BY DAVID GRANT LONG

Do Colorado’s presidential primaries, coming three days after the 13-state Super Tuesday primary votes, really count for anything in the larger process of selecting the Republican and Democratic nominees?

On Friday, Colorado Republicans will be voting for one of three candidates —Texas Gov. George W. Bush, Arizona Sen. John McCain or former Ambassador Alan Keyes —even though the names of three other candidates who have quit the race will also be listed on the GOP ballot.

Democrats will choose between Vice President Al Gore and former New Jersey Sen. Bill Bradley, whose future participation in the race depends greatly on the outcome of today’s vote.

Independent, or non-affiliated, voters can also participate in either Colorado primary by declaring a party affiliation at the polls.

But many political experts expect the results of Super Tuesday, which will decide the makeup of large delegate blocks from California, New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio, to also decide both parties’ eventual nominees in the November general election.

Earl Rohrbaugh, chairman of Montezuma County’s Democratic Central Committee, said Monday that Colorado’s presidential contests, the third held since they were moved from August, remain a non-factor.

"The timing doesn’t give it great weight, because the decisions of the larger states have already almost determined the outcome," Rohrbaugh said.

"Unless (the Colorado primary) is joined with some others across the country to make it equal to Super Tuesday, it’s bound to be more symbolic and less significant, really."

Bob Gaddis, vice chairman of the Montezuma County Republican Central Committee, said Monday that the results of the primaries, even though non-binding, have value as expressions of the popular will, regardless of their impact on the national selection process.

"It depends on who’s doing the evaluating," Gaddis said. "To CBS and NBC, we probably don’t rate a ho-hum, but as to the process of the individual being able to express his vote, we’re the citizenry, and we’d better get out and express our preferences.

"Whether we’re the last dog to be hung, or the one that they all go panting after with the camcorder, what are we going to do —stay home and let New York and California run the whole country?" Gaddis said.

Montezuma County Deputy Clerk Carol Tullis predicted that Friday’s turn-out will be relatively high, regardless of the impact the primary will have on the national races.

"We’ve had a fairly decent absentee vote," Tullis said, with more than 100 ballots about equally divided among the two parties already returned. A few voters have switched party affiliation, mostly to the GOP, in advance of the primaries, she said.

The county has approximately 15,000 registered voters, according to Tullis, including roughly 6,100 Republicans, 4,200 Democrats and 4,700 who are unaffiliated and can vote in either primary.

State delegates to both parties’ national nominating conventions this summer will be chosen at party caucuses in April and are not bound to any particular candidate, regardless of the primary results.

Rohrbaugh said he believes that primaries are far preferable to the way nominees used to be chosen, a method dominated by party bosses and fellow politicians rather than voters.

"More and more states having primaries that are somewhat grouped together is a good thing," he said, because these groupings give the successful candidates a yardstick with which to measure public support of conflicting policy issues.

And because of that, Rohrbaugh said he plans to vote for Bradley — "the guy I don’t think is going to win."

"I think he’s a little less establishment," he said, and more willing to address some of the country’s pressing problems.

"I think Gore’s been an excellent vice president —probably more active than many," he said. "But he’s a little too centrist for me, particularly on the whole business of campaign-finance reform and moving toward a more adequate heath-care system instead of playing footsie with the insurance companies."

Gaddis said he is satisfied with the party caucus arrangement, pointing out that our political system wasn’t set up as a direct democracy.

"My vote for a candidate anywhere from president on down to a local representative is non-binding," he said. "I personally think this is as good as anything —I hate to tie people down.

"I think a delegate would be a little bit on the silly side to go against what his neighbors and constituents have said," he added.

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