Mount Virtus

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

Ben on Social Media

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.

By 3 Comments

Senate District 16: Rob Witwer, Dan Maes Out; Penry Touts Cheri Gerou

Update, 11/18: Count out another one, too. Ali Hasan left a comment following my earlier speculation that included his name as a possible candidate: "Sorry Mount Virtus, but I won’t be getting into SD16 at all – I got my eyes on a different race. Honestly, Don Ytterberg ran a great campaign and he would be a terrific candidate for this race, especially since Gibbs’s 2008 win mostly came off of his 75% vote total in Summit County, which propelled his victory – a non-Summit Dem puts this race in the R column, imo." Last night I noted Democrat state senator Dan Gibbs' announced decision not to seek re-election in 2010, and started the speculation about which Republicans might be enticed to step up to the plate. After all, this key seat very … [Read more...]

By Leave a Comment

Recovery.gov Fail: $1.1 Million Per Stimulus Job in Jeffco May Be Low

Earlier this month I did a little research on the Obama administration's multimillion-dollar Recovery.gov website and found that one Jefferson County, Colorado, job was created for every $1.1 million spent. And now we find that dollar figure in fact may be low! Why? Among other reasons, $6.4 billion of stimulus money has been spent in phantom Congressional districts -- including, as Mike Robinson points out at Rocky Mountain Right, on Colorado's imaginary 64th Congressional district. Because it comes from the government's own website, and there's reason to believe the figure is if anything on the conservative side, all Jeffco Republican candidates would be wise to repeat the $1.1 million per job point about the wastefulness of their … [Read more...]

By Leave a Comment

November Survey: Ken Buck’s Support Rises, Jane Norton Seen as Strongest

Introducing the top-line results from the 3rd edition of the survey of Colorado's political temperature. Participation dropped to 281, but results still demonstrated some remarkable consistency. As always, thanks to those of you who took the time to help out! Coming later in the month will be an analysis of some key crosstabs and correlations. But for now here's a quick rundown of the survey's top-line results: In the U.S. Senate race, with Ryan Frazier dropping out of the race, momentum has grown behind Ken Buck as the candidate with the most support and behind Jane Norton as the strongest candidate -- an interesting dynamic given the credible rumors circulating at Rocky Mountain Right Josh Penry was on track for his best showings … [Read more...]

By 5 Comments

Democrat State Sen. Dan Gibbs to Forego Re-election: Start Speculating

New RMA member Don Johnson reports that Democrat state senator Dan Gibbs will not run for re-election in his mountain district in 2010. A good opportunity for the Dead Guvs to pine that state lawmakers aren't paid well enough. Suddenly, SD16 has to look a lot more appealing to Republicans. Last time around Gibbs beat Don Ytterberg (now the chairman of the Jefferson County GOP) by a nearly 3-to-2 margin. But the political environment makes the seat a lot more competitive for Republicans in 2010, and I don't see any scenario where they can win back the majority without it. If the rumors haven't already started to circulate, allow me to ask: Will first-term Rep. Cheri Gerou in HD 25 make the leap? Might someone coax former Rep. Rob … [Read more...]

By Leave a Comment

Finding a Home for “What I’m Thankful For”: Reflecting One Year Later

Last year at this time I was in the middle of writing a 20-part blog series on "What I'm Thankful For." While I have no plans in reprising the series for 2009, I have created a new permanent page on the site with links to each post -- from "The Legacy of My Grandparents" to "Vision" and everything in between. Eleven days until the official Thanksgiving holiday, and it's never too early to start reflecting on the need for more gratitude in each of our lives. … [Read more...]

By Leave a Comment

State of Colorado’s Republican Race for Governor: After Penry, the Deluge?

Chuck Plunkett is one of the more liberal members of the Denver Post's editorial board, but he's a straight shooter. And his Friday posting on the state of Colorado's Republican primary for governor -- "Whither Tancredo?" -- is full of spot-on insights, such as:Party insiders say the problem is that the campaign [Scott] McInnis has structured to date has created a vacuum that conservatives abhor. And: … [Read more...]

By 5 Comments

AFSCME Sends Union Membership Cards to Colorado State Employees

Reports indicate that thousands of Colorado state employees received AFSCME (American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO) union membership cards in the mail yesterday. Many of them are wondering just why they received them, as they never signed up to join any union -- especially not one that is spending plenty of member dues money to shill for the unpopular Obama Care socialized medicine fiasco. AFSCME is one of three partner unions (SEIU and AFT are the others) that joined together to form the Colorado WINS organizing coalition but a few days after Bill Ritter signed an executive order opening the doors of state government to unionization. According to Section 12, page 9, of the Colorado WINS organizing … [Read more...]

By Leave a Comment

PPC Citizen Journalists Query Ed Perlmutter’s Office on Pelosi Care

So yes, my Representative Ed Perlmutter voted for the costly, restrictive monstrosity known as Pelosi Care (HR 3962). But how does he justify his positions? How did his office respond to last week's House Call on Congress rally? And how were citizen-journalists from the People's Press Collective received when they came to discuss Perlmutter's position on the legislation? Go straight to PPC, or watch the videos below: … [Read more...]