CO-04 (Special Election)
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(R) Greg Lopez
(R) Trisha Calvarese
90%
10%
President (To Win Colorado)
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(D) Joe Biden*
(R) Donald Trump
80%
20%↓
CO-01 (Denver)
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(D) Diana DeGette*
90%
CO-02 (Boulder-ish)
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(D) Joe Neguse*
90%
CO-03 (West & Southern CO)
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(D) Adam Frisch
(R) Jeff Hurd
(R) Ron Hanks
40%
30%
20%
CO-04 (Northeast-ish Colorado)
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(R) Lauren Boebert
(R) Deborah Flora
(R) J. Sonnenberg
30%↑
15%↑
10%↓
CO-05 (Colorado Springs)
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(R) Dave Williams
(R) Jeff Crank
50%↓
50%↑
CO-06 (Aurora)
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(D) Jason Crow*
90%
CO-07 (Jefferson County)
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(D) Brittany Pettersen
85%↑
CO-08 (Northern Colo.)
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(D) Yadira Caraveo
(R) Gabe Evans
(R) Janak Joshi
60%↑
35%↓
30%↑
State Senate Majority
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DEMOCRATS
REPUBLICANS
80%
20%
State House Majority
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DEMOCRATS
REPUBLICANS
95%
5%
July 21, 2018 06:39 AM UTC
24 Comments
Why do Colorado D’s always feel the need to mouth trite tributes to bipartisanship as their guiding principle? How is compromising with an anti-democratic opposition that lies and cheats good? Why isn’t supporting progressive principles more important than giving them up for a temporary bipartisanship win that Republicans will undo the minute they can?
Zap – the only reference to bipartisanship in the entire post is in the sig line, in which Dr. McCormick says that she'll "work across the aisle in Congress to fight special interests". Women tend to be better at getting shit done in Congress, because we do focus on the practical effects of policies and less on political posturing. This is well known.
The point of the post is that women should be believed when we accuse politicians of sexual harassment. Buck is, by his record, against that.
The other inference of the post is that a vote for McCormick would be a vote to keep Roe V Wade, since Buck is also against legal abortion and birth control.
Please don't make every post into an opportunity to rail against bipartisanship. We all better hope that Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, and Shelly Capito are reaching across the aisle this month.
Yeah, but.…
1. It’s meaningless language that indicates to Republicans you’ll be pre-negotiating your principles away.
2. In this political environment, Democrats shouldn’t feel obligated to negotiate with a party that has shown little to no interest in compromising in a productive way.
3. It begs the question of what you really believe and gives doubt to your base.
Zappy, have you considered that it's time to go soak your head in a toilet bowl? Don't forget to flush first!
Just saying, "reach across the aisle" in a sig line says all that??!! Don't think so. Well, tell Bernie Sanders, the "Amendment King", that there is no compromising in a productive way and he is pre-negotiating his principles away". . That guy knows how to get shit done….and he isn't even a woman!
So I don't think it's necessarily meaningless language. It depends on how strong the individual is at sticking to their principles and negotiating, yes, even with Republicans.
For example, we owe community health clinics to Bernie. And you can best believe he had to do some pretty heavy negotiating to make that happen.
For many, an appeal to bipartisanship is a pragmatic one. As the Adlai Stevenson quip goes:
Colorado 4th has had 2 years of Democratic representation since the 1970s and the loss by long-time Representative Wayne Aspinall. Betsy Markey won in 2008, beating Marilyn Musgrave & the social conservative positions Musgrave took. She lost to Cory Gardner in 2010 — in no small part for taking "pure progressive" stances on health insurance. Markey's win was exceptional — every other election I can see back to the 1970s had a Democratic high-water mark of 43% of the vote.
What progressive voice would be willing to run in that District? A district that Cook has at R +13.
Everyone who was paying attention knows that the only reason Markey won that election was because Muskrat had become a 3G legislator: God, Guns, and Gays, She was utterly useless to her district when it came to farm policy, which mattered a lot more before Northern Colorado was transformed into Frackistan.
Yes, Markey had the perform storm working in her favor in 2008.
She had the good fortune to run against a God-awful (pun intended) horrible opponent whom even Republicans had trouble supporting, a Democrat at the top of the ticket who ran respectably in CD 4, and Markey was a very credible, competent and presentable Democratic candidate. Throw Fort Collins into the district and a lot of money for Markey and she won.
But how often does that happen?
Zappy: upon what planet would “progressive'' principles win in the 4th District?
Gertie, on Zappatero II, a planet which revolves around its sun from left to left.
