Mount Virtus

The consensus of serious analysts on the right side of the blogosphere is that Fred Dalton Thompson won tonight’s South Carolina debate, aired on Fox News. Here we go (in no particular order):

1. Jim Geraghty, National Review Campaign Spot: “Winner: Thompson. This performance was so commanding, I wanted his last answer to echo back to the lights in the back of the auditorium, blow out all the lamps and spotlights, for the theme to “the Natural” to play, and for him to trot around the stage in slow motion while sparks showered down in the background.” Jared has to appreciate the reference.

2. Erick at RedState: “Fred Thompson owned this debate. He owned it. He dominated.”

3. John Hawkins, at Right Wing News: “1) Fred Thompson (Big Winner): He was energized, funny, gave good answers and just tore Mike Huckabee up. This may have been Fred’s best debate yet.”

4. Stephen Hayes, at the Weekly Standard blog: “Clear winner? Fred Thompson. He was commanding, funny, articulate. His rat-a-tat-tat answer deconstructing Mike Huckabee’s record was incredibly effective - a good actor can certainly memorize his lines. But Fred was good off the cuff, too. He does, at times, seem uninterested, especially when others are talking. He won the debate, but those cutaway shots don’t help him. Still, Thompson has to have made strides among conservatives who are not yet sold on John McCain. He could have done more to engage McCain directly - he did so once, but it was almost passive. Fredemption?” (Bill Kristol also called Thompson’s performance “most improved” and labeled tonight’s debate the best of the campaign season thus far.)

5. Over at National Review’s The Corner: Rich Lowry, K-Lo, and Mark Levin unanimously score tonight’s debate a Fred victory.

6. And take this through the Hugh Hewitt filter: “Fred had a great night, Mitt a good one and Rudy did fine as well.”

This is just what Fred needed heading into the do-or-die South Carolina primary next week: a grand slam performance, one that took a big shine off Mike Huckabee and set him apart as the clear choice as the strong consistent conservative candidate. With the wacky chaos of this whole primary process, just about anything could happen. And after tonight’s debate, a Fred comeback seems a much more plausible scenario than it would have just a day ago.

Much more on Blogs for Fred Thompson. And if you are so inclined, perhaps you will consider opening your wallet a bit for Fred. You’ve been waiting, you’ve been hesitant: but now is the time.

Update, 2:41 PM: Information on Douglas County Republican caucuses is included in the comment section. Thanks, Steve! … Denver County, too, compliments of el presidente.

The Denver Post has a full-length story this morning on the building interest & excitement surrounding Colorado’s caucus process this year. As the story notes, it overwhelmingly has to do with a highly competitive primary in a presidential election year:

Republican Mort Marks, 83, plans to hold a caucus at his house. He said he has received calls from a lot of people he hasn’t heard from before, and he has noticed larger turnout at recent Republican events.

“There is a hell of a lot more interest than I’ve seen in many, many years,” said Marks, who hasn’t decided which GOP candidate he will support. “There is a feeling that people are looking for leadership, but people are also split on the candidates.”

GOP and Democratic Party officials say they are expecting much higher participation at the caucuses than they have had in years. State GOP head Dick Wadhams said the intensity of the race was certain to bring out new attendees.

Republicans in the state of Colorado are seeking to be patient with their party as we await the caucus information to move beyond “coming soon.” If you’re in Jefferson County - my neck of the woods - there is a complete list of caucus locations sorted by precinct number.

What’s your precinct number, you say? If you still have your registered voter ID card, it will be on there. But if you don’t want to go around digging to find the card, you can look up your voter registration on the Colorado Secretary of State’s website. Your last name, legal first name (for me, Benjamin rather than Ben), ZIP code, and Date of Birth (month, date, and year) will retrieve your record, including your precinct number. Cross-reference the precinct number with the list of locations, and you’re set.

If you’re a Democrat, pretty much all you need is right here. If you’re a Republican from another county, you can google your county party or contact the state GOP directly.

Remember: you have to be already registered with the Republican or Democratic party to participate in their respective caucuses on Tuesday, February 5. Democrats caucus with Democrats, and Republicans caucus with Republicans. Independents get the night off. At least for Jeffco Republicans, the event will start at 7 PM.

My guess is that I’ll see more people at my precinct than the 3 of us who showed up back in 2006. And most will just want to cast a vote for their presidential preference in the non-binding straw poll and move on. But it’s more active than not showing up at all and missing out entirely on the grassroots political process.

