Update, 5:00 PM: Witticism of the day goes to the Wall Street Journal’s James Taranto, who observes that “[Reid's] success to this point seems something of a miracle–an inspiration to dour, foolish men everywhere.”

Was that one of the painful throes of sheer desperation we heard from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid yesterday?

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid took his GOP-blasting rhetoric to a new level Monday, comparing Republicans who oppose health care reform to lawmakers who clung to the institution of slavery more than a century ago….

“Instead of joining us on the right side of history, all the Republicans can come up with is, ‘slow down, stop everything, let’s start over.’ If you think you’ve heard these same excuses before, you’re right,” Reid said Monday. “When this country belatedly recognized the wrongs of slavery, there were those who dug in their heels and said ‘slow down, it’s too early, things aren’t bad enough.’”

Wow, what an apt analogy comparing us pesky ObamaCare opponents with the 19th century American defenders of chattel slavery because, you know, ObamaCare is so much about liberty. How else would you explain the extra layers of costly medical bureaucracy awaiting Americans if we vote for Harry Reid’s idea of health care reform: (more…)

After a busy weekend, all I have to offer are a few worthwhile reads for a Monday:

• Last week Craig Steiner wrote an insightful piece titled “On GOP Unity in Colorado”, especially worthwhile for those who have followed the intense controversy around the “Platform for Prosperity” and misappropriated Tea Party endorsements
• My Independence Institute colleague Jessica Peck Corry tackles the issue of church-state boundaries and public religious displays in a new Colorado Springs Gazette column, just in time for the Christmas holiday season
• Compliments of The Climate Realists, Marc Sheppard at American Thinker explains the now-infamous “Hide the Decline” in the Climategate fraud: simply a must-read that only adds to the sting of an unseasonably bitter cold Colorado day

It’s Friday, time to lighten up … Remember all those extra phantom congressional districts on the $18 million federal government boondoggle Recovery.gov? Well, apparently they provide a fabulous educational opportunity. Compliments of the Franklin Center and the Colbert Report, here’s your chance to learn about Connecticut’s “Fighting” 42nd Congressional District. Prepare to laugh: (more…)

ARVADA–Add one more to the list of Republican candidates for Colorado’s 7th Congressional District. This morning at DiCicco’s Restaurant in Old Town Arvada, U.S. Navy veteran and former McCain presidential senior staff member Lang Sias told a crowd of about 20 supporters that he was officially throwing his hat into the ring to challenge incumbent Congressman Ed Perlmutter.

Sias — an Arvada resident and father of two (soon to be three) — touted the need for “mature, commonsense, fiscally conservative principles” in Washington, D.C., as well as for bringing down the federal debt and reforming tax and trade policies. Calling on his national security credentials, he observed: “There is evil in the world, and we can’t ignore it or charm it away.”

Acknowledging his status as a formerly registered Democrat, Sias said his goal is to run an inclusive campaign, “to reach out to the great forgotten middle.” (more…)

Education News Colorado editor Alan Gottlieb offers up a laugh about the new Denver Public Schools board calling in a therapist to help everyone get along. In case you haven’t heard, it was all brought on by some low-class politics at Monday’s board meeting (H/T Ed Is Watching):

As board member Michelle Moss walked up to take her seat for what was to be her last meeting in eight years representing southwest Denver, her newly elected replacement Andrea Merida told her that she would be sitting on the dais instead.

Merida, rather than waiting to take the oath of office with two other new members after the meeting, had instead been sworn in hours earlier so she could cast a vote on the controversial reforms.

A shocked Moss reacted with tears and anger. (more…)

Given yesterday’s and today’s weather here in the Mile High City, it only seems fitting to write about the latest in the Climategate fallout. Two quick Thursday reads:

• Our own hometown journalist David Harsanyi explains clearly why we have a reason to be skeptical
• The Wall Street Journal‘s Bret Stephens says if you want to understand why scientists were so eager to quash dissent, and manipulate and throw out data: “Follow the Money”
• The Washington Times reports that a Competitive Enterprise Institute scholar is pushing hard for NASA to release its raw climate data, too

While you ponder the obnoxious deception of it all and the opportunity for a backlash to help set things aright, don’t forget to bundle up today.

I listened carefully to Barack Obama’s West Point speech yesterday evening — at least as best I could while indulging the important concerns of the two Little Virtuses and ultimately having to turn off the radio to sit down for dinner. By that point I could tell the speech had dragged on too long for the relatively small amount of substance it contained.

