It's been a long time since I offered up rankings of the Colorado state senate races most likely to switch party hands this fall. Now that the latest voter registration numbers are available, campaign finance reports are in and the legislature is out of session, it's time to take a fresh look. Just for review, there are 35 seats in the Colorado state senate, and Democrats possess a decisive 21-14 advantage. State senators serve four-year terms and only come up for election every other cycle, unless there was a vacancy filled and a special election is needed. Nineteen of the 35 seats are up for grabs in 2010: 11 held by Democrats and 8 held by Republicans. Five of the Democrat-held seats and all but one of the Republican-held seats are … [Read more...]
Archives for May 2010
The National Debt and My Children
A quick video with an important message -- one that's hard-hitting for this father of young children -- brought to you by the growing grassroots group Mothers Against Debt. Check it out: … [Read more...]
Bob Beauprez Backs Lang Sias, Raises Questions about Relevance, Judgment
In one of Colorado's most head-scratching political moves of the year, former GOP Congressman and wildly unsuccessful 2006 gubernatorial candidate Bob Beauprez announced his endorsement of 7th Congressional candidate and Republican newcomer Lang Sias. The first reaction I and many of my politically aware friends had pretty much boiled down to: Huh??? When Tom Tancredo and Jimmy Lakey threw their support behind Sias, they carefully avoided trying to draw distinctions among the Republican field. Not so Beauprez: … [Read more...]
Elections Have Consequences
Below is an actual letter sent out last week to the employees of a company doing business in Colorado. It is presented without comment. The names of the company and the individuals have been redacted. Staff: When people say elections don’t matter, that their vote doesn’t count, and that they cannot make a difference – they are wrong! … [Read more...]
Launching the New-Look May Survey of Colorado’s Political Temperature
Update II, 1:50 PM: A technical error in survey production resulted in accidentally omitting new gubernatorial candidate Joe Gschwendtner's name as a possible selection for Q13 & Q14. I am pleased to report the issue has been fixed. If you want to vote for this candidate, you can go back in and re-take the quiz if necessary. The survey will capture only your latest answers: you still get only one vote. Apologies for the screw-up. Everything is back on track. We are working to remedy the results display issue, but for now everything about the survey itself is in proper working order. Update, High Noon: After a series of technical glitches this morning with the way the results were being displayed, the results page is down for the time … [Read more...]
Democrats’ HB 1181 Union Buy-Off: Pushing the State Capitol Panic Button
Update, 5/8: Colorado LOSES has a great idea about what to do with HB 1181. If Republicans can't kill it, the least they should do is offer an amendment to ensure transparency of state employee union finances. In the waning days of the legislative session, is anyone up to the challenge? (H/T Complete Colorado) The Denver Post's Tim Hoover reports today:Days before the legislature adjourns, some Democrats are pushing a proposal that would guarantee unions could still collect dues from state employees — even if the next governor is not union-friendly. The effort comes in the form of an amendment to House Bill 1181, a mostly technical bill dealing with policies of the Department of Personnel and Administration. The bill's sponsor, Sen. … [Read more...]
RIP, Ernie
Tonight I am at a loss for words. The great Ernie Harwell -- to all of us who grew up with his voice and grew up to love Detroit Tigers baseball, simply "Ernie" -- passed away today at age 92, after a long bout with cancer. If you want to know why I'm choked up with tears, here's a start: My September 2009 posting: Thank YOU, Ernie Harwell A full-length obituary in the Detroit Free Press And a fitting, in-game eulogy by fellow baseball broadcasting legend Vin Scully: … [Read more...]
Politically Correct University’s Robert Maranto Tonight at LOTR Red Rocks
Just how politically correct are today's colleges? Are the faculties at American universities really as ideologically imbalanced as you have heard? What are the effects of that imbalance on students and their futures? Are there any promising and politically achievable reforms for academia? If these questions pique your interest, then you should look at obtaining a copy of the new book The Politically Correct University, a collection of insightful essays on a range of topics under the theme. Even better, if you live in the Denver metro area, you can meet one of the volume's editors -- Robert Maranto from the University of Arkansas' Department of Education Reform -- this evening at Liberty on the Rocks Red Rocks: … [Read more...]