Mount Virtus

Overlooked in a lot of the brouhaha over now-former House Education Committee chair Mike Merrifield’s incendiary comments was the outright duplicity he and Senator Sue Windels (D-Arvada), fellow sponsor of Senate Bill 61, publicly shared to hide their true anti-charter school motives for the legislation. Michael at Best Destiny was one who caught the important point, which is also explained more fully in a new story from Colorado Senate News.

The highlight of the CSN story is that pro-school choice legislators are redoubling their efforts to ensure that SB 61 gets amended into a pro-charter school bill:

Now, [Republican Senator Nancy] Spence said she and [Democrat Senator Peter] Groff will push for that key provision – which lets the state grant up to three charters statewide that are modeled on Pueblo’s highly successful Cesar Chavez charter school for at-risk kids – into the bill in the conference committee.

Spence said she and fellow Republicans, as well as key members across the aisle, are angry and feel betrayed. In the wake of Merrifield’s resignation under fire, Republicans in the Senate demanded public reassurances from Windels.

The great revelation of the Merrifield-Windels Email may create more of a backlash in favor of charter schools than either of them could have expected – or wanted. A lot of charter school parents and supporters are being awakened.

Update: Representative Merrifield delivered an apology from the floor of the House and distributed an official memo that reads: “I don’t want my remarks or my health [Ed. Note: It has been reported that Merrifield is suffering from neck and throat cancer] to sidetrack the important work of the House Education Committee. Accordingly, I am asking Rep. [Judy] Solano [D-Brighton] to assume my duties as chair for the remainder of the session.”

According to a fresh report from the Associated Press, Rep. Cory Gardner (R-Yuma) has called for House Speaker Andrew Romanoff to remove Rep. Mike Merrifield (D-Manitou Springs) from the chairmanship of the House Education Committee in the wake of the revelation of a controversial email saying that supporters of charter schools deserve “a special place in hell.”

Gardner’s got it right: I don’t see any way that someone with so much personal malice for a significant number of the constituents affected by his committee’s decisions should be left in charge. The honorable thing for Merrifield to do would be to resign.

Rumors are swirling that Merrifield indeed may announce his own resignation from the committee chair this afternoon. Story developing …

Kudos to the Rocky Mountain News editorial board for calling out Senator Sue Windels’ attempt to overregulate online schools.

The Rocky also highlights yesterday’s sensational discovery of the email from Representative Mike “Give ‘Em Hell” Merrifield. In the article, Merrifield was rebuked by a prominent member of his own party:

“It shows there’s absolutely no good faith on the Rep. Merrifield’s part, who is clearly more concerned with defending a crippled and ineffective status-quo public education system then [sic] creating opportunities for all kids,” said Sen. Peter Groff, D-Denver.

Finally, Governor Ritter’s plan to raise property taxes received a bit of good news, as the legislature’s legal team said the plan could be enacted without TABOR’s requirement for a vote of the people. Some Democrats might have been hoping that the move had been found unconstitutional so they wouldn’t be forced to vote on a tax increase. A legal hurdle has been passed, but the hurdle of public approval is looking pretty tall.

Erratum: The Rocky story mistakenly said the tax increase is estimated to bring in an extra $84 million in revenue. The actual figure is about $65 million. Their confusion can be forgiven because of the confusing way the plan has been advertised – to raise $65 million more in taxes so the state can spend $84 million on preschool and kindergarten AND save the state budget from fiscal ruin. No wonder the Democrats are leery about increasing our schools’ math standards.

On a party line vote today, the Senate Education Committee passed a bill sponsored by Senator Sue Windels (D-Arvada) to mandate standards on Colorado schools that teach sex education. Three committee members, all Democrats – Windels, Bob Bacon, and Ron Tupa – voted to support the House Bill 1292 mandate six weeks after voting against a mandate setting higher state graduation requirements for math and science (Senate Bill 131), and eight weeks after voting against a requirement that high school graduates have basic competency in English (Senate Bill 73). Suzanne Williams (D-Aurora) was the only committee member to cast votes for all three measures. (more…)

If you want to know why a prominent Democrat state legislator thinks the proprietor of this blog and so many of my friends and allies – including those who provide an educational service in demand by thousands of Colorado families – merit “a special place in Hell,” then check out what was uncovered at the new Colorado political news site Face the State.

Representative Mike Merrifield is chairman of the House Education Committee and one of the Colorado Education Association‘s favorite lawmakers. His antagonism toward school choice – now seen to border on hatred – is well-known. No information about his theological credentials was readily available.

Dan Haley writes yesterday that the Colorado GOP’s gubernatorial also-ran and former Congressman Bob Beauprez is raising coin for presidential hopeful Mitt Romney (I received the same email request). Of course, former Governor Bill Owens is a senior adviser to the Romney campaign, and perennial donor and former candidate Bruce Benson is also on board. No doubt many of the state’s Republicans rank-and-file are going to find the support of the Benson-Owens-Beauprez axis as a reason to be skeptical of the former Massachusetts governor’s candidacy.

