Mount Virtus

My first op-ed for the Boulder-based Colorado Daily appears in today’s edition. The topic is the school autonomy movement growing out of events at Bruce Randolph School. I’ve pasted the entire op-ed below, for fear that the link provided soon will be broken: Read the rest of this entry »

One of Saturday’s three Republican presidential caucuses stirred up some controversy, an unfortunate occurrence that needlessly poured fuel onto the Huckabee campaign’s conspiratorial fire, with his chairman reviving memories of Al Gore in Florida 2000:

Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee is crying foul after John McCain’s apparent victory in the Washington caucuses on Saturday.

Huckabee’s campaign released a statement Sunday saying it will be exploring all available legal options regarding the ”dubious final results.” Arizona Sen. McCain was announced as the victor in the caucuses with 26 percent of the vote to Huckabee’s 24 percent.

But Huckabee’s campaign chairman, Ed Rollins, said Luke Esser, Washington’s Republican Party chairman, chose to call the race too quickly for McCain.

Rollins said Huckabee was losing by 242 votes with 87 percent of the vote counted. He said there were another 1,500 or so votes that were apparently not counted.

”That is an outrage,” Rollins said.

Rollins said the Huckabee campaign’s lawyers will be on the ground in Washington soon to see why the count took so long, and why the vote-counting was stopped prematurely.

But as Ed Morrissey at Captain’s Quarters this morning follows up to show the results not changing:

With 94% of the precincts now reporting, McCain still leads by about the same percentage.

And as Pudge at Sound Politics reports from the ground in Washington State, here’s how much the presidential preference results even mean:

Nothing.

People from all over the media, from Josh Marshall to Tim Russert, and Mike Huckabee, are talking about the party declaring a winner, whether it was too soon, and so on. But what the party said about the results literally means nothing at all….

For Huckabee to be talking about legal challenges to a completely meaningless result shows that either he has no idea what the results actually mean (nothing), or he is just doing this for show.

My guess is the latter. The former Arkansas governor has had a better run for the nomination than most analysts would have predicted, but the media oxygen is escaping from his campaign. You don’t have to be a “math major” to see he cannot win the nomination, though maybe his continued presence in the race will have some effect of sending a conservative message to the GOP’s impending nominee, John McCain.

Meanwhile, the effects of Washington state’s real election scandal of 2004 live on.

Over at the Corner, Victor Davis Hanson spells out why conservatives should support McCain over the Democrat alternatives, and what the Arizona Senator can do to close the deal.
Read the rest of this entry »

Well, Mitt Romney’s candidacy is over (but his political future may not be done). Not much more I can say that hasn’t been repeated across the blogosphere in the past 20 hours or so. I have to say it’s quite jarring to witness an overwhelming Romney win at my local caucus, and in the state of Colorado as a whole, and less than 48 hours later to see his campaign come to an end.

But the former Massachusetts governor’s withdrawal speech at CPAC only confirmed my confidence in him. The speech was full of class and grace and poise, but also resounded on the pre-eminent theme of victory in the GWOT. Though initially disappointed to see the result of Romney’s Super Tuesday performance, hopefully we will look back in months to come and probably agree with these observations made by Colorado Republican leaders, who have shifted allegiances quickly to frontrunner Sen. John McCain:

In interviews with former Colorado Gov. Bill Owens, University of Colorado president Hank Brown, state Rep. Victor Mitchell of Castle Rock, Colorado Springs Rep. Doug Lam born and U.S. Sen. Wayne Allard, as well as Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, a clear theme emerged: By dropping out of the race now, Romney allows time for Republicans to unite behind McCain.

“There will be time for Republican wounds to heal,” Allard said.

Iraq will unify Republican voters, the senator from Loveland said. But McCain also needs to cultivate support [in] the West, Allard said.

We can either get in the game and exert our conservative influence or sit on the sidelines and let the other team win. Politics is almost never a choice between the best and the worst. The time to fight for one presidential candidate over another within the Republican Party is over now, for all intents and purposes. (Sorry, Steven, do the math. And Michael at Best Destiny has gritted his teeth to institute a no-McCain-bashing policy.) Romney is right: Victory matters too much.
Read the rest of this entry »

My creative (and apparently not-too-busy) colleagues at the Independence Institute put together this fun little (less than 2-minute) YouTube video to highlight some recent revelations following Gov. Ritter’s executive order:

How accurate is this parody? You can find the original story here.

Yesterday, immediately following his successful Super Tuesday showing, I wrote that McCain needs to woo conservatives. A few hours later, we got this:

Republican John McCain, buoyed by Super Tuesday wins that pushed him closer to the nomination, told his conservative critics Wednesday to dial back the animosity and focus on issues where they agree.

