No matter how cynical you get, it’s never enough to keep up,” the comic Lily Tomlin once observed about politics.

I had originally intended to open this column with a quip something like the following: “Colorado Democrats pulled a stunt at their reorganization meeting over the weekend in a manner that would make Vladimir Putin blush.” That comparison, however, became inappropriate following the brutal assassination of Putin critic Boris Nemtsov.

So, I find myself forced to pen another introduction to the hasty appointment of 43 male “super delegates” by Colorado Democratic Party chair Rick Palacio the evening before he faced a tough re-election. This decision provides a case study of “Groupthink” stupidity, a term recycled from George Orwell’s classic 1984 by psychologist Irving Janis in his 1972 study of

how otherwise competent individuals stumble into colossal policy errors, such as the Bay of Pigs invasion or the Vietnam War. Janis postulates a “confirmation bias” that insidiously steers decision-making during times of crisis. You only had to step back about six inches to recognize this decision was a colossal blunder. Yet it was justified on the dubious premise that national party rules — adopted 40 years ago for the sole purpose of guaranteeing gender equity to women in state party delegations — implicitly requires that additional men must be appointed in order to achieve gender balance.

In the two centuries since Thomas Jefferson launched the Democratic Party, we’ve been waiting for Colorado Democrats to suggest that men lacked adequate influence over party policy. The premise is so patently preposterous that even Palacio supporters expressed their embarrassment. Perhaps the most popular comment offered during the debate over whether to seat these additional delegates came from a woman who pointed out that it is female voters who have been providing victory margins for Democratic candidates and that this participation should be reflected in the allocation of delegates. Cheers for her viewpoint were deafening. Palacio was already under suspicion as a creature imported to Colorado by national Democrats four years ago, so it felt conveniently self-serving when he argued that the DNC had advised that a failure to establish precise gender balance would leave the central committee’s election results vulnerable to legal challenge.

Precisely who are these barbarians lusting for an opportunity to throw Colorado’s party leadership election results into federal court? State party attorney Martha Tierney, an effective advocate during the Citizens United lawsuit challenging Colorado’s disclosure rules, recited from the same script. (The chairmanship would have to possess some real value or power before anyone would be foolish enough to fight for the job — and that’s a good question for both Democrats and Republicans.) Party officers worked the floor warning delegates of the potential desertion of the party’s large donors if Palacio were replaced. Worse yet, they insinuated that the DNC would be so upset they were likely to strip Colorado of the state’s voting privileges at the Philadelphia Convention in 2016 — or, horrors of horrors, assign the delegation to the nosebleed seats. Just how likely any of this is, when our incumbent Sen. Michael Bennet — one of the few survivors of the 2010 massacre — faces a tough re-election battle, is questionable at best.

Palacio was re-elected for another two years with 248 votes, while his opponents secured 220. Close enough that grumbling and muttering will provide a soundtrack for central committee meetings right through the 2016 election. The chair will need to ensure his supporters attend devoutly in order to squelch random insurrections. If his talents are suddenly required in Washington or at a plush, non-profit sinecure, you can figure he’s been thrown under the bus in the interests of party harmony. First Vice Chair Beverly Ryken, an old friend, advised me after the vote that Rick never wanted to make the appointments but was pressured into it by the DNC staff. Next time, he would be well advised to go with his instincts.

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In other news, Sen. Bennet met with members of the Latino Initiative Saturday afternoon. A retired Hispanic veteran, wearing his full dress Marine Corps uniform, waited patiently to offer a question. Frustrated by the “submit your question on a card” format, he arose and stormed out after an hour. Bennet staffer Sara Hughes retrieved him from the hallway and he later unfurled a banner demanding an end to the deportation of military veterans who have served during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. He also insisted that those who already have left the country be allowed to return. The entire room, Colorado’s senior senator included, was flabbergasted. Most thought military service was, in fact, an authorized route to citizenship. Apparently not, it seems. Even Tea Party Republicans should have problems with these deportations. Bennet promised to take up the issue with President Obama.

Miller Hudson is a public affairs consultant. He can be reached at mnhwriter@msn.com