Colorado State Republican Party Chairman Ted Halaby has announced he will not seek another term. In an open letter to the state central committee, Halaby decries the new system of campaign finance laws that have diminished the importance the clout and importance of the state party organization: ...it is clear that federal and state campaign-finance laws must be changed to bring the political process back within the traditional auspices of the national and state political parties and their candidates, with the accountability and timely disclosure this provides. I intend to do what I can to assist in this process. However, for now, unfortunately, the most influential battles in Colorado will be waged outside the political party process. … [Read more...]

Both the Republicans and the Democrats under Denver's golden dome have staked their ground on proposing solutions to the state budget crunch: Democrats and [Republican Governor Bill] Owens agree on many parts of the plan. Owens' budget proposal in December included a tax cut, dedicated transportation dollars and increasing the state spending limit by $500 million annually. The sides disagree on how much of future TABOR refunds the state should keep. [Democrat House Speaker Andrew] Romanoff's plan would re-start refunds once government spending reaches the level it hit in 2000, before Colorado's recession, which he calculates at roughly 6 percent of residents' personal incomes. Owens doesn't consider that a "meaningful cap" on … [Read more...]

It's probably not a great mystery to Colorado political insiders that University of Denver President Marc Holtzman is serious about a run for the state's governorship. The dead governors at Colorado Pols [ed - for the uninitiated, the anonymous proprietor(s) of the site post under the pseudonyms of three former Colorado governors who all by a quirk of history served during the year 1905, exactly one century ago] have Holtzman ranked among the early favorites for the state's chief executive office in 2006. Marc Holtzman Having attended a meeting of the House Minority Caucus today, at the kind behest of Michele Austin, I now have some clear early impressions of Holtzman and his candidacy. The DU President is undoubtedly smart and … [Read more...]

The dead governors at Colorado Pols point to the results of a new survey co-sponsored by the Independence Institute and the Colorado Club for Growth: Of 600 likely Colorado voters who participated in the last election... 52% oppose the 'De-Brucing' changes to TABOR proposed by Speaker Andrew Romanoff and others. 33% support the 'De-Brucing.' The dead governors complain that the poll should be taken worth a grain of salt because of who commissioned the poll to be taken, then speculates about how the question must have been worded: ...what the survey does show is that Colorado's elected officials aren't doing a very good job at getting across the problems that TABOR has created. While we certainly understand that this is no easy … [Read more...]

Some good analyses of what it means to have a "bipartisan" Democrat majority in both branches of Colorado's statehouse: The Post's David Harsanyi looks at some of the "dopey" and "nanny" bills being proposed by our legislators. Good intentions do not necessarily lead to successful results, nor do they necessarily make good public policy. Michael breaks down the Democrat response to Governor Owens' State of the State speech. Breaking down Democrats' statistical assertions, Michael finds that many of the disparities in claims come down to this: the Democrats and liberals tend to measure input and the Republicans and conservatives tend to measure output. Best example? The statistic cited by many liberal groups that Colorado ranks … [Read more...]

You've got to grant Senate President Joan Fitz-Gerald (D - Golden) something: it hadn't even been a full day since she took over as Colorado's first ever female Senate president. But in her speech to the joint session yesterday, Fitz-Gerald said: "I see an opportunity to provide a paycheck for every family, a textbook for every child and a doctor for every patient." Stop for a minute, re-read the quote, and ponder. Are you thinking what I'm thinking? Sure, Joan. That's the way to solve the state's budget crisis. Spend your way out of it. Despite running on the platform of fiscal restraint, the Colorado Democratic Party looks like it won't be able to hide its true colors for long. She made this statement on the first day of … [Read more...]

Though David Harsanyi hints at the possibility, I'm not going to dissect every paragraph of his column in today's Denver Post. After taking compromised conservative columnist Armstrong Williams to task for his pay-off from the US Department of Education and recounting Dan Rather's narrow escape "after a weak-willed report cleared him of any politically motivated bias," our friend David Harsanyi examines the "New Media," and the Rocky Mountain Alliance in particular. … [Read more...]

The Rocky Mountain Alliance forges new ground tomorrow: a private bloggers' press conference with Colorado Governor Bill Owens following his annual State of the State speech. A delegation of three RMA members (Michael, Clay, and Joshua) will represent the group. Correction: Jim and Richard should also be there. … [Read more...]

Read this letter published in today's Gazette (Colorado Springs) from John Leonard of Monument: With liberals in charge, hold onto your wallets Colorado taxpayers had better hold on to their wallets as the tax-and-spend liberals take over the state Legislature. Already, liberal organizations such the League of Women Voters, AARP and the Colorado Springs Economic Development Corporation have begun their assault on TABOR so taxes can be raised to have state taxpayers support their pet programs. The Democrats controlling the Legislature are more than willing to support the move as long as Amendment 23 is not changed. That allows them to pay back the teachers’ unions for their political support and to pour more money into the public … [Read more...]