Mount Virtus

Tune in tonight at 8:30 PM local Mountain time for the 23rd edition of Rocky Mountain Alliance Blog Talk Radio. Our confirmed guest for this week is Matt Arnold from Clear the Bench Colorado to discuss his grassroots campaign to recall four state supreme court justices. We also hope to have on Senator Mark Scheffel, R-Parker, to talk about the contentious state budget debate.

If you miss the live show, you can go back and download the podcast, or just use the handy widget on my sidebar to listen directly from Mount Virtus.

Face The State has the details about the Boulder Democrat:

On the April 16 report, [state representative Jack] Pommer lists campaign contributions from registered lobbyists and special interest groups made on February 5. The date is significant, as it falls exactly a month into the legislative session. Under Colorado campaign finance law, it is illegal for lobbyists or special interest groups that lobby to give or solicit money for the campaigns of state office-holders while the legislature is in session.

“The way the law reads, it says lobbyists shall not give,” said Rich Coolidge, spokesman for the Secretary of State. “The burden falls on the lobbyist.”

Lobbyist contributions came from Jane Urschel of the Colorado Association of School Boards and consultant Thomas Shilling, as well as the Colorado Professional Firefighters, the Colorado Livestock Association, the Qwest Employees Political Action Committee, and the Boulder Valley Education Association. The total contributions from these six entities total $5150.

While the possibility exists that Pommer may have received the contributions prior to the start of the legislative session, state law requires that candidates report the contributions were [sic] they are received, not when they are deposited.

Jack Pommer — who recently paid off $15,000 of nearly $20,000 in delinquent fines with the Secretary of State — either has extraordinary problems with basic details, or there are numerous lobbyist organizations in flagrant violation of legislative ethics laws. Here’s guessing it’s the former. But even with that better-case scenario, it speaks poorly of Pommer’s judgment.

Maybe someone could just hire the man a qualified bookkeeper. But what’s a little shady ethics between friends anyway?

We have heard Democrats in the state legislature talk out loud about exploiting a partisan Colorado Supreme Court overreach to violate the state constitution and repeal tax credits without a vote of the people. Via an emergency update from the Republican Study Committee, the Democrats’ first real attempt to test their theory comes up for a hearing tomorrow: (more…)

So yesterday I receive this verbatim email message from a mysterious “Victorila Rasheem” (all errors of spelling and syntax preserved):

I think taht your website should do a think on Cleve Tidwell. Most say that he has the support of most if not all of the major donors in the state. Also much of the grassroots is excited for him and is backing him to be the senator for colorado. I do not know if Dick Wadhams found him or not but if he did it was a good find because he is a good candidaet and wiill win. He is a very good speaker and will be at most events when he is senator because he will represent people in Colorado. Also, he has not spoken with the press so whatever you might hear if anything is probably just their way of trying to create a story or gossip. He has wonderful friends in the news media and when the time is right he will discuss with them. He is a very busy man but he will get the job done because that is his way.

The source of the email message was “coloradovoterinthesenaterace@gmail.com” — a real random coincidence if ever there was one. Read the message carefully, and you’ll understand how bizarre and far-fetched and meaningless are the claims contained therein.

Guess I just should be thankful that it wasn’t an email from Mr. Tidwell’s Nigerian benefactor asking for a $1,000 campaign contribution to be delivered to a foreign post office box. But following on the heels of another Colorado blogger’s experience with spam from Cleve Tidwell supporters, I shouldn’t be too surprised by the development.

If the true origin of this message was from a Tidwell supporter, all I can say is thank you for attempting to insult my intelligence. I briefly met Mr. Tidwell in person once and heard him testify twice at the state legislature, and such tactics doubtless are not helping his cause. Perhaps he might even publicly disavow them.

To me, except for the mystery of who could possibly have such a motive, it makes more sense that this email is part of a scheme by someone trying to undermine Mr. Tidwell’s nascent quasi-candidacy. Because it’s closer to the actual effect.

The main reason I’m posting this for public eyes to see is in hopes of tracking down other messages from “coloradovoterinthesenaterace@gmail.com”, and hopefully put the silly mystery to rest before I pursue writing anything more about Cleve Tidwell here. If you too have been contacted by this shadowy Gmail account, please feel free to post a comment or drop a line.

It’s been awhile since I’ve done any sort of book review. But having just completed Adam Schrager’s The Principled Politician: The Ralph Carr Story, it seemed an apt time to change that. Those who won’t want to miss this book include students of Colorado history, fans of the World War II era (especially the home front), and anyone interested in a sadly forgotten inspirational story that seems foreign in today’s all-too-jaded and polarized world of politics.

