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Readers Might Consider Poll on GOP Evangelicals Meaningless

I would be lying to say I didn't find poll results like this a little disconcerting: "More than half of GOP evangelicals might consider third-party candidate" if the Republicans nominate Giuliani for President. Except when you look at it closely, it doesn't really say that much. If you threw a party and ordered food based on the number who said they might consider attending, you very well could end up begging guests to take large portions of the leftovers home, or end up putting a lot in the freezer afterwards. Perhaps a more meaningful headline would have read: "Nearly half of GOP evangelicals won't even consider bolting the party, regardless of nominee." That's debatable, I suppose. Regardless, short of a real and specific … [Read more...]

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Republican Field to Replace Tancredo Begins to Line Up

With Rep. Tom Tancredo announcing he will not seek re-election in Colorado's 6th Congressional District, the scuttlebutt begins about which candidate will rise to the top to secure this safe Republican seat. According to the Rocky Mountain News, former Lt. Governor Jane Norton and former State Senate President John Andrews will stick to the sidelines, as well as radio talk show host Dan Caplis (who, ironically, like Tancredo, appears to be eyeing a 2010 run against U.S. Senator Ken Salazar). On the other hand, two state legislators - Sen. Ted Harvey (who like Tancredo once worked for my employer, the Independence Institute) and Sen. Tom Wiens (who may sidestep a chance at a career on the big screen) - look to be entering the fray, along … [Read more...]

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Discovering My Inner FredHead

Having taken this interesting and intuitive quiz, I have discovered that it is indeed Fred Thompson with whom I align most closely on the major issues of the day: My runners up were Duncan Hunter, John McCain, Tom Tancredo, and Ron Paul. Interestingly, the quiz results said I disagreed with both Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani on abortion. Quite a feat, I suppose. I'd be interested to see what the results are for some of my other friends - both blogging and non-blogging. … [Read more...]

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Where do Colorado Dems Stand on Rangel Tax Increase?

A quick Friday morning question for Colorado farmers, ranchers, and small business owners: What does Boulder liberal Rep. Mark Udall, Democrat candidate for U.S. Senate, think about Charlie Rangel's massive tax increase proposal? What does junior U.S. Senator Ken Salazar think? What about Democrat presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton? The Wall Street Journal makes a cogent point: No one thinks his plan has a chance of becoming law this year, but its beauty is as a signal of Democratic intentions for 2009. In proposing what would be the largest tax increase in history, Mr. Rangel is showing the world what he wants the tax code to look like if Democrats run the entire government. None of the Presidential candidates will admit this before … [Read more...]

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Schaffer Reports 3Q Fundraising

A little original reporting from one small corner of Colorado's right-of-center blogosphere: according to a well-placed source, the Bob Schaffer for U.S. Senate campaign is prepared to report 3rd quarter fundraising totals of $802,570. Combined with the $717,047 he raised during the 2nd quarter, Schaffer has compiled $1,519,617 since he began in earnest in May. The most recent numbers are solid, certainly not stellar - they reflect a slowing of the torrid pace he achieved during the first six weeks of active fundraising. Meanwhile, Schaffer's Democrat rival - Boulder liberal Rep. Mark Udall - has indicated that his campaign raised more than $1.1 million in the recent quarter. It seems like a fair assessment to make that the Schaffer … [Read more...]

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Schaffer v Udall Dead Heat: Unsurprising, Cause for GOP Hope

More than a year out, Colorado's U.S. Senate race is polling right at expectations: Republican Bob Schaffer is in a dead heat with Boulder liberal Rep. Mark Udall, with a hefty share of voters undecided or unsatisfied. Despite recent history and all the clamor about divisions within the state's GOP, including this: Ciruli said Schaffer is attracting a lower percentage of voters from Republicans, Democrats and the unaffiliated, but there are 130,000 more registered Republicans than Democrats, keeping Schaffer competitive. “It’s still very early in the campaign, but Schaffer’s challenge will be to unify his party and attract more unaffiliated voters as the public begins to make up its mind,” Ciruli said. Ciruli's observations … [Read more...]

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Udall Losing Respect for Sponsoring Silly Resolution

Michelle Malkin blasts away at the "phony" Congressional resolution attacking Rush Limbaugh: "Bottom-of-the-barrel desperation," she writes, with accumulated evidence to demonstrate that those Lefties hopping on the bandwagon should have used a little more discretion first. They are giving conservative officials a platform to make our case stronger, says Newsbusters. To her credit, Malkin also recognizes the lead role played by our own The Colorado Index in publishing the silly resolution sponsored by Boulder liberal U.S. Rep. Mark Udall. As noted earlier, the Left in Colorado also has assailed Udall as "an embarrassment" for this course of action. Following the lead of a Left-liberal faux "watchdog" to use Congressional time and … [Read more...]