No word as to who the backers are, but they have enough funds to last 3-months. The contributing staff looks kind of thin but Kevin Flynn, Robert Denerstein and Drew Litton are on the masthead.
A lot was made of In Denver Times, which failed before it started. What's different about this version? Why so little talk about it? Did I miss something?
As you may have noticed, your hosts were a little busy yesterday morning doing all of the non-bloggy things we do, and didn't have a chance to get some posts going until the early afternoon.
Hours after launching his campaign Web site to much fanfare, official Republican gubernatorial hopeful Scott McInnis yanked from the site a prominent graphic featuring a vista of Lake Louise, a resort nestled in the Canadian Rockies. The Canadian terrain appeared behind the question, "What do you want for the future of Colorado?"
Soon after bloggers uncovered the geographic blooper, lovely Lake Louise vanished from the McInnis site, replaced with background shots of the Boulder Flatirons.
A McInnis campaign spokesman didn't return a phone call or e-mail seeking comment.
Intrepid contributors to the political blog Colorado Pols uncovered the McInnis campaign's graphic mixup Thursday afternoon. After speculating the range might be the result of creative Photoshopping, and then discarding the possibility it portrayed a seldom-seen view of Mount of the Holy Cross or Maroon Bells, a blogger using the name johnpauljones found images of the mountain range McInnis used...
McInnis' misplaced mountain echoes a famous snafu from a little over a year ago when Republican Senate candidate Bob Schaffer had to pull his inaugural campaign commercial when bloggers discovered it featured Alaska's Mount McKinley rather than Pike's Peak. Schaffer campaign manager Dick Wadhams blamed the mistake on a Washington, D.C.-based media consulting firm.
McInnis made waves right before the election last fall when he told The Colorado Independent he would have done a better job than Schaffer did in the U.S. Senate contest against the eventual winner, Democrat Mark Udall. "I would have beat Udall, that wasn't the issue," McInnis said.
That's what he says, but it looks to us like McInnis is following Bob Schaffer's campaign kickoff playbook--from the self-destructive and ridiculous "shadow campaign" to this really bizarre inability to proof non-Colorado mountains out of one's campaign materials before they become the joke of the week--with deja vu-inspiring precision.
The spring's tea party chants are being updated to oppose the state's new car fees. The expression is important for the emotion and general impressionistic anti-government feelings it conveys. It doesn't have to make any sense. "Governor Ritter hates my car!" "We won't pay taxes or fees!" "Down with the nanny state!" "Especially if the state doesn't employ someone to remind us in advance when our registration is due so we can avoid the nanny state fees!"
This isn't that hard to understand:
1)The state is in the hole $348 million.
2)Our roads and bridges are falling apart.
3)We were 49th in stimulus spending.
(Nice deal if you can get it - promoted by Colorado Pols)
Ex-Rep. Marilyn Musgrave this week formalized an announcement made last month, filing a campaign committee termination report that showed she donated her remaining campaign funds to a program created by her new employer.
The termination report filed Wednesday with the Federal Election Commission showed that Musgrave donated $50,328.25 on June 1 to the Susan B. Anthony List Education Fund. (This may be the first time a large contribution to a pro-life group was detailed in something called a "termination report," but I digress.)
To recap, Musgrave was ousted by Democrat Betsy Markey in November 2008. She was hired in March by the Susan B. Anthony List to run its "Votes Have Consequences" program, which will target a still-unspecified number of pro-choice incumbents in 2010. The SBA List is a 501(c)4 organization, which means it can make independent expenditures in political races.
At some point (the SBA List won't say if it was before or after the Musgrave hire), the group decided to create a separate 501(c)3 nonprofit called the Susan B. Anthony List Education Fund. That fund will be used to create a Youth Leaders Board to train young pro-life activists, according to a June 4 release by the SBA List that announced that the Fort Morgan Republican planned to donate $50,000 in leftover funds from Musgrave for Congress.
Federal campaign finance law allows candidates to donate unexpended campaign funds to charity "as long as the candidate does not receive compensation from the charitable organization before it has expended the entire amount donated."
