Rumor Du Jour

when's the deadline for certifying the ballot?

When is the deadline for the Sec. of State to certify the Nov. ballot?  Isn't it usually during the first or second week of Sept.  If Beauprez withdrew now, the GOP state executive committee could select a replacement candidate.  After that point, it would create a more messy situation.

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by: One Queer Dude @ Wed Sep 06, 2006 at 00:00:23 AM UTC

Aug 27

See my comment below...

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by: SouthDem @ Wed Sep 06, 2006 at 17:17:08 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Oops... I mean Aug. 29

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by: SouthDem @ Wed Sep 06, 2006 at 17:18:20 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Hmmm...

A nice thought, maybe that's why his interns/staffers are having fits on here today.

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by: Pompeius Gnaues Magnus @ Wed Sep 06, 2006 at 00:14:24 AM UTC

another rumor...

Apparently State Dept officials are close to detaining Bill Ritter for the death of Mr. Mushibi Katiki Chinyama in Mongu, Zambia in 1988.

Bill Ritter left Africa earlier than scheduled to get back to the US before the slow moving Zambian legal system had a chance to enforce its laws.

To kill someone and evade justice... that can't be good for Bill Ritter's campaign.

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by: Moonraker @ Wed Sep 06, 2006 at 01:34:45 AM UTC

Beauprez must be desperate

to start that kind of rumor.  Either that or Alan Philp is fighting for his job.  His incompetance in running Trailhead is overshadowed only by the incompetance of the Congressman's campaign staff.  He is wasting Pete Coor's and Bruce Benson's money and dragging Suthers through the mud at the same time.  Nobody knew Suther's was such a mediocre DA until Philp went on TV trashing Ritter.  Take a look at Philp's latest press release with the addition of his string of emails with Mark Couch.  One word describes his efforts thus far--amateur.  Mike Beasely, Chris Castillian and the rest of Owen's old staffers must be sick over the way these people are representing the Republican party.

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by: El @ Wed Sep 06, 2006 at 01:49:53 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

you are obviously

a Post reporter - so naturally you would be offended.  I'm offended too... at the crime rate under Bill Ritter.

SOMEONE, ANYONE!!  Look at crime rates across the country for 2004, Ritter's last year in office.

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by: Moonraker @ Wed Sep 06, 2006 at 02:37:57 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Bullshit

Again, the POLICE are supposed to bring down the crime rate. You can probably hold the mayor accountable for the city's crime rate, but not the DA.

But why should I answer? We both know you're a dishonest, dishonorable shill per the Tuesday Open Thread debates.

You don't care about the deceased gentleman, so stop with the crocodile tears.

"Thank you for putting your rank political motives on display." - ArapaGOP

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by: Aristotle @ Wed Sep 06, 2006 at 03:12:35 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Another moonraking rumor

You must be Alan Philip to criticize someone's opinion and claim, "you are obviously a Post reporter."

Since it's been heard through the grape vine (Post & Rocky reporters) what a completely arrogant, frightened little man you are.  So, you "cut-off" the Post from all Trailhead press releases or tips? Smooth move little man, since this business is all apart free media! 

BB is bombing in his bomber jacket.  The Senate Republicans have completely given up on all candidates except for two (the oldest horses in the race).  And the smart House Republicans are running away from conservatives (Welker) and moderates (Owens) a like, just to save face

Alan Philip, you will go down with the rest of the gang as apart of the Great Colorado GOP implosion.

"Suddenly, it may be cool to be American again" - William J. Kole

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by: Go Blue @ Wed Sep 06, 2006 at 04:01:58 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

The Beauprez legacy.

Two terms in Congress rubberstamping Bush after barely winning the first time around.  Then he decides to run for Governor, only to lose badly, ending his political career.  If this is the best you can do, then you truly deserve to lose.  What the hell does your boy want to accomplish as Governor?  Oh wait, he's too busy attacking Ritter while Ritter is actually talking about his vision for Colorado.  Your candidate will lose because he lacks vision.  And he might even get as badly beaten as Rollie Heath, considering he can't even break 40% in any polls.  Payback's a bitch ain't it.

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by: CO Democrat @ Wed Sep 06, 2006 at 04:42:55 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

after the dust settles.....

  After the debacle which the state GOP and/or Trailhead Group is facing this November has occurred, and after the finger pointing and circular firing squad have taken place, the survivors will need to bring Dick Wadhams back to rebuild the state party.
  John Marshall and Alan Phipps can't hold a candle to the Great Wordsmith who gave us such terminology as "Millionairelawyerlobbyist" and made Wayne Allard look senatorial. 
  It's too bad Wadhams is busy right now trying to clean up Senator Macaca. 

