Mount Virtus

Despite the massive negative advertising campaigns and attempts to distract the voters with other issues, a major point that weighs on voters is what candidates want to do vis a vis federal government spending. Nowhere is this concern more salient than in the U.S. Senate race between Republican Ken Buck and appointed Democrat incumbent Michael Bennet (trying to hide his allegiance to President Obama’s agenda from Colorado voters).

You and I may not have time to analyze the details of how the respective candidates’ proposals will affect the already bloated federal budget and the debt my children already face, but the National Taxpayers Union (NTU) has done the work for us. Here’s the basic breakdown:

• Ken Buck’s total agenda would reduce net spending by $1.405 billion, a modest start in the right direction — though as the Heritage Foundation has shown, there is room to cut $343 billion from next year’s budget
• On the other hand, Michael Bennet’s total agenda would increase net spending by $7.345 billion, more of the same bad policy medicine we can’t afford

That’s a projected difference of $8.5 billion, frankly not a lot in the scheme of the mammoth federal budget but an indicator nonetheless of some key differences on a major issue. Thanks to NTU for at least clearing up matters a bit.

…Of deconstructing polls there is no end; and much political analysis is a weariness of the flesh. (A gold star to the first reader who catches the reference)

It’s less than a week until the midterm election. We’re being bombarded by polls. But simply put, they’re not all created equal. In some cases, the problem is easier to see than in others. Take for example the new CNN/Time poll on Colorado races with a mix of credible and incredible top-line results (H/T Complete Colorado). The Denver Post‘s Curtis Hubbard picks up on some of the survey schizophrenia. This one merits a closer look.

First, the seemingly credible: Republican Ken Buck leads appointed Democrat incumbent Michael Bennet in the U.S. Senate race, 47-46.

Then there’s the incredible governor’s race finding: (more…)

The desperate silly season of electoral politics is upon us. Nowhere does the silliness and desperation resound more than from the campaign of an out-of-touch liberal Congressional incumbent in the fight for his political life. Look no further than my home district, Colorado’s 7th, where Congressman Ed Perlmutter has fired a wild miss:

Incumbent Democrat Rep. Ed Perlmutter has hit an all-time low in a desperate attempt to keep his fading political career alive. His latest attack ad wrongly criticizes Ryan Frazier for missing half of his volunteer board meetings at High Point Academy, the public charter school Frazier co-founded. Perlmutter’s attack ad has even disappointed the Board President of High Point Academy, Brandon Wyszynski.

(more…)

Update, 10/25: Casting further doubt on the Denver Post / SurveyUSA poll is today’s release from the Democrat-leaning Public Policy Polling, which finds Hickenlooper up 47-44 over Tancredo, with only 5 percent in the Maes camp. This poll was conducted after both Magellan and SurveyUSA — from Thursday, October 21, to Saturday, October 23. (H/T Curtis Hubbard, The Spot)

On Friday conservatives were treated to the release of poll results from Magellan Strategies showing Tom Tancredo narrowly trailing John Hickenlooper 44-43 in the governor’s race. This morning readers opened up the Denver Post to see its SurveyUSA poll showing Hickenlooper with a 49-39 lead over Tancredo. In both polls Dan Maes is stuck at 9 percent.

The Magellan poll was conducted on Wednesday and has a margin of error plus/minus 3 points (1,067 likely voters). The SurveyUSA poll was conducted between Tuesday and Thursday with a margin of error plus/minus 4 points (621 likely voters). So we’re looking at the same time frame, but the margins of error don’t overlap. The rules of logic dictate that one of the two polls has to be wrong. In my estimation the Magellan results are closer to reality, not because they comport with my own wishes but for the following reasons: (more…)

Editor’s note: This post is a guest contribution authored by U.S. Congressman Kevin McCarthy (R – CA).

Every two years Americans hold their members of Congress accountable. If they have done a good job representing them they send them back to Washington, but if they fail to lead they can be replaced.

The last few years, we’ve seen the effects of failed Democratic policies. Unemployment is too high, businesses are uncertain about the future and are holding back from hiring and investing, and we’re trillions of dollars deeper in debt.

Americans want fresh, new, conservative leaders to find solutions to these problems. Today in Colorado, I campaigned with one of those new leaders, Young Gun candidate Ryan Frazier.