The SBA List said the donation was legal because the (c)4 employing Musgrave and the(c)3 receiving the donation are legally separate. I interviewed two former FEC chairmen who agreed with that interpretation.
The progressive group Americans United for Change announced today that it plans a five-figure TV ad campaign next week, praising Rep. Betsy Markey for her vote on cap and trade.
The ads will air on Fort Collins and Denver cable systems, according to spokesman Jeremy Funk. (Denver cable? Really?)
The announcement came a day after the National Republican Congressional Committee announced it was beginning a campaign critical of 14 House Democrats who supported cap and trade, including Markey. The anti-Markey initiative will consist of robo-calls and a YouTube video.
Funk said the AUC ads are not a response to the NRCC efforts. However, the NRCC is active in 14 districts on cap and trade, while AUC will be active in 13.
A version similar to the planned Markey ad can be seen here:
(A little meta-discussion for your weekend - promoted by Colorado Pols)
In my recent interview of Governor Ritter there were several comments about what is the proper role for a blogger. I figure this is worth it's own diary as this is a question that not only concerns all of us, but that most have a very loud opinion on.
I want to start by saying we are not journalists. Blogging is something different and it is at a minimum, more immediate and more personal than an article appearing in the daily newspaper. This is neither good or bad, it's just an attribute of the medium - just as TV news is very different from print news.
The energy-climate bill passed last week in the House will face an even tougher battle in the Senate, U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet predicted Wednesday during a stop at the Aspen campus of Colorado Mountain College.
The Colorado Democrat, in town to attend the Aspen Ideas Festival, met with CMC administrators and other local representatives for a briefing on the college's new Green Building Academy initiative, aimed at certifying building professionals in energy efficiency and green building. The goal is to help residents meet the changing needs in the workplace in the midst of state and national efforts to stimulate the economy through the creation of "green jobs."
...The climate bill that narrowly passed in the House last week, however, "needs a lot of work," Bennet said. The legislation calls for the nation's first limits on pollution linked to global warming and aims to usher in a new era of cleaner, but more costly energy while reducing the country's reliance on foreign oil, but Bennet said the bill is too weighted toward investment in clean coal and he called for better balance between coal and natural gas.
The legislation, he said, also lacks sufficient incentives for renewable energy. Several attendees at Wednesday's gathering also called for incentives to make the green push viable...
"I do think it will increase energy bills, but not as much as what they're saying," Bennet said. "We've got to be able to demonstrate that - to show people the math."
If the resulting costs to the consumer are onerous, the legislation won't pass in the Senate, he predicted.
Bennet's right about that, but he also correctly points out that the cost estimate to consumers in this bill ranges from relatively modest increases as figured by most nonpartisan sources and the CBO, to totally ridiculous scare-tactic warnings of thousands of dollars pushed by the energy companies and some Republicans. Our read of Bennet's comments, while still not as unequivocal as either supporters or detractors would prefer, suggests that he hears what the bill's opponents are saying but is not buying into it. Which is more than could be said for John Salazara few days ago, and should leave the bill's supports feeling a little better as it moves to the Senate.
Three Republican Congressmen last week launched a new caucus aimed at defending the nation against international treaties they see as threats to American rights and national interests. The so-called sovereignty movement has gained surprising momentum on the Hill recently and Lamborn's new House caucus goes further in establishing its presence.
The Washington Independent reports the House Sovereignty Caucus is the brainchild of Lamborn, Scott Garrett (R-N.J.) and Thaddeus McCotter (R-Mich.).
The launch party was held June 24th, when dozens of Hill staffers, foreign policy experts, and old Washington hands made their way to the lower floor of the Capitol Visitors Center, a sprawling complex below the halls of Congress. Retired Lt. Col. Oliver North and former Undersecretary of Defense Douglas J. Feith stopped by to make remarks and pose for photos. Patrick Henry College Chancellor Michael Farris made small talk near a table of fruits, vegetables and soft cheeses.
