I participated in the latest edition of Right Wing News' "Rightosphere Temperature Check". In case you're wondering, I happened to vote with the majority on each of the seven A or B questions. Digging further into the details likely would yield more disagreement, but when you only have two options.... … [Read more...]
Look at Both Gallup Polls: Republicans Have an Opportunity, If They’ll Take It
Two Gallup polls, released on the same day: Monday, May 18. Wildly different headlines. Part of a bigger story, but some can only seem to latch on to one or the other. Those who trumpeted the results of the survey showing across-the-board demographic losses for the Republican Party since 2001 (conducted from January to April of this year) might also want to note the results of the survey showing Republican-leaning support matching Democrat-leaning support for the first time in nearly four years. … [Read more...]
Sine Die
It sounds like a garbled threat, or possibly a song from the High Mass. Sine die means neither, but it is cause for high celebration: The Colorado state legislature is adjourned for 2009, at least for the regular session. (I'm hearing insiders say that the Governor very well may call a special session in the summer.) In one sense, it's a shame to see the legislature walk away from its responsibility: Democrats have kicked the state's fiscal problems a little ways down the road. But then again, the majority Democrats aren't likely to grow a sense of responsibility any time soon. So staunch the bleeding while there's still time. Because, in fact, Democrats are now openly touting a recent state supreme court decision to say they can … [Read more...]
HB 1299 is Dead, Long Live Electoral College & Colorado’s Political Relevance
A close call: House Bill 1299 -- Colorado Democrats' attempt to subvert the Electoral College wisdom of the Founders -- happily has died. Thanks to senators on both sides of the aisle (including my own Democrat state senator Moe Keller) for putting an end to this bad idea. But HB 1299 went further and lasted longer than it ever should have ... all part of the joy (cough) of having the Democrats in charge at the State Capitol. After all, the Democrats are making progress in their other efforts to govern themselves out of the majority: the latest example is the "for the children" hypocrisy of Senate Bill 291. … [Read more...]
Tax Day Tea Party, Colorado
Update VI, 4/16: Here are some pictures taken by Jimmie H. Butler at yesterday's rally in Colorado Springs. Re-posted with permission: Update V, 4/16: My brother-in-law has a great set of photos from yesterday's Denver event. Slapstick Politics has begun to post video from the well-attended festivities at the West Steps of the Capitol. Rossputin has some "Post-Tea Party Thoughts" that includes photos, video, and an interactive poll question. Here is a great site that is tallying attendance reports from Tea Party events all across the country. I've already notified the site operator with a few reports from Colorado locations he hadn't yet received. Update IV, 10:00 PM: Over at Free Colorado, Ari has a good … [Read more...]
Legislation to Unionize Colorado State Government: Coming 2010 Battle?
Via the Right to Work blog comes news that the new Republican Governor of Arizona Jan Brewer has repealed her predecessor's executive order granting union powers to state workers. This scenario (and others like it before - witness Missouri and Indiana as examples) is precisely why the Colorado WINS labor coalition will not rest satisfied with Bill Ritter's November 2007 executive order that introduced collective bargaining to our state government. Odds are strong that the political winds will favor Big Labor pushing a broad piece of government employee collective bargaining legislation in 2010. The question is whether the Democrats in charge at the State Capitol by then will have backed off the cliff's edge, and from governing away their … [Read more...]
Strange But True: Bernie Buescher Lectures Protesters on “Good Policy”
Update, 4/6: A Rocky Mountain Right diarist from Ouray isn't too happy with the Governor's cancellation. What a bummer when you show up to protest someone, and they aren't able to make it in person. Such apparently was the case this weekend in Grand Junction, when inclement weather prevented Governor Bill Ritter from being welcomed by more than 50 Coloradans "totally disgusted" about the negative impacts of his various tax policies and newly-approved oil and gas rules. The interesting tidbit came from local news station KJCT, which reported that Secretary of State (and Western Slope native) Bernie Buescher showed up to take the slings and arrows in Ritter's place:He says the Governor recognizes this is a difficult time and it's time … [Read more...]
Colorado Democrats: Governing Themselves Out of the Majority?
Are the Democrats at the State Capitol trying to govern themselves out of the majority? They sure are making it easier for the GOP - with a string of shenanigans and assorted bad ideas just from the past several days: From slamming the door on school spending transparency To ignoring critical scholarly arguments in order to push through a nakedly partisan ploy to weaken Colorado's political influence and undermine the Electoral College To cravenly moving a vote while a Republican lawmaker was out of town (aiding a relative with Alzheimer's) - all to pass a constitutionally dubious bill that grants in-state tuition to illegal aliens To talking out loud about exploiting a partisan, anti-taxpayer state supreme court ruling to repeal some … [Read more...]
Poor Timing of FasTracks Tax Announcement Only Tip of Iceberg
It's kind of surreal to find these two headlines in the same edition of the Denver Post: Colo. jobless at 21-year high: "The unemployment rate hasn't been this high since April 1988, when it was at 6.7 percent. It is also higher than the 6.3 percent rate reached during the depths of the dot-com bust from 2001 to 2003." Doubling FasTracks sales tax gets nod: "On Wednesday, a majority of the Metro Mayors Caucus tentatively approved a plan to salvage FasTracks by asking voters for another 0.4 percent sales tax. The mayors, hoping to see the entire $6.9 billion expansion finished by 2017, are gambling that voters will maintain support for the project despite higher costs and some of the weakest economic conditions in the past … [Read more...]
Will Colorado Democrats Overreach on Sticking Taxpayers for Transportation?
As we discussed on last night's Blog Talk Radio show with the Grand Junction Sentinel's Mike Saccone (to listen to a recording, you can go to the sidebar or directly to the RMA page) - the fight over transportation dollars is the big story brewing at the State Capitol. Senate minority leader Josh Penry and the Republicans say their proposals haven't been taken seriously in negotiations and are willing to let the Democrats own measures like the unpopular interstate highway tolls and the controversial Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) fee. Reasonable compromise is part of lawmakers' job, but I hope that conservatives in the House demand a little more from Governor Bill Ritter and the majority Democrats. Namely, the legislature needs to … [Read more...]