Thanks for those who tuned in to News Talk 1310 KFKA this morning to hear my inaugural guest host appearance on the Amy Oliver Show. For those who want more information on the guests and some of the topics discussed:

• Alan Gottlieb of the Public Education and Business Coalition edits the HeadFirst Colorado blog, which covers a range of education reform issues. Today we talked about the latest on the Bruce Randolph autonomy proposal, including union officials’ latest delaying tactic, which Alan also posted on today. There’s also a great story from yesterday on the topic at Face the State.
• I posted on the news of the rapidly growing estimates of revenue from the Governor’s property tax hike at the Colorado Taxpayers blog. Other stories cited were the Greeley Tribune’s coverage of a possible transportation tax and fee increase and the Pueblo Chieftain’s reporting that the Democrats are trying to tone down talk of further tax hikes.
• Mike Reitz, director of labor policy at the Evergreen Freedom Foundation, joined me to discuss Washington state’s experiences with state employee collective bargaining in light of Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter’s recent unionization executive order, highlighted in Sunday’s Denver Post. Mike also blogs at Liberty Live.

You can also check out the Independence Institute website or new “Caldara, the cauldron” blog for more information.

Colorado state Republican Party chair and political mastermind Dick Wadhams, whom I heard speak confidently and eloquently last night about the GOP’s prospects in the upcoming presidential election, has introduced himself to the blogging world today with his first post on the Colorado GOP site - key quote:

Democratic Candidate Ritter campaigned as a moderate, almost as a conservative, telling Colorado’s business community he was their ally and friend.

Candidate Ritter was a farce. Now we know who the real Bill Ritter is.

No doubt after this post, the Lefties will see further evidence of vast conspiracy between Wadhams and the independent, grassroots Ritter Watch blog. Of course, they have the prerogative to be wrong - and to waste their time trying to prove some nefarious connection. Go for it, I say!

And to Mr. Wadhams, welcome to the Colorado blogosphere.

For my devoted fans, I make my radio host debut tomorrow morning: that’s Wednesday, January 9, from 9 AM to 11 AM, as I guest host the Amy Oliver show on News Talk 1310 KFKA in northern Colorado. You can listen online here. Topics will include education reform at Bruce Randolph School, government employee unions, and the New Hampshire presidential primary. There will no doubt be plenty to talk about, so hope you can listen in.

Of course, some of you are thinking: Yikes, they’re giving the mike to him? Has the world gone mad? Perhaps, but it should be a lot of fun. And a good way to flog the blog while I’m at it.

Face the State unveiled a new face today, and it’s certainly a big improvement. This is a must-bookmark or RSS for anyone who wants to stay on top of what’s going on in Colorado, with a conservative edge. The first new report is about a rumored political power switch by two Democrat officials that could be bad news for supporters of limited government and school choice:

Political insiders are speculating about gossip that Sen. Sue Windels, D-Arvada, will resign her seat before the end of her term. The move would open the door for fellow Democrat and State Board of Education member Evie Hudak to take over and run as an incumbent this year, an important advantage in a Democrat primary field likely to be crowded with multiple candidates. Of equal importance to Windels, the move would also allow her to be appointed to Hudak’s Board seat.

Get ready for a fast-paced political ride in 2008!

I’ve had a recent exchange with Snaggle-Tooth Jones over some historical issues of contemporary political significance: my initial response is here; his latest post is here. I haven’t had time to draft a thorough and thoughtful response to his latest, but in the meantime would like to point him to an eloquent piece written by my friend Joshua Sharf at the Denver Post’s Gang of Four about Ron Paul’s misguided take on Civil War history (key excerpt follows):

Paul’s argument isn’t right. It isn’t even wrong. It misses so many fundamental facts of life in 1860 that it could only appeal to that narrow slice of the electorate whose civics education ended in 12th grade, but who actually remember what they were taught. You can’t be completely ignorant and make an argument like this. Less than a year out of college, I tried to make this same argument. It says something about RonPaul that on just about anything outside of economics, he sounds like a refugee from a college debating society.

And yes, Snaggle-Tooth, I have read Jeffrey Hummel’s book: His argument happens to suffer from much of the same narrow view. In that vein, you also may want to read a 2002 essay penned by an acquaintance of mine, titled “Liberty and Union, Now and Forever.” I’ll get back to you with more soon.

Over at Slapstick Politics, El Presidente provides a brief digest of Colorado conservative blogosphere voices on the Presidential race.

