By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice
While Coloradans were enjoying parades, rodeos and cookouts in celebration Thursday of Independence Day, elected Republican officials past, present and possibly future turned to Twitter.
For those not binge-watching Yellowstone re-runs, Twitter was filled with their personal thoughts and quotations, as could be expected, by Presidents Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump, and unexpectedly by novelist William Faulkner.
The occasion drew former U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner to get more creative, citing the country’s co-drafter of the Declaration of Independence, the first vice president, first occupant of the White House and the country’s only Federalist president: John Adams.
Gardner encouraged Coloradans and Americans to, as Adams had said in 1776, “Celebrate with pomp and parade, with shews, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other from this time forward forever more.”
His reach for Adams on the occasion might be explained as the country’s first attorney to serve as president. Gardner also is an attorney, with a much better hairstyle than Adams, some might add. Adams is known for his support of the legal principles of the right to counsel and presumption of innocence, and also for his defense of British soldiers in the Boston Massacre on murder charges, but also for signing the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 which some argued limited America’s first freedom: the freedom of speech.
U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, off a big win in the 4th District primary, offered her greetings on Twitter for a “safe and meaningful Independence Day with your family and friends” and then quoted Trump.
“We will proclaim the ideals of the Declaration of Independence, and we will never surrender the spirit and the cause of July 4th, 1776,” Boebert quoted from a July 4, 2020, speech by Trump. She has Trump’s endorsement in the pro-MAGA 4th District.
Jeff Hurd, who was victorious in the 3rd District primary, told followers “we celebrate freedom, courage, and the enduring spirit of independence that defines our nation,” before citing Reagan: “Let the Fourth of July always be a reminder that here in this land, for the first time, it was decided that man is born with certain God-given rights; that government is only a convenience created and managed by the people, with no powers of its own except those voluntarily granted to it by the people.”
Two candidates for Congress with law enforcement backgrounds offered their personal thoughts.
Gabe Evans, who won his 8th District primary by 55 points, recalled “America’s quest for independence was launched almost 250 years ago, but our determination to safeguard, appreciate and give thanks for our freedoms continues each and every day.”
John Fabbricatore, a candidate in the 6th District, similarly asked followers to remember the cause of the day: “As we celebrate our nation’s independence, let’s cherish the values of freedom and unity that bind us together.”
Valdamar Archuleta, the Republican candidate in the 1st District, did not cite a founding father like Gardner or modern Republican president like Boebert or Hurd. He cited Faulkner: “We must be free not because we claim freedom, but because we practice it.”
Independence Day also led others to address a following on Twitter.
Rose Pugliese, the Republican’s minority leader in the Colorado House, offered her thoughts: “Today, we celebrate the birth of our nation and reflect on the remarkable history that led to our independence and the freedoms we enjoy. Let us always remember this significant day and continue fighting for the land of the free and the home of the brave.”
The Colorado House Republicans, the Mighty 19 which Pugliese led during the past legislative session, called upon Coloradans to “honor and celebrate those who fought for our liberties as we continue to strive for a brighter future for ALL Americans.”
Others took the Elon Musk approach. On Twitter, Musk wrote simply, “Happy Independence Day” with American flag icons.