Hats off to the Washington Times for the scoop on what my representative in Congress has been up to:Rep. Ed Perlmutter of Colorado inserted a provision into the recently passed House climate change bill that would drum up business for "green" banks, such as the one he has invested in and his family and a political donor helped found in San Francisco. The bill calls on bank regulators to promote green banking and says federal dollars should be used to support energy-efficient home improvements at government-funded housing projects. Mr. Perlmutter, a two-term Democrat, has two investments in the 3-year-old New Resource Bank, which calls itself the nation's first green bank. Among other environmentally conscious banking products, the … [Read more...]
Initiative to Protect Secret Ballot Reminder of Michael Bennet’s Hall-of-Fame Indecision
In case you need a reminder of how much Big Labor bosses hate the secret ballot, Face The State brings a story today about a simple, newly proposed 2010 initiative and the union legal challenge facing it:Unions have challenged the language of a ballot initiative that would amend the Colorado Constitution to guarantee employees' right to a secret ballot in unionization elections. Meanwhile, legislation is pending before Congress that would remove that requirement from federal law. “The purpose for this amendment is to guarantee the fundamental right of an individual to vote by secret ballot,†said Patrick Davis, a Colorado Springs political consultant backing the measure.... The 39-word proposal reads, “The right of individuals … [Read more...]
Josh Penry Hits the Stump: A Promising GOP Candidate for Governor Emerges
Earlier this evening I got the opportunity briefly to attend a Josh Penry for Governor meet-and-greet session in Broomfield. The campaign is just out of the gate, and the Grand Junction native is busily plowing his way around Colorado. No doubt he's been on a hectic schedule, but Penry demonstrated a good stump speech delivery, staying on message. I am pleased to see him make no bones about the national Republican Party's failure to govern according to fiscally conservative principles, and his clear decision to run against that failing as well as against incumbent Bill Ritter's weak leadership, misguided philosophy, and misplaced priorities. … [Read more...]
Josh Penry Off to Great Start as Bill Ritter Kicks Door of Opportunity Open
The big local political news for the weekend, of course, was the worst-kept secret: Republican Josh Penry officially threw his hat into the ring to run for governor in 2010. By all honest admissions, Penry's entry into the race has been well-executed and well-timed. First glimpses on the campaign trail indicate the strong delivery of a clear, consistent message: 1) incumbent Democrat Bill Ritter's misguided philosophy and lack of fiscal leadership have contributed greatly to an unfriendly economic climate and pain in the wallet for many average Coloradans, and 2) Penry's own record of effective leadership in the areas of fiscal responsibility, expanded energy options, and education reform qualifies him to take Ritter's place. If he … [Read more...]
Bill Ritter Not Alone in Credibility Taking a Hit over Stimulus No-Bid Story
Under the headline "Governor gave no-bid deal to former partners", the Denver Post's Karen Crummy reports today:As the first stimulus money flowed into Colorado, it was doled out to shovel-ready transportation projects — and some of Gov. Bill Ritter's former law partners. Ritter hired the politically connected firm of Hogan & Hartson three months ago to work on issues surrounding the state's disbursement of federal stimulus funds. The firm has been paid $40,000 through June and is expected to file monthly bills. Did Bill Ritter do anything illegal? Almost certainly not. Unethical? Well, if he were a Republican governor, you can be sure Colorado Ethics Watch would have filed a complaint by now. Ritter's cronyism aside, this story … [Read more...]
SS GOP: New Captain, not Jump Ship
Let me be the first to welcome Michael at Best Destiny back to the blogosphere following his hiatus. It seems he is rather despondent about the Grand Old Party, and not without good reason. As a result of the lack of national leadership, he writes:The Republican Party is dead. It must either be reborn in a Reagan/originalist image, or it must be stashed and have dirt heaped on it's grave. I'm open to the latter. I'm not sure what you would have to call it, but let me throw this out: the Independence Party. We stand for originalist ideas of limited central government, states' rights; we stand for a strong national defense with limited and clearly defined international responsibilities; we stand for open markets and economic freedom; we … [Read more...]
New Gallup Poll Provides Clear Road Map for Republican Themes in 2010
Gallup yesterday posted the results of a very interesting poll that shows far more Americans self-identifying in a conservative direction than in a liberal direction. Brian Faughnan at Red State has it about right concerning the broad message of the poll:I think it’s a growing distrust of what they view as the liberal agenda of this Congress and this president. At the same time, when you break down the poll on an issue-by-issue basis, Rossputin makes a great case that on most issues Americans are tending to move in a libertarian direction. It's hard to say how much the broad shift against environmental policies that harm the economy and against restrictive immigration policies are the result of our current economic situation versus a … [Read more...]
Really Wanting to Know More About Why Mr. Curtis Left the Colorado GOP
Congratulations appear to be in order for Jeremy Pelzer, who has landed some sort of gig at the new online Rocky Mountain Independent. Jeremy's fairly long feature today is the latest Colorado GOP postmortem piece, with the standard news hook of a lifelong moderate Republican switching parties in disgust:The Colorado Republican Party has had few supporters more loyal than Brandon Curtis. The 32-year-old sales marketer from Denver had voted straight Republican in every election since he first cast a ballot in 1996. Last year, he was a delegate for John McCain in the Republican presidential caucus. But in the general election last November, Curtis voted Democratic for the first time in his life, picking Barack Obama and Mark Udall for … [Read more...]
Sarah Palin Stepping Down as Alaska Governor … The Speculation Begins
I wasn't planning to blog on politics at all over the long weekend, but the very recent news emerging that Alaska governor Sarah Palin not only won't run for re-election in 2010 but also is stepping down later this month has changed my mind. Right now, speculation is running rampant why Palin has chosen to take this course of action. John Hawkins at Right Wing News has taken a break from his vacation to offer up four likely scenarios: … [Read more...]
Bizarre Self-Parody: Michael Bennet Hiding from Denver Post on Card-Check
The chronic inability of Colorado's appointed U.S. Senator Michael Bennet to take a position on the union card check bill (also known as EFCA) has moved deep into the realm of bizarre self-parody. It's a political joke that has lasted so long that the label of "Both Ways Bennet" has been branded permanently on his (hopefully brief) career. A member of the Denver Post editorial board, Chuck Plunkett observes that the long-awaited seating of Al Franken as Minnesota's U.S. Senator has once again ratcheted up the pressure that EFCA could come to a vote and force Michael Bennet into the uncomfortable position of, well, having to take one:I’ve asked Bennet’s office whether he wants to come on with his position on card check. (We oppose … [Read more...]
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