Zappy has this naive notion that everyone in the country thinks the same way as Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders thinks., and that this hidden base of lefties is just waiting to be tapped.
But let's do a little experiment. Let's have these two (and the rest of the class struggle wing of the Democratic Party) spend the rest of the campaign in Kansas, Oklahoma and CO CD-4 working on organizing the rural masses to bring about their revolution.
It gives them a place to take their energy and passion, and make a difference.
Just don't let them screw up races like Jason Crowe's. (I just saw Seth Moulton asked about Ocasio-Cortez' role in the Democratic Party and he handled it very diplomatically. Much better than I could have.)
Your condescension is duly noted. Your awesome prognostication skills predict that no Democrat can ever win in CD-4; abandon all hope, give up trying to elect anyone left of Ken Buck, and rest secure in smug "moderate" 100% impurity. I'm sure that this will be a great comfort to you while Trump continues consolidating his dictatorship. After all, you called it. That counts for something.
I can't speak to Kansas or Oklahoma, but I reside in CD4 and know it pretty well; Dr. M has at least a fighting chance this year, because of Buck's embrace of Trump and how Trump policies are hurting residents; because of the "Blue Wave" (greater Democratic than Republican enthusiasm), and because she is a better candidate. Also, we're going to have to organize and GOTV like we never have before.
There are reasonable, reality grounded people who have a solid plan on how to win CD4.
You and Zap might want to actually read Dr. McCormick's website, to see her take on issues. While she doesn't use the "P word" (progressive) , her take on free trade, energy independence, education, and other issues does indeed resound with rural voters. And yes, she does mention "reaching across the aisle" and this does sit well with the Republican base in CD4. Nobody likes to feel ignored.
I realize that doing some factual research might wreck both your and Zap's smug talking points; however, being based in reality ensures a lower total drop when that time comes. Since you never get out of your computer chair, the drop is minimal, anyway. You guys just go ahead and sit things out; we've got this.
Once again, Mom, you're wrong. I never said, "No Democrat can ever win CD 4." If you saw what I said above, I said that under the right conditions – if everything lines up correctly – it's winnable (i.e., the Perfect Storm).
Karen McCormick is probably an excellent candidate. So was Jay Fawcett in CD-5 ten years ago and he lost to a moron. Eighteen years ago, so was Ken Toltz in CD-6 and he lost to a racist.
If I lived in CD-4, I would vote for Karen McCormick enthusiastically but that doesn't really change the numbers in that district. (Hell, I'd even vote for you, MJ, if you were the Democratic candidate running against Ken Buck.)
My point is that while a major political party has an obligation to run credible candidates everywhere – not ever race will get the same resources. The Dems owe Dr. McCormick a great debt for taking on a thankless task but don't be surprised if he doesn't get the money and support that Diane Mitsch Bush and Jason Crowe get after Labor Day.
Now I know you didn't bother to research Dr. McCormick. You wrote "Don't be surprised if he doesn't get the money and support that Diane Mitsch Bush and Jason Crowe get….." "He" is a "she". 🤦♂
And as far as money goes, with the support of Emily's list, Dr. Karen McCormick has a competitive $326K to Buck's $494K cash on hand, and she isn't through fundraising yet.
I don't begrudge Diane Bush or Jason Crowe anything. We need them all to win.
My point is that you’re so busy beating the drum against “free stuff”, “progressives” “Jill Stein voters”, and the like, that you wouldn’t know a progressive policy tailored to the district the candidate is running in if it ran up and sat on your foot.
Dr. McCormick’s policies are progressive, even if she’s not shouting the word from the housetops of CD4. The Democratic voters of Longmont, Greeley, Fort Morgan, Keenesburg, and Wray ask if the policies make sense. If they do, they don’t care what Fox Noise labels them as….and neither should you.
MJ —
taking on Z and R&R in the same comment stream has the feel of a two front battle. "Progressive" means very different things to Z, as best I can tell, meaning "true blue" and no compromise, no bipartisanship, no cooperation.
And a typo or brain lock, confusing "she" and "he" in the same reply where he mentions "Karen McCormick" twice is unfortunate, but it doesn't follow that R&R hasn't looked at the web site or know something about her stance.
You called it right, John. It was a typo. I know KAREN McCormack is a woman.
Although I have to tip my hat at MJ for going after Zappy and me in one post. Nicely done!
What irritates me is that neither of you know anything about McCormick's actual policies – yet you attack her, you from the left, R&R from the right, based on your assumptions about what she thinks and how she will represent you in