(Yawn) Kudos to the Rocky Mountain News, for the insider political coup of the season. The Denver daily did some sleuthing homework, conducting a "DNA Test" on one of the Dead Governors to confirm the identity of freelance writer and registered JeffCo Democrat Jason Bane. The hot political site's contributors maintain that the rest of their identities will not be disclosed. The challenge is on. Since I discovered this site months ago, I've readily classified it as a center-left-leaning political blog with plenty of gossip and sometimes reliable information. Learning part of its little secret doesn't change any of that for me. (End Yawn) … [Read more...]

The Dead Governors have the skinny on Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Beauprez's first major fundraising report - and it looks pretty fat. Marc Holtzman's figures are forthcoming shortly. Read the comment section on the post, and see the sparks fly on the debate about what this news really means. … [Read more...]

First, read my post from yesterday. Then, read this story in today's Rocky Mountain News. Marc Holtzman and Bob Beauprez are going back and forth in an attempt to outdo each other in the early stages of the campaign for the Colorado Republican gubernatorial primary. No, I had no sources feeding me information. No, I'm not ghostwriting for Lynn Bartels. You come here for intriguing insights on Colorado politics, right? … [Read more...]

In his bid to be Colorado's Republican candidate for governor in 2006, second-term Congressman Bob Beauprez is garnering some early key endorsements, just as the Marc Holtzman campaign has been picking up momentum. Former Congressman Bob Schaffer, who now holds the official GOP position of Colorado's National Committeeman, has given Beauprez a big boost with his thumbs-up, one that should resonate with the party's hard-core conservative voters. I'm not sure that in the midst of the Referendum C/D battle that the Governor Owens endorsement is that helpful with most voters who will participate in next year's Republican primary. Then again, how many are even paying attention at this point? Some might interpret the Governor's move as taking … [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...]

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...]

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...]