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Home Archives for National Politics

2/2/2010 By Ben 3 Comments

Tom Wiens Furnishes $540K of $728K Raised; GOP Senate Primary Is On

Update, 2/5: Business Word dug deeper and found that Tom Wiens actually contributed all but $87,169 -- a disappointing revelation that shows his earlier competitiveness may have been overstated, and further strengthens Jane Norton's claims on the frontrunner position. Fellow RMA blogs Rocky Mountain Right and Business Word both noted today that Tom Wiens led the pack in 4th quarter fundraising for Colorado's Republican U.S. Senate primary at more than $725,000. Both were left to speculate how much came from contributions and how much was Wiens' own money. Well, this evening I received a release from the Wiens camp that begins as follows:Republican U.S. Senate Candidate Tom Wiens filed his Year End FEC report yesterday with the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, National Politics, PPC

2/2/2010 By Ben 2 Comments

Colorado’s Michael Bennet and Mark Udall Vote to Boost My Children’s Debt

Thanks to Americans for Limited Government, brings our attention to something you may have missed, namely a key vote in the U.S. Senate last Thursday:It was also on this day that the Senate voted 60-39 to increase the national debt ceiling by another $1.9 trillion to $14.294 trillion. It is the largest debt ceiling increase in U.S. history — in human history, in fact — totaling even more than the projected federal budget deficit for 2010, which CBO states will be an eye-popping $1.35 trillion.... The vote was straight down party lines, with Senate Democrats enabling the Barack Obama administration to continue the federal spending spree, putting my children and grandchildren deeper in debt. Yes, that means the Appointed One Michael … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, Fiscal Policy, General, liberty, National Politics, PPC

2/1/2010 By Ben Leave a Comment

7th CD Update: Fundraising “Loser” Ed Perlmutter, Lang Sias Rakes in $30K

A quick follow-up to my recent posting on the campaign reports from candidates in Colorado's 7th Congressional District. Most notably, Republican frontrunner Ryan Frazier outraised incumbent Democrat Ed Perlmutter, despite the fact that Perlmutter gained nearly half his money from various special interest PACs. For this distinction, The Hill rates Perlmutter as one of Congress's fundraising losers, noting that Frazier's "$219,000-to-$215,000 advantage in the fourth quarter was slight, but it serves as notice that a district that began as an afterthought could see a race." Meanwhile, Lang Sias has filed his report: He raised $30,914. To be fair, Sias wasn't in the race for the entire October-December reporting period (his first … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, General, liberty, National Politics, PPC

2/1/2010 By Ben 1 Comment

Craig Becker Confirmation Vote: Michael Bennet Not Off Hook on Card Check

Last night on my guest co-hosting gig for Backbone Radio, we discussed not only the growing trend of government workers beginning to dominate the union movement. But the subject also came up about the Obama administration's efforts to backdoor the so-called Employee Free Choice Act (aka card check) through the appointment of SEIU lackey Craig Becker. One advantage of this approach? Fellow Democrats in Congress like the indecisive appointed junior U.S. Senator Michael Bennet wouldn't have to take an obvious position that either offends the Obama administration or the overwhelming number of Coloradans (and a majority of Colorado union members) opposed to this destructive proposal to re-write labor laws. It would just add to the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, General, Labor, liberty, National Politics, PPC

1/30/2010 By Ben 3 Comments

Ryan Frazier’s Individual Contributions Nearly Top Ed Perlmutter’s Total Take

As fellow RMAer Don Johnson has noted, Republican 7th Congressional contender Ryan Frazier won a small but noteworthy victory by raising more money ($218,824) in the 4th quarter than incumbent Democrat Ed Perlmutter ($215,201). More notable is that Frazier very nearly raised as much money just from individual contributors ($215,074) as Perlmutter did altogether. The incumbent Democrat brought in nearly half his take from PACs and political committees -- including PACs belonging to corporations, trade groups, trial lawyers, labor unions and various liberal interest groups ($103,100 vs. $112,101 from individuals). Even with all the special interest heft that often comes with incumbency, Ed Perlmutter was narrowly outraised by Ryan … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, General, liberty, National Politics, PPC

1/29/2010 By Ben Leave a Comment

Friday Quick Hits: Obama Dissed, Arrogant Dems, Howard Zinn Eulogized

I hope you enjoy one or more of the following: David Freddoso at the Washington Examiner points out that Senate Democrats very quickly have killed President Obama's very modest "spending freeze" proposal before it barely had a chance to get going. Speaking of Obama, my PPC friends are licking their chops at the prospect of The One coming to Denver to stump for our appointed junior U.S. Senator Michael Bennet. Speaking of arrogance, guest writer Don Rodgers at Reclaim the Blue calls out Democrats in our state legislature for their hubris, after shoving through four of the Dirty Dozen tax bills on Wednesday (and are scheduled to hear the rest starting this morning) as a prelude to their dying political majority. Speaking of death, the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Colorado Politics, Fiscal Policy, General, History, liberty, My Life, National Politics, PPC, Random and Miscellaneous

1/27/2010 By Ben 3 Comments

Tea Party Hero Jason Chaffetz Backs Congressional Candidate Scott Tipton

Locked in a primary against grassroots candidate Bob McConnell, Colorado 3rd Congressional District candidate Scott Tipton touts an endorsement that could go a long way with many in the Tea Party movement: … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Colorado Politics, General, liberty, National Politics, PPC

1/27/2010 By Ben Leave a Comment

Government Workers Now the Majority Among U.S. Union Members

A startling statistical development emerged last Friday, that you may have missed if you weren't paying attention too closely. New data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show that for the first time in U.S. history there are more union members working in government than working in the private sector. I sat down yesterday for a 9-minute iVoices podcast conversation with Brian Johnson, executive director of the Alliance for Worker Freedom, to explore the effects of the changing labor movement on the fight for liberty and limited government. Follow the link here or click on the play button below to listen: … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Fiscal Policy, General, Labor, liberty, My Life, National Politics, PPC

1/27/2010 By Ben Leave a Comment

Watching State of the Union? Engage Republicans on Your Mobile Phone

Are you a political junkie who is planning to tune in to tonight's State of the Union address (9 PM Eastern / 7 PM local)? Why not have more fun by making it interactive? This sounds like a potentially interesting opportunity:For those on or off the same political page, they are invited to participate in the NRCC's live chat via SMS during President Obama’s State of the Union address. To participate, consumers can text either keyword, SOTU or STATE, to the short code 777218. After opting-in, consumers receive a text message that reads: "Thank you for participating in NRCC's State of the Union Text Chat. Look here on Wednesday 1/27 for the link to participate." Several hours before the State of the Union address, consumers will … [Read more...]

Filed Under: blogging, clean government, General, liberty, National Politics, PPC

1/26/2010 By Ben Leave a Comment

Barack Obama: Get Out of Debt by Maintaining Out-of-Control Spending?

What do I think of Barack Obama's so-called "spending freeze"? Imagine someone you know who's in a little bit of debt increasing his household spending until he maxes out all his credit cards, then reassuring the bank that he's going to stop increasing his spending rate for 3 years. Yeah, I guess it's good that he's not going to try to outlive his means any more than he already does. But then again, it doesn't really address the problem, does it? Check out this Red State diary for a more detailed and down-to-earth deconstruction. Or Al Maurer and the Cato Institute article he cites pointing out the true "smoke and mirrors" behind the "spending freeze" pronouncement. Then I recommend you go over to Hot Air and vote in Ed Morrissey's … [Read more...]

Filed Under: clean government, Climate Hysteria, Fiscal Policy, General, liberty, National Politics, PPC

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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.

Recent Posts

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