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Home Archives for Colorado Politics

2/7/2026 By Ben 1 Comment

“Tax ’em all” Udall and Another Liberal Double Standard

Liberal gotchas like this one might hold more credibility if they were accompanied by a little consistency. Citing a CBS-4 Denver report, a diarist on the Dead Guvs' site highlights the following critique of one part of a Republican ad against Boulder liberal Mark Udall: He didn't vote to raise taxes, he voted against a tax cut passed by a Republican Congress and vetoed by President Clinton. While critics say Udall's vote had the same effect as supporting higher taxes, the fact remains, Udall voted to maintain the status quo, which is not the same as voting for a tax hike. "He didn't vote to raise taxes, he voted against a tax cut...." When was the last time you saw a liberal attacking a conservative lawmaker with the allegation of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, General, National Politics

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

Washington Post on Schaffer’s Arrival

Chris Cillizza at the Washington Post's "The Fix" blog still ranks Colorado as the most competitive race in the upcoming round of U.S. Senate campaigns, but has noticed the recent encouraging news for Republicans: Republicans (finally) have their man. Former Rep. Bob Schaffer quietly announced his candidacy last week and all indications are that he will have the Republican primary field to himself. Democrats quickly sought to portray Schaffer as a conservative extremist, citing as evidence some of the positions he advocated during his three terms in Congress in the late 1990s. There's no question that Schaffer is more conservative than the average Colorado voter, but he also built up a grassroots following based on the "straight-shooter" … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, General, National Politics

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

Eyes Turning to Fred Thompson – Including Colorado Eyes

As the long race for the White House rolls on, many conservatives find themselves "all agog over Thompson," writes U.S. News and World Report's Kenneth Walsh. His candidacy not yet officially declared, the former U.S. Senator and recognizable actor finds himself at or near the top of most polls among the Republican field. Providing some of the best evidence that Fred Thompson may be the real deal, Politico reports that the Democratic National Committee is using attacks on him to generate fundraising more than a year before the Conventions confirm either party's nominee: Democratic strategists say Thompson's populist style and show-biz allure could prove extremely appealing in a general election at a time when voters are so down on … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, General, National Politics

2/7/2026 By Ben 1 Comment

More Horn Tooting

El Presidente is tooting his own horn, having climbed to the top of the most recent rankings of influential Colorado political blogs. The other horn noise you hear comes from a tailgating Mount Virtus, close on his bumper at #2. El Presidente won't be able to ease off the accelerator too much with such friendly competition. More interestingly, seven of the top 10 on the influence meter are right-leaning blog sites. I'm not sure if this fact says more about the nature or the quality of the political debate or more about the secret methodology used to create the rankings. Regardless, you as a reader are part of the success. Thanks for your continuing visits. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, General, My Life

2/7/2026 By Ben 3 Comments

Colo. Right-to-Work Initiative? Good Idea, but Unlikely Success

The Rocky Mountain News today reports that paperwork has been filed to place a right-to-work initiative on the Colorado ballot this year. The arguments against it are predictable: [Rep. Michael] Garcia [D-Aurora] said he would oppose efforts to weaken union shops. "Right-to-work laws benefit corporate executives with six-figure salaries, period," he said. "Unions are good for working men and women. "If passed, the right-to-work initiative would make all-union agreements in the state illegal." Garcia argued that the ballot proposal is unnecessary because federal law already prohibits workplaces from forcing workers to join a labor union as a condition of employment. Forcing workers to join, but not forcing workers to pay tribute, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, General

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

Hillman Debunks Sacred Text of Colorado Left

About a month ago, I highlighted the release of a liberal interest group's report that used selective and distorted statistics to argue that Colorado needs a huge tax increase. Predictably, local Lefty bloggers leaped to embrace the work with little appearance of critical hesitation. Then I wrote: My friends, the Left in Colorado is growing desperate and increasingly irrational. They blindly accept a report written by their ideological allies that shares their premises. Come to this site for a critical analysis of the report. And hopefully others will offer their critical analyses, as well. Then we may see a little bit more independent thinking taking place. Well, I've been slow to add my critical analysis. It is summertime, after all. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, General

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

Please Read More Carefully, Cara

Lefty Cara DeGette at Colorado Confidential needs to read more carefully. Her recent diary on GOP State Chair Dick Wadhams' recent visit to Montana painfully stretches to draw a contrast between his remarks to a Republican group in Big Sky Country with those quoted Monday in the Denver Post. To make her "gotcha" point, she conflates two issues. In both venues, Wadhams made confident predictions for the Republican candidate to win Colorado's electoral votes and for Bob Schaffer to win Colorado's U.S. Senate race. The pessimism highlighted by the Post's Karen Crummy was that the GOP didn't expect to take back the Colorado state legislature until 2010, a topic he didn't address to the Montana audience. No hard feelings, just a quick … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, General, National Politics, Random and Miscellaneous

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

Harsanyi Highlights Ritter’s High-Stakes Mismanagement

Just in case you missed it, you may wish to check out the latest example of high-stakes mismanagement from Colorado's Democratic Governor Bill Ritter: What are we to make of Gov. Bill Ritter's swift firing of Chris Olson, his original choice to head the Division of Emergency Management? The administration refuses to answer virtually any queries on the matter - which tells us plenty. Only a few short weeks ago, Ritter sent out a news release fawning over Olson's "commitment to emergency management, his longtime experience in public safety and service to the community ..." Yet, when The Post sounded the alarm regarding Olson's troubling history - including a domestic-violence call summoning police to his home, a civil-rights violation … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, General

2/7/2026 By Ben 1 Comment

McInnis Out?

It's not often I get into rumors here on this site, but a credible source tells me that Scott McInnis soon may announce that he is withdrawing his bid for the Republican nomination for Colorado's 2008 U.S. Senate election. If it's true, there's clearly a close connection with the story breaking this weekend that the National Republican Senatorial Committee is recruiting Attorney General John Suthers to run for the seat vacated by Wayne Allard. Seems like it might be about time to start a "Draft Bob Schaffer" campaign. But let's wait and see if there's any truth to the rumor first of all. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, General, National Politics

2/7/2026 By Ben 3 Comments

Intra-Party Fights for Colorado Democrats Heat Up

The Democrat Party's intramural squabbles are intensifying, and Colorado is ground zero for the shakedown. The Denver Post reports this morning that the Teamsters' James Hoffa, Jr., confronted Governor Bill Ritter yesterday with the threat that the party's convention scheduled for Denver next year could "blow up" if Ritter doesn't kowtow to the Big Labor agenda. Still a bit angry about the governor's veto of House Bill 1072, don't you think? The response from Ritter's office? The governor has said he made the decision in order to advance a broader agenda. He declined an interview Monday on his encounter with Hoffa. But his staff pointed to Ritter's recent restoration of a voluntary payroll deduction for state workers that … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, Education, General, National Politics

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Inside

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    The Rise & Fall of Al Gansee
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About Me

Ben DeGrow
Grateful and growing Christian, devoted husband and father of 3, public policy analyst, returned to Michigan by way of Colorado, conservative writer, lifelong learner, Detroit Tigers fan.

Recent Posts

  • AI-Enhanced Cyberbullying: The Dark Side of Teen Innovation
  • My Baker’s Dozen of Top 2023 Reads
  • Common Learning Disabilities in Children
  • Tips to Teach Kids to Set and Achieve Goals
  • The Christmas Music Countdown You’ve Been Looking For: 2022 Edition

Colorado News

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National News and Politics

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Blogs Extraordinaire

  • American Thinker
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Completing the Blogroll

  • Alarming News
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  • Blogs of War
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Christian Commentary et al.

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Other Sites

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Rocky Mountain Alliance 2.0

  • Reclaim the Blue
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  • View from a Height

To Contact Me:
bendegrow-at-gmail.com

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