For the first time in quite awhile, the Rocky Mountain Alliance has started to grow again. We have two new members who represent excellent additions. I invite you to check them out and add them to your regular blog reading (if you haven’t already):

• The Business Word by Don Johnson has become a must-read for anyone seeking coverage of the unfolding major Republican primary races in Colorado, with great analysis and interviews
• Michelle Morin is a leader in the Teller County Tea Party movement Coalition for a Conservative Majority in Colorado Springs, and her site Mom 4 Freedom has been a leading Colorado-based voice in the fight against Obama Care and other proposed costly government intrusions into our freedom

The Rocky Mountain Alliance 2.0 is proud to welcome both Don and Michelle aboard!

This morning I had the opportunity to follow up on this week’s Colorado political bombshell with the man at the center of the storm: state senate minority leader Josh Penry, of whom word leaked Monday that he had decided to withdraw from the Republican primary campaign for governor.

As a personal supporter of Penry’s candidacy and seeing evidence of his tremendous support among Colorado’s grassroots Republicans, I was greatly shocked and disappointed. In fact, it’s safe to say I’m still reeling from the revelation. Anyway, without further ado, here’s a quick recap of my interview this morning (please note that the following is somewhat excerpted and a close paraphrase rather than a direct quote): (more…)

Ninety-one years ago today “the war to end all wars” officially ended. Among the millions of dead were more than 100,000 brave American military servicemen out of hundreds of thousands who honorably served (including two of my great uncles: Bill DeGrow and John E. “Ed” DeGrow). In 1954 the commemoration, originally called Armistice Day, expanded to celebrate the service of all American veterans and became known as Veterans Day.

Today I join with the millions of other Americans who honor the men and women who have worn the uniform for their sacrificial service on behalf of our nation. I am especially grateful this year to see so many businesses offering promotions that benefit our active duty personnel and veterans.

It almost goes without saying that the United States is besieged these days by dangers without and dangers within. In that light, may God keep our Republic strong, and may God enfold all our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines — and their families — with firm guidance and loving protection.

Happy Veterans Day!

Candidates and politicians let us down a lot. But the philosophical and economic principles that underlie personal liberty and free markets are universal and timeless. So help spread the word. Another Free People Free Markets class has been announced for two Saturdays: January 30 and February 13, 2010. They’ll be here before you know it.

If you haven’t taken the class before, now is your opportunity. If you have, find a friend or loved one to sign up for the class. Sure, it costs $75. But it’s well worth it. Maybe you can put it on your Christmas list, or do the same for someone else: (more…)

PPC already has reported to my great disappointment and astonishment that Josh Penry has decided to withdraw from the Colorado governor’s race. Penry’s friend and former state representative Rob Witwer followed a few moments ago with a short statement:

Josh did an outstanding job framing the debate and articulating the need for change. He raised the level of Republican campaigns in Colorado, and for that he deserves a huge amount of credit. He leaves behind a winning playbook that should help Scott McInnis achieve victory next November.

But more to the story emerges from behind the scenes on this MSNBC report: (more…)

Twenty years ago today the Berlin Wall came down. Not exactly breaking news for my well-informed readers, but the significance of the event is hard to overstate. For five minutes of valuable reflection on the power of freedom with a stirring Beethoven soundtrack, check out this terrific video from the Competitive Enterprise Institute: (more…)

I was planning to post a notice today about the need to take action against the Pelosi version of Obama Care. And today is the time to do it! But being busy, I got permission to paste this email (with a couple slight tweaks) from a friend:

Hello to all!

If you want tax dollars funding abortions and for medical coverage to become less available, now is the time to do nothing! The house version of the health care “reform” bill will come up for a vote tomorrow (Saturday). (more…)

In a savvy political move that promotes a good, old-fashioned commonsense idea — something very rare in the halls of Congress — Republican U.S. Senate candidate Ken Buck has called on incumbent appointee Michael Bennet to join the bipartisan Congressional co-sponsorship of a very important transparency bill:

In an e-mail to Bennet, Buck, a Republican candidate for the Senate seat Bennet currently holds, wrote that “auditing Federal Reserve operations isn’t a political question. It’s a simple matter of good government and financial responsibility.”…

The Federal Reserve Sunshine Act would force the Fed to open its books to the Government Accountability Office. The bill has 30 Senate co-sponsors, and 309 representatives are co-sponsoring the House version of the bill. Six of Colorado’s seven representatives are co-sponsors, the release stated….

Considering Michael Bennet’s months of legendary indecision on union card-check legislation, it may be awhile before he takes a stance.

Sure, Federal Reserve transparency isn’t as controversial or as heavily lobbied as the Big Labor bill, so it shouldn’t take Michael Bennet THAT long to make up hid mind. What’s the over/under on the number of weeks for Colorado’s junior senator to take a stand on this issue? Since the bill was introduced in the Senate on March 16, by my reckoning Bennet has had more than 33 weeks already….