Meanwhile, some other big Republican names in Colorado are throwing their support behind Rudy Giuliani and organizing an April fundraiser. Among them are former U.S. Senator Ben “Nighthorse” Campbell, Beauprez’s 2006 primary opponent Marc Holtzman, House Minority Leader Mike May, former Denver Bronco stars John Elway and Ed McCaffrey, former Nuggets GM Kiki Van de Weghe, Douglas County Commissioner Jack Hilbert, former society columnist Diane Wengler, Denver GOP Chair Mary Smith, and several other prominent business leaders, entrepreneurs, and attorneys.

A cursory search through various corners of the Internet found no clearcut evidence of who, if any, in Colorado has joined Team McCain. (Though for sake of fairness, if any reader has the information, I’d be glad to post it.)

So is there room in this state for a groundswell of Fred Thompson support? At this point in the game, the answer is “why, certainly.” Whether he makes the jump into the fray sometime this summer is the suspenseful question that will loom in the minds of Republican activists across the country.

No time for in-depth writing this morning. Instead, if you haven’t already read them, read Michael’s coverage of the statements of Ken Salazar and Mark Udall regarding their respective votes to telegraph a date for defeat to our enemies and to load down the funds for our troops with wasteful pork. Colorado’s own Democrat Senator and would-be Senator have a LOT more explaining to do. As usual, kudos to Best Destiny for keeping a close eye on our state’s defeat caucus.

Thanks to all those who have voted thus far in the Colorado Senate GOP straw poll. After the early rush, the voting has slowed down. But since the campaign is in no hurry, I’ll keep the polls open until Saturday, March 31, Noon MDT (or as soon thereafter as I get time to deal with it).

It’s official: the Democratic Party has married its political future to American military defeat, voting 218-212 in the U.S. House of Representatives today to send a gift telegram to Islamist terrorists and Iraqi insurgents. Trapped in their political bubble, Congressional Democrats have convinced themselves that the United States can’t prevail in establishing even a measure of stability in Iraq and thus are working to fulfill their own hand-wringing prophecies:

“The American people have lost faith in the president’s conduct of this war,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. “The American people see the reality of the war, the president does not.”

I’m left to wonder if Pelosi and her cohorts didn’t come away from the last election with the wrong message. I’d like to think most Americans aren’t as poorly informed as the high school students at a Denver anti-war rally interviewed by 850 KOA and replayed on this morning’s Mike Rosen Show (50 U.S. soldiers killed per day?? Kids are being drafted to go fight in Iraq??). It wouldn’t matter, anyway: the Capitol Hill Democrats get their pulse of the nation from the Daily Kos and Huffington Post.

(Picture courtesy of the Victory Caucus)

How ironic that this vote should come at the same time that a new commander’s tenure and a revamped strategy are underway, showing early hopeful signs. The eminent Victor Davis Hanson delivers a history lesson worth considering: “Can General Petraeus turn war around in Iraq?” Too bad the Democrats were too busy passing notes in class.

If you want to get an on-the-ground perspective of events in the region, read Michael Yon, Bill Roggio (The Fourth Rail), or Omar at Iraq the Model. Looking for a few examples of reports you won’t see on your nightly news? Look here and here and here from this week alone.

But don’t expect Nancy Pelosi, John Murtha, or Barney Frank to take a serious look. The Defeat-ocrats (aka the Party of McGovern, or the New Copperheads) remind me of the small, petulant child who sticks his fingers in his ears and mutters loudly: “I can’t hear you. We’re losing. Nuh-uh. We’re gonna’ lose. La, la, la, la, la, la! I CAN’T HEAR YOU!!!”

It’s been a tough haul in Iraq, and things certainly haven’t gone according to plan much of the way. Progress has been too often slow and sporadic. For too long, our military operated with one hand tied behind its back. But genuine changes have been made in tactics and deployments, and the surge of troops has showed troublemakers like al Sadr and the Mahdi Army that the United States means business.

If you disagree with what the U.S. House of Representatives did today (or what the Colorado legislature did last week) and have yet to join the Victory Caucus, now is the time.

I’ve written here before about Governor Ritter’s proposal to raise taxes for new education programs. But a more thorough and carefully-constructed opinion can be found at the new Independence Institute op-ed I penned: “Ritter’s Tax ‘Freeze’ Plan is Melting: New Education Spending Proposal Needs Voter Approval.” Please check it out.

It’s now official. I like the headline over at the Coloradoan: “McInnis abandons Senate race; ‘all eyes’ on Schaffer.” That Schaffer would be the next focus makes sense and jives with the test poll results of Colorado Republican political insiders here at Mount Virtus.

