Republican state senate candidate Owen Hill was blindsided yesterday by a Colorado Springs Gazette story with fabricated claims that Hill plagiarized statements off his Libertarian opponent's website. A friend of mine, quoted in the story, does his job of defending his Party's position and candidate, but issued his quote carefully:“My understanding is, from Doug, that Doug had written the stuff, and he noticed it was on his opponent’s website and was not pleased with that discovery,” said David K. Williams Jr., chairman of the Libertarian Party of Colorado. [emphasis added] Essentially hearsay. Unfortunately, the Gazette opted for a sensational he said / he said story rather than perform a little basic investigation. Owen Hill's … [Read more...]
Just What John Hickenlooper Wants: “Crash Tax” Back in National Headlines
Earlier this week Fox News' Ed Barnes featured a story, "Accident Victims Being Hit Again -- With 'Crash Taxes'." You know what I'm talking about, the ordinances adopted in some cities to impose fines on non-resident motorists for getting in an accident. It's become a growing trend nationally, as tax revenues have taken a hit during the current recession. As Barnes details, sometimes municipalities contract with debt collection services to go after accident victims for money: … [Read more...]
Dan Maes Racks Up Key Support; Tambor Williams as Running Mate?
News this afternoon from the Dan Maes for Governor camp brings news of the Party core growing more united around his candidacy, with a couple of giant endorsements reported on Facebook: But all the speculation now is around tomorrow's deadline for Maes to announce who his running mate will be. As Amy Oliver ably speculates, one of the two finalists almost certainly is Tambor Williams of Greeley. While she won't wow anyone with big name recognition, she would balance Maes' weaknesses with her experience as a four-term state legislator, head of the Department of Regulatory Agencies and appointed service on the state's Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission, in addition to her private legal practice. In 2002 Williams signed the … [Read more...]
Clear The Bench Colorado Poll Results: Classic Case of Good News, Bad News
Clear the Bench Colorado today reports the results of a statewide poll that carries some good and bad news. Because the Magellan Strategies survey tests public opinion on the low-exposure issue of judicial retention, to some extent the results would have to be interesting. We're not talking about the popularity of candidates vying in well-publicized elections, which often feature a significant undecided vote. What do you do when 65 percent of likely voters confess they don't even know three Colorado Supreme Court justices are up for retention? You've got to get the message out. Well, for the 894 voters tested from all around Colorado, learning a little basic information makes a difference: … [Read more...]
Many Races Up for Grabs, GOP Control of Colorado House Within Reach
Yesterday it was the final update of the state senate rankings. Now on to the state house. First, the overview: The Colorado House of Representatives has 65 members eligible to serve a maximum of four two-year terms. Every seat is up for election. Currently, the Democrats have a 37-27 majority with former Democrat Kathleen Curry serving as an unaffiliated representative. The GOP needs a net gain of six seats to claim the majority. Eight of the 37 Democrat seats are open, with 29 incumbents running for re-election. All but one Democratic incumbent has a formal challenger. Six of the 27 Republican seats are open, with 21 incumbents running for re-election. Democrats have offered no formal challenge to 10 of the GOP seats (seven held by … [Read more...]
Tea Party / Liberty Group Leaders, Chime In On State Legislative Races
To the extent that I have communicated with leaders of Colorado Tea Parties and other liberty groups, I have sought to emphasize the importance of making an impact on state legislative races. In fact, followers of this blog know I have put out several updates ranking the likelihood of seats changing in the state senate and state house. My next, and likely final, analyses are slated to come out in September. Anyway, Ballotpedia's Leslie Graves this week announces a study that should attract significant interest and involvement: "Is the tea party movement impacting state legislative elections?" More information is here, including a direct link to a survey that I encourage all Colorado Tea Party and other liberty group leaders to chime in … [Read more...]
My 2010 Colorado Ballot
It's becoming a tradition. As of this evening, I have posted online my ballot with informed recommendations based on my personal inclinations, for whatever they are worth. The online ballot includes all Colorado statewide issues and one local issue, with a discussion of each, along with the candidates for whom I plan to vote (some of which include explanations). Perhaps I should be flattered, but here's hoping you don't agree with me on every last point. Not that I take it to the extreme of one of the greatest conservative political philosophers of the 20th century, of whom William Buckley, Jr., once famously said: "As hard as it is to disagree with Harry Jaffa, it’s even harder to agree with him." Even so, I hope you find it useful. … [Read more...]
Ed Perlmutter’s Bush-Bashing Overlooked in 7th CD Debate Coverage
Update, 8/21: Lynn Bartels' story in today's edition of the Post fills out a little bit more detail and gives more attention to both the major party candidates... including a lede that identifies Perlmutter's Bush-bashing blameshifting (which makes the headline above obsolete). Guess the blog focus on the Libertarian candidate was supposed to be the teaser for today's story (?). I also was promised some video footage from the Frazier campaign, and will post that here when it arrives. This morning featured the first showdown of Colorado 7th Congressional candidates at a chamber of commerce-sponsored debate. It was practically in my backyard, but who has $20 or more to swing for such luxuries? The only coverage of the debate I've found … [Read more...]
John Hickenlooper Coddles Government Unions, Makes Guv Race Clearer
(H/T Who Said You Said) Another reason for conservatives to unite their support behind the more electable candidate for governor: Democrat John Hickenlooper is going to perpetuate the Bill Ritter legacy and coddle government employee unions. Specifically, Hick wouldn't want to revoke Ritter's executive order giving union leaders gold-plated access to state government for fear of hurting somebody's feelings -- even if some state employees have suffered. Wow, what leadership: Meanwhile, as WSYS reports:Contrast the mayor’s comments with those of Tom Tancredo, the American Constitution Party candidate, who on Friday released a statement that read, “I’ll repeal the Executive Order unionizing state government before lunch on my first … [Read more...]
Colorado Cost of Government Day
According to Americans for Tax Reform, today (Saturday, August 21) is Colorado's official Cost of Government Day (the national Cost of Government Day was Thursday):This is the day on which the average American has earned enough gross income to pay off his or her share of the spending and regulatory burdens imposed by government at the federal, state, and local levels. The cost of government at all levels consumes about 64 percent of the average Coloradan's gross income (compared to the national average of 63.41 percent). There's a less-than-inspiring thought for the day. If that doesn't help focus your energies on advancing liberty and limited government for the upcoming fall elections, I'm not sure what will. … [Read more...]
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