My opinions are well known by readers here, but I was a little befuddled to read the order of candidate preference from my friend Clay Calhoun, who blessedly appears to have returned from a long exile. In particular, I’m pleased to see he allies first with Fred Dalton Thompson, but for the life of me can’t figure out why the Huckster comes in second. I can understand the skepticism about McCain and Giuliani and Ron Paul, but can’t quite understand the seemingly knee-jerk antipathy for Mitt Romney:

No thank you very much. I will vote for a Democrat before I will vote for Mitt Romney. End of discussion.

Well, I’d like to hope it’s not the end of the discussion. Clay, I’m curious to know why such strong feelings against Romney? Is it an anti-Hugh reaction, as the radio host has been shilling for the former Massachusetts governor almost unceasingly? I can certainly sympathize with that.

And why, as a fellow graduate of the Leadership Program of the Rockies, or a believer in a robust foreign policy, would you support Mike Huckabee? If this weren’t such an important debate we were all having in the conservative movement, I wouldn’t bother. But I’m curious to know these things.

An email from our friends at RedState.com:

Dear RedState Reader,

Tomorrow the President will decide whether or not the Constitution is still a legally binding document.

Seriously.

After Congress passed the omnibus spending bill, members of Congress inserted into the conference report that accompanied the legislation more than 9,000 earmarks worth several billion dollars.

The earmarks were not voted on by the House and Senate. Yet, Congress maintains that the earmarks are legally binding. This violates the process for passing legislation in the Constitution of the United States.

Tomorrow, the President will decide whether he should issue an executive order telling government agencies to ignore the earmarks. If the President issues the executive order, he will be enforcing the legislative process the Constitution says we must follow. If the President does not issue the executive order, he will be rewarding Congress for ignoring the Constitution.

Please call the President at 202-456-1111 and tell him to issue the Executive Order on Earmarks.

You can also email comments@whitehouse.gov.

Also, please call Senator Mitch McConnell who is pushing the President to ignore the Constitution. Tell Mitch McConnell to stop ignoring the Constitution and support the executive order. You can call him at 202-224-2541.

All the best,

Erick Erickson
Editor, RedState.com

I don’t usually push the direct advocacy appeals for activists here, but this one is important. If you care at all about keeping some measure of transparency and integrity in our federal government, or about reasonably restraining the growth of government, please call or email.

I have been remiss in not blogging about this sooner, but many of my readers probably aren’t aware of an innovative new website created by the Independence Institute (full disclosure: where I work), a website created and maintained in part by a lot of intensive labor from my own Mrs. Virtus.

If you are a parent of school-age children in Colorado, nor if you care at all about education reform, please pay attention. You can watch this 28-minute video recently aired on Colorado public television to learn more about the School Choice for Kids website (and/or read about some of the site’s features below):

Add to My Profile | More Videos

The School Choice for Kids site contains significant information about every public school in Colorado - including charters, options, magnets, etc. - and has a mapping feature that allows parents to search for schools, based on any of 47 different categories, within selected distances of a given address. Need to find a Montessori school within 5 miles of home? Need to find a school with at-risk or gifted programs within 10 miles of your work? There are many possibilities here, and the best way to get a sense of them is to give the site a quick test-spin yourself.

But there’s more to the School Choice for Kids site, including all the helpful information to guide Colorado families through the sometimes bureaucratic open enrollment process and a parent-friendly glossary of common “eduspeak” terms they may encounter along the way. There are also links to thorough and detailed information on the No Child Left Behind law, the state’s public school report cards, private school scholarship organizations, homeschooling resources, and more.

The School Choice for Kids site is user-friendly and colorful, and currently available both in English and in Spanish. (Given the time and resources, we would be glad to translate it into other languages useful to certain populations living in Colorado, too.) This one-stop shop for finding schools in Colorado is constantly being updated and improved with the best available information and accessibility.

I invite you to check it out, test the features, share your feedback, and tell your friends!

Update: Other members of the Rocky Mountain Alliance have weighed in:
The Daily Blogster
Best Destiny
Exvigilare
Thinking Right

And one from another great conservative Colorado blogger:
Slapstick Politics

I have neither the time nor the inclination to weigh in on all the vast amounts of political analysis following yesterday’s Iowa caucuses (or as Red State colorfully put it, the Hawkeye Caucii). But I will observe how troublesome it is for our nation and its two great political parties that (a little more than 6+ years after 9/11) last night’s winners - Barack Obama and Mike Huckabee - are the respective Democrat and Republican candidates most unqualified in matters of foreign policy and most unserious about national security and the threats that face us.