As of 9:00 PM MDT, with 48 votes cast, the rankings are: Bob Schaffer – 27 (56%); Bill Owens – 6 (13%); Tom Tancredo – 5 (10%); Scott McInnis – 3 (6%); Mike Coffman, Marc Holtzman, and Bob Beauprez – 2 each (4%); Dan Caplis – 1 (2%). Considering the fact that Owens and Tancredo are mostly wishful thinking, McInnis has bowed out, and Republicans will be reluctant to embrace either Holtzman or Beauprez after last year’s divisive primary, I think the field is clear for Schaffer to step up and run. If he decides the conditions are not right, maybe a Coffman or John Suthers (currently at 0 votes in the poll) would be put forward to take on Udall. Retired General Bentley Rayburn (also at 0 votes) could be viewed as a darkhorse.

Have faith, Political Pale Horse. Count me in with El Presidente’s “Draft Schaffer” campaign (he’s also all over the paranoid Leftist responses at Political Avalanche): It won’t be my first, and I’m proud to join it.

Don’t forget … whispers of McInnis’ announcement first appeared here. Thanks to a reliable source for sharing the information, and thanks to To the Right & others for the kudos.

Senator Nancy Spence (R-Centennial) deserves Colorado’s Charter School Champion Award. A few weeks ago she led the charge to flip a highly regulatory, anti-charter school bill upside down. Today, she got the School Finance Act amended to prevent charter school students from being shortchanged. Spence’s nemesis in both cases has been Senator Sue Windels (D-Arvada).

After winning Round Two, the state senate’s Charter School Champion expressed her frustration:

“Frankly, I’m getting sick and tired of these repeated attempts, bill after bill, year after year, to undermine charters,” Spence said. “Parents want them because their kids obviously aren’t being served by traditional schools. After trying for years to reason with lawmakers who don’t support charter school, I’m fed up.”

Sharing her sentiment, I also know that she is by no means looking to give up on this important front in the struggle for educational freedom. And even after her days in the legislature are past, there will be plenty of others to defend charter schools from attacks and to carry the banner forward for greater opportunity. Thank you, Senator Spence, for your leadership on this issue.

How do you sell a tax increase as something other than a tax increase? These days Colorado Democrats are even having a hard time with it. Last week Governor Bill Ritter announced the unveiling of the cleverly-named “Colorado Children’s Amendment,” which somehow would do two things simultaneously:

1) Freeze scheduled property tax rate reductions, raising next year’s tax bill for homeowners and business owners in many of the state’s school districts – ostensibly to save the State Education Fund (created by Amendment 23 to finance only certain K-12 expenses). Of course, this is not an entirely new idea – one that has been shot down before because it violates TABOR by changing tax policy without a vote of the people, but it has been projected to bring in $65 million in new revenues a year.

2) Spend $84 million to fund additional slots for full-day kindergarten and preschool students, as well as raise general support to 11 school districts. Early childhood education is one of the softer sells, after all.

What the rest of us are trying to figure out is how Ritter’s plan can save the state budget from ruin while simultaneously creating programs that spend even more money than is scheduled to be taken in.

Such a realization could only rob the plan of any remaining enthusiasm. Ritter’s amendment was supposed to be added to the School Finance bill in the Senate, but bill sponsor Sen. Sue Windels (D-Arvada) said the amendment won’t be added until the debate reaches the House.

The Democrats seem to be backtracking a bit, challenged by the sincere questions of one member of their own caucus during last week’s committee hearing on the School Finance Act. From the Rocky Mountain News:

Even a member of Ritter’s Democratic Party questioned the legality – and political feasibility – of mandating higher taxes without going to the voters.

“Explain to me how this is not a constitutional problem – because taxes will go up for somebody, whether it’s the homeowner or the business or whomever,” said Sen. Ron Tupa, D-Boulder. “How do we get by that?”

Tupa added, “We’re going to have to talk to our constituents in a way that’s going to be explainable.”

Tupa has a point: If they want to get this proposal passed, Ritter and the Democrats need to find a better way to explain away the tax increase. But trust me, it’s not going to be easy. Colorado voters know better.

Please note the change in appearance on my site: I’d appreciate your vote in the straw poll to your right. Who do you think is the Republicans’ best choice to run for U.S. Senate here in Colorado in 2008? And it’s one vote per person (this is a Republican straw poll, after all). Your input is greatly appreciated.

Update: Where’s the poll, you may ask? Yes, I notice it’s not there. Blame Blogpoll for its sudden disappearance. That’s what you get for having a poll hosted outside your site. I hope it’s just a brief technical glitch that will quickly be fixed, but if not, well, it was fun while it lasted.

If the poll is there, please disregard the previous paragraph (obviously).

It’s not often I get into rumors here on this site, but a credible source tells me that Scott McInnis soon may announce that he is withdrawing his bid for the Republican nomination for Colorado’s 2008 U.S. Senate election. If it’s true, there’s clearly a close connection with the story breaking this weekend that the National Republican Senatorial Committee is recruiting Attorney General John Suthers to run for the seat vacated by Wayne Allard.

Seems like it might be about time to start a “Draft Bob Schaffer” campaign. But let’s wait and see if there’s any truth to the rumor first of all.