherited to irresponsible new heights. Right now, our
leaders are gambling America's future on the bet that big government will bring us back.
And they aren't alone. Washington, D.C. does not have a corner on wrong choices, on poor leadership, on moving us in the wrong direction. It's happening in Denver too, and it starts with our Governor.
Friends, Bill Ritter is a likeable and decent man. But as Governor, Bill Ritter has been weak and ineffective; timid and short sighted when the times demand clear thinking and tough decision making . And in those few instances when he has led, Governor Ritter has moved Colorado in the wrong direction.
Increasing taxes and expensive new fees that have hit families and businesses hard – all in the middle of a painful recession – that's the wrong direction for Colorado.
Pushing uncompromising drilling restrictions that have killed jobs and reduced energy production at a time that Colorado and America need more of both – that's the wrong direction for Colorado.
Repealing spending limits and veering Colorado onto the same reckless fiscal path that has sunk California into political and economic chaos – that's the wrong direction for Colorado.
Sitting quietly in the Governor's mansion while Democratic majorities in the House and the Senate push radical proposals to repeal the death penalty, throw out the Electoral College, make Colorado vulnerable to frivolous lawsuits – that's not leadership for Colorado.
Squandering precious political capital by igniting old fights between business and labor – that's the wrong direction for Colorado.
Ronald Reagan applied a measuring stick for another weak and ineffective executive exactly thirty years ago. He asked a question then, and we ask it now: are we better off than we were three years ago, are we better off for the administration of Bill Ritter?
That's right…we are not.
When Bill Ritter was elected Governor, the economy was soaring, Coloradans were working, personal income was growing, our energy sector was humming, and State government was awash in budget surpluses.
That was three years ago.
Today it's all very different.
In the midst of a painful national recession, not only has this Governor failed to chart a path to recovery, his policies and priorities have actually made a bad economic situation dramatically worse.
Unemployment is the highest in about a generation. Colorado's personal income ranking is falling faster than most States in the nation. Energy production is in a tailspin. Families and businesses are struggling to pay for a litany of new taxes and fees. And reckless government spending when economic times were good has left Colorado's budget spread thin and incapable of funding key priorities.
No, Colorado is not better off than it was three years ago, and our Governor takes a big share of the responsibility.
Which harkens another quote from the Gipper, modified for modern times:
A recession is when your neighbor loses his job.
A depression is when you lose yours.
A recovery is when Bill Ritter loses his.
Over the next months, we are going to wage a spirited and energetic campaign focused on just that – a Colorado recovery that begins with reclaiming the Governor's office.
And when I say energetic, I mean it. Over the next sixteen months this campaign is going to work as hard and as smart as any Colorado campaign ever has.
In the next few days alone, we are going to touch all the corners of this state, meeting with citizens, making phone calls, hosting business roundtables and town hall meetings. We're going to reach out to Coloradans on Twitter and Facebook and beginning tomorrow afternoon, we're even going to pound some shoe leather too.
I'm not sure if a gubernatorial candidate has ever gone door to door, but we are, starting tomorrow in Jefferson County, and we're going to do that across Colorado in the weeks and months ahead.
That's because we know that it's going to take hard work to get Colorado turned around, and no one -- no one --is going to work harder than we are.
Will you join me?
More important than the methods of this campaign, is our message, and our message will be bold.
I don't know about you, but I'm tired of Republicans shrinking in the corner, afraid to make a well-formed and passionate case for our brand of disciplined, efficient government.
That doesn't mean we should be harsh and judgmental in our approach.
We shouldn't be. There's nothing that the public dislikes more than a "holier than thou" routine from a politician.
But that does mean we should have the courage to stand for our convictions, to make a bold case for our values, our vision, our version of how government should work -- and where it has no business.
When the Republican Party is at its best, we are a strong Party, a Party of ideas, a Party of leadership, a Party with a plan for a better tomorrow.
And make no mistake about it, when Republicans run this way, Republicans win.
We are going to run a race with guts; we are going to make our case to the people of Colorado with conviction; and we are going to win.
And we're going to win – not for winning's sake – but for the higher purpose of getting this State moving again.
So let's look ahead to the upcoming campaign for a moment or two.
In the short term, of course, we know we are going to have a spirited debate within the Republican Party about the future of our Party – and more important, about the future of Colorado.
This will be a contest between friends. It will be a debate between neighbors.
It is a campaign with passionate advocates who carry strong opinions, so the debate will be robust. I have no doubt.