”I do hope that at some point we would just calm down a little bit and see if there’s areas we can agree on,” McCain said at a news conference in a Phoenix airport hangar. [emphasis added]

Not exactly a great start. In fact, it sounds a lot like the same old patronizing bit conservatives are used to hearing from Sen. McCain. Read the rest of this entry »

I launched Mount Virtus four years ago today. On February 6, 2004, I was a complete neophyte in the world of blogging. Today, I am practically a blogging grandfather, but far from the bigtime.

A lot has changed in four years. My how heady those early days were - ready to change the world, waiting for the 1,000th visitor, thrilled to receive a link or comment from anyone. (Someone noticed what I wrote?) Over the years, I’ve taken occasional breaks (never too long) from putting up posts here, and once or twice even contemplated letting it go. But here we are, two election cycles later, still hovered over my laptop, wearing my pajamas, typing away, trying to share a serious thought here and there.

Okay, time to ditch the sentimentality (not to mention the self-referential postmodernism) and move on to the practical lessons. Well, actually I’m too tired to talk about lessons, so here’s just just one: Persistence and continuity may not be enough to become a successful blogger, but they are needful if you wish to come close to ascending the blogosphere’s heights. (When I come close myself, I’ll let you know).

Four years old, how fast they grow up….

Since last night’s results make it increasingly apparent that Sen. John McCain is not only the Republican front-runner but its putative nominee-to-be, here are some thoughts. Exit polls confirm the obvious - that McCain has a lot of work to do to woo conservatives.

Mary Matalin (via KJ Lopez at the Corner) has some concrete ideas for what the McCain campaign can do to make it happen: Read the rest of this entry »

From my own little corner of the Colorado caucus: I’ve just returned from a gathering of six Republican precincts held at Arvada West High School. The turnout of 141 shattered all records from recent memory, though probably was outdone by the Democrats who met on the other half of campus.

If our six precincts are anywhere near representative of the state of Colorado, it’s a lock for Romney. I confirmed this unofficial vote tally with the district captain:

Mitt Romney - 94 (67%)
Mike Huckabee - 20 (14%)
John McCain - 12 (9%)
Ron Paul - 10 (7%)
Uncommitted - 5 (4%)

In a night across the country that looks to be less than decisive for any candidate in either major party, Colorado should go into the Romney column. We’ll wait for official results, of course. At this point, it looks like the former Massachusetts governor needs to win California. Put a pot of coffee on ….

Given the timing and popularity of this year’s Presidential race, combined with the almost arcane political caucus process in this state, news like this is hardly surprising:

State GOP chair Dick Wadhams reported this afternoon that the party had been beseiged with phone calls today, most from people trying to determine where they can caucus.

One last time, the story provides helpful reminders for those looking to get involved this evening:

Wadams [sic] said the party was expecting “very big attendance,” at its caucuses which, as a reminder dear reader, begin at 7 p.m.

Caucuses are run by political parties, not counties, but the good news is voters still have time to get to the right place.

All Colorado caucuses are tonight. Those wishing to caucus need to:

1. Know your precinct. You can use the secretary of state’s lookup tool to find out (http://www.sos.state.co.us/Voter/voterHome.do). This tool will give the full, statewide 10-digit number for your precinct. The last 3 digits of the number are the “short” version of your precinct number within your specific county.

2. Look up the caucus location for your precinct:

- Democrats: www.coloradodems.org/caucuslocations

- Republicans: www.cologop.org/pages/precinctinfo.cfm

3. Participate! At a caucus, the state parties hold presidential preference polls and conduct other party business.

See you at the caucus!

Today is Super Tuesday and Caucus Day in Colorado. And that’s why I find it surprising that my local blogging colleague Steven appears to be planning to sit out the Presidential vote:

Politics as usual does not cut it for me. I need a candidate with true compassion, true conscience, true understanding, and the ability to reason.

No candidate for President has demonstrated all these things that I can see. Not that these characteristics comprise anywhere near a complete resume for our nation’s highest office. And trying to compare Hugh’s show last night to push-polling? Not only absurd - I wouldn’t say the MSM is push-polling for McCain - but sounds desperate, too, a lot like Huckabee’s rhetoric of late. He’s run as good a race as anyone could expect, but his campaign is nearly out of steam.

As for me, I’m putting my perfect (-ly wrong) prediction record on the line by giving a second to Michael at Best Destiny, who writes:

All of which points to a rather sweeping night for John McCain.

I don’t have the exact numbers the Geraghty came up with, but I can say that the night will swing mostly for McCain. New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, all winner-take-all to McCain; worse, I’m guessing that Illinois, Missouri, and even California slip into the McCain pile. In the end, the default vote of Republicans across the country will give John McCain the prohibitive favorite status heading out of Super Tuesday, and on to the nomination.

Ditto.

While Michael and I both believe a McCain clinching sweep is in store for us today, Clay actually is cheering for it to happen:

McCain is the Republican candidate that can restore some form of order to the Republican Party. McCain is the only Republican candidate that can capture not only the votes of Republicans, but Independents and Democrats as well. He’s not perfect. Name one nominee that is or was.

If the GWOT is the #1 issue, and I believe it is, then McCain is who I want leading the charge. All other items on the priority list pale in comparison especially including the economy.

If you want a Republican in the White House throughout January of 2009, McCain is our only shot.

If I had any sort of inclination to believe all these observations, I too would be carrying the McCain banner right now. And in the very likely event that he becomes the nominee I undoubtedly will be voting for him in November. But gone will be much of the enthusiasm for the Party during this fall’s campaign season. (Then again, maybe my prediction will be wrong on this one, too.)

Plenty more coverage of the caucus at Slapstick Politics.

Colorado Republicans, if you want to participate in tonight’s caucus but aren’t sure where to go, follow this link. Look forward to an on-the-ground report from some Arvada Republican precincts tonight.

Can’t wait for primary season to calm down so we can all focus on other things.

From the University of Colorado newspaper comes a story about union organizers accused of harassing state employees:

Last week, human resource directors from many state agencies met with leaders from several unions to voice their concerns about union organizers’ tactics, which some called over-aggressive. One union organizer, employed by Colorado WINS, was arrested in downtown Denver in November for allegedly trespassing on Regional Transportation District property after attempting to distribute leaflets in an adjacent private building where a state agency is located. In a more recent incident, a union organizer who visited a Department of Corrections (DOC) employee at home, found himself on the business end of a gun. (The DOC could not confirm the incident, but S&GR learned about the incident from two union leaders, both of whom volunteered the information.)

The response from union leaders at the Jan. 25 meeting was that if unions are denied access to state employees in the workplace, home visits and home phone calls may be their chief way to get petitions signed for employee partnerships….

Heather Perdue, DOC human resources manager, told S&GR that her employees view the home visits as an invasion of privacy. Other HR directors said some employees have complained about multiple phone calls at home in the evenings. Hudson replied that there are at least three organizations trying to recruit and it’s possible that employees are getting calls from three organizations in one night.

Remember, it was Gov. Bill Ritter’s November 2 executive order that set these events rapidly in motion. In the past three months, we’ve been told these are harmless and constructive “partnerships” designed to make state government more “efficient.”

And now what do we read about: Trespassing? Visits and repeated phone calls (maybe they should organize a telemarketers’ union) to employee homes? The unions seem really eager to get employees on board to take part in these “partnerships.” Read the rest of this entry »

Colorado’s registered Republicans and Democrats, don’t forget that tomorrow evening is caucus time - your chance to pick a Presidential candidate, make your voice heard, and elect the delegates to the county and state assembly. Looks like there will be unusually high interest in 2008. The Denver Post has the basic information here:

Colorado voters registered as Democrats or Republicans can participate in Tuesday’s party caucuses, as long as they were registered before Dec. 5. Here’s how:

Process: At a caucus, state political parties hold presidential preference polls and conduct other party business. Democrats require a candidate to receive at least 15 percent of the available votes. Republicans hold a straight vote.

Schedule: Caucuses are scheduled to start at 7 p.m. Tuesday, but voters are urged to arrive early. Presidential preference polls are likely to be the first order of business.

Sites: Caucuses are held around the state. To find yours, first you need to know your precinct. To find your precinct, call your county clerk or check the secretary-of-state website for a precinct number to input at state party websites.

Online

Colorado secretary of state: www.sos.state .co.us/Voter/ voterHome.do

Democratic Party: coloradodems.org

Republican Party: cologop.org

My report from my local Arvada Republican precincts will be coming Tuesday night.

Any fellow Romney for President supporters (or anyone not too excited by the prospect of McCain at the top of the GOP ticket) looking for a little good news heading into the Super Tuesday showdown, look here (H/T Michelle Malkin):

In the race for the Republican Presidential Nomination, it’s John McCain at 30%, Mitt Romney at 30%, and Mike Huckabee at 21%. Ron Paul is supported by 5% of Likely Republican Primary Voters….Romney leads by sixteen percentage points among conservatives while McCain has a two-to-one advantage among moderate Primary Voters.

Considering the “no-bounce” trend of this race over the past month, the McCain momentum meme may be mostly a myth (how do you like the alliteration?). This race isn’t over yet, and may still be up in the air come next Wednesday morning. One notable Republican with national electoral experience outlines the way for Romney to engineer a comeback (H/T Right Wing News).

Besides, McCain is acting a little too cocky.

Stay tuned to Mount Virtus for more Super Tuesday coverage, including an on-the-ground view of Colorado’s Republican Caucus.

For what it’s worth, here’s the official prediction of Mount Virtus concerning tomorrow’s big game:

Super Bowl XLII (Feb 3, 2008 - Glendale, AZ):
New England Patriots (19-0) 31
New York Giants (13-7) 17

MVP: Tom Brady

But what do I know?