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How to Train Your Politician: Conservative Ed Hanks Urges Intentional Voting

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How to Train Your Politician: Conservative Ed Hanks Urges Intentional Voting

On December 20, 2014, I chatted by phone with Ed Hanks about his new book How to Train Your Politician: Intentional Voting as a Path to Tea Party and Constitutional Victory. Hanks, an acquaintance and Jefferson County conservative activist who has been one of Colorado's leading voices for Personhood, graciously shared a Kindle copy of his book for me to read prior our conversation. We talked in the wake of the lame-duck Congress passing the corporatists' dream bill, known as Cromnibus, fueling the fires of populist conservative discontent (including yours truly). A mounting frustration definitely brings a growing interest in the strategy Hanks endorses. Yet what I find most appealing about the book and its author is his historical … [Read more...]

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Strange Twists and Turns Following Obama’s Sonia Sotomayor Nomination

The other day I highlighted Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor's indefensible statement and the need for repudiation. But more serious than a statement at Berkeley is Sotomayor's actual judicial record. It certainly is interesting to see serious criticism directed at Barack Obama's nominee from outside the center-right political spectrum -- and not because she is insufficiently liberal. Take the Denver Post's Chuck Plunkett, for example:You’re supposed to say out-there stuff at Berkeley. Otherwise everyone thinks you’re dull and boorish. But while wearing the robes of justice you’re supposed to be fair. And the Ricci v. New Haven decision Sotomayor was involved in looks just terrible – even to some prominent Democrats. … [Read more...]

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Best Destiny’s Michael Co-Authors Book to Help You Find Your Best Destiny

It's always great to see someone you know hit the market with a book published under their name. In this case, it's Michael Alcorn -- one of Colorado's most veteran conservative bloggers and a charter member of the Rocky Mountain Alliance of Blogs. You may know him better as the man behind Best Destiny. Michael has co-authored Get It: Wake Up NOW(!) to Build Your Perfect Life:Get It is a Book / program designed to help YOU design your perfect life. While this book targets young adults ages 16 - 24, the book and program is helpful to people of all ages who simply want to get it. The way we view things, the world is broken down into those people who "Get It" and those who "Don't Get It". "Get what?" you might ask. … [Read more...]

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Senator Jim DeMint Sets Up a Great Framework for Rebuilding the GOP

If there is anyone currently in the U.S. Senate of whom I would consider myself a fan, Jim DeMint of South Carolina would be on that short list. I understood where he was coming from but found it a little disconcerting when he said: "I would rather have 30 Republicans in the Senate who really believe in principles of limited government, free markets, free people, than to have 60 that don't have a set of beliefs." What a great relief then to see Senator DeMint's excellent column in yesterday's Wall Street Journal -- what I consider an opportunity to revise and extend his remark. His rhetoric is blunt, and his analysis is clear: … [Read more...]

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GOP Needs Problems Fixed, But Arlen Specter Defection Isn’t One of Them

I will not deny that the Republican Party (nationally and locally) has had its share of problems and dysfunctions in the recent past. My purpose here is not to write an in-depth treatise analyzing the causes, suffice it to say that a gross lack of fiscal responsibility and a glaring absence of fealty to other mainstream conservative ideas played major roles. But let's be honest: the Party deserves little if any of the blame for the Arlen Specter defection. The man is far less principled than the average member of Congress, and that's saying a lot. Specter's party switch (and his ham-handed, self-serving approach in doing so) showed a lack of respect to the voters of Pennsylvania, and to the intelligence of the average American. That … [Read more...]

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Democrat Numbers Show Door Wide Open for Challenge to Michael Bennet

The results are out: newly selected U.S. Senator Michael Bennet is not doing so great. That's the message from the Democratic firm Public Policy Polling (PPP) -- which commissioned the survey. Politico says Bennet is "off to a slow start". And apparently dissatisfied with the results, the Democrat Dead Governors' blog for the first time features a front-page critique of PPP as "notorious" for its unreliability. From the few previous mentions on their site, PPP polling substantiated Mark Udall's lead in last year's Senate race -- Obama, too. Now, though, we just can't trust them. It's not as if the results are spectacular for the Republican field looking to challenge Michael Bennet. The public is simply not in any way engaged with the … [Read more...]

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Ryan Frazier Dominates Competition in DougCo U.S. Senate Straw Poll

El Presidente has some potentially earth-shaking news (for active lovers of liberty and the handful of Colorado political insiders who are paying attention at this point, that is): Despite the weak and transparent efforts of the liberal Dead Governors to marginalize his campaign with ridicule, Aurora city councilman Ryan Frazier not only won but dominated the competition in a U.S. Senate straw poll among the conservative Douglas County GOP faithful (complete with video of Frazier's Saturday speech at the Douglas County Lincoln Day dinner). Other names in the straw poll included former Congressman Bob Beauprez, popular radio talk show host Dan Caplis, Weld County district attorney Ken Buck, and businessman Cleve Tidwell. This result … [Read more...]

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Leondray Gholston Brings Fresh Blood Beside Experienced Dick Wadhams in Colorado GOP Leadership

Update: El Presidente has more of the details surrounding what went down at today's state party officer elections. I was not able to attend today's Colorado Republican state central committee meeting in Castle Rock, but I've had a chance to follow developments remotely. As reported at Rocky Mountain Right, Dick Wadhams was comfortably re-elected to the chairman's position. The more competitive race was for vice-chair, in which DougCo GOP reports on Twitter that Leondray Gholston beat out Nathan Chambers on the 3rd round of voting. For many conservative grassroots supporters, Gholston's election represents a new and exciting direction for the state party. Let's hope their optimism is justified. Certainly, Gholston's passion, … [Read more...]

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Eagle County’s Tom Stone Tosses Hat into Ring for State GOP Chairmanship

On March 21, Colorado Republicans convene to select party leadership for the next two years. Before today, it seemed the only real competition would be for party vice chair between Nathan Chambers incumbent Perry Buck [editorial correction based on updated information] and Leondray Gholston. An official announcement today from former Eagle County commissioner Tom Stone means there also will be a challenge for Dick Wadhams' position in the top spot. Here is the pledge Stone has posted on his site: … [Read more...]

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Add Dave Schultheis to the List of GOP Lawmakers with Foot in Mouth

Update (2/26): El Presidente weighs in, along with Rocky Mountain Right and David Harsanyi. A little good judgment, please? Perhaps an apology or two? The list of Republican state legislators over the past week with foot in mouth reaches three: Don Marostica Scott Renfroe Dave Schultheis There's much I could say about Senator Schultheis' comments and rationale, but for the sake of time I'll limit it to this: The best way to expose the pro-abortion Democrats' hypocrisy on the issue would be to cast a vote in favor of life, not in favor of a confused moral message. There is much, much, much room for the Republican Party to be the conservative party, the predominantly pro-life party, to welcome and encourage social conservatives … [Read more...]