"I have said for years that we ought to get the U.S. out of the U.N. and the U.N. out of the U.S.," said Rep. Paul Broun (R-Ga.), addressing the crowd in an impromptu speech. "I'll do everything I can in the Congress to maintain the U.S. as a sovereign nation, subservient to no one but the almighty God."
If the "sovereignty movement" has gained any 'momentum' over the last few months, you can assign it to the same column as the "tea party" movement or the "empty your local gun store" movement. It's a column that you don't take all that seriously, except maybe in a Homeland Security threat assessment (to be fair, "9/11 Truthers" keep such nuttery a bipartisan affair).
Slobodan Milosevic might find all this talk about "sovereignty" a little curious, or for that matter anybody the U.S. would like to see brought before a war crimes tribunal--"justice for me but not for thee" has never been especially powerful logic. Though it's true, Colorado's other GOP Rep. Mike Coffman knows some fellow Marines who will definitely agree with Lamborn.
A year ago, the El Paso County Sheriff was pleading to raise taxes to expand his jail. He was worried about overcrowding.
Today his inmate population is 20% lower than a year ago.
People can just not afford a life of crime anymore, that's how bad this economy is.
.
(Seems to be all the teevee is talking about this morning. The hideous state budget situation is going to make the job losses worse... - promoted by ThillyWabbit)
My Facebook friends reflect this. Four times this week, friends of mine have announced their availability in the job market via their Facebook statuses.
Only a fraction of the stimulus money has been spent, and most of that has come in the form of food stamps and extended unemployment benefits, and other direct assistance programs as opposed to public infrastructure projects. There is wisdom in taking the time to ensure that projects are sound and the money is not wasted, but it is frustrating to see that money delayed.
Trying something new - you can listen to the first 45 minutes of the interview here. (It was a 90 minute tape but apparently that's at the slow speed and I used the high speed so it ended at 45 minutes.) Nothing major in the last 15 minutes, that was just about his trips to Argentina and staying at the Mayflower Hotel in D.C. (For the totally oblivious - just kidding.) The meeting was Governor Ritter, Evan Dryer, & me.
This was a lot different from most of my previous interviews. I figure the first one is to let an individual talk and they drive the conversation. But for the 2nd one, I came in with a bunch of questions and tried to get full answers to those questions. So here's my first effort at an interview I tried to drive.
Governor Ritter consistently answered my questions. He never avoided them nor did he try to change the subject. And an interview scheduled for ½ hour ran a bit over an hour when he had to call it quits. So being hit with a bunch of questions, he did not use the excuse of times up to cut & run. I think this is one of Ritter's most commendable features, he will talk to the points brought up and discuss them in full.
We're pleased to introduce a new member of the Colorado Pols community, McInnis4Governor. Nice to meet you. Given all the recent hullabaloo over 'sock puppets,' we'd say our readers will find the authenticity of your approach refreshing.
McInnis4Governor's first act after signing up was to helpfully post an important release from gubernatorial candidate Scott McInnis' campaign: "McInnis today filed the necessary documents with the Colorado Secretary of State's office to create his campaign committee and begin raising funds." There's also a link to a website set to launch tomorrow morning, which means McInnis' much-criticized "shadow campaign" is finally over. This is actually good information and we appreciate getting it.
Unfortunately, in their eagerness to distribute this important announcement to you personally, dear reader, their release was (inadvertently, we assume) posted as a comment here--a blog we wrote in January of 2007 announcing McInnis' run for U.S. Senate.
Now before everybody gets all schadenfreude about this, we want to encourage you to chalk it up to the learning curve, cut them some slack--though we're guessing McInnis hopes the new campaign goes, um, a little better than that one did, it's true, and would probably rather not have people reminiscing about that abortive Senate run while reading this announcement.
Full release after the jump. Make no mistake, we do appreciate the updates. Keep them coming, just double-check stuff before you click "post" in an unintentionally ironic location.
Republicans think Rep. Betsy Markey's vote Friday on the cap and trade bill will cost her votes next year. Politico, in a breathless and at times inaccurate piece Tuesday, even described it as a "career-ending vote." The article included the National Republican Congressional Committee's plans for attacking Markey and other potentially vulnerable Dems with TV and radio spots.
