Democrats, liberals and progressives have grumbled for decades, at least since the election of Ronald Reagan, that an ever-growing portion of blue-collar Americans have been voting against their economic interests. This interpretation of ballot behavior is premised on the proposition that Republicans refuse to endorse, much less enact, programs that would financially subsidize health care, infrastructure, higher education, family tax credits and childcare – the entire Build Back Better basket of proposed investment in social infrastructure. Rather than accusing these voters of ignorance or terminal stupidity, it’s probably time to consider whether Republicans offer political priorities many Americans find more valuable than what they perceive as a few extra dollars.

Dismissing cultural clashes as mere distractions is to miss the point. Colorado’s Governor has artfully navigated his path through the roiling seas of recent years. Jared Polis staked his 2018 campaign on promises to lower the cost of health care and provide free pre-school for every child. I predicted, upon the emergence of COVID-19, that Polis would arrive in 2022 as either unbeatable or unelectable. Recent polling indicates he may be bulletproof for re-election. His decision to feature “saving Coloradans money” this year may be partially policy legerdemain – postponing fees imposed by the Legislature, increases he also approved, is welcome even if something of a Three-card Monte play. It certainly isn’t as tone deaf, however, as Denver’s decision to keep revenues flowing despite fewer visitors feeding downtown parking meters by doubling the fines for every imaginable parking violation.

Republicans, conservatives, Tea Party revanchists and Trumpists have begun to spin off into a separate fantasy world where they can defy the liberal bias of reality and 2020 election results. COVID-19 has shaken the foundations of Republican messaging far more than for Democrats. After decades of alarms warning of the dangers of budget deficits, it turns out we were rich enough to provide free vaccinations, goose unemployment checks and pour buckets of cash over taxpayers, restaurants, small businesses and local governments – much of this largesse distributed with Republican support. Those already rich have grown richer while the middle class has muddled through. Who thought all this spending was even possible? Our economy, as measured by the stock market, is thriving with little evidence of an impending collapse. Republicans are reduced to grumbling that a marketplace awash in cash is the culprit for creeping inflation. Maybe, maybe not.

Is it conceivable we have deficit economics all wrong? Meanwhile, what’s gone haywire with our politics? A Republican candidate for Secretary of State in Michigan recently told a campaign rally that if election results aren’t going their way this year, they should carry firearms to the polls to make sure voters and poll workers get it right. Presumably this loony tune believes threatening murder is a legitimate, small “d” democratic strategy. In Colorado, we have two elected clerk and recorders in heavily Republican counties who believe Biden’s victory was stolen despite the fact their local results ran two to one for Trump. Their concerns were so great they illegally copied election records from their computer servers and turned the data over to conspiracy theorists. How nuts is that?

Why does anyone link vaccinations to his or her politics? Not one of the COVID-19 variants has registered as a Democrat. What is admirable about risking one’s life on behalf of a triple-vaxxed buffoon who is currently urging his supporters to riot if he is indicted? Not to worry, pardons will follow he promises. In response to the COVID closure of gun stores during COVID lockdowns in California, Lawrence VanDyke, a Trump appointee to a federal appeals court, wrote, “The acute need for Second Amendment rights during temporary crises was well-understood by our Founders…” as a “…strong moral check against the usurpation and arbitrary power of rulers, and as a necessary and efficient means of regaining rights when temporarily overturned.” Are you kidding me? Admittedly, keeping liquor stores and pot shops open in Colorado as essential businesses seemed a bit strange, even if widely appreciated. Guns and ammunition? Not so much.

Am I the only person who finds a lot of what passes for news these days mystifying?

• Skiers are suing Colorado resorts because lift lines are too long, largely due to difficulty hiring lift operators.
• A thousand families burned out of their homes, apparently from an underground coal seam fire that was never extinguished.
• Used cars selling at new car prices
• Teachers fleeing their classrooms.

It feels like a good time to take our eyes off Washington and focus on Colorado’s challenges. We have roads that still require fixing. A water crisis is just another drought year away. We rank dead last for mental-health services. Saving us money may prove a short-lived initiative before our Governor starts searching for additional dollars.

Miller Hudson is a public affairs consultant and a former Colorado legislator.