From today's Denver Post:Voters who elected Republican Scott Brown to the U.S. Senate seat held by Democrat Edward Kennedy for 47 years sent a clear message that they expect Washington to listen to their concerns, Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet said. "Last night, the voters of Massachusetts didn't just elect a senator; they sent a message to Washington that I have heard all across Colorado — they want their leaders to listen to them and not the special interests," Bennet said. "They want us to focus on jobs, on lowering the cost of health care, and holding Wall Street accountable. They expect results, and it's up to me and the rest of Washington to deliver." Senator Bennet should have added, "And after a year of being in the Senate, … [Read more...]
Archives for January 2010
Brilliant! Poli Sci Profs Find One Creative Way to Make Obama Care Math Add Up
Yesterday two political science professors -- one from Yale and one from Georgetown -- had a column published in the Washington Post titled "After Massachusetts, why the Democrats should still pass health-care reform." Here is the argument they make (apparently) with a straight face:The bills in Congress hardly enjoy runaway popularity. But the problem isn't that health-care reform itself is unpopular. It is that people are turned off by the current debate about it. And those repelled by what is happening in Washington include a lot of liberals as well as conservatives. In a recent nationwide CNN poll, for example, 10 percent of respondents opposed reform from the left because they felt it was not liberal enough. Another 40 percent … [Read more...]
Tax on a Fee? Thank Bill Ritter, Diane Primavera and Colorado Democrats
Thanks to the Democrats in the state legislature, a new tire-waste disposal fee isn't good enough: You're also getting taxed on the fee! Yes, that's right. Check out the new report created by my Independence Institute colleague Todd Shepherd:Imagine paying for your new car tags, and the person behind the counter also assesses a sales tax on your total tag price. Or imagine paying a government toll on a highway, and sales tax is assessed to the toll as well. It may sound far-fetched, but when you purchase new tires, it's happening. … [Read more...]
Please Consider Supporting My Friend Libby Szabo for House District 27
I'm excited to be able to share the news that conservative Republican Libby Szabo -- one of my favorite people -- has announced she is running to be my next state representative. She will be a formidable challenger to incumbent Democrat and Ritter disciple Sara Gagliardi in a very winnable race. Below the fold is a copy of Libby's press release announcing her campaign: … [Read more...]
Time to Get Up to Speed on Proposed Colorado FASTER Late Fee Repeals
(H/T Complete Colorado) The new Colorado News Agency gets the scoop and breaks down the details on a series of bills and debates that will make one of the hottest stories out of the legislative session this year: the proposed repeals of late fees in Governor Bill Ritter and the Democrats' 2009 FASTER legislation. Pardon the pun, but the state's fiscally conservative bloggers definitely need to get up to speed on this issue... and fast. … [Read more...]
No Shocker: Daily Kos Poll Skewed, Michael Bennet is Actually Behind
So the Democrats' Research 2000/Daily Kos crew has released a poll today showing incumbent appointed U.S. Senator Michael Bennet one point ahead of leading Republican challenger Jane Norton. But, you say, wasn't it just Friday -- three days ago -- that Rasmussen had Norton up 12 points on Bennet? Rasmussen's margin of error (MOE) is 4.5 points, which means at the bottom end Norton is ahead of Bennet by 7.5. Research 2000's MOE is 4 points, which means at the top end Norton is ahead of Bennet by 3. Since the two polls were conducted at virtually the same time, the obvious conclusion is that one (or both) of them simply is wrong. So whom do we trust? I don't have access to any of Rasmussen's internals, but Research 2000/Daily Kos shows … [Read more...]
Dan Maes Tops Scott McInnis: January Colorado Political Survey Results
Introducing the detailed release of results from our January edition of the Survey of Colorado's Political Temperature (click "Fullscreen" for best view): January 2010 Colorado's Political Temperature Survey Results Thanks again to everyone who participated. And congratulations to our candidate winners this time around: Dan Maes, Ken Buck, Cory Gardner, Ryan Frazier and J.J. Ament. Our plan is to work on some limited cross-tab analysis of these results. If you have any interest in any particular cross-tab (e.g., how did people vote in a particular race by age group?), please email me or leave the suggestions in the comment box by Tuesday night. … [Read more...]
Dan Maes’ Fundraising Really Starts to Take Off… After 4Q Reporting Period
Update, 1/19: (H/T Business Word) According to Denver Post political editor Curtis Hubbard, Maes' 4th quarter campaign take is actually lower than the previous quarter. And his campaign treasurer "seems to be missing in action" to turn in the report. It almost goes without saying that this adds up to seriously bad news for the upstart candidate. Perhaps the biggest knock against the upstart Republican gubernatorial campaign of Evergreen businessman Dan Maes has been his weak fundraising. He only pulled in $12,194 during the third quarter, from a total of 37 contributors. No one realistically expects Maes to achieve fundraising parity with frontrunner Scott McInnis (who brought in $544,779 and $479,575 in the two recent reporting … [Read more...]
Sen. Udall and Bennet, Even the Denver Post Is Telling You to Stop Obama Care
Today's editorial from the liberal- leaning Denver Post urges Colorado Senators Mark Udall and Michael Bennet to vote against the "bad medicine" of Obama Care. If that doesn't tell you how blindly out of touch the national Democratic Party has become, and the political dangers awaiting them on the near horizon, I'm not sure what will: Maybe a "Massachusetts Miracle" by Republican Scott Brown? … [Read more...]
Lang Sias & Doug Lamborn First from Colorado to Pledge Obama Care Repeal
Update, 1/22: Two other Republican candidates -- U.S. Senate hopeful Ken Buck and 7th CD contender Ryan Frazier -- also have signed the "Repeal It" pledge. The Club for Growth has created a "Repeal It" pledge for candidates running for Congress in 2010. It reads:I hereby pledge to the people of my district/state upon my election to the U.S. House of Representatives/U.S. Senate, to sponsor and support legislation to repeal any federal health care takeover passed in 2010, and replace it with real reforms that lower health care costs without growing government. There's a cause the majority of Coloradans (and indeed, Americans) can rally around. Kudos to Republican 7th CD candidate Lang Sias for being the first non-incumbent from our … [Read more...]