Michael Barone, one of the very best political analysts, attributes it to the “16-year itch” phenomenon. Perhaps he’s on to something. I don’t know.

The big question that nags me is just how representative Iowa is of the entire nation. My great consolation would be that the Hawkeye State is an aberration. Nevertheless, yesterday’s results - far from making Obama or Huckabee the inevitable nominees - have a real impact on the campaign down the road.

I don’t have so much hope for Democrats, but there’s still time for reasonable Republicans in New Hampshire, Michigan, South Carolina, and beyond to pull us back from the precipice. Though not my first choice by any stretch, even John McCain would be preferred as GOP frontrunner and nominee. The 71-year-old Arizona Senator now has a decisive edge over Mitt Romney in the Granite and Great Lakes States.

Meanwhile, my first choice candidate Fred Thompson hangs on by a thread with his third-place Iowa tally. We all should be rooting for him to take down the Huckster in South Carolina. And how does this all affect Rudy’s chances on Super Tuesday, February 5? Are we on our way to a brokered GOP convention? It sure looks like a long process ahead of us.

In the meantime, John O’Sullivan at National Review says the Reagan coalition needs to rally around Romney or face extinction (HT: Hugh Hewitt). I seriously will weigh these arguments going forward.

As expected, Iowa has shifted the campaign’s trajectory. A decisive response is needed. Soon.

After yesterday’s foray into forecasting the results of today’s first presidential balloting of 2008, you can find more Iowa caucus prediction contests over at Election Projection. Interesting stuff - check it out. If you’re a political junkie but don’t check in with Scott Elliott (”The Blogging Caesar”) from time to time, you’re really missing out.

Also, you can toss your hat into Patrick Ruffini’s Townhall Iowa Caucus Pool.

Most contests, including the one hosted by the Rocky Mountain News, stop taking entries after 6 PM Eastern or 4 PM Mountain. Then we can watch the real results roll in, and find out which pundits earn bragging rights and which will eat humble pie.

Go, Fred, Go!

Fred Thompson delivers a 17-minute video message to Iowa voters, indeed all Americans, on the eve of the caucus and the first ballots cast in the 2008 Presidential contest.

Conservatives and independent-minded voters who are willing to give serious deliberation to the Presidential election, and all those who are undecided or uncertain in their support for a candidate (not the Hugh Hewitts of the world - whose fingers are perpetually lodged in their ears while they loudly mumble, “La la la la la, Mitt Romney, la la la la la … I can’t hear you … Romney, Romney, Romney”) need to view this message. If you haven’t watched it yet, why not?

M.E. Sprengelmeyer of the Rocky Mountain News “Back Roads to the White House” blog is soliciting your predictions of results for tomorrow’s Iowa caucuses:

We need you to make your official, time-stamped predictions for the final rankings in the Iowa precinct caucuses — among Republicans and Democrats.

Give us your best guesses. Include delegate percentages, predicted concession speech language, or other arbitrary details for extra credit.

And in the opinion of the judge, the person who makes the most accurate, most detailed prediction for the actual result ON BOTH SIDES OF THE PARTISAN DIVIDE will win a very special prize package of back roads collectables — assembled over the past several months by your weary correspondent.

Be sure to guess with your head, not your heart.

We’ll declare a contest winner sometime in the wee hours of Friday morning.

For the record, here’s what I contributed:

DEM
Edwards 33%
Obama 29%
Clinton 26%
Richardson 6%
Biden 4%
Kucinich 1%

No one screams a la Howard Dean, but Hillary sheds tears in a speech saying Iowa is not a friendly place for a woman candidate but that she will vow to fight on. John Edwards is on the cover of most Iowa newspapers on Friday. Oprah plans a series of exposes on the Edwards family for her upcoming shows. Joe Biden says he will drop out if he doesn’t get 10% in New Hampshire. Kucinich ends his speech with “Nanu, nanu!”

GOP
Romney 32%
Huckabee 28%
Thompson 16%
McCain 12%
Paul 7%
Giuliani 4%

Seeking to answer criticisms that if he can’t win Iowa he can’t win anywhere, Mike Huckabee says he promises to show members of the media more of the anti-Mormon ads attacking Romney that he has refused to run. Fred Thompson gains a little momentum after the results and Duncan Hunter drops out to endorse him. The Ron Paul Express starts to lose steam. More media coverage of Rudy’s health than of his campaign.

Good luck. Can’t wait for these special prizes to come my way….