(more…)

In this weird political season, the Los Angeles Times political blog compiles the Top 10 weirdest moments of the 2010 political campaign. Coming in at number 10, from my own backyard:

Only two of the top 10 moments came from U.S. House races, and my own Colorado 7th CD made the list. I’m not sure whether to be astounded or proud or embarrassed… or maybe just amused. I’ll save the satisfaction until Election Night.

Of course, it was the prolific National Review Colorado blogger Michael Sandoval who first brought attention to Ed Perlmutter’s slaphappy moment that well may go down as part of the closing chapter of the liberal Democrat’s Congressional career. Can you see the political wave a-comin’?

Update / Clarification: Michael Sandoval wasn’t the first to mention the slapping incident online. Lynn Bartels mentioned it at the end of her Denver Post story on the debate, but Sandoval was the first to post the video and feature the incident as a headline story. (Adam Schrager of 9News probably wrote about it, too, in the hours after the debate, but I can’t find a link.)

With the depths of election season upon us, most of the political advertising on TV and radio has us gasping for fresh air and a hot shower. Not so Michael Fallon, whose new attack ad on liberal incumbent Rep. Diana DeGette makes a sharp point effectively without being obnoxious or offensive:

The ad follows a clever 30-second spot that aired in September, introducing Fallon to voters in the largely Democratic Denver First Congressional District. I know he has rejected any longer-term aspirations for political office, but the grassroots and leadership of the GOP ought to be able to come together on recruiting Dr. Fallon for a future bid. He is doing the Party and the cause of limited, fiscally responsible government a real service.

This is a great piece of news to read today from my next Congressman Ryan Frazier, and it comes not a moment too soon:

Former 7th CD Rep. Bob Beauprez Backs Ryan Frazier, Declares Perlmutter Corrupt

More evidence Washington has changed Ed Perlmutter

Aurora, CO – Ryan Frazier, candidate for the 7th Congressional District, today announced the endorsement of former 7th Congressional District Rep. Bob Beauprez. Beauprez honorably served in the seat for 4 years before running for governor.

Incumbent Rep. Ed Perlmutter’s (D-Golden) desperate campaign has consistently tried to use Beauprez’s comments in the primary election against Frazier, rather than defend a 98.3% voting record with Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

“Those who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones,” Beauprez said. “Ed Perlmutter voted for a health care bill a majority of people didn’t want, a stimulus that didn’t work, bailouts to companies that padded his own campaign funds, and he inserted a sweetheart deal into legislation that benefited a bank in which he owns stock.”

Beauprez is referring to a Washington Times article that reported Perlmutter’s abuse of Congressional power to sneak in an amendment to the Cap-and-Trade bill that would’ve benefited a large bank which he partially owns.

“Perlmutter is not only wrong, he’s corrupt,” Beauprez concluded. “That’s why I’m supporting Ryan Frazier – someone who actually knows what the people of the 7th District want and need.” [link added]

Yesterday it was the 30-second Amendment 63 animation of Obamacare-inspired jailhouse fear. Today, one of my Independence Institute colleagues did it again. Compliments of Mothers Against Debt, sit back and enjoy two minutes worth of educational programming you won’t see on PBS:

Not on PBS, but it does have a little bit of that Schoolhouse Rock flavor — minus the funky 70s music. Regardless, the important message is one we all need to latch onto.

Update, 10/13: I know I gave Bennet too much credit for his mealy-mouthed opposition to “the language in that bill,” but couldn’t resist the opportunit for snark. Writing at Denver Business Journal, Ed Sealover expounds further.

While it may be true that all good things must come to an end, that’s not necessarily the case for things that have been trapped in a state of crystallized indecision for many, many months. In the case of Michael Bennet and card-check, though, it was. On February 10, 2009, I first wrote about the appointed Colorado Senator’s Big Labor-sponsored legislative dilemma. Lo, these more than 600 days later, the Denver Post reports Bennet had an epiphany:

After more than a year of equivocating on the Employee Free Choice Act, which would greatly ease union organizing, Bennet said: “I would not support the language in that bill.” Business leaders who have been demanding opposition from Bennet immediately jumped on the words as great encouragement.

