Tom Stone Works Springs GOP Dinner

Quite a mouth on that Hank Brown

Who needs a professor of advanced conservative studies when you've got this guy? Cuba? This is not Cuba, idiot.

Oh right, I'm involved with the University, better not call him an "idiot."

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by: JeffcoBlue @ Sat Mar 07, 2009 at 10:37:56 AM CST

The tax increases on those earning $250,000 or more a year and the tax breaks to those beneath that threshold, Brown said, "will set one class against another. It's a mistake."

The mistake has already been made by heaping huge tax breaks on the wealthiest fraction and screwing the middle class all these years. It's been class warfare ever since Bush scrapped the tax structure under which all of us, including the rich, were doing so much better ( any tax cuts during a two fronted war being a  particularly inexplicable historic first in irresponsibility) and we all know who's been winning.  

As you imply, Jeffco, there never has been nor ever will be any comparison between the US and Cuba.  The growing comparison is between the US and tin pot banana republics in which a tiny ultra rich business elite hold all the wealth and power with the overwhelming majority exploited, powerless and struggling to get by on scraps. That would clearly work for the CEOs who feel entitled to keeping up every bit of their lavish lifestyles on the backs of the tax payers.  More helpless cheap labor, one of the fruits of winning the class war they've been waging so successfully, would suit them just fine.

Hank Brown is right about the damage of  class warfare, wrong about who is waging it and causing the damage. Ordinary Americans can either fight back in self defense or surrender to a return to the social order of the "gilded age", gilded only for the very, very few.

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by: BlueCat @ Sun Mar 08, 2009 at 12:00:13 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Chairman Wadhams

I've been intrigued by this election cycle.  Outside of the Chair race, I'm not sure who is running.

On one hand, I'm not the fan of Dick Wadhams that I used to be.  I wasn't impressed with his handling of the 2008 cycle, and his movement to Schaffer's campaign (among other things) tells me that he thinks he's the only one that can do anything right.  I don't think that is a good attitude to have in this kind of office, and his record doesn't show that to be the case.

On the other hand, I don't know enough about Tom Stone to tell if he would be a good alternative.  What we have been doing isn't working anymore, and I'm not sure which one will do things differently...

As a side note-I was at the LDD and I didn't get a chance to run into him.  I would have liked to talk to him.

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by: Haners @ Sat Mar 07, 2009 at 11:30:07 AM CST

When we elected Howard Dean chair

The vote for many was not for Howard Dean because they knew he would be so effective. Rather, it was a vote for someone very different because we knew that continuing what we had done before was sure to fail.

Your choice is basically between continuing your present path which is almost certain to be a failure. Or taking a leap with an unknown.

Tea party support in the primary.

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by: DavidThi808 @ Sat Mar 07, 2009 at 11:45:16 AM CST

[ Parent ]

Good point

I think that did it for me.

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by: Haners @ Sat Mar 07, 2009 at 13:20:49 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Wait, wait - I mis-spoke!

What I meant to say was we stayed with Terry McAuliffe because we knew change was bad and that the 50 state strategy was all wrong.

Don't listen to me!!! Keep Dick Wadhams in office. I'm just trying to get you guys to make the wrong decision. AARGH!!!

Tea party support in the primary.

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by: DavidThi808 @ Sat Mar 07, 2009 at 18:33:57 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Don't do it...

...I know both men.  

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by: It's Me @ Sun Mar 08, 2009 at 14:22:09 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

I sure hope the GOP keeps up this "socialist" mantra

Because without a major "socialist" superpower to scare everyone with, it's as out of touch as can be.

"Fine, let's take a vote. Who wants fish for dinner?...Yeah, democracy ain't so fun when it fucks you, huh?" - shitmydadsays

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by: Aristotle @ Sat Mar 07, 2009 at 12:30:20 PM CST

Re-Elect Senator Coors and Governor Beauprez....

A lot of chamber of commerce types were suckered into donating to Trailhead in 2006, not wanting to be left off the invite list to the inaugural ball of Governor Beauprez. Going into 2010, they probably would have been willing to write another round of checks, believing that the re-election of Governor Beauprez, as well as that of Senator Coors, was in the best interest of the Republican party because, well, that's what the Republican party told them.

Now the economy is in the tank, and no one is going to be writing very big checks for 2010 races. This comes at a time when the Republicans will be scrambling to fund two very expensive state-wide contests. With the exception of Bill Owens, most Republicans believe that had the party leadership done their job in 2004 and 2006, the Republicans would not now be fighting incumbent Democrats in 2010 for the governorship and Pete Coors' senate seat. Let's not even discuss the loss of the state legislature.

State Republicans will have to make some hard choices about 2010. Unless something changes at the top, the bottom may sit this one out.  

When Drudge posts a picture of Pelosi, the least he could do is post a picture where she doesn't look so.. well.. you know...

-- my ex-sister-in-law

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by: poodlelord @ Sat Mar 07, 2009 at 15:23:47 PM CST

progressivity and class warfare

Lucky for the CU students that Hank Brown is not let anywhere near a classroom, especially a history class.

Brown said:
========================================
The tax increases on those earning $250,000 or more a year and the tax breaks to those beneath that threshold, Brown said, "will set one class against another. It's a mistake."
========================================

The United States has had a progressive income tax ever since the first income tax was passed in 1862.  Even when Ronald Reagan lowered income tax on the top brackets (and raised taxes on the lower incomes), he kept the basic idea of progressivity.