The NRCC's offensive was unveiled today. They're targeting Markey with robo-calls and a Web ad. As I discuss in my Coloradoan blog, that seems like a pretty light response, especially after the buildup. See my blog here: http://tr.im/quL5
In my blog, two Colorado State University political scientists discuss how important this vote might be next year. The obvious conclusion -- it's way too early to tell.
Bob Duffy, the CSU political science chair, is particularly dismissive of the NRCC: ""Who cares what the NRCC says-they have no credibility at this point."
His colleague, John Straayer, said Markey's votes could create vulnerability, but much of that will depend on how she responds.
"If Markey finds herself on the defensive, she's in trouble," Straayer said. "If she proudly owns her votes and casts them as pushing to solve serious problems for which the R's have no solution, she may well be just fine. And she can't let her opponent define Betsy Markey."
New laws take effect making it legal to collect rainwater, implementing the hard-fought FASTER bill that raises vehicle registration fees to pay for roads, and Governor Bill Ritter's bill that will raise hospital fees to pump more money into Medicaid, thereby scoring more federal matching funds.
But most interesting to me is the Designated Beneficiary law, which will allow same-sex couples (among others) to inexpensively establish a legal arrangement ensuring one partner will receive the other's belongings when they die, make medical decisions in the case he or she is incapacitated, and inherit workers compensation death benefits should a partner die on the job.
Today State Sen. Pat Steadman and State Rep. Mark Ferrandino are holding a press event highlighting the new law (received by e-mail):
(First time promoting myself--I feel like an American-trained Central American general seizing power in a coup. Or something. - promoted by ClubTwitty)
In the 'dog bites man' category, Gary Harmon--crazed opinion-editorialist and pretend reporter at the Daily Sentinel--has another article on the FRAC Act.
The Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act would require federal monitoring and disclosure of the mostly unknown chemicals that are injected by the truckload into the ground around, among, and outside our ranches, communities and neighborhoods.
Gary's latest hit-piece dressed up as a newspaper article sits under the screaming headline: Cities, counties oppose legislation on gas fracturing-Bill sponsored by Colorado Dems draws little support in drilling areas
A Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate seat will speak on Independence Day to a Grand Junction tea party.
Weld County District Attorney Ken Buck will speak at the 7 p.m. event. Buck is the second potential Senate candidate to speak to a Grand Junction tea party. Aurora City Councilman Ryan Frazier spoke to a tea party April 15 in Lincoln Park.
Frazier and Buck are considering runs against U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, a Democrat who was appointed by Gov. Bill Ritter to replace Ken Salazar, who now serves as interior secretary.
The Western Slope Conservative Alliance is organizing the tea party at the old Mesa County Courthouse, 544 Rood Ave.
Other speakers at the tea party will be state Sen. Josh Penry and state Reps. Steve King and Laura Bradford, all Mesa County Republicans.
Even though Buck is the nominal headliner, all eyes will be on Josh Penry after rumors circulated early last month that he would announce his run for governor at this event. Penry, as you know, is very fond of the "tea party" for podium-and-crowd shots (see photo right), and the ardent conservatives who flock to them love Penry right back--Penry even recorded a video message to local attendees at Fox News host Glenn Beck's"We Surround You Friday" event back in March, where Beck tearfully warned the audience that he "can't debunk" the FEMA concentration camp myth, and that America "is headed towards socialism, totalitarianism, beyond your wildest dreams."
Will Saturday be the day Penry's Long March begins?
Confirming what was widely anticipated, from the AP wire:
Another Colorado state senator is leaving for a job with the Obama administration.
Democratic Sen. Jim Isgar of Hesperus was announced Tuesday as the U.S. Department of Agriculture's state director of rural development.
The La Plata County rancher says he will give up his Senate seat early for the post. Isgar is chairman of the Senate Agriculture, Natural Resource and Energy Committee but was ineligible to run again because of term limits...
Isgar is not announcing an exact date to leave the Senate until he finds out when his job with USDA begins.
