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Home Archives for General

2/7/2026 By Ben 5 Comments

Why Not Huckabee? The Slime

Why as a conservative don't I support the presidential candidacy of Mike Huckabee? Another great example is highlighted this morning by Jim Geraghty at NRO's Campaign Spot:The Thompson campaign has video of one of those pro-Huckabee push polls. More than a few South Carolina readers have reported the same calls, as well as Campaign Spot Senior South Carolina Correspondent. I'm neither impressed by the Huckabee campaign, nor from Common Sense Issues, the group behind the calls. Sure, the Huckabee campaign says they don't support this, and they're calling on it to stop. But let's see some anger. Let's have Huckabee call up Davis, the guy who's doing this and say, "stop it, you're hurting my campaign." Come on out and denounce Davis … [Read more...]

Filed Under: General, National Politics Tagged With: Fred Thompson, Mike Huckabee, neo-populism, political slime, presidential primary, push-poll

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

Ritter Spokesman Stumbles to Explain Major Union Payback

The union bag man Gov. "Jimmy Hoffa" Ritter's spokesman Evan Dreyer made a reluctant appearance on the Mike Rosen Show this morning with guest host Jon Caldara. Confronted with the issues surrounding Friday's Big Labor payback, Dreyer hemmed and hawed around the questions. This is a must listen: follow the link, and listen to Rosen Replay 11/5/07 11-11:45 AM. It begins about a third of the way into the recording. There may be little doubt about why Ritter released this executive order in a Friday afternoon press release - and got called on it by the Denver Post - but you have to wonder what finally gave the governor's crew enough courage to come out in the light of day and defend the massive policy change in a confrontational setting. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, General, Labor

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

Merrifield Returns to Chair, Dems Still Reel in Union Cash

Over at the new Face the State is a story about the ascension of State Rep. Mike Merrifield back to the chair of the House Education Committee, after last year's controversy and resignation:Rep. Mike Merrifield, D-Manitou Springs, quietly resumed his post at the helm of the House Education Committee on Monday more than nine months after his resignation over a well-publicized email that condemned school choice supporters to a “special place in hell.” Of course, if you've been reading Denise at Colorado Charters or Mr. Bob at The Daily Blogster, you would already be aware of this un-parent-friendly political event in our fair state. More from Face the State:Political consultant Katy Atkinson, a consultant to moderate and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, Education, General Tagged With: "special place" email, charter schools, Face the State, Judy Solano, Mike Merrifield, teachers union

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

Dedicated to My Grandpa, 100 Years from His Birth

Though it coincides with the 2007 election, I'm taking a break from politics to commemorate this special day. Today - November 6, 2007 - would be my grandfather's 100th birthday, were he still alive. A full century ago today, my Grandpa was welcomed to this earth. I didn't know him until he was over 70 years old, but only as time has passed have I come to appreciate him more fully. My Grandpa was a man with a tremendous work ethic and incredible moral character. He was honest to a fault. Faced with many difficulties, he showed remarkable loyalty and fidelity to his family. He saved his money, and used it wisely. Yet he was very generous, always willing to help his family or his neighbors. I never knew what to get him for Christmas. He … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Commemorative, General, My Life

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

Why South Carolina Should Pick Fred

At the American Spectator, Quin Hilyer makes the best case I've seen for South Carolinians to support Fred Thompson in Saturday's primary:If I were a South Carolina Republican voter on Saturday, then for parochial, tactical, and philosophical reasons, I would vote for Fred Thompson. This doesn't mean that I would not have voted for Mitt Romney in Michigan on Tuesday, if I were a Michigander, or that I would not vote for Rudy Giuliani in Florida later this month. Voting in each state, especially in a drawn-out nomination battle, involves particularly local considerations as well as national ones. But for South Carolinians who are mainstream conservatives, those local considerations seem to cry out for a boost for Fred Thompson. Read … [Read more...]