Come to think of it, Reagan did exactly what Brown is decrying, though in reverse order, lowering taxes on the rich and increasing them on the middle class.  I don't have the votes at hand, but somehow I doubt that in that case Hank Brown opposed Reagan's setting one class against another.

Dan

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by: DBuck @ Sat Mar 07, 2009 at 15:33:14 PM CST

Are you THE Dan Buck?

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by: dwyer @ Sat Mar 07, 2009 at 15:52:30 PM CST

[ Parent ]

more re tax cuts

An excerpt from "Be Like Reagan and Thatcher! Soak the Rich" :

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Obama is not proposing to raise the personal income tax. He is proposing to allow the Bush tax cuts on families making over $250,000 a year to expire. The Republicans wrote that expiration into law to conceal to hide the costs of their tax cuts. Under the law they wrote, the top marginal tax rate will go up from 35% to 39.6% in 2011.

If a top marginal tax rate of 39.6% is socialism, then there are a lot of socialists in the world. For instance, Japan, South Korea, Australia, along with a lot of the OECD: all have rates higher than Obama is proposing.
===========================================

Read the entire essay at www.washingtonmonthly.com

Dan

P.S.  "The real Dan Buck"?  Who might that be?

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by: DBuck @ Sun Mar 08, 2009 at 05:59:42 AM CDT

The low level of attendance is significant at the El Paso Licoln Day Dimmer

A decade ago, the El Paso Lincoln Day dinner could draw as many as 1,200 people. In those same days the Larimer County Lincoln Day dinner would draw between 350 and 400 people. Last year in Larimer, the dinner was lucky if 150 attended. In other words, participation by Republicans and the activist base continue to decline in Colorado. Until the Republican Party lets go of the fanaticism that has come to dominate it here, this will continue.

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by: Republican 36 @ Sun Mar 08, 2009 at 12:23:24 PM CDT

Sorry about the misspellings. Thats what I get for typing without my glasses.

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by: Republican 36 @ Sun Mar 08, 2009 at 12:24:54 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

I don't know,

I think the "Dimmer" typo brings a visual of sorts to the comment.

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by: ModerateGal @ Sun Mar 08, 2009 at 14:15:10 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

I'm confused....

were we a socialist country when the upper marginal tax rate was 90% on upper incomes?  

President Eisenhower was a socialist?  I thought he was a Repubican.

"But when I see a 9-11 victim family on television, or whatever, I'm just like, 'Oh, shut up!' I'm so sick of them because they're always complaining."  Glenn Beck  

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by: Arvadonian @ Sun Mar 08, 2009 at 16:06:30 PM CDT

Not only that

He made massive investments in infrastructure, and helped to create the interstate highway system.

I've always thought he was the most underrated President.

We are all triguardian, but some of us are more triguardian than others.

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by: redstateblues @ Sun Mar 08, 2009 at 16:26:49 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

taxes and dittoheads

"Soaking the Rich (Redux)," recently posted at washingtonmonthly.com, has a useful explanation and graph on U.S. tax rates in modern history.

Excerpt:
===========================================
Obama is proposing a top rate lower than Reagan's first term, lower than Nixon's, lower than Eisenhower's, and lower than FDR's when he pulled us out of the Great Depression.
==========================================

Such historical information may not penetrate the dittohead brigade, which alas now seems to include the president of the University of Colorado.  

"Ditto," by the way, is from the Italian, meaning "said."  A dittohead is someone who parrots what a radio talk show host says.  A university, on the other hand . .. oh, never mind.

Dan

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by: DBuck @ Sun Mar 08, 2009 at 16:10:34 PM CDT

Keep in mind that Bruce Benson's # 1 priority...

...is Bruce Benson. This is a guy who lobbied strenuously for the job of president, is quite rich, and then lobbied just as strenuously for as much pay as he could get.

Tea party support in the primary.

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by: DavidThi808 @ Sun Mar 08, 2009 at 21:49:06 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Well, there's a remarkably suspect series of accusations...

Benson makes a little less than what other major Uni presidents make.  You really think he was lobbying, let alone doing so strenuously, for the same amount Hank Brown was making?

You also might want to call Steve Bosley and ask him just how strenuously Benson lobbied to be president.  Bosley wanted Benson...not the other way around.

Also of note, it's been a pretty good fundraising year for CU as well.  With the booming economy and all, I guess that's to be expected...

Michael Bennet is the new Abraham Lincoln.
- Sharon Hanson

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by: Dabee47 @ Sun Mar 08, 2009 at 22:19:35 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Evidence please . . .

If you're going to try and slander someone, you need to back it up.  Benson has given an enormous amount of money and time to charitable organizations in Colorado.  Most folks his age would retire and relax.  You might not like the fact that he was a GOP Chair, but that's not an excuse to slam a guy who's given a ton to Colorado.

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by: Karate Kid @ Tue Mar 10, 2009 at 21:32:26 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Corrupt Dick Wadhams

Wadhams is just another corrupt Republican.  It appears that he was double dipping during his failed campaign for Bob Schaffer.  He reportedly was getting a paycheck from the Republican Party and making money for managing the Schaffer campaign at the same time.  Pretty cool deal if you can pay yourself twice using other people's money in this economy.  Maybe someone should follow up on this.

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by: stroker @ Wed Mar 11, 2009 at 01:54:58 AM CDT