Mount Virtus

"Happy to come back to Michigan, but I miss the mountains!"

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Mount Virtus?

Every day is seeking to rise to the challenge, 'neath the shadow of the mighty Rockies.

Colorado Ballot Reviews

Sometimes the choices are daunting or confusing, sometimes they're as clear as a Mile High view.

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A Mess for Madden

There's an interesting new Web site on the Colorado political scene - MaddenMess.com. No, it has nothing to do with Monday Night Football broadcasts. If you want to sign an online petition to investigate a serious potential conflict of interest on the part of Colorado House Majority Leader Alice Madden (D - Boulder), however, then what are you waiting for? Accountability in government demands nothing less. Oh, and have we mentioned "office accounts" lately? … [Read more...]

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Memo to Haley: Keep an Eye on HD 29

The Denver Post's Dan Haley has one of the sharpest eyes on Colorado politics of any blog out there right now. Yesterday he scouted the 10 most significant state legislative races of the 2006 season - 5 each from the House and from the Senate - as the Republicans fight to regain majority status. (HT: Dead Governors) Admittedly, Haley had to stretch to come up with 5 Senate races, as only 3 (and more likely 2) have a legitimate shot of changing hands: a potential pickup for the Dems in SD 11 in Colorado Springs and a potential pickup for the GOP in SD 21 in Jefferson County (the special election necessitated by Lakewood Democrat Sen. Deanna Hanna's resignation following attempted extortion). You can make a case for my district - SD … [Read more...]

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Tapping into the Oil Discussion

I'm back at last ... after some serious technical problems and an out-of-town jaunt for business purposes. When I woke up this morning to read that Republican Senator Arlen Specter has joined Democrat colleagues in a call for a "windfall profits" tax on oil companies, I realized it's time to pour a barrel of cold water on the conversation. Gas prices indeed have soared. But is the problem price-gouging? Or perhaps could it be a matter of supply and demand? I'm not a professional economist, so I am not able to offer an in-depth analysis here. However, I can tell you to read this piece from the Tax Foundation by Scott Hodge and Jonathan Williams. The piece was written last November when talk of a "windfall profits" tax started … [Read more...]

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Latest Survey Shows Holtzman Momentum

The latest reliable Rasmussen poll shows momentum is with the Marc Holtzman campaign. Back in February, Rasmussen showed these numbers in matchups between the sole Democrat candidate and his two Republican contenders: Bill Ritter (D) - 40% Bob Beauprez (R) - 33% Bill Ritter (D) - 41% Marc Holtzman (R) - 28% The March results show positive movement for the Republicans, while Ritter is stuck standing still: Bill Ritter (D) - 41% Bob Beauprez (R) - 40% Bill Ritter (D) - 41% Marc Holtzman (R) - 36% And Rasmussen concludes with this summary: The rolling average of the last three Rasmussen Reports polls shows Ritter leading Beauprez by 3 percentage points, 40% to 37%. Ritter leads Holtzman in the three-poll average by … [Read more...]

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See You at the Caucus

Colorado is one of the very best states for citizens to be active in the political process. If you live & are registered to vote in Colorado but haven't participated in the caucus/assembly process before, there's no time like 2006 to get started. The neighborhood caucuses are coming up next Tuesday, March 21 (most are at 7 PM). It's a great chance to meet up with some of the neighbors, to learn more about the different candidates, to persuade and be persuaded about what issues are important, to choose who will represent you at the County Assembly (and often the State Assembly, too), and to vote on resolutions that will get discussed and refined at the county level, maybe even make it onto the state party platform. So if you have a chance … [Read more...]

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Monday: Personal Political Pessimism

I feel entitled to be politically pessimistic today. While Joshua opines on President Bush as LBJ, Clay traffics in crass, baseless, ad hominem attacks ... against a fellow Republican. And these are my Rocky Mountain Alliance friends! I appreciate Joshua's attempt at discourse. The concerns he addresses demonstrate historical perspective and insight. And they raise at least one issue about Bush's low poll numbers I have not often heard discussed: that they represent disaffection among some conservatives more than a general Left-ward tilt of the voting populace. I will give more thought to Joshua's analogy before commenting directly on it. As for Clay, I'm left to believe that his reposting of the absurd, innuendo-laced cartoon without … [Read more...]

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Conflict of Interest Exposed

The Dead Governors appear to be the first on the story of alleged conflict of interest going on in the Republican primary. And there's a LOT of disinformation floating around in the comment section, as usual. There is only one essential disagreement between the Holtzman campaign and the State Republican Party: is it proper for a professional political vendor to work for two clients with overlapping interests? I hate airing dirty Republican laundry like this, but when you are close enough to the sources to know what's going on, and the whole thing needs to be cleared up, well... the choice was easy. … [Read more...]