Public forums for political candidates can provide some elucidating moments. Take yesterday’s Windsor Gardens event with House District 6 rivals: incumbent Democrat Rep. Lois Court and Republican challenger Joshua Sharf. Joshua recounts some of the event on his blog:

…what struck me most was my opponent’s claim that she votes how her constituents would vote on a given issue. In fact, her priorities seem to be far more arcane and abstruse than the concerns I’ve heard people talking about, and had she held more than three town hall meetings in the last two years, Rep. Court might have known that. When I knock on people’s doors, we talk about the budget, the economy, jobs, and education. Rep. Court’s priorities are public financing of campaigns.

Why public financing of campaigns? Well, watch this 90-second clip from the forum where Rep. Court provided an eye-opening remark: (more…)

First it was Tom Tancredo. Today, Complete Colorado releases the second in its creative Real Gubernatorial Genius series, featuring John Hickenlooper — “Mr. Avoid All Controversy Until the Election’s Over.” Another minute well spent that is sure to crack a smile:

The third and final edition featuring Dan Maes is due out on Friday.

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.

Republican state treasurer candidate Walker Stapleton, fresh off an endorsement from the Colorado Springs Gazette, has unveiled a clever gimmick to drive his message home as we reach the closing weeks of election season. Called Bounce The Bureaucrat, it highlights the campaign’s primary message of Stapleton’s private sector experience versus incumbent Democrat Cary Kennedy’s career in government jobs.

The cute bouncing graphic of Cary Kennedy — who once famously declared her support for a ballot measure to “drive a stake in the heart of” your constitutional taxpayer protections — not surprisingly leads users to Stapleton’s fundraising page. The race could be a close one. As of last week’s campaign financial reports, Kennedy had raised $762,681 and spent most of it to have just over $30,000 on hand. Along with $250,000 in loans, Stapleton had raised $574,028 and was left with nearly $320,000 in the war chest.

With so much going on in the final weeks of election season, you don’t want to miss the point of why Colorado needs to adopt Amendment 63 on our statewide ballot. Watch this terrific 30-second healthcare reform video (and I’m not just saying that because my voice plays the all-important role of Felon #1), and pass it on to all your eligible Colorado voting friends and loved ones:

If you need the serious in-depth arguments for Amendment 63, read this Denver Post op-ed or visit the informative Patient Power blog. Or just remember… if you hate Obama Care, you’ll love Amendment 63!

A few weeks ago I brought your attention to the devious and deceitful work of the poorly-named Democratic 527 group Accountability for Colorado. The group is heavily funded by teachers unions and the ultra-liberal billionaire tag team of Pat Stryker and Tim Gill, among others.

Accountability for Colorado’s dishonest attack fliers, radio ads and robo-calls against Republican state house candidates — using some of the same recycled outlandish arguments regardless of the candidate — have prompted inquiries to local District Attorney offices, specifically from Karen Cullen (HD 18) and Tom Janich (HD 31).

The latest candidate I’m aware of to have the local D.A. investigate the use of bizarre slanders from Accountability for Colorado is my own state house candidate Libby Szabo. Obviously, I won’t dignify the obnoxious attacks by repeating them — except to say specifically that some of them fail to comport with reality and at least one is so off-the-wall and out of left field that it really shows more about Lefty desperation than anything else. (more…)

Three weeks before Election Day. I can’t think of a better time to lighten the mood. It almost goes without saying that it’s healthy not to take political candidates (even those we may support) too seriously. In that spirit, the creative minds and voices at Complete Colorado present the first edition of “Real Gubernatorial Genius”:

Complete Colorado believes in equal opportunity satire (and if you’re not visiting the site regularly to stay updated on all the in-state news you need to know, now is the time to change that unfortunate oversight). Having heard this edition is just the first in the series, I look forward to the sequels featuring other candidates for governor.

My sources inside the Douglas County Republican Party report that they held a Central Committee meeting today to help resolve some of the issues surrounding the controversy over party volunteer leadership supporting third-party gubernatorial candidate Tom Tancredo. About 180 of 350 eligible Central Committee members (including elected officials, Executive Board, District Captains and Precinct Committee People) participated. According to sources, two bits of news to share:

1. In a straw poll to measure support for governor, the 180 respondents voted 27 percent for Republican Dan Maes and 67 percent for Tom Tancredo, with 1 percent going to Democrat John Hickenlooper and 5 percent still undecided.
2. An attempt to remove voting privileges of Central Committee members who openly support non-Republican candidate Tom Tancredo fell short of even receiving the initial 25 percent needed to begin the process and give notice.

One source who was present says:

The meeting was efficient and cordial. The District Captains did not want to have a witch hunt, and most of them stressed the need for Party unity…not meaning that we needed to think alike, but that we needed to work together effectively for the coming election.

The weakening, fading Maes campaign lacks the basic grassroots support to conduct a party purge. With plummeting poll numbers and Dan Maes himself sending signals of trying to find a dignified way to drop out of the race (while also praising Democrat Hickenlooper’s “moderate business acumen,” the news from Douglas County — deep-red Colorado Republican territory — is no surprise. But an interesting development nonetheless, one that signals a small but growing hope of success for conservatives in the upcoming governor’s race.

Colorado Democratic Attorney General candidate Stan Garnett has unleashed campaign broadsides at incumbent Republican John Suthers for accepting campaign contributions from members of the payday lending industry while fulfilling his legal duty to help write new industry regulations. Certainly not illegal, but Garnett contended that Suthers should avoid the appearance of impropriety and return the contributions.

But should the same standard apply, of all campaigns, to Stan Garnett? What about accepting campaign contributions from attorneys with pending cases before the state, cases the Attorney General will have to defend. Should Garnett return these contributions? (more…)

A little over a month ago, just before the ballots were to be printed, a lot of politically-attuned Coloradans were discussing and debating whether Republican gubernatorial nominee Dan Maes should drop out of the race. With the revelation of a not-so-secret meeting this week between Maes and third-party conservative candidate Tom Tancredo, the discussion has regained some momentum — though Maes insists he’s not going anywhere. (I am pretty sure he wasn’t referring to his campaign’s fundraising and polling trend, but he could have been).

Mount Virtus does not employ an election lawyer, but today I play one on my blog. Questions have arisen about the legality of it all: What happens if Maes drops out? Will he be replaced? Will his votes count for someone else? What’s the deadline to take action? Let’s look at a couple excerpts from Colorado Revised Statutes 1-4-1002: (more…)

(H/T Who Said You Said)

Another reason for conservatives to unite their support behind the more electable candidate for governor: Democrat John Hickenlooper is going to perpetuate the Bill Ritter legacy and coddle government employee unions. Specifically, Hick wouldn’t want to revoke Ritter’s executive order giving union leaders gold-plated access to state government for fear of hurting somebody’s feelings — even if some state employees have suffered. Wow, what leadership:

Meanwhile, as WSYS reports:

Contrast the mayor’s comments with those of Tom Tancredo, the American Constitution Party candidate, who on Friday released a statement that read, “I’ll repeal the Executive Order unionizing state government before lunch on my first day. What about you, Mr. Mayor?

Well, I guess we have our answer now. And the race for Colorado’s next governor becomes that much clearer a decision.

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.

Last week I highlighted the political giving of Colorado education-related groups, making several observations. Among them was the fact that none of the groups — not even the pro-reform **Stand for Children small donor committee — had supported a single Republican candidate.

But I wrote too soon. They just hadn’t reported it yet. An Ed News Colorado story today highlights that Stand for Children has backed some of its Republican (and other) endorsements with campaign cash: (more…)

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…)