About 7 weeks ago I first laid the groundwork for the coming 2010 elections for the Colorado state house. Democrats hold a 37-27-1 edge (though essentially 38-27, since newly unaffiliated Rep. Kathleen Curry still sides more with the majority Democrats), which means Republicans need to switch six seats to capture control of the chamber. I have weighed each race according to the voter registration makeup, whether it's an incumbent or open seat, reported fundraising and cash on hand as of the end of 2009, and other intangible candidate strengths. Below I have ranked the races according to the likelihood that the seat will switch party control come November. With the caveat that a lot can change in the next few months based on new … [Read more...]
Archives for January 2010
Ryan Frazier’s Individual Contributions Nearly Top Ed Perlmutter’s Total Take
As fellow RMAer Don Johnson has noted, Republican 7th Congressional contender Ryan Frazier won a small but noteworthy victory by raising more money ($218,824) in the 4th quarter than incumbent Democrat Ed Perlmutter ($215,201). More notable is that Frazier very nearly raised as much money just from individual contributors ($215,074) as Perlmutter did altogether. The incumbent Democrat brought in nearly half his take from PACs and political committees -- including PACs belonging to corporations, trade groups, trial lawyers, labor unions and various liberal interest groups ($103,100 vs. $112,101 from individuals). Even with all the special interest heft that often comes with incumbency, Ed Perlmutter was narrowly outraised by Ryan … [Read more...]
Co-hosting Backbone Radio Sunday: Bloggers Take Over KNUS Airwaves
This Sunday evening from 5 PM to 8 PM I will be guest co-hosting Backbone Radio on AM 710 KNUS with fellow bloggers Joshua Sharf and the Peoples Press Collective's Tom James (not only local bloggers, but Leadership Program of the Rockies Class of 2006 takes over). With very few guests, it should be a good three hours of enlightening discussion and entertaining political banter. Go here to listen live. … [Read more...]
Friday Quick Hits: Obama Dissed, Arrogant Dems, Howard Zinn Eulogized
I hope you enjoy one or more of the following: David Freddoso at the Washington Examiner points out that Senate Democrats very quickly have killed President Obama's very modest "spending freeze" proposal before it barely had a chance to get going. Speaking of Obama, my PPC friends are licking their chops at the prospect of The One coming to Denver to stump for our appointed junior U.S. Senator Michael Bennet. Speaking of arrogance, guest writer Don Rodgers at Reclaim the Blue calls out Democrats in our state legislature for their hubris, after shoving through four of the Dirty Dozen tax bills on Wednesday (and are scheduled to hear the rest starting this morning) as a prelude to their dying political majority. Speaking of death, the … [Read more...]
Too Much “Transparancy” in Secretary of State’s New Campaign Finance Site?
Update, 9:00 PM: They fixed it. That's responsive, same-day government service for you! First of all, I have to commend to you the Secretary of State's work in creating the new TRACER campaign finance website, which is a more user-friendly, valuable tool than its predecessor. On the lighter side, while it's imperative for candidates and committees filling out important disclosures to cross their t's and dot their i's, someone should have checked on TRACER's main page to ensure the same level of accuracy: … [Read more...]
Tea Party Hero Jason Chaffetz Backs Congressional Candidate Scott Tipton
Locked in a primary against grassroots candidate Bob McConnell, Colorado 3rd Congressional District candidate Scott Tipton touts an endorsement that could go a long way with many in the Tea Party movement: … [Read more...]
Government Workers Now the Majority Among U.S. Union Members
A startling statistical development emerged last Friday, that you may have missed if you weren't paying attention too closely. New data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show that for the first time in U.S. history there are more union members working in government than working in the private sector. I sat down yesterday for a 9-minute iVoices podcast conversation with Brian Johnson, executive director of the Alliance for Worker Freedom, to explore the effects of the changing labor movement on the fight for liberty and limited government. Follow the link here or click on the play button below to listen: … [Read more...]
Stage Set for State Capitol Showdown on (Most of) Dirty Dozen Tax Hikes
Update: I'm not a big fan of the tax credits and exemptions per se. Some represent better policy than others. I would love to see a legislator propose an amendment that one or more of the tax credit revocations be offset by a general reduction to make it revenue-neutral. But since the Democrats' motivation with these "dirty dozen" bills is about scratching together more funds to help backfill the state budget, and not about creating a more equitable tax system with a minimal shared burden by businesses and consumers, I don't see the idea going anywhere. And that doesn't even bring us to the whole legal question of whether some or all of these bills violate TABOR in the state constitution because they raise taxes without a vote of the … [Read more...]
Watching State of the Union? Engage Republicans on Your Mobile Phone
Are you a political junkie who is planning to tune in to tonight's State of the Union address (9 PM Eastern / 7 PM local)? Why not have more fun by making it interactive? This sounds like a potentially interesting opportunity:For those on or off the same political page, they are invited to participate in the NRCC's live chat via SMS during President Obama’s State of the Union address. To participate, consumers can text either keyword, SOTU or STATE, to the short code 777218. After opting-in, consumers receive a text message that reads: "Thank you for participating in NRCC's State of the Union Text Chat. Look here on Wednesday 1/27 for the link to participate." Several hours before the State of the Union address, consumers will … [Read more...]
Barack Obama: Get Out of Debt by Maintaining Out-of-Control Spending?
What do I think of Barack Obama's so-called "spending freeze"? Imagine someone you know who's in a little bit of debt increasing his household spending until he maxes out all his credit cards, then reassuring the bank that he's going to stop increasing his spending rate for 3 years. Yeah, I guess it's good that he's not going to try to outlive his means any more than he already does. But then again, it doesn't really address the problem, does it? Check out this Red State diary for a more detailed and down-to-earth deconstruction. Or Al Maurer and the Cato Institute article he cites pointing out the true "smoke and mirrors" behind the "spending freeze" pronouncement. Then I recommend you go over to Hot Air and vote in Ed Morrissey's … [Read more...]
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