As introduced to readers in The Principled Politician, Ralph Carr (1887-1950) — Republican governor of Colorado from 1939 to 1943 — was a rare model of statesmanship. Fittingly, he held deep admiration and adulation for our nation’s 16th president Abraham Lincoln. He recognized the value of Lincoln’s political maxim — “A universal feeling, whether well or ill founded, cannot be safely disregarded” — and sought to balance it with a commitment to upholding and advancing the ideal of equality under the law. (more…)

El Presidente has posted video of the Denver Tax Day Tea Party, but the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel has the video coverage of Colorado’s largest Western Slope gathering.

The apparent highlight of the event was the rousing speech of Ryan Frazier, who also announced a formal step toward a U.S. Senate campaign (watch the video below the fold): (more…)

Update, 9:40 AM: Rossputin has a more thorough and comprehensive debunking of the ProgressNow nonsense. It’s simply a must-read. Also, Joshua explains the “astroturfing” myth and why the Left is pushing it.

Here’s a shock: the local Soros-funded Lefty media hack is completely misrepresenting the Tax Day Tea Party here in Denver and as a nationwide movement. What else would you expect? Mike Huttner has to earn his keep from the sugar daddy somehow. The vapid silliness coming from ProgressNow includes:

• Selectively finding the few offensive signs of the common sense-challenged out of thousands to paint the crowd with a broad brush of ignorance and hatred (here’s a video that helps give lie to this tactic)
• Parroting discredited CNN talking points about a genuinely grassroots movement to make the hundreds of thousands who showed up on their own look like corporate puppets
• Imagining that a certain public figure spoke at the event, in a pathetically transparent attempts to launch a naked partisan attack

Details at the People’s Press Collective, complete with a suggestion for a response, especially if you were there:

Oh, and if you attended the Tea Party rally Wednesday and you’d like to explain to Mike Huttner at ProgressNow what it was really about, he helpfully provided his own telephone number on the press-release linked above: 303-931-4547.

But a word of caution: George Soros, Michael Huttner, and ProgressNow already have shown they want to characterize you as “belligerent right-wing protesters”. Kill them with a courteous clarification of the record; don’t feed their prefab stereotype.

More than two months ago I noted that the union card-check bill had put newly selected U.S. Senator Michael Bennet in a bind. Three weeks ago I observed that Bennet might be finding relief in the fading prospects of the legislation.

But Big Labor proponents haven’t backed down, and business leaders are in the fight for the duration. So where does that leave Michael Bennet? As indecisive as ever, reports the Denver Post:

“The issue is an important issue. We have lots of important issues,” he said.

“I’m in a much better position to be helpful to a constructive conversation by not having taken a position on the existing language in the legislation than I would be if I had.”

I wasn’t sure what to expect when Governor Bill Ritter appointed Michael Bennet to fill Ken Salazar’s vacant seat. Frankly, I have to say the young Senator’s level of vacuousness and vacillation has disappointed even me.

Big fundraising or no — Bennet is leaving the door open for an ambitious, talented candidate like Ryan Frazier to step up to the challenge.

This morning, good news comes from the Colorado State Capitol: the state house approved House Bill 1288 (PDF), the Colorado Taxpayer Transparency Act, by the overwhelming margin of 61-4. This legislation will create a detailed online searchable database of state government revenues and expenditures.

The bad news? Among the four (all Democrats) voting against open government are my own representative Sara Gagliardi and Gwyn Green, also from Jefferson County. Rest assured, I will do my part to make it known their No votes will not be forgotten. And I will be watching how the senate votes, as well.

In other bad news, Senate Bill 180 (PDF) squeaked past the finish line in the state senate, 18-17. This union-backed bill is bad for a host of reasons. It also is proof that elections have consequences: 81 votes in Senate District 26 were the difference between this costly, intrusive measure passing or failing in the senate.

The good news? If there is any, it’s that three Democrats in the state senate – Joyce Foster, Jim Isgar, and (my own senator) Moe Keller – had the good sense to vote against it. The other good news is that the bill still has to go through the house before it reaches Governor Bill Ritter’s desk for signature. In other words, there’s still time to kill SB 180.

I prefer to end on a positive note.

Update VI, 4/16: Here are some pictures taken by Jimmie H. Butler at yesterday’s rally in Colorado Springs. Re-posted with permission:

Update V, 4/16: My brother-in-law has a great set of photos from yesterday’s Denver event. Slapstick Politics has begun to post video from the well-attended festivities at the West Steps of the Capitol. Rossputin has some “Post-Tea Party Thoughts” that includes photos, video, and an interactive poll question.

Here is a great site that is tallying attendance reports from Tea Party events all across the country. I’ve already notified the site operator with a few reports from Colorado locations he hadn’t yet received.

Update IV, 10:00 PM: Over at Free Colorado, Ari has a good initial analysis and a slew of pictures from Denver’s event. Face The State’s coverage and slide show can be found here. Zombyboy has a nice spread of photos and some interesting thoughts as well.

Lovers of liberty need only scoff at these half-hearted Saul Alinsky disciples.

