By BRIAN PORTER | The Rocky Mountain Voice
PUEBLO — Don’t let it be said Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz can’t read a room.
As he stepped to the stage to deliver a keynote address to Colorado Republicans here Saturday, he could have stopped after his first few words.
“This is Donald Trump’s party, and I am a Donald Trump Republican,” Gaetz started.
Delegates immediately erupted in applause for the self-described firebrand in Congress, brought to Colorado by another firebrand, his seatmate in Congress.
“It is hard to talk about the good coming out of Colorado, without talking about my favorite Congresswoman, Lauren Boebert,” Gaetz said.
He also joined an endorsement by Trump for Colorado Republican Party Chairman Dave Williams, who is seeking Colorado’s 5th District seat in the U.S. House.
The Colorado Republican Party’s Assembly being set in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains is appropriate, Gaetz continued.
“You’ve got the big peaks and big pastures,” he said. “This is a state of big ideas and this is a state that has bigger dreams than the small mind of Joe Biden could ever deliver on.”
He criticized Secretary of State Jena Griswold, a Democrat, who acted to prevent Donald Trump’s name from appearing on the Republican Party’s presidential primary ballot.
“That Griswold woman is a loon,” he said. “She got smacked down, 9-0, by the U.S. Supreme Court.”
He also criticized Democrat Gov. Jared Polis and his actions during the COVID-19 outbreak that shutdown communities and the state’s economy.
The economic prowess that existed before that outbreak can return, Gaetz said, with determination and unity among conservatives.
“Whether it is people who like Trump or don’t like Trump, we were all more prosperous,” Gaetz said. “I want those days to return.”
He offered his support to a Trump-era concept that members of Congress should not be allowed to trade on information gained through being a member of Congress.
“As you don’t let the referee bet on the game, we should implement Trump’s call that a member of Congress doesn’t get to trade individual stock,” he said, drawing more applause.
He also had criticism for those members of Congress who leave their seats but never leave the halls of Congress, finding their way into lobbyist positions.
Gaetz noted residents from his district are selected to attend the U.S. Air Force Academy just up the road from Pueblo in Colorado Springs, but also lamented the present state of the military.
“President Trump rebuilt our military,” he said. “I want a military that is lethal and is effective. We need military warriors, not social media warriors.”
He also addressed the two-tiered justice system that finds Trump in court battle after court battle, while President Joe Biden escapes prosecution on a similar charge to the one facing Trump for keeping of classified documents.
“We have a president now who escaped prposecution because the investigator said the elevatior didn’t go to the top floor,” Gaetz said.
Colorado has a “bounty” of oil and natural gas potential, he said, and under Trump can meet that production potential.
“We have been given as our birthright the greatest nation that ever was created,” Gaetz said. “We have to stand with President Trump to keep it. Let’s win like we’ve never won before.”