I don’t need to go into great depth: Powerline’s Paul Mirengoff and Red State’s Erick Erickson offer excellent analyses of the politics, policies and rhetoric. (And Don Johnson asks where Colorado Republican Senatorial hopefuls Jane Norton, Ken Buck and Tom Wiens come down on Afghanistan.)

Meanwhile, if you want to find the depth of substance on the military challenges we face, and in Afghanistan in particular, the clarity and substance that was lacking in Obama’s speech — presented more pointedly and concisely — I recommend you read Victor Davis Hanson’s October address “The Future of Western War” in the latest (November 2009) edition of Hillsdale’s Imprimis.

Colorado Republicans need to win four seats in the upcoming 2010 elections to win back a majority in the state senate. While such a development remains improbable at the moment, it’s certainly not outside the realm of possibility. Of the 35 four-year seats in the chamber, 19 are contested in 2010 (including two for special election). Of those 19 seats:

• 4 are Democrat incumbents facing re-election to a second term
• 4 are open seats currently held by Democrats
• 3 are Democrat incumbents seeking their first election to the seat after filling a vacancy
• 5 are Republican incumbents facing re-election to a second term
• 2 are open seats currently held by Republicans
• 1 is a Republican incumbent seeking his first election to the seat after filling a vacancy

Here’s my amateur estimation a year ahead of the game, based on a mix of conservative and optimistic projections… Of the 8 Republican seats, only one (the open seat in Senate District 2) can be considered reasonably in play. And with the Democrats having to play defense in several other districts (see below), picking up this one should not be too likely either.

Meanwhile, of the 11 Democratic seats up for grabs, 6 are safe, 1 has a Democrat edge to hold, 3 are up for grabs, and 1 is a likely Republican pick-up. Excluding the safe seats, here are the races as I see them in order of probable Republican success (disclaimer: as in everything related to politics, projections like these are subject to change based on a host of factors — please consider this a first read 11 months before the election as a snapshot in time): (more…)

Update, 12/2: More valuable insights from Joshua Sharf.

First, the Denver Post‘s Dan Haley weighed in on the Republicans’ “Platform for Prosperity.” Today, the story went national with coverage from Wall Street Journal reporter Stephanie Simon, and a quote from from one of my favorite grassroots activists (in spite of her misplaced football loyalties):

Republicans, however, said the platform would prompt voters to focus on the party’s message, rather than their feelings about individual candidates. “People can vote for the agenda,” said Tom Tancredo, a former Republican congressman who had been mulling a run for governor.

But Nikki Mata, a conservative activist in suburban Denver, said that such a strategy misses the point of the tea-party movement. Endorsements and platforms matter less to her and her fellow activists, she said, than their gut feelings about whether a candidate would shake things up — or would cave in to the establishment. (more…)

With so many other outrages going on in the Obama administration, you can be forgiven if you’re not aware of the stonewalling at the U.S. Department of Labor. After months of bureaucratic wrangling, the National Right to Work Foundation was compelled to file a lawsuit to get the Labor Department to disclose its officials’ connections to Big Labor organizations.

The Washington Examiner‘s Mark Hemingway has been among those leading the way on this story. Last week he deftly noted how Barack Obama’s first-day-in-office memo that the Freedom of Information Act “should be administered with a clear presumption: In the face of doubt, openness prevails” has been a big joke at the Labor Department.

This morning, Hemingway’s insider sources tell him that the FOIA and lawsuit threat “have caused [the Labor Department] to go nuts.” Maybe some enterprising soul could compare the reaction to the bright light of sunshine causing cockroaches to scurry for cover. (more…)

You thought Governor Bill Ritter’s ethical troubles with his inaugural fund were old news? You thought the saga of Ritter staffer and Obama US Attorney nominee Stephanie Villafuerte would only make one headline today?

Well, my friends, things may have grown much more intriguing with the revelation in a new investigation from my Independence Institute colleague Todd Shepherd: (more…)

Denver Post editorial page editor Dan Haley and I at times certainly disagree. But one observation in his Sunday column deserves a hearty “Amen”:

Too bad voters can’t be trusted with such matters as electing their leaders. At some point, party insiders need to shed their irrational fear of primaries and realize they can actually help candidates.