And that's OK with me.
The opportunity to serve as the Governor of Colorado is an incredible privilege that carries tremendous responsibility, and the Office
should be earned. As 2009 becomes 2010, let's make this primary a
debate about ideas, about past performance, and most important of all, a debate about who carries the best vision, leadership and a real plan to get Colorado moving forward again.
And when the debate within the Republican Party ends, we will still be neighbors and we will still be friends. And we will still agree on far more than we don't. For these reasons, we will put the disagreements of the primary season behind us, and we will focus on the struggle that matters most: winning in 2010 so that we can move Colorado forward.
So Republicans, let's focus on what matters most during this primary
season: how we would govern if given the chance.
You have a right to know how your nominee will lead, and I plan to tell you.
As recent elections have proven, the voters expect this much. It turns out that the public is unimpressed by those who claim it's their turn for a higher office. That's because these offices belong to the people. They are not owed to anyone.
And besides, if political leadership were a simple measurement of who's punched the political clock longest, Teddy Kennedy would be the leader of the free world.
And the same is true of course for Democrats and Independent voters in the general election. They have a right to know how each candidate will lead. If the State of Colorado has learned anything over the last three years, it is that vague campaign promises without a plan
and some leadership to back it up aren't worth much. Bill Ritter ran
on a vague set of commitments that he called the Colorado Promise back in 2006. Three years later, the only thing this Governor has to show for his Colorado Promise is a broken economy, a budget in turmoil and no real plan to move Colorado forward.
Taking our campaign past the usual sound bites and into the tough business of governing is important for another reason as well. At the state level, Republicans haven't done a particularly good job of explaining how we would govern if given the chance. Even though it is important for us to say "No" to the conventional tax and spend programs proposed by those in power now, we need to tell the voters of Colorado what "Yes" looks like.
And we're going to lead by example. We're going to lay out our economic development strategy in real detail. We're going to describe a new approach to meeting the State's infrastructure needs. We will be crystal clear about our plan to improve the quality of our schools and our plan for keeping college within reach for Colorado's kids.
And we will outline a vision for expanded production of coal and wind, solar and, of course, getting the natural gas industry back on its feet too.
We will talk about the critical functions of government – how to keep communities safe from the worst actors in society. And we will talk about quality of life – smart ways to conserve Colorado's natural beauty and wide open spaces.
Ours will be a campaign with its eyes wide open. A campaign that talks clearly about the real challenges we face, and points boldly to real solutions. A campaign with the courage to describe how we will lead.
Over the last several months I've had a lot of people ask me, why would you want to run for Governor? And it's not an unfair question.
Politics has gotten pretty rough, and besides, life in Grand Junction comes pretty naturally. This is our home, and it always will be. As much as I relish fighting the good fight in the public arena, I'd just as soon be at Chase's ball game over at Monument Little League.
And yet, the call to serve a cause bigger than personal convenience has never burned stronger. You feel it and we do too.
We see the direction of our country and our state and we are concerned.
We look back over the last decade on a Republican Party that lost its compass, forgot its purpose, squandered its moment and we grow frustrated.
We see an economy in decline, a school system that fails too many, and a government that can't balance its budget or live within its means and frustration becomes motivation.
We see the stakes of the here and now for ourselves, and our children and their children too and motivation becomes a call to action.
A call to serve.
A call to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and get back in the fight for the future of this great State of ours.
Now is no time for summer soldiers, or sunshine patriots. Now is no time to despair about losses of the past or to hunker down or throw in the towel.
Those of us who believe in freedom and free enterprise, we've got to stay in the fight.
Those of us who believe government exists to protect liberty, not to tell people how to live their lives, we've got to get back in the fight.
Those of us who believe taxes should be low and education standards should be high, we've got to get back in the fight.
Those of us who believe we need to produce more energy in Colorado so we're less dependent on foreign tyrants for our energy, we've got to get back in the fight.
Those of us who are tired of both political parties promising big but delivering small, those of us who are tired of spending deficits no matter which party authored them, we've got to get back into the fight.
Those of us who think higher education and roads and public safety are critically important – and that government should find a way to fund these priorities without asking for a new tax or fee increase every year – we've got to get back in the fight.
Those of us who see the direction of this state and know we can do better, those of us who are ready for a new day in Colorado… now more than ever we've got to stay in the fight for the future of this great State of ours.
It's a fight we can.
Together, it's a fight we will win.
Thank you for coming. May God Bless the Great State of Colorado.