Two years ago today I posted a brief memoir in honor of what would have been my Grandpa’s 100th birthday. It was uplifting to go back and re-read what I wrote then — something that seldom happens with the many things I write here.

I wouldn’t change anything, except to add an update. Thanks to my brother’s experimentation, I now have a recipe for popcorn that very nearly resembles Grandpa’s very special, almost-world-famous concoction. In the past week I’ve made myself a few batches — even ate one batch while watching one of the World Series games. Good memories of good times nearly brought to life.

While I won’t be undertaking another series on gratitude this November, I’m still thankful for the legacy of my grandparents.

Remember: Don’t take for granted those you love. I can only begin to imagine the pain many are going through today whose loved ones were massacred in Fort Hood, Texas. If you are so moved and want to be a blessing and chip in some help in their time of need, Soldiers Angels is a great organization to give through.

In a Denver Post column today, Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott McInnis justifies his decision not to engage in debates with his primary opponents Josh Penry and Dan Maes: “I will work diligently over the next year to ensure that our party is unified, and that we avoid past mistakes where Republicans wrote the Democrats’ television commercials for them.”

So McInnis suggests not only that debates will inevitably lead to nasty personal infighting but also that party unity is his primary motivation for his no-debate strategy. However, was party unity his primary motivation: (more…)

Mount Virtus readers, this post will remain sticky through the end of the survey (November 13). For newer postings, please scroll down.

It’s that time again. Yes, El Presidente and I have commissioned and fashioned another survey that we hope you will take 10 minutes or so to complete — especially if you’re from Colorado.

These aren’t your run-of-the-mill quick-hit polls. Once again we’ve gone a little more in-depth. Some of the questions are the same. Some are new. One interesting added follow-up is asking what the most important factor is for you in choosing to support a Republican primary candidate for governor and U.S. Senate.

Click here to take the November 2009 Colorado online political survey

Your opinion counts. Take a few moments to make it happen. Not only show your support for candidates, but also let us know where you stand on key issues and give us some honest prognostication about the 2010 elections. The survey won’t be there forever, only until next Friday, November 13, 5 PM local Mountain time … Thanks for participating! We’ll get back to you with the results soon. Stay tuned.

Below the fold is the “official” release announcing the survey: (more…)

Everyone and his brother (a particularly strange piece of slang I picked up from my childhood) has been offering spin to explain why on an election night so good for Republicans and conservatives, insurgent Conservative Doug Hoffman came up short against Democrat Bill Owens. I think that’s looking at it the wrong way: given the facts and observations provided by Michael Patrick Leahy, it’s fairly remarkable Hoffman came as close as he did.

I spot three major factors Leahy cites that determined the outcome. First: (more…)

Yesterday Republican state senator Dave Schultheis announced he would be retiring from office in 2010. This evening a press release went out from (and about) one of my Leadership Program of the Rockies classmates:

Representative Kent Lambert, House District 14, will make a short public political announcement on Thursday, November 5, at 12:00 at the El Paso County Republican Headquarters, 205 Sutton Road, Colorado Springs, CO, 80907. An opportunity for media Q&A will follow. [link added]

Connection between the announcements of Schultheis and Lambert? It would be hard to speculate as anything else. You didn’t think Tom McDowell would go unchallenged in his quest for Senate District 9, did you?

No one has a stronger 2009 rating from the Colorado Union of Taxpayers than Kent Lambert.

Despite all the hoopla (much of it well-deserved) about the election results, let’s not lose focus on an easily overlooked issue that should factor into some of our important decisions for 2010 — namely, the Colorado Supreme Court delving into political questions of how our schools are funded in Lobato v State.

You now can listen to my recent 8-minute interview on this very topic with Brad Jones on Face The State Weekend edition.

Whether or not you get to listen, let me explain — no, let me sum up: The case for Clear The Bench Colorado is now overwhelming.

Quick reflections on last night’s election results …

National

The Bad: In what was a late insurgent campaign, conservative Doug Hoffman loses New York 23 (though Erick Erickson tries to spin it into a favorable light). Tax-limitation initiatives in Maine and Washington went down in flames.

The Good: Obviously, the Republican sweep in Virginia — governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, seven more seats in the state assembly — is the big national victory. And a Republican governor in New Jersey? Priceless.

Colorado Local

The Bad:

• Pro-union, anti-reform forces strike back and claim a narrow majority on the Denver school board
• Reformers Amy Attwood and Natalie Menten both narrowly lose Lakewood city council elections
• On the Jeffco school board, incumbent Richard Rush is taken out by liberal Paula Noonan

The Good:

• The Douglas County school board reform slate sweeps into power
• Other school board victories? Laura Boggs in Jeffco, Patrick Albright in Poudre
• Katie Witt cruised to a spot on the Longmont City Council
• Poorly-timed tax hike proposals were crushed in Colorado Springs and the Greeley School District

There will be time later for more responses and more in-depth analysis. Please feel free to share any results that caught your attention or insights I likely missed.