“With jobs and the economy being the top issue on the minds of Colorado voters, it’s great news for Colorado small business and individual workers that both candidates said in tonight’s debate that they oppose EFCA,” said Sandra Hagen Solin, state director of the Coalition for Colorado Jobs. “We are very pleased to hear Sen. Bennet, after months of silence, tell Colorado voters that he opposes the bill.”

I never thought I’d see the day. You know, some might chalk it up to election season convenience, but do we really need to be so cynical about the political process? Senator Bennet, thank you for seeing the light on card-check in the final months of your term in office.

It’s becoming a tradition. As of this evening, I have posted online my ballot with informed recommendations based on my personal inclinations, for whatever they are worth. The online ballot includes all Colorado statewide issues and one local issue, with a discussion of each, along with the candidates for whom I plan to vote (some of which include explanations).

Perhaps I should be flattered, but here’s hoping you don’t agree with me on every last point. Not that I take it to the extreme of one of the greatest conservative political philosophers of the 20th century, of whom William Buckley, Jr., once famously said: “As hard as it is to disagree with Harry Jaffa, it’s even harder to agree with him.” Even so, I hope you find it useful.

Colorado drivers, look around you. Okay, keep your eyes on the road. Of course. But if you’re motoring along highways throughout the state, you may see one of the 100 famous Who Said You Said billboards spread throughout Colorado (86 in the Denver metro area and 7 each in Fort Collins and Grand Junction):

The billboards invite citizens to “Stop Payment” on reckless ?spending by visiting WhoSaidYouSaid.com and send “Stop Payment”? notices to those officeholders. Federal spending has ballooned to $3.7 trillion, we have a $1 trillion budget deficit and are $13 trillion in debt.

Take some time today and send these representatives a “Stop Payment” notice.

Breitbart TV has taken notice of the billboard campaign; why not you? If you’re around Denver or one of the other two cities anytime in the next month, then you can get in on the scavenger hunt excitement…. (more…)

One of the silent joys I plan to take on Election Night will be watching the defeat of Florida Democratic Congressman Alan Grayson, truly a despicable figure and, as this NRCC ad puts it (H/T Redstate’s Moe Lane), using his own words to make the case, a “national embarrassment”:

As Hot Air reports, even a liberal MSNBC interviewer had to call Grayson on the carpet for his outrageous attack ad against his Republican opponent Daniel Webster, an ad that took Webster’s recorded comments out of context to make them sound like he said the exact opposite. Watch Grayson dissemble on the cable news program, and you’ll soon join me in rejoicing at his coming defeat.

And if you need a good laugh along the way, watch a good out-of-context spoof ad thrown back in Alan Grayson’s direction.

The Denver Post‘s Michael Booth is to be commended for his efforts: He’s working really hard to bolster the flagging campaign of appointed junior U.S. Senator Michael Bennet. Maybe it’s some sort of “Michael B” bond. Who knows? Though artificially inflating Bennet’s hopes in the end isn’t a terribly kind thing to do.

Seriously, a new Rasmussen survey comes out today showing Ken Buck breaking the 50 percent mark at 51-43, confirming a trend of independent polls that have the Republican challenger beating Bennet outside the margin of error. Yet Booth leads with a Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) poll showing Bennet with a statistically insignificant lead of 48-46. (more…)

We already knew that my Congressman, liberal Democrat Ed Perlmutter, can twist himself into knots defending the Death Tax. But today Perlmutter went further, providing the decisive vote on the House floor (210-209) to adjourn Congress to keep from voting on extending the Bush tax cuts that would provide relief to my family and millions of others.

Thirty-nine Democrats voted against adjournment to give a chance to debate tax relief. But not Ed Perlmutter. The official response from the campaign of Republican challenger Ryan Frazier:

“Ed decided to skip town early rather than vote to get our nation’s economy back on track,” Tyler Q. Houlton, Ryan Frazier’s Campaign spokesman, said. “Ed would rather put his reelection chances above the interests of our constituents here in the 7th Congressional District.”

As my fellow Colorado blogger Rossputin notes about the narrow margin on the adjournment vote: “The Obama/Pelosi/Reid agenda is now officially on life support…” Perlmutter has helped to ensure the IV drip continues a little while longer.

Time to come home for good, Ed. Time to come home.