Face The State follows up on a Complete Colorado lead about Democrat State Representative Dennis Apuan. He is the lead sponsor of a resolution honoring fallen soldiers (PDF), but he also has been arrested as an anti-war protester. Jeff Crank, former Republican Congressional candidate and current Colorado Springs radio host, wants to know why Apuan is hiding from his 2003 arrest. The following response was fired back from the Democrats' press office:Statement from Rep. Dennis Apuan (D-El Paso) Date: Fri, Mar 6, 2009 "Six years ago, long before I was an elected official, I participated in a peaceful prayer vigil at Peterson Air Force Base. With a group of religious leaders, I peacefully expressed my opposition to the use of … [Read more...]
At Least Agnes Sobczyk Didn’t Come Out for a Republican Candidate
"And people wonder why union card-check legislation is such a problem for workers" Exhibit # 2863. From the Chicago Sun-Times (via The Union Label):[United Food and Commercial Workers staff employee Agnes Sobczyk] said she passed a letter to a co-worker detailing her concerns about State Rep. John Fritchey, the candidate the union has endorsed to replace [Rahm] Emanuel. She passed the letter to her co-worker on Wednesday night and on Thursday morning, she said Union President Ron Powell called her into his office. "He shoved this in my face and said, 'Explain this!'" she said. Sobczyk said she told Powell she was concerned about some stories she read about Fritchey and that she thought [Victor] Forys was a better candidate. "Then I … [Read more...]
“Stand Up for Liberty!”
Update: El Presidente has posted a video recap of the different speakers at yesterday's rally. Earlier today was the kickoff rally for Colorado's new Gadsden Society. About 70 to 80 people showed up on a Sunday afternoon at the State Capitol. Tell your friends to come out and join us for the next one. Check back for updates. Pictures of today's gathering below the fold (more pictures and video of the event should be available soon at Slapstick Politics and the People's Press Collective): … [Read more...]
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...]
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...]
Counterproductive: Scott Renfroe Poorly Chose Rhetoric and Context
Denver Post columnist Al Knight has a fine piece today stating the arguments why the Colorado legislature should reject Senate Bill 88, the mandate to provide health-insurance benefits to same-sex couples: it embroils the state in legal battles, it violates the will of state voters, it has a negative impact on a tight budget, etc. No, instead, Republican state senator Scott Renfroe opened his mouth during the SB 88 debate, and played right into the hands of the Left. … [Read more...]
Gazette Columnist: Democrat Senators Bowing to Plumbers Union Lobby
Last week I brought to your attention an organized labor power play at the State Capitol that shot down a simple effort to make school plumbing inspections more efficient. Today in the Colorado Springs Gazette, guest columnist Daniel Cole tells the story at greater length and offers a forceful conclusion:The unpleasant reality is that Democratic campaigns in Colorado are often financed by unions, so only the strongest Democrats dare defy a union's wishes. Union camaraderie means that a Democrat who votes against a single union can earn a reputation for disloyalty and untrustworthiness. Considering that unions gave [state senators Bob] Bacon and [Evie] Hudak $90,000 for their most recent campaign - [Senator Keith] King's entire war chest … [Read more...]
After Two Centuries: Reflecting on One of History’s Great Men, Abraham Lincoln
Update: Warner Todd Huston has a lengthier, more eloquent, and thoughtful piece up for your perusal. Today is the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth. And I'd be remiss not to acknowledge the moment. Ironically, even as we would honor the day of his birth, Lincoln himself would dismiss all inquiries about his youth and upbringing on the Frontier as "the short and simple annals of the poor". A man of rare ambition, savvy, and statesman-like vision, the colorful and quasi-religious mythology about our 16th President misses the mark, but not by as much as it would with most historical actors we can study. Outside the God-man Christ Jesus there have been no perfect men, no flawless or superhuman men, who have lived among us. But … [Read more...]
A Timeout for Some Non-Partisan Props to Senate President Peter Groff
I'm a conservative and a partisan Republican. I offer up a lot of criticism here of Democrats - most of it well-deserved. But as this article that appeared yesterday in Colorado Senate News shows, if the Democrats have to be in charge, our state is well-blessed to have Peter Groff as senate president:"When the chips are down on issues like this one, you close ranks and move ahead with a common purpose," said Senate GOP leader Josh Penry. "I've found Peter's vision goes way beyond the usual partisanship, and his openness to some of our ideas on tax relief has made all the difference," Penry said of the Denver Democrat.... "Even though the distinction between the two parties has never been sharper on a wide range of policy issues, we also … [Read more...]
Rocky Mtn Alliance Blog Talk Radio at 8:30: Cory Gardner, Leondray Gholston
Tune in starting at 8:30 PM local Mountain Time this evening for the sure-to-be-lucky 13th edition of Rocky Mountain Alliance Blog Talk Radio. Tonight's scheduled guests are state representative Cory Gardner, a rising legislative star to talk about transportation and other issues at the State Capitol, and Leondray Gholston, Republican activist and candidate for Colorado state GOP vice-chair perhaps most well-known for his stirring speech at last year's State Assembly. Don't forget. If you miss the live broadcast of tonight’s show, you can go back and download the podcast, or just use the handy widget on my sidebar to listen directly from Mount Virtus. … [Read more...]