A weekly dive into the pages of Colorado Politics’ predecessor, The Colorado Statesman, which started in 1898:

Forty Years Ago This Week: Former Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton spoke at the Denver Democrats second annual dinner, rounding out his speech by saying that, “Colorado is on the cutting edge of the new approach of the Democratic Party.”

At age 34, Clinton had just lost his gubernatorial reelection campaign to an “almost unknown opponent,” Republican Frank D. White, “who offered no program of his own.”

Democratic Party officials said smear tactics had been all too prevalent in the previous election season, many of them leading to Clinton’s defeat in Arkansas.

But Clinton argued that Democrats were also at fault by basing their campaign platform on old New Deal issues. It was pointless, Clinton said, as neither Republicans nor Democrats were going to dismantle Social Security or other New Deal programs.

“It is up to the Democrats to show they are just as interested in reducing inflation, waste and fraud besides having better answers to the problems of the Eighties – conservation, energy, family life and a strong economy,” Clinton added.

Praising the Republican Party for their avant-garde approach in making use of computers and other emerging technologies to fundraise and connect with their base, Clinton prodded his fellow Democrats to get with the program. The Republican Party had over a million names in their database, Clinton said, while the Democrats only had 200,000.

“We can’t wait 10 years to catch up,” Clinton said. “We must reclaim the voters who are rightfully ours.”

Twenty Years Ago: John Head, co-president of Sane Alternatives to the Firearms Epidemic (SAFE) said that his and other groups planned to gather in force when Senate Bill 01-83 was due in the Senate Judiciary Committee.

SB 01-83, sponsored by Sen. Ken Chlouber, R-Leadville, sought to change existing law by removing the discretion for issuing concealed weapons licenses from local law enforcement and instead compelling them to issue licenses to anyone not convicted of a felony. The National Rifle Association lobby argued that more guns would reduce crime. Local law enforcement agencies vehemently opposed the loss of local control.

Head and Arnie Grossman, SAFE’s co-presidents, announced their opposition at a news conference at Denver’s First Baptist Church.

“Just another day in America,” Grossman said as he displayed a newspaper with reports of a shooting at the White House and a foiled school shooting plot in Fort Collins.

“The answer to these kinds of violence is not more guns,” Grossman proclaimed. “We believe things like road rage and workplace violence will only increase under SB 83.”

Fifteen Years Ago: As U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar endorsed former Denver District Attorney Bill Ritter and Barbara O’Brien for governor and lieutenant governor, respectfully, Denver’s “rogue mayor,” John Hickenlooper, announced that he would not be running for governor in 2006.

Despite polling far ahead of the other candidates and a strong public wooing by members of both parties, Hickenlooper said that while being governor had its appeal, he was enamored with being Mayor of Denver.

But the bipartisan accolades for the mayor continued to roll in even after Hickenlooper’s announcement.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Marc Holtzman said, “Mayor Hickenlooper is an outstanding public servant and would have made a considerable contribution to this race. By calling this morning to notify me of his decision, he once again demonstrated that he is a ‘class act.'”

“Clearly I love being mayor … there is no better job,” Hickenlooper said.

But while Hickenlooper felt “excited and invigorated” by his choice, Colorado Democrats were forced to pivot and decide whether to lend their support to Ritter or House Majority Leader Alice Madden, D-Boulder.

“I have the greatest amount of respect for Hickenlooper and his vision for Denver,” Ritter said in a statement. “His decision is good for Democrats, good for the state and good for our future.”

Rachael Wright is the author of the Captain Savva Mystery series, with degrees in Political Science and History from Colorado Mesa University, and is a contributing writer to Colorado Politics and the Colorado Springs Gazette.