Telluride Town Council Votes to Impeach Bush and Cheney

By Pamela Mortimer

Telluride, known for its laid back lifestyle and open-mindedness, has been thrown to the wolves. The resort town is a popular vacation spot and also touts some very affluent residents who like to ski but may not like the local politics.

Ever since the Telluride Town Council stood at the front of the line regarding possible impeachment proceedings against President George Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, members have been the victims of backlash. Apparently, not everyone agrees with the proposed ordinance. Detractors of the ordinance have rebelled in a variety of mature ways – name calling, nasty e-mails, and threats to stay home during ski season. Ouch.

Never mind that the Council hasn’t approved a second reading of the ordinance. E-mails have flooded the newspapers as well as the local government. Many have stated that they wished to cancel their vacations so they would not have to associate with "loony liberals".

Telluride is a fitting place to be first in the state to vote on the impeachment ordinance. The town is a former historic mining town that has turned into an open minded and independent resort. Furthermore, there’s not a single Republican in office. Every elected chair is filled by a Democrat, Libertarian, or Green Party member. Also on the impeachment bandwagon are politically outspoken places such as San Francisco, West Hollywood and Berkeley in California and lesser known municipalities like Marlboro, VT, and Chapel Hill, NC,

The negative response to the Telluride Town Council is surprising considering that a July poll showed 46 percent of Americans are in favor of impeachment. Neil Young has been vocal with his tune, "Let's Impeach the President," and online stores are selling all manner of pro-impeachment items, including baby bibs, wall clocks, and doggie shirts. Yet Telluride is getting hit with a great deal of anti-impeachment venom.

"This kind of backlash? I don't know of it happening anywhere else," said David Swanson, the Washington, D.C. Director of Impeach PAC. The group currently lists more than 180 entities all over the U.S. that have passed impeachment measures.

Telluride isn’t a stranger to controversy. Two years ago, a measure that would have put marijuana at the bottom of the priority heap for local law enforcement became a controversial media magnet until voters turned it down. Regardless of the political goings-on, Gay Ski Week continues in spite of cancellations from other skiers.

"Telluride is today, and always has been through history, a very open and accepting place," said Scott McQuade, Director of the Telluride Tourism Board.

Republicans in Texas and Florida seem to be the most outraged by the proposed ordinance and have not been shy about saying so. One person canceled a 175-person ski club trip. One threatened to sell his Telluride vacation home. Another labeled Telluride "the land of radical liberals." Yet another mused that the Telluride Town Council must conduct its meetings while passing around a bong.

"Since the right-wing letter- writing campaign started, support in the community (for the impeachment ordinance) has grown," said Thom Carnevale, organizer of the impeachment drive.

Carnevale set out to get the necessary 31 signatures to support his petition, but ended up with about 100 over the course of several hours in downtown Telluride. The petition offers two options to the council: pass the measure or take it to a vote in November.

"We would never have dreamed this up on our own, but we're proud to respond to our electorate," said council member Andrea Benda, who has no plans to change her vote in spite of the backlash.