Remember your first day of high school? Wearing the right clothes, slinging a stylish backpack and touching base with all the right cliques? Newly-appointed Rep. Doug Bruce, R-Colorado Springs, is having one of those nightmare school days, you know, the kind where you show up in your underwear.
Even before being sworn in today (five days late - more on that later) the anti-tax crusader and author of the Taxpayer Bill of Rights gave a Rocky Mountain News reporter a swift kick during the morning prayer. So much for a few moments of peace and tranquility.
Rocky editor John Temple said, "Mr. Bruce's conduct was totally out of line." We agree. Republicans have enough trouble under the dome in Denver to deal with a loose cannon amongst the ranks. We're still more partial to his politics than any liberal that could have been sent in his stead, but that's not an excuse for his overly acerbic demeanor.
Kudos go to the House Republican caucus which voted 22-1 (Rep. Kevin Lundberg, R-Berthoud, casting the dissenting vote) to instruct the House District 15 vacancy committee to choose a replacement for Bruce if he refused to take the oath by day's end. The former El Paso County commissioner had waited to take his seat in the legislature in order to pass a technical deadline allowing him to serve a possible eight years total in the legislature - not six, as would have been required by law under Colorado's constitutional term limits.
Now that all the antics are out of the way it's time the House get on to the business of blocking socialized medicine and the like. Here's hoping Rep. Bruce agrees.