Update III, 3:45 PM: My source from Colorado Springs says about 4,000 people showed up at the Tax Day Tea Party rally there earlier today.

Update II, 3:10 PM: Other Colorado Tax Day Tea Party estimates … Fort Collins = 1,000, though one attendee reports on Facebook that it was closer to 2,500 … Grand Junction = 2,000, where speaker Ryan Frazier announced he is moving forward as a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate … Debbie Buckley reports 60 to 70 attendees, mostly first-timers, up in the mountains at Frisco … Awaiting word from other locations – please drop me a line if you have an update …

Update, 2:30 PM: Returned a little while ago from the Denver Tax Day Tea Party. It was HUGE. The Denver Post says “more than 5,000 people” were there, and I’d be hard-pressed to disagree with that estimate. People were flocking in and out. An upbeat crowd – enthusiastic, energetic, waving signs, cheering. No problems with Lefty disturbances that I could see.

Stay tuned to this site and to the People’s Press Collective and Rocky Mountain Right for more coverage and photos of the event.

It’s Tax Day, and that means it’s time for Colorado taxpayers to (Tea) party:

• El Presidente has all the details you’ll ever need to find a rally near you, as well as other key links
• Randomridge has printable advice on how to deal with potential Lefty disturbances at the rallies
• Rossputin gives us some compelling (and visually-enhanced) reasons why Tax Day is “a time to mourn and protest”
• Just getting involved as a pro-liberty activist, and wondering where to go from here? Check out this great resource “Getting Connected in Colorado”, compiled by fellow Rocky Mountain Alliance blogger Night Twister
• After The Tea Party is another great resource to find out how to stay active

Sadly, if the legislative calendar is to be trusted, it looks like the majority Democrats in the state house have opted to avoid debate on the budget (SB259) and Pinnacol theft (SB281 and SB273) today. Maybe that will give more lawmakers time to come out and visit with the concerned constituents coming to their doorstep today.

We’ll see … Expect a follow-up report later.

A great video from the People’s Press Collective (H/T Slapstick Politics):

An intriguing idea: Stay tuned…

God bless Texas:

Gov. Rick Perry joined state Rep. Brandon Creighton and sponsors of House Concurrent Resolution (HCR) 50 in support of states’ rights under the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

“I believe that our federal government has become oppressive in its size, its intrusion into the lives of our citizens, and its interference with the affairs of our state,” Gov. Perry said. “That is why I am here today to express my unwavering support for efforts all across our country to reaffirm the states’ rights affirmed by the Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. I believe that returning to the letter and spirit of the U.S. Constitution and its essential 10th Amendment will free our state from undue regulations, and ultimately strengthen our Union.”

Forget the Alamo (for now) – Remember the 10th Amendment! I’m starting to see what President Obama meant by bringing hope. Because Texas is not the only state showing signs of remembering our national roots of liberty.

And just in time for the Tea Party!

Tune in tonight at 8:30 PM local Mountain time for the 22nd edition of Rocky Mountain Alliance Blog Talk Radio. We have two guests for this week: Brian Campbell to talk about tomorrow’s Tax Day Tea Party, and Jessica Corry from the Independence Institute to talk about high salaries and lack of transparency at the University of Colorado.

If you miss the live show, you can go back and download the podcast, or just use the handy widget on my sidebar to listen directly from Mount Virtus.

Via the Right to Work blog comes news that the new Republican Governor of Arizona Jan Brewer has repealed her predecessor’s executive order granting union powers to state workers. This scenario (and others like it before – witness Missouri and Indiana as examples) is precisely why the Colorado WINS labor coalition will not rest satisfied with Bill Ritter’s November 2007 executive order that introduced collective bargaining to our state government.

Odds are strong that the political winds will favor Big Labor pushing a broad piece of government employee collective bargaining legislation in 2010. The question is whether the Democrats in charge at the State Capitol by then will have backed off the cliff’s edge, and from governing away their majority.

It’s almost time for the Tax Day Tea Party at the State Capitol in Denver (with a great idea for an official logo, compliments of Ben Hummel).

Here’s where it gets good: While we citizens will be standing outside, protesting government overreach and proclaiming our rights, inside the members of the state house will be wrestling with the tough decisions of a budget vote. Funny thing is, the decisions wouldn’t be nearly so tough if the Democrat-led legislature had voted three years ago to create a rainy day fund (PDF) proposed by Representative Cory Gardner and Senator Josh Penry.

Instead, the same day as the Tea Party takes place, the Democrats will be trying to avoid tough decisions by raiding hundreds of millions of dollars from the successful private Pinnacol Assurance workmen’s comp fund. Colorado Democrats are giving “bailout” a whole new bad name.

The $1.8 billion that rainy day fund would have left the state to more than cover the shortage – that would have been nice. But even without it, Democrats seriously want us to believe that the best option is an indirect tax (that is ILLEGAL) on Colorado businesses? Hogwash, my friends. Hogwash. (more…)