What’s at issue? Well, the sense of unity supposedly fostered by Republican leaders’ new “Contract for Colorado” — er, “Platform for Prosperity”. The fact that it was drafted for the party’s rank-and-file as a way to determine our candidate for us has not sat well. Especially without a grassroots escape clause. (more…)

Climategate deniers, unready to admit that the emperor has come undressed before their eyes, are aptly parodied in a YouTube video that’s worth the 3 minutes of sheer amusement: (more…)

Update, 12/14: This evening during the 10:00 hour I will be discussing the Every Member Option political refund on the Jon Caldara Show — listen live at 850 KOA. We’ll be focusing on the response of Colorado’s largest local teachers’ union in the December edition of the JCEA Insight (PDF), just as we did on this recent iVoices podcast (click the play button below or follow this link):

Update, 12/11: Tomorrow (Saturday) at 1:30 PM local Mountain time I will be discussing the Every Member Option political refund and other union issues on Grand Junction’s “Getting It Right” show with Rick Wagner. You can listen live on AM 1100 KNZZ. On Sunday evening at 7:30 PM local time I will be on Denver’s Backbone Radio with John Andrews to discuss the same topic. Listen live on AM 710 KNUS.

Update, 12/8: You have two chances tomorrow morning to hear me talk about the CEA’s Every Member Option political refund (December 15 deadline). At 11 AM, I’ll be on the Mike Rosen Show (AM 850 KOA). At 11:30, I’ll be on the Jim Pfaff Show (AM 560). Thanks for listening!

Update, 12/4: I am slated to be on the Jeff Crank Show Saturday at 8:30 AM to explain the Every Member Option refund deadline to a Colorado Springs-area audience. A podcast of the appearance will be available here after the show.

Update, 12/3: Jon Caldara highlights the “sinister” response of certain union officials to the Every Member Option refund message.

Update, 12/2: Gotta B Right and Tony’s Rants and Business Word take notice of the EMO political refund option for teachers, too. … So has Combs Spouts Off. Looks like the word is spreading …

Are you a Colorado public school teacher? Or perhaps a friend or loved one? If so, do you or (s)he belong to the union? Are you interested in getting back your money that the union spends on politics? If you answered Yes to these questions, then the following video about the Every Member Option (EMO) political refunds is for you:

You can cut to the chase and go straight to the CEA’s EMO online refund request page, or find all the information you’ll need for the EMO refunds from CEA and local unions on the Independent Teachers website.

Or go ahead and listen to an EMO overview and some frequently asked questions on a 3-minute podcast by clicking the play button below (if you can’t see the player, or it doesn’t work, click here to listen):

In any case, the information is only valuable if teachers know about it and act on it by December 15. (Teachers in the AFT union have a political refund, too, but no deadline to request it.) Then they’ll have to wait to next school year. So please help spread the word!

A few items to commend to readers:

• Michelle Morin has eloquently recounted the historical origins of Thanksgiving
• Mr. Bob has posted a nostalgic video of a Thanksgiving greeting from our former president Ronald Reagan.
• Don’t forget you can find my 2008 series of “What I’m Thankful For” on one convenient page

With that, I’ll leave a Thanksgiving meditation from Scripture, Psalm 145 (with passages that caught my attention highlighted in bold):

1 I will extol You, my God, O King,
And I will bless Your name forever and ever.
2 Every day I will bless You,
And I will praise Your name forever and ever.
3 Great is the LORD, and highly to be praised,
And His greatness is unsearchable.
4 One generation shall praise Your works to another,
And shall declare Your mighty acts.
5 On the glorious splendor of Your majesty
And on Your wonderful works, I will meditate.
6 Men shall speak of the power of Your awesome acts,
And I will tell of Your greatness.
7 They shall eagerly utter the memory of Your abundant goodness
And will shout joyfully of Your righteousness.
8 The LORD is gracious and merciful;
Slow to anger and great in lovingkindness.
9 The LORD is good to all,
And His mercies are over all His works.
10 All Your works shall give thanks to You, O LORD,
And Your godly ones shall bless You.
11 They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom
And talk of Your power;
12 To make known to the sons of men Your mighty acts
And the glory of the majesty of Your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
And Your dominion endures throughout all generations.
14 The LORD sustains all who fall
And raises up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all look to You,
And You give them their food in due time.
16 You open Your hand
And satisfy the desire of every living thing.
17 The LORD is righteous in all His ways
And kind in all His deeds.
18 The LORD is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth.
19 He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;
He will also hear their cry and will save them.
20 The LORD keeps all who love Him,
But all the wicked He will destroy.
21 My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD,
And all flesh will bless His holy name forever and ever.