Filed Under: General, National Politics Tagged With: American Spectator, Fred Thompson, presidential primary, South Carolina

2/7/2026 By Ben 2 Comments

Coffman In, Wiens Out

Pertaining to the Republican race to replace Tom Tancredo in the 6th Congressional District, my earlier observations were confirmed: Secretary of State Mike Coffman indeed is in, and State Senator Tom Wiens is out (from a press release mailed out this morning): Colorado state Sen. Tom Wiens, R-Castle Rock, announced today that he will seek re-election to a second term in the Colorado State Senate and will not be a candidate for the sixth congressional seat being vacated by retiring Republican Congressman Tom Tancredo. "I believe I can have a more positive impact on the future of Colorado by continuing to serve in the State Senate than by being a member of Congress," Wiens said. "This has become even more clear to me given the events of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, General, National Politics

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

David Limbaugh: Give Fred Thompson a Second Look, Answer His Call

David Limbaugh eloquently tells conservatives why now is the time to give Fred Thompson a second look and fearlessly answer the call of his campaign:Fred does not run from his record -- more to the point, he doesn't need to. He shoots straight without the constant self-serving reminders that he does, as in telling us he's driving the "Straight Talk Express." More importantly, Fred is right on the issues, and there's little doubt his positions are firm. Research his stances; read his position papers. You'll find he's very strong in all areas important to mainstream conservatives, including national defense, taxes, spending, life, immigration, federalism, appointing originalist judges, health care and education. I'm not drooling over … [Read more...]

Filed Under: General, National Politics Tagged With: conservative principles, David Limbaugh, electability, Fred Thompson, presidential primary, South Carolina

2/7/2026 By Ben 2 Comments

Doug Bruce or Not Doug Bruce? What About Reginald Perry?

On Monday, the Colorado Springs Gazette reported a vacancy opening up in State House District 15, making way for a head-to-head matchup between Douglas Bruce and businessman Steve Hasbrouck (the "not Douglas Bruce" candidate). Bruce would throw a lot of red meat to the more libertarian-minded Republicans, and figures generally to stir up trouble. But I'd venture to say that's not mainly what many are looking for in a state representative. Nonetheless, I am hearing today that the race for vacancy committee support may be opening up into a four-way affair. Two other candidates have expressed interest in taking the plunge. One of the two is former school board candidate Reginald Perry, who previously had declined calls to run, citing his … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, General

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

Fredmentum Firsthand

"The man finally comes around," writes Red State's Erick Erickson for Human Events, as he travels with the Thompson campaign in South Carolina:Though barely mentioned in the national media, Senator Fred Thompson has been on a barn storming tour crisscrossing South Carolina for more than a week. In a unique approach, he is not just going to major media markets, but to rural areas of South Carolina. On my first day on the trail with Senator Thompson, he drew a crowd of 180 people to a small Mennonite restaurant in Abbeville, South Carolina — population 26,000 with a median income of $15,370. He capped off the day at the Orangeburg-Calhoun County Technical College in Orangeburg, South Carolina with over 200 people braving a rare snow shower … [Read more...]

Filed Under: General Tagged With: Fred Thompson, presidential primary, Reagan Coalition, South Carolina

2/7/2026 By Ben Leave a Comment

Whom Will Tancredo Endorse?

Having fostered strong support for greater border security among the field of Republican presidential candidates but long having trailed in the back of the pack, Colorado's own Rep. Tom Tancredo is expected to announce today that he will bow out of the race for the White House. I think it's pretty clear that the Congressman's next political focus is on a 2010 U.S. Senate matchup against Ken Salazar, but what about the 2008 race before us? One big question remains: Whom will Tancredo endorse a mere two weeks out of the Iowa caucuses? My two cents worth to Tancredo, the former president of the Independence Institute: Why not give the nod to Fred Thompson, a strong and optimistic conservative leader in the mold of Ronald Reagan who … [Read more...]

Filed Under: General, National Politics Tagged With: Fred Thompson, GOP Presidential Primary, immigration, Tom Tancredo

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About Me

Ben DeGrow
Grateful and growing Christian, devoted husband and father of 3, public policy analyst, returned to Michigan by way of Colorado, conservative writer, lifelong learner, Detroit Tigers fan.

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