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by: One Queer Dude @ Wed Sep 06, 2006 at 12:41:45 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

hypothetically speaking....

  Assuming hypothetically that Ritter bore some civil (or even criminal) responsibility for the motor vehicle accident in which that elderly man in Africa died, when did the statute of limitations on this accident (which occurred circa 1975) run? 
  Inquiring minds want to know.......

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by: One Queer Dude @ Wed Sep 06, 2006 at 12:32:52 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

'88 or '78?

Don't you mean 1978, which would have been the year Ritter graduated from college and went to Africa?  Wasn't he working as a deputy D.A. circa 1988?  If you are going to start false and/or misleading rumors, try to make them plausible.......

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by: One Queer Dude @ Wed Sep 06, 2006 at 12:35:01 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

I believe it was '88

This is from memory, but Ritter actually quit practising law for a while and went on his mission then. I posted a link to his Denver Post profile in the Tuesday Open Thread and it was covered there.

"Thank you for putting your rank political motives on display." - ArapaGOP

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by: Aristotle @ Wed Sep 06, 2006 at 14:36:03 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

re: ritter's killing elderly African man

I wonder if the toyota truck we see in the video of ritter in africa on his website is the truck he was driving when he hit and killed the elderly African man?

see:
http://ritterforgove...

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by: johninlongmont @ Thu Sep 21, 2006 at 15:19:47 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Beauprez doesn't seem to want to be governor.

I would not be surprised if he dropped out of the race.

Of course porridge is in no position to know.

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by: porridge @ Wed Sep 06, 2006 at 03:06:39 AM UTC

okay

I heard this SAME rumor on Sunday from my mother-in-law. She called me from her home in Boulder asking if it was true.  She doesn't read blogs, she doesn't cavort with politico staffers, she's a true blue volunteer..... salt of the earth.

And she volunteers for Bob.

So, if even SHE was repeating it, wow.  Shame on that campaign.

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by: roll the idiots @ Wed Sep 06, 2006 at 03:52:37 AM UTC

It's a fair trade

I think this is working out fine. You Republicans get the AG position in a walk and we Democrats get the Gov in a walk.

Can we stop kicking BWB when he's down, comatose, and will make things worse for himself over the next couple of months?

Instead, how about we talk about the races where the winner is still unknown. There's CO-7 (although I think we have that) and CO-4 is anyones. And CO-5 is fun to wach if nothing else.

And if you want stupid things politicians say, you could post Tom Tancredo's daily rants.

And thank you Bob for giving us the governorship. We will take good care of it and steward the state wisely, frugally, and with care for the less fortunate among us. All concepts that seem evil to the Republican party today.

Where all the cool kids will be on Saturday - Code War!

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by: DavidThi808 @ Wed Sep 06, 2006 at 04:03:31 AM UTC

On the Subject of Tom Tancredo

Apparently he is coming to my campus to speak (Michigan State University Law School). Considering that I am probably the only person on Michigan State's campus who is registered to vote in Colorado, let alone vote in CD-6, finals could not keep me from missing his speech and hopefully engaging in a Q&A. So I need suggestions as to what to ask besides the immigration thing. I heard his Social Security speech, back when Bush was pushing it, but I have scant time to do a real in-depth look at his stuff. Any suggestions would be phenomenal.

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by: Mr. Toodles @ Wed Sep 06, 2006 at 05:48:09 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Questions for Tancredo

You might want to check out some of the stories on http://tancredowatch... for ideas. Also www.tomtancredo.org. I would like to ask him:

"Congressman Tancredo, you used to be the leader of the term limits movement in Colorado, and well into your SECOND term in Congress you told the Rocky Mountain News, ""For me, the issue of giving one's word and promising to do something like this is more important than the rest of it... I took the pledge. I will live up to the pledge. That's it. That's the overriding issue." Yet you have now broken your pledge and are in your fourth term in Congress. Aren't you a walking example of the dishonesty and lack of integrity that's so rampant in Washington D.C. today?"

And if Tancredo trots out his standard saw about how important he is for the cause of illegal immigration and why that justified him breaking his pledge, I'd ask: "How do you respond to a very recent charge by David Brooks of the New York Times that you have been 'stupid' in rejecting any compromise with President Bush and the Republican-controlled Senate on illegal immigration, thus delaying immigration reform and creating 'effective amnesty' for illegal aliens for at least several more years?"

