Update, 3/17: Link added - check out "Keep The Cap Colorado" Saying state representative Don Marostica is not the future of the Colorado Republican Party was one of the blog understatements of the year. As if latching on to the Democratic caucus to support California-like spendthrift policies wasn't enough by itself, Marostica had to go and try to explain his position. From Don Marostica's hometown, this Loveland Politics report seems to indicate the representative has walked off the political cliff:If the purpose of Saturday's "town hall" meeting was to mend fences within his own party, it failed miserably when the Republican legislator Marostica told those assembled "Now, I know Republicans -- really get nervous about that because … [Read more...]
Founders’ Night 2008: Michelle Malkin Charges Colorado’s Freedom-Fighters
Update: The Daily Blogster and Face The State have more. Last night, at the Independence Institute's 24th Annual Founders' Night Dinner, conservatives and libertarians didn't waste much time moping. Sure, Mike Rosen's election commentary was a bit more sobering than usual. But with Jon Caldara as emcee - and receiving recognition for 10 years as Independence Institute president, a tenure he hopes to continue with his self-professed "lack of marketable skills" - it was hard to get too down. Fred Holden, longtime hard-working and outspoken advocate for liberty and author of Total Power of ONE in America, won the Vern Bickel Award for Grassroots Leadership. This was certainly a well-deserved honor. The inspiring and energetic … [Read more...]
Reasonable, Principled Compromise Needed to Rebuild GOP Coalition
Lately I've struggled for the time and energy to put together some coherent thoughts about what the GOP needs to do to rebuild. Jim Manzi at The Corner said it almost perfectly for me. You need to read the whole post, but here is a key excerpt:While it is always possible to imagine some arbitrary configuration of 51% of voters who have the label “conservativeâ€, Rod’s point [ed: that "no conservative movement that hopes to be successful can do so without religious conservatives"] strikes me as correct as a practical matter. Further, more important than the question of electoral advantage, is the fact that tens of millions of citizens have deeply held beliefs that should be considered in making and enforcing the law. I also believe … [Read more...]
Krista Kafer’s New Face The State Column Brings Needed Perspective
My Leadership Program of the Rockies (LPR) classmate, sometimes Backbone America radio co-host, and Independence Institute senior fellow Krista Kafer debuted a weekly Face The State column today. Here's the timely conclusion of this first installment:Special interests that have much to gain from the demise of Amendments 47 and 49 are funneling millions of dollars into the election. Slick campaigns from candidates and groups lure voters with the promise to “Protect Colorado’s Future.†The advocacy groups, leftist candidates, and sadly, even the media, are banking on the public’s fears for the economy to turn the election in their favor. Unfortunately, conservatives and libertarians have had trouble articulating what’s at stake. … [Read more...]
1861 Was Not 1776: An Essay
Update: An astute observer has corrected a factual mistake. James Madison wrote "much of" - not "most of" - the Federalist. Alexander Hamilton wrote more, though Madison wrote many of the key essays that frame the meaning of Union. My faux pas. The following is adapted and expanded from an email listserv essay I wrote recently, inspired initially in response to the following phrase someone had written: "The American Republic created by the founding fathers was destroyed by the civil war...." Here is my argument why libertarians should think long and hard before embracing a defense of the Confederate cause: Quite simply, the noble libertarian impulse to champion resistance to government encroachment on people's freedoms has led many … [Read more...]