This was going to be a hard one for Democrats to defend as an open seat in 2010, and Isgar's departure may help give his replacement a much-needed leg up. We've heard that former Montrose County Commissioner Bill Patterson is interested in appointment to the seat among with a few other recognizable names. Whoever gets the nod will face the locally popular and moderate GOP Rep. Ellen Roberts in the general. Assuming the conservative wing doesn't decide that Roberts is a Ramey Johnson-style 'RINO' and decide to punk her--something we have heard may indeed happen--she will present a formidable challenge, appointed 'incumbency' or no.
Just now breaking, former Minnesota Senator Norm Coleman will concede defeat to challenger Al Franken following a unanimous state Supreme Court decision declaring Franken the winner. This ends a nearly eight-month court battle for the seat and brings the Democratic majority in the U.S. Senate to the "magic" sixty votes needed to move legislation without partisan encumberance--at least that's the theory. From the Star-Tribune:
Republican Norm Coleman ended a bruising eight-month court fight court today, conceding to Democrat Al Franken after the Minnesota Supreme Court said he was entitled to the office.
The Minnesota Supreme Court ruled today that Democrat Al Franken won the U.S. Senate election and said he is entitled to an election certificate that would lead to him being seated in the Senate.
"Affirmed," wrote the justices, unanimously rejecting Republican Norm Coleman's claims that inconsistent practices by local elections officials and wrong decisions by a lower court had denied him victory.
[disclaimer: I work on projects for the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative but am not a staffer]
While the idea of health cooperatives might be a tempting solution for liberals to grab onto, co-ops actually would endanger the current the health care reform effort by posing as a politically palatable--but ultimately meaningless--alternative to a public health insurance option.
As Paul Krugman, Nobel prize-winning economist and New York Times columnist wrote in the NYT:
For the record, neither regional health cooperatives nor state-level public plans, both of which have been proposed as alternatives [to the public option], would have the financial stability and bargaining power needed to bring down health care costs.
Jacob Hacker, author of Health Care for America and U.C. Berkeley political scientist offers this analysis in the New Republic:
[The co-op plan is]...not going to have the ability to be a cost-control backstop, much less a benchmark for private plans, because they are not going to have the reach or authority to implement innovative delivery and payment reforms.
And Robert Reich, former secretary of labor and professor at the University of California explains the problem in the WSJ:
...cooperatives would lack the scale and authority to negotiate lower rates with drug companies and other providers, collect wide data on outcomes, or effect major change in the system.
Co-ops are not going to get done the job of lowering costs even though they're politically attractive. The last time healthcare reform was part of the agenda, the lobbying powers of the AMA, pharmaceutical industry, and others buried it so deeply we didn't see it again for 15 years. Let's not let the same thing happen again.
After some tough press last week regarding a couple of small but politically inconvenient expenditures, the Colorado Senate leadership announced today that it is returning over $627,000 in unneeded funds to the state. Says Senate President Brandon Shaffer, "The cuts start here. We must be first in line to demonstrate fiscal restraint."
Full release follows: had the timing been a little different this could have muted a lot of criticism last week, but it's a welcome gesture in any event--and should take the the pressure off that "team building retreat" business pretty neatly.
As most of you know, it's almost time for our new front page guest editors, ClubTwitty, ThillyWabbit, and guest front page author Barron X to begin their six-month terms. We will grant them the necessary privileges first thing in the morning, and we look forward to them doing as well as our outgoing editors, Laughing Boy and redstateblues did. We're proud of the community that has grown up around this blog in the last four and a half years, and we feel really good about the people you've elected to help us manage the fun.
In the interest of clarifying the expectations and responsibilities of our front page guest editors, we've put together a set of basic set of instructions that we'd like everyone to take a few minutes to read and comment on (posted after the jump).
Colorado Pols has been named Top Blog in 5280 magazine's "Top of the Town" edition. 5280 says that "ColoradoPols.com is chock-full of valuable analysis about the politics of politics in Colorado."
Thanks to all of you who read and post here for continuing to make Colorado Pols a huge success.
Even though Buck is the nominal headliner, all eyes will be on Josh Penry after rumors circulated