I've spent the past several days trying to reach a coherent synthesis from these two poll results taken by Rasmussen: 73 percent of Republican voters say Republicans in Congress have lost touch with their base -- men and older voters are more likely to share these sentiments; and (unsurprisingly) far more voters obviously are concerned about economic, fiscal, and national security issues than domestic or cultural issues General election voters trust Republicans more than Democrats on all 10 key electoral issues -- with double-digit advantages in national security, Iraq, taxes, economy and abortion So what should Republican politicians and candidates learn from these results? I mean, besides the fact that it's hard to make too much … [Read more...]
Kent Lambert’s Announcement Thursday: Going for Senate District 9?
Yesterday Republican state senator Dave Schultheis announced he would be retiring from office in 2010. This evening a press release went out from (and about) one of my Leadership Program of the Rockies classmates:Representative Kent Lambert, House District 14, will make a short public political announcement on Thursday, November 5, at 12:00 at the El Paso County Republican Headquarters, 205 Sutton Road, Colorado Springs, CO, 80907. An opportunity for media Q&A will follow. [link added] Connection between the announcements of Schultheis and Lambert? It would be hard to speculate as anything else. You didn't think Tom McDowell would go unchallenged in his quest for Senate District 9, did you? No one has a stronger 2009 rating from the … [Read more...]
Is Maine’s Question 4 a Belwether of Limited Government Sentiment?
A lot of people are looking at the Virginia governor's race -- or even the New York 23 race -- as a belwether of conservative, limited government political sentiment and activism going into the 2010 midterm elections. Me? I'm looking at a ballot initiative in Maine that would institute tax and spending limits similar to those in Colorado. As Question 4 trails in the polls, citizen activists have uncovered opponents using legislative resources to promote pay-to-play scheme. Enough to turn the tide? Perhaps, but not likely given conventional political wisdom. But what might be interesting to see is if the 2009 version generates any late momentum or outperforms the 2006 Maine Taxpayer's Bill of Rights, that lost 54-46. It might offer us … [Read more...]
What Happened in NY-23?
Everyone and his brother (a particularly strange piece of slang I picked up from my childhood) has been offering spin to explain why on an election night so good for Republicans and conservatives, insurgent Conservative Doug Hoffman came up short against Democrat Bill Owens. I think that's looking at it the wrong way: given the facts and observations provided by Michael Patrick Leahy, it's fairly remarkable Hoffman came as close as he did. I spot three major factors Leahy cites that determined the outcome. First: … [Read more...]
Government Run Amok Again: Don’t Offer Paid Rides to Airport in Nevada
A new story from the files of government authority run amok... Following shortly on the heels of the Michigan woman harassed by social services for watching some neighbor kids before they catch the school bus, comes a doozy from Nevada. Vin Suprynowicz recounts the story of Delinda Epstein's costly brush with the County Transportation Authority when she tried to make private arrangements to drive someone to the airport. Read this story and ask yourself: Is it anything but common sense to insist on limiting the size and scope of government? … [Read more...]
Jeffco GOP Central Committee Recap: Governor Hopefuls Speak, Gholston Steals Show, Frazier Team Absent
Last night I attended the Jefferson County Republican Central Committee meeting, along with nearly 200 other local precinct and district leaders. Considering the central order of business was to ratify new by-laws and the snows of the big storm were just beginning to fall, turnout was not at all bad. The main bill might also have helped bring some folks in. All three Republican gubernatorial candidates got their six-minute turn on the stump. And Alex's observations notwithstanding, all three comported themselves well and were equally well received by the audience. The biggest loser at last night's event was obviously Bill Ritter -- whose unpopularity seemed unrivaled. … [Read more...]
Karen Morgan’s 15 Minutes of Colorado Political Fame: “Where’s Scott?”
The legend of gubernatorial candidate Scott McInnis' bizarre absences grow with a no-show at last Saturday's North Suburban Republican Forum, reports the Colorado Statesman. Okay, I know the absence itself isn't really newsworthy. It's the front-page photo taken by the Statesman's Jason Kosena of Republican House District 27 area coordinator Karen Morgan (and mother of my occasional guest-blogger Ryan Morgan) holding the "Where's Scott?" sign. She's not a limelight kind of person, but -- along with her husband and children -- definitely one of the state's hardest-working, most dedicated Republican grassroots activists. Just the reason to bring attention to 15 minutes (or so) of Colorado political fame: Way to go, Karen! … [Read more...]
Arvada City Council Candidates Respond to Financial Transparency Idea
All politics is local, right? Mail ballot municipal elections already are underway, so late last week I decided it was finally time to ask the Arvada city council candidates on my ballot what they think of the idea of detailed financial transparency. Below I've pasted the message I emailed to the two at-large candidates and the two district candidates and what I learned: … [Read more...]
Great News and a Great Belwether? Marco Rubio Surging Close in Florida
If there's one 2010 race outside Colorado I'm following more closely than any other, it's the Florida Republican Senate primary -- a battle for the soul of the party between left-of-center governor Charlie Crist and conservative state legislative leader Marco Rubio. Despite being a huge underdog, Rubio has shown a lot of momentum. Red State's Erick Erickson has posted the latest good news -- check it out. … [Read more...]
Ed Perlmutter’s Health Care Solution: Raise Taxes, More Government
As the political stomach turns ... My Democratic Congressman Ed Perlmutter wants to raise taxes (H/T Complete Colorado) on investments to pay for government health care. As if that will do anything but further slow down America's economic engine and further erode your personal medical freedoms. Don't just get angry. Put your support behind one of our good Republican candidates running to oust Perlmutter: Ryan Frazier or Brian Campbell. … [Read more...]
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