This month's 5280 magazine is really a good read

I usually ignore it at the grocery store check out as I find it usually a very superficial rah rah for Denver kind of rag, but the cover story intrigued me this month



The author embedded with Hickenlooper for the entire first year. The writing is really good. I liked the way that he took a couple of the big bills to use as the backdrop for how things went down and how Hickenlooper navigated the waters. Maximilian helped me to feel as if I was there. I like his style of writing and I liked how he would jump out of the current story and go back into Hickenlooper's past to bring some context into who he is as a human.

I read it in three sessions in the hammock out on the back deck. I did not want to rush it. I felt as if I was reading a book.

Regardless of your politics, it gives an amazing insight into how politics work (these days).

http://www.5280.com/magazine/2012/08/ha ... ckenlooper

Interesting that his wife asked for a seperation right when this profile came out. I wonder if the story was related to her decision.

Hick is a lock for his next term, if Washington doesn't call. I could see Obama asking him to serve in the cabinet next year.

I will speculate why couples split up, it's none of my business. There were a couple of rules that needed to be agreed to up front - one was the family was off limits. The article is a really good. I found that even someone that was so successful getting along with everyone at city level to get things done (high approval rating by all political affiliations); that he would not be able to work together once he got to state government. It is just like federal politics - folks are too entrenched on their side to budge (mostly because of money). It has not been easy for him. There is a lot of shenanigans to getting things done. Pissing matches and power plays. One of the examples in the article was that the house democrats were sending him a message " don't spring shit on us" by voting a certain way. The response, after much discussion and help from advisers was to take an action that returned a message of "don't fuck with me". It is so senseless, but I guess that is what it takes to manage power in politics.

Actually Hick has been so moderate and non-idealogical, I could even see Mitt hiring him to balance out his cabinet. Loved his take on the Aurora shootings. Seems like a man more concerned with solving things than being a partisan.

I think he would do a better job than Obama has.

that is why he has been so popular - he is seen as someone trying to get things done FOR the people (not the money backers).