Colorado GOP Primary Lawsuit, Wolves That Cannot Read Maps, and Machiavelli’s Prince

Former Colorado State Senator Kevin Lundberg joins Kim Monson to explain the critical distinction between opting out of Colorado’s semi-open primary system and the ongoing federal lawsuit challenging its constitutionality. Colorado’s Primary System Under Constitutional Challenge Lundberg details the history of Colorado’s semi-open primary, established by Proposition 108 in 2016, which allows unaffiliated voters to participate in major party primaries. He explains that while the law includes an opt-out provision requiring 75% of a party’s central committee to vote for exclusion, this threshold is nearly impossible to meet. Start listening at 34:57 – Hour 1 “Supreme Court decided back in 2000 that you cannot force a political party, which is a private organization, from accepting votes from non-members.” Kevin Lundberg The federal lawsuit, led by attorney John Eastman, argues that the current system violates the First Amendment’s freedom of association. Lundberg notes that legal experts nationwide are watching this case, as similar laws exist in multiple states. The lawsuit has cost over $100,000 so far, but Lundberg argues Republicans cannot afford not to pursue it given the party’s losses since the semi-open primary was implemented. Wolves That Cannot Read Maps Lundberg highlights the absurdity of Colorado’s wolf reintroduction policy when a wolf released in Colorado traveled 400 miles to Wyoming, where it killed livestock and was subsequently dispatched by authorities. Start listening at 54:05 – Hour 1 “So in Wyoming, what did they do? They killed the wolf. The authorities in Colorado said, quote, we will deploy non-lethal wolf livestock conflict minimization measures.” Kevin Lundberg Lundberg contrasts this practical response with Colorado’s response: “That’s their answer to livestock being killed is we’ll talk to the wolves and say, pretty please don’t do that.” The contrast between Wyoming’s practical response and Colorado’s bureaucratic approach illustrates broader policy dysfunction in the state. Machiavelli’s Prince: Context Matters In the second hour, producers Joe and Luke begin a book review of Niccolo Machiavelli’s “The Prince.” Producer Luke emphasizes the importance of understanding the historical context: Machiavelli wrote the work after witnessing a failed republic in Florence, the fall of Cesare Borgia’s reign, and his own imprisonment and torture on conspiracy charges. Start listening at 200:08 – Hour 4 “The context of the Second Amendment is we had just fought a war. It was to fight people. It was, you know, to rise up against a tyrannical government, should one ever come about in these United States.” Producer Luke The discussion explores whether Machiavelli intended the work as a guide for rulers or as an expose of their manipulative tactics for the benefit of citizens. Luke argues that understanding this context transforms the book from an “ends justify the means” manual into a warning about how power operates. Constitutional Context and American Founding The book review sparks a broader discussion about the importance of context when studying historical documents, including the American founding. Producer Luke draws parallels to Second Amendment debates, arguing that understanding the Revolutionary War context is essential to grasping the amendment’s purpose. Producer Joe notes how the...