The Hill provides a birds-eye Beltway view of the Republican primary challenge shaping up to take out the indecisive and vulnerable Michael Bennet, Colorado's newly selected junior U.S. Senator. Writes Aaron Blake:Republicans lately have been talking a lot about fresh faces, with mixed success in actually obtaining them. While the GOP has lined up current and former House members in most other open primaries, Colorado stands out as the one where they may be content to go with a wholly new brand. That change would be particularly stark with [Ryan] Frazier, a 31-year-old African-American city councilman who has opened an exploratory committee for the race and appears set to run. But it’s also apparent with [Ken] Buck, a … [Read more...]
Democrats Gamble State Finances, Majority Status, on Pinnacol “Gimmick”
The budget debate at Colorado's State Capitol heads into full throttle this week. In a tough year, the linchpin to the Democrats' plan is a raid on the privately-funded Pinnacol Assurance Company. Even the Denver Post recognizes this as a bad idea:If lawmakers can't get money from Pinnacol, higher education could be cut by more than $400 million — more than half the state's allotment to colleges and universities. Pinnacol offers guaranteed workers' compensation insurance, and Republicans have argued that because the insurer's assets were funded by businesses paying premiums, the state should keep its hands off. [Attorney General John] Suthers, a Republican, clearly, agrees. The Pinnacol idea is dubious at best. It is a gimmick, a … [Read more...]
Nearly Half of Coloradans Admit They Don’t Know Who Michael Bennet Is
Congressional Quarterly says Michael Bennet "needs to get better known" -- who? Oh yeah! Colorado's junior junior U.S. Senator. The Democrats' Public Policy Polling - in a herculean effort to put an impossibly meaningful spin on an election that's more than 21 months away - finds almost half of Coloradans will admit they don't even know who Bennet is. (How many of the 54 percent were fibbing, or thought maybe pollsters were asking about this AFC West rival running back?) We're a long way from knowing much of anything about the dynamics for the 2010 U.S. Senate race in Colorado. But we'll at least begin to have a good idea of the terrain when we see how Bennet casts his vote on union card-check legislation. With the announcement … [Read more...]
Huzzah: The Oklahoma 3 Are Free!
Months ago I introduced readers to the story of outrageous injustice against Paul Jacob and the Oklahoma Three. For a little closure, yesterday brought some great news:Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson has dropped criminal charges against The Oklahoma Three–Paul Jacob, Susan Johnson and Rick Carpenter–who had been accused of conspiring to violate the state's now unconstitutional law against out of state petition circulators. Kudos to these three for their courage and conviction. In this age, we all should be proud to have citizen watchdogs like them on our side. … [Read more...]
With Bob Schaffer at Helm, State Board on Right Education Reform Path
Congrats to Bob Schaffer, new chairman of the Colorado State Board of Education (H/T Complete Colorado). Schaffer himself has graciously (and ironically) quipped on more than one occasion since his difficult defeat in last November's U.S. Senate campaign, that perhaps he ought to be flattered that so many Coloradans saw fit to keep him serving on the State Board. The State Board is a volunteer position, and is significantly limited in its policy making powers. However, with Schaffer at the helm we can be confident the Board will be a force for good in education reform. Also, along with the Attorney General's office, the State Board of Education remains the last bastion of Republican strength in Colorado. For the most part, things can … [Read more...]
Political Fault Lines Clearly Shifting Around Federal Bailout Bill Debate
One thing that's clear is the Congressional bailout debates have shifted political fault lines in unusual ways. The Denver Post highlights the odd split in Colorado's Congressional delegation: Mark Udall, John Salazar, Doug Lamborn, and Marilyn Musgrave against the bill vs. Tom Tancredo, Diana Degette, and Ed Perlmutter for it. Then, there's my two favorite fiscally conservative national think tanks. Co-authoring an issue brief for the Heritage Foundation, former Attorney General Ed Meese says the bailout bill was "vital and acceptable," while Cato Institute scholar Jagadeesh Ghokale notes:Overall, it's not a pretty picture--but score one for supporters of the free market who insist on allowing market reorganization of the financial … [Read more...]
AG John Suthers’ Taxpayer-Friendly Brief Unlikely to Sway Political Court
Mike Saccone reports some pleasing but unsurprising news: Attorney General John Suthers has submitted a friendly brief to the Colorado Supreme Court on behalf of the people of the state, and the district court decision that upheld their rights to vote on a tax increase. But Governor Bill Ritter is probably resting easier than he should, knowing that the political High Court has every reason to favor the Democrats who appropriated them money to construct a new courtroom building. Color me cynical, and hope that I am surprised. … [Read more...]
Bill Ritter and the Colorado Democrats’ Unauthorized Tax Hike Goes to Court
At long last, court hearings begin today in the case of Gov. Bill Ritter raising Coloradans' property taxes without a constitutional vote of the people. From the Denver Post:The freeze is estimated to bring in $117 million this year and $3.8 billion over a decade, up from an initial estimate of $1.7 billion when it was passed. Richard Westfall, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said the two sides will call about 10 witnesses, likely including school finance experts, the state treasurer and school board members. Dreyer said Ritter is not expected to testify. "A lot of the discussion is going to be about addressing pretty esoteric points in the school finance act," Westfall said. The trial is scheduled to last a week. It will be … [Read more...]