If you’ve been watching the current reprise of Fargo on FX from the inimitable Coen brothers, you have witnessed several victims tossed into car trunks who later crawled out to find their captors either unconscious, dead or vanished. Governor John Hickenlooper emerged the day after the 2014 legislative session adjourned last week to deliver State of the State remarks before the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce in a similar daze of slightly mystified elation. Democratic majorities unceremoniously kidnapped him for a rough ride during the 2013 session that ended by galvanizing three Senate recall elections, 11 secessionist rebellions in rural counties, and a cesspool of festering personal and political resentments. He was quick to point out that 15 of the 17 issues he identified during his state-of-the-state speech in January had been favorably enacted by the Legislature.

Asked whether he planned, unlike last year, to veto any pending legislation he indicated his phone has been ringing with multiple appeals for vetoes. Yet, he didn’t sound like a man in eager pursuit of bills to kill. Echoing the back patting rhetoric of Senate President Morgan Carroll and House Speaker Mark Ferrandino he pointed out that 90 percent of the approved bills had received bipartisan support. This is one of those truths that hides more than it reveals. Yes, the resolutions recognizing victorious high school athletic teams and honoring former members recently departed for the Assembly in the sky enjoyed generous bi-partisan majorities, but hidden among the 10 percent that split along party lines you can find much of the real work of the session. Nonetheless, collaboration was the watchword of the day.

While Republicans may be aggrieved that they were unable to funnel more dollars to Colorado’s job creators, it is hard to compete against an administration that has established a business climate where 100 percent of income growth following the recession of 2009 has been captured by the top 1 percent of earners. Unbelievably, the Economic Policy Institute reports that 16 other states managed the same trick. The Governor moved into a recounting of what is sure to become a percussive refrain during the election ahead, pointing out that Colorado has moved from 40th to 4th in job creation during the past four years — that Colorado is now ranked among the top 10 places to locate a business with five of the nation’s 20 best start-up communities. Flood relief and CDOT’s swift roadway restoration, broadband expansion and a reliable climate for economic growth all received a deserving nod. Then he launched into a mind numbing recitation of positive statistics and economic indicators, which he began to stumble over — eventually blaming his budget director, Henry Sobanet, for this pedantic focus on numbers.

No argument was advanced claiming these improvements were produced as the direct consequence of intentional policies. It seemed enough that they had occurred on his watch. Surprisingly, neither did the Governor advance a blueprint for the next four years, even one as modest as “…we can do better.” Before turning the program over to two of his predecessors to grapple with the imminent fracking war, he reflected on Colorado’s good fortune in having “…the most responsible oil and gas industry in the country.” His estimate was that no better than a 50/50 chance existed of finding a compromise for the Legislature to consider in a special session.

Old timers at bat

Former governors Bill Owens and Roy Romer may seem like an unlikely dance team, but they share an appreciation for the crucial role that oil and gas extraction plays within Colorado’s economy and in support of the state’s budget. Kelly Brough, president and CEO of the Chamber, is reactivating its political arm this year in order to fend off an expected ballot initiative(s) that would advance local control over fracking regulations. She moderated a political conversation with the former governors. Owens was cerebral and wonky with his discussion of “state primacy” and the importance of keeping more “stupid stuff” like TABOR and Amendment 41 out of the Colorado Constitution. Romer was his usual high octane self, railing against the supporters of local control as stalking horses for an openly anti-fracking agenda. “This is about shutting down our oil and gas industry,” he charged. Romer singled out Congressman Jared Polis as “well intentioned” but just plain dumb on the fracking question.

The former Democratic governor advanced natural gas as a transition fuel that will be required for an adequate response to global warming. He also pointed out that lifestyle compromises would be necessary as we move towards a more sustainable and permanent renewable energy infrastructure. He even advocated the wisdom of a phased-in national carbon tax. Almost everyone in the room was astounded at the seemingly infinite reservoir of personal energy he still commands well into his ninth decade. The Chamber could do far worse than to put “Uncle Roy” back on the statewide oatmeal circuit he so deftly navigated in support of the DIA election in Adams County. He explains facts in a way that voters grasp: fracking technology is improving each year, shale oil and gas are limited resources but they can hold down Colorado energy costs for decades and, therefore, cannot be properly regulated at the local level.

Miller Hudson is a political affairs consultant. He served in the Colorado legislature and is the former executive director of the Colorado Association of Public Employees.