Democratic socialism is not only a poor electoral strategy - it's a disastrous governing model.
— John Hickenlooper
As a businessman, I learned something that Donald Trump never figured out: It isn't about how many times you yell, 'You're fired,' but instead, how many times you say, 'You're hired.'
Advances in automation, artificial intelligence and robotics, while increasing productivity, will also cause major upheavals to the workforce.
In Colorado, we passed universal background checks and magazine limits. We need to do that nationally, and we need to raise the purchase age, extend waiting periods for gun purchases, fund gun violence research, pass red flag laws, and more - no matter how hard the gun lobby tries to block it.
For months before he passed, my dad would have terrible night sweats, and soak through his sheets, often several times a night. Each time, mom would gently roll him over, replace the sheets, and roll him back - then spend the whole next day washing several sets of sheets, only to repeat the routine each night.
A great country acknowledges it's mistakes.
After college, I became a geologist, mapping what lay beneath the earth's surface. I thought I had my life pretty figured out and all my boxes checked. But then, I was laid off - along with thousands of other geologists. I lost not only my job, but also my profession.
It should be a badge of shame to have an A-rating from the NRA.
To achieve the kinds of innovations needed to tackle the climate crisis, government must not shun the private sector, but rather must work closely with industry and our nation's great research universities.
We need a comprehensive focus on infrastructure that supports not just transportation but also broadband, education, healthcare, and our environment.
If the two economies can figure out how to waltz... I think there is benefit for Colorado colleges and universities, and I think there are benefits for Cuba as well.
We have put the energy needs and costs of hardworking Coloradans before any special interest agenda or false promise.
America's greatness has always been demonstrated by our moral leadership.
Politics generally doesn't mix with sports very well.
I'm not sure there's another way to help move more people out of poverty than to raise the minimum wage.
There can be an energy in a populist campaign that isn't always in the best interest of the party.
Colorado is a state that people like to be themselves and solve their own problems.
Democrats must say loudly and clearly that we are not socialists.
A fundamental way to build and expand our middle class and economy is to create a modern and well-paid workforce.
This is the essence of the American Dream - in the land of opportunity, if you have a good idea, create a solid plan, and work hard, you should be able to reinvent yourself and get ahead.
On Mother's Day, we take a moment to stop and honor our mothers for all they do. It has been my privilege to know mothers who have turned incredible loss and pain into tremendous advocacy and greater social change.
Slavery is the nagging, unrelenting shame of America that continues to deny the true promise of the country to too many its citizens. If we ever hope to change that, we must begin by owning our past and acknowledging the shame, the sin, the injustice, and the ongoing consequences of enslaving an entire race of people.
The policies we pursue to ensure safety and fairness for our citizens need to be applied equally - and people need to feel they are being applied equally - if we are to bring Americans together again.
I grew up a skinny kid with a funny last name and coke bottle glasses, so I experienced my fair share of bullies. But I learned, with the help of humor and resilience, to never give up.
It is a sad reality that active shooter drills are a standard way of life for kids as young as pre-school.
Voters are tired of us kicking the can down the road, because they know it's going to land in a pothole.
Infrastructure is more than laying new roads and expanding transit: it's running the fiber and deploying new technologies for reliable, affordable Internet in every part of the state.
Foreign students... big part of our economy.
It's crucial that we keep care for our seniors a priority.
This country is built on free speech.
In terms of all kinds of things, in terms of educational reform, in terms of health care, transportation, Colorado has a chance to be a national model.
Universal background checks work. You keep the guns out of the hands of dangerous people. That shouldn't be partisan - that should be something we can all agree to, but it became this huge battle and, you know, really, really a challenge.
The vice president can play a real role in that, in helping solve some of the biggest problems in the country.
If you ask me about Donna Lynne, she's one of the flat-out most talented people I've ever worked with, and I've worked with some pretty talented people.
We need an economy that fosters and encourages competition and innovation.
While some people simply want to villainize the private sector, the fact is that the private sector drives jobs growth; we need to channel the energy and innovation of employers to generate opportunities for the entire labor market.
One of the defining experiences of my life came in the mid-1980s. After working for two years as a geologist in Colorado, I lost my job and my career during that long recession.
My mother was widowed twice before she turned forty.
When I opened my first brew-pub, I did not include a checkbox on hiring applications that required applicants to disclose criminal convictions. And we were better for it.
If you've been laid off, you know how it goes: Everything you thought you knew and liked about yourself gets called into question.
Since Day 1 of his candidacy, Donald Trump has divided our country and threatened our democracy, attacked the middle class and alienated our allies. Under his administration, real people are being hurt.
Too often, low-income Americans must choose between paying for medicine and having their heat shut off.
Infrastructure investments lead to jobs. And quality of life starts with a good job.
I believe that the more this hemisphere operates with a sense of common purpose, I think the better we'll all do.
Now, I've never hosted a reality TV show, but I know the true mark of a successful businessman is not the number of times you say, 'You're fired.' It's the number times you say, 'You're hired.'
Isolationism is not leadership.
I think President Trump is trying to distract the country away from the failures he's had - the inability to get a health care bill that both sides could come together on.
I think, in this country, if you work 40 hours a week, and you work hard, you ought to be able to afford an apartment somewhere.
When someone's kind of a braggart to the bully... it makes me on edge just because I live that, and I don't think that's a model we want for our kids in this country.
We have this tradition of the Second Amendment and people's rights to self-defense and a certain suspicion that the government can't be trusted.