Or how about: "Colorado's Republican candidate for Secretary of State, Mike Coffman, is a Marine reserve officer who's recently served in Iraq. He once refused to share the stage with you at a pro-Iraq-war rally because you avoided serving in Vietnam by getting a deferment for mental health reasons. Would you agree that your personal history makes you ill-suited to request wartime sacrifice from others?"

Or: "Is it true that your staff assisted a white, northern European illegal immigrant to get his papers fixed so that he could keep staying in the U.S., the same time that you were seeking to deport a 14-year-old honor student whose parents are Mexican illegal immigrants, and if so how can you justify such hypocrisy?"

Or: "Your official website touts as a major accomplishment - in fact, it's the very first accomplishment listed on your site - that you helped create an anti-bullying phone hotline in Colorado. How many people have actually called that hotline in the past three years? Isn't that a rather lame accomplishment to list on your website for a Congressman who's now been in office for nearly 8 years?"

Or: "Do you agree that your use of loaded phrases like 'barbarians at the gate' and the 'cult of multiculturalism' is responsible for your popularity with white-supremacist groups such as National Vanguard, which actually quotes you on their website right along with images of Nazi art?"

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by: Tancredo Watch @ Thu Sep 07, 2006 at 05:05:52 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

In his fourth term....

...and running for his fifth term.

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by: CO Democrat @ Fri Sep 08, 2006 at 13:14:54 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

That is sooo gooood

and I didn't do it, but it sure would have been nice to start it.  Congrats to whom ever got it out enough to have ColPols bring it up.

Blue Bronc

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by: Blue Bronc @ Wed Sep 06, 2006 at 05:30:58 AM UTC

Friday?

I think Friday may be the last day that a change can be made to the November ballot.

At this point, BWB's name will probably have to stay on the ballot regardless of what he may be rumoured to do.  If he did resign, I don't think there would be time to legally convene a vacancy committee and name a replacement

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by: Rod @ Wed Sep 06, 2006 at 08:31:22 AM UTC

I don't think they could convene a vacancy committee meeting without all hell breaking loose

Good point.  As a practical matter, if the state GOP chair tried to convene a vacancy committee meeting, it would probably immediately degenerate into a blood bath analogous to the Shiites and Sunnis in Iraq getting together.  I suspect the GOP is stuck with Both Ways at this point.....

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by: One Queer Dude @ Wed Sep 06, 2006 at 12:50:03 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Deadline has Passed

According to the official election calendar by the Sec'y of State's office, the deadline for withdrawing and allowing a vacancy committee to fill a vacancy was August 27.  Since it is set by statute, I doubt even Gigi Dennis could change it administratively...

So I can't imagine that this rumor is serious -- BWB's withdrawal would mean that there would be a blank space on the Republican line on the ballot, similar to what is going on with DeLay's congressional seat in Texas right now...

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by: SouthDem @ Wed Sep 06, 2006 at 17:16:38 PM UTC

Ack! Correction - Aug. 29

Mistyped the date (twice) - The deadline was Aug. 29

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by: SouthDem @ Wed Sep 06, 2006 at 17:17:56 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

How far as it travelled?

....www.coloradopols.com.

Not much farther than that

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by: Padre @ Wed Sep 06, 2006 at 19:29:33 PM UTC

You should read more...

I've seen mention of the Rocky, Post, and volunteers for the Beauprez campaign.

But like the Dead Guvs, I don't put a lot of stock in it.  Though a $150,000 fundraising month next to Ritter's $600k certainly makes you go "hmm".

"We're below sharks and contract killers." -- Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.), speaking on Congress's 9% approval rating

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by: Phoenix Rising @ Wed Sep 06, 2006 at 19:51:35 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Much as I dislike Both Ways Bob...

... I don't like the idea of trotting out rumors for which no foundation can be cited. The excuse "we're not saying there's anything to the rumor, it's just interesting how many people are discussing the rumor" seems to me to be contrary to ColoradoPols' general philosophy of prohibiting rumors without attribution. I wouldn't like it if it were done to Bill Ritter, so I can't condone it being done to Bob Beauprez.

Besides, Bob's doing just fine sinking his campaign all on his own. He must have attended the Katherine Harris School of Political Campaigning.

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by: Tancredo Watch @ Thu Sep 07, 2006 at 05:11:53 AM UTC