Yesterday, in a larger post about the attempt of moderates within the Colorado GOP to flex their political muscle, I highlighted a caustic reaction from State Representative Mark Larson ("Colorado is not a right-wing, neo-con state," he said). Today The Durango Herald has more on the intraparty debacle surrounding Larson's sudden withdrawal from the state senate race, which includes a harsh email exchange with a local GOP leader. The battle brews over Larson's alleged refusal to make amends for his 2004 endorsement of U.S. Senator Ken Salazar. As he weighed a decision to run for the State Senate back in May, Larson sought to explain himself in a local Cortez Journal news story: "I imagine I would get some Democratic votes and Jim … [Read more...]

When you see an elected politician roll up his sleeves and take up the challenge of a difficult but important campaign promise, it sure can restore some of your faith in the system and in the judgment of your fellow citizens. That's exactly how I feel as the new slate of Jefferson County commissioners has tackled and confronted the waste and corruption that have been plaguing some departments of government. The Denver Post explored the story in depth on Sunday and followed up with a laudable editorial in today's edition. Sunday's story revealed many glaring problems with the way our county government has run in recent years, including this dandy: Among Jefferson County employees, Bob Roark is the king of plastic. Over the last … [Read more...]

Following the lead of the El Paso and Larimer County Republican Party organizations, my own Jefferson County Republican Party has taken a significant stand in opposition to Referenda C and D. Congrats to my JeffCo GOP, under the able leadership of Chair Renee Nelson, for passing the following resolution: Whereas, lowering the tax burden on Americans is one of the core principles of the Republican Party because Republicans believe that taxpayers know how to spend their own money better than the government does; Whereas, The Taxpayer's Bill of Rights (TABOR) was passed in by the voters in 1992 by a statewide majority; Whereas, The TABOR provides for regular, but controlled, increases in government spending in Colorado; Whereas, tax … [Read more...]

Well, it's official - no surprises, really. As I indicated earlier, inside sources knew that Kathleen "Kiki" Traylor would win the vacancy committee's nod to replace resigning State Senator Norma Anderson in south Jefferson County's District 22. The response from my friend and favored SD 22 candidate Justin Everett shows strength, confidence, and savvy - and I've reprinted it here in full: The Power Brokers have hoodwinked average citizens like you and me once again. Our outgoing State Senator was a key architect and top campaigner for Referendum C. During this important upcoming legislative session, she has left citizens of our District and the State of Colorado in a lurch by resigning and leaving us with an untested successor. This … [Read more...]

Colorado's eminent leaders of the political Left, the gurus who give us the acerbic wit of ProgressNow, apparently have reached a moment of metaphysical crisis. Below I've pasted an email they are sending out to all their subscribers (my emphases in italics - I have underlined the repeated question of the hour): PLEASE FORWARD THIS QUESTION: WHAT DO WE STAND FOR? Whether you consider yourself a liberal, progressive, populist, moderate, or just part of "the Left," we need to answer a fundamental question. Some are talking about how we can "frame" our issues better. Others are arguing over a list of common values or positions. But it's really the same conversation -- What do we stand for? It seems we agree on much of what … [Read more...]

David Harsanyi's Post column today is a valuable read. He exposes the scare tactics and duplicity of those conducting the campaign for the forever tax increase. Money quote: One wishes legislators would have had this level of interest in the Priority Colorado report when it was released in January. Perhaps they could have saved a couple hundred million dollars. But as you can imagine, the report was almost universally dismissed by legislators. "There's a reason the Independence Institute is a political think tank," said Joan Fitz-Gerald, Democratic Senate president, at the time. "They couldn't get elected to anything. ... They have only simplistic answers." Apparently, elected officials are the only ones with worthwhile ideas. … [Read more...]

Events in the Senate District 22 GOP intraparty contest to replace recently-resigned Senator Norma Anderson (see earlier posts here and here) just took another twist. Mike Kopp, one of the candidates who lost out to Kathleen "Kiki" Traylor in the Vacancy Committee's Saturday decision to replace Anderson (Barb Neville and Guy Heil were the others), has filed a formal complaint with the Secretary of State alleging the procedure was handled illegally. I obtained a copy of Kopp's press release, which is also reprinted in full at the Dead Governors' site: State Senate District 22 Candidate Mike Kopp notified the Secretary of State's office today that the vacancy committee for SD22 failed to meet its statutory requirements. According to … [Read more...]

Dan Haley's Monday Denver Post column on the emerging Republican candidate in the looming Colorado governor's race was recently brought to my attention. Perhaps you have heard of Marc Holtzman by now. Some five months ago I detailed my early impressions of the then-prospective gubernatorial candidate. And you probably have seen the Dead Governors ranking him as the current favorite to fill their long-emptied shoes. Holtzman will be stepping down from his post as president of the University of Denver tomorrow and putting his campaign into another gear. But look where he is already in the early stages of the race: he's doing everything he needs to do to stay competitive. Good estimates indicate Holtzman has already raised more than … [Read more...]

The Tax Increase Crew has begun ratcheting up their campaign with guilt and scare tactics to kick off the Labor Day weekend. As reported by the Rocky Mountain News, the state announces that it has an overrun of revenues under the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights (TABOR), albeit a smaller amount than projected a few months ago. "This is evidence that the economy is improving, but we still have less revenues than we did in 2001," said Henry Sobanet, director of Colorado's Office of State Planning and Budget. Next year, taxpayers will receive $15 each in TABOR refunds, an amount that figures to rise in successive years. Or you can vote for Referendum C and give more money for the next 5 years - and beyond - to state government. Go back and … [Read more...]