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Chipping Away at CEA’s Whitewash

The Colorado Education Association (CEA), the state's largest teachers' union as well as the largest roadblock in the path of true education reform, was called to the carpet today in an awesome column by the Denver Post's David Harsanyi - "True or false: Union backs school choice." Of course, the answer is a resounding "False," though you have to wade through the garbled doublespeak of union officials to see it clearly. Harsanyi's column unravels a recently published letter from CEA President Ron Brady written in response to one of his earlier pieces. With today's offering, Harsanyi again proves that he is at his best when he exposes union officials' duplicity: Being accused of having a "narrow view" on education by a group that … [Read more...]

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A Great Marketing Opportunity

After listening to this colorful account on the floor of the Senate from West Virginia's senior statesman - as replayed today on the Hugh Hewitt Show - I think somebody needs to package the idea and sell it as "Bedtime Bible Stories with Bobby Byrd." I can almost hear the promo now.... Well, I'll leave the ideas to some budding marketing prodigy. I don't need any share of the profits - just a little credit is all. Thank you very much. … [Read more...]

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Read About Our Meeting with the Governor

Yesterday afternoon, upon the kind invitation of Sean Duffy, four members of the Rocky Mountain Alliance - American Kestrel, View from a Height, Clay Calhoun, and myself - spent more than an hour with Governor Bill Owens in his office discussing key issues facing the state. Needless to say, I want to give that meeting a fair and thorough write-up. Look for that to come over the weekend or early next week. Thanks again to Governor Owens, Sean, and Mark Salley. I truly appreciated the time and the opportunity. … [Read more...]

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Beauprez Racking Up Endorsements

In his bid to be Colorado's Republican candidate for governor in 2006, second-term Congressman Bob Beauprez is garnering some early key endorsements, just as the Marc Holtzman campaign has been picking up momentum. Former Congressman Bob Schaffer, who now holds the official GOP position of Colorado's National Committeeman, has given Beauprez a big boost with his thumbs-up, one that should resonate with the party's hard-core conservative voters. I'm not sure that in the midst of the Referendum C/D battle that the Governor Owens endorsement is that helpful with most voters who will participate in next year's Republican primary. Then again, how many are even paying attention at this point? Some might interpret the Governor's move as taking … [Read more...]

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A game of ‘one-upmanship’

First, read my post from yesterday. Then, read this story in today's Rocky Mountain News. Marc Holtzman and Bob Beauprez are going back and forth in an attempt to outdo each other in the early stages of the campaign for the Colorado Republican gubernatorial primary. No, I had no sources feeding me information. No, I'm not ghostwriting for Lynn Bartels. You come here for intriguing insights on Colorado politics, right? … [Read more...]

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Detroit Baseball: A New Hope

As Major League Baseball's 76th All-Star Game makes its appearance at Detroit's Comerica Park tomorrow evening, the spotlight turns on a city still haunted by the echoes of urban decay. Motown's battle for a fairer perception opens a new chapter. For many old enough to remember it, the words "Detroit" and "baseball" together conjure up a glorious 1984 World Series victory overshadowed by deplorable behavior - vandalism, fires, destruction. How far has Detroit come since then? Progress has been made, for sure, but not a lot. Michigan's largest city, the once-thriving world capital of automotive production, has a lot to prove. The Tigers, the wearers of the proud Olde English D, have a lot to prove as well. No World Series since 1984. No … [Read more...]

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Memo to the Left: Sit Down and Take a Deep Breath

Today's news? A military investigation of Guantanamo confirms that no torture occurred... not even close (though look for a few rabid lefties to focus on the humiliating case of Mohammed al Kahtani, the 20th hijacker, forced to wear women's clothes, endure verbal abuse, and experience sleep deprivation). A pro-growth Bush economy roaring back to life drastically lowers the estimate on the federal deficit. (Both Congress and the President need to continue reductions in discretionary spending, however.) With news like this, the partisan White House press corps and Capitol Hill Democrats continue to scream like petulant children for the head of Karl Rove on a platter - calling them "circling sharks" may be giving them too much credit. … [Read more...]

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Supreme Court High Stakes: A First Look

Jan Crawford Greenburg of the Chicago Tribune raises the specter today that political expediency might steer the Bush White House away from nominating an avowedly outspoken anti-Roe candidate for the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court Nomination Blog speculates on the significance of reported statements that the President's people have dropped strong conservative Judge Edith Jones from the list. I don't think there's too much to read into this solitary report - unless you are starved for news on the subject amid the raging silence of recent days. First, Jones wasn't very high on many experts' A-lists as a potential replacement (even though Main Street USA reveled in her potential role as "the nuclear nominee"). Michael Luttig, Sam Alito, … [Read more...]