Mike at Best Destiny has already commented on the story of Colorado Democrats being caught and receiving an unprecedented penalty for illicit 2004 campaign activities, so I can't add a lot. Kent Lambert of the Republican Study Committee deserves commendation for his perseverance and his thoroughness in pursuing the prosecution of an election law penalty, something with a high burden of proof. Mike is right - of course, we shouldn't be surprised. Hugh Hewitt wrote all about it in his 2004 classic, If It's Not Close, They Can't Cheat. If you haven't read it, or need a refresher, pick it up and give it a good perusal before the 2006 elections. Peter Blake of the Rocky Mountain News brought Lambert's intriguing story to light, one that … [Read more...]

The cannon fire is gaining strength within Colorado's Republican camp, as the Marc Holtzman team shoots back and asks where rival Bob Beauprez has been on the Referenda C and D campaign. Lest the Holtzman attack gets carried away too far, there is no doubt that Beauprez opposes the twin tax increase measures, though he may feel conflicted about making too public an opposition to his friend Bill Owens. Both sides have elements of truth on their side. Holtzman has been in the limelight and absorbed the public backlash far more than his opponent. Gradually, he is establishing himself as the political leader on the issue, building inroads into the GOP's fiscally conservative base and trying to establish his credibility for next year's big … [Read more...]

The release of a new report from the Independence Institute (formerly known as Piglet) detailing wasteful government spending, and an emotionally-charged rally at the State Capitol yesterday featuring a large, pink papier-mache pig, have taken the campaign over the forever tax increase to a new level. Yesterday, pro C & D spokeswoman Katy Atkinson, a self-described "homegrown flack," made some inappropriate personal attacks against gubernatorial candidate Marc Holtzman for his televised opposition to the "pork"-laden measures. Atkinson set the model for others who have taken the pig reference personally. Officials' scare tactics have frightened people into believing that without C and D, legislators' hands will be completely tied as … [Read more...]

As Joshua Sharf has already ably recounted, he and I had the opportunity to sit down and chat with Rep. Bob Beauprez last Friday. The Republican gubernatorial candidate graciously shared an hour of his time with us and addressed our questions with candor and confidence. Rather than rehash Joshua's assessments (too much), I'll supplement his remarks with some of my own. Beauprez confidently asserted his conservative bona fides to strengthen his case for why he deserves the Republican nomination: his executive experience, his Washington connections, his traditional Colorado values. I believe the candidate's assessment is correct that "the governor's race is ground zero" for reestablishing Republican leadership in other areas of Colorado … [Read more...]

Could supporters of Referenda C and D be so desperate as to try to exploit the hurricane tragedy to sell their forever tax increase? So then, creating a parody Web site that compared sound arguments against the tax increase with calls to deny aid to Katrina victims seemed like a good attempt at political discourse? The perpetrator of the now-defunct tasteless screed is, according to the Denver Post, a Web developer for and devotee of the Rocky Mountain Progressive Network, Colorado's congregation of left-leaning political activists. At least someone in the group deserves commendation for pulling the plug on the phony Web site. Meanwhile, supporters of the tax increase have undertaken the less controversial but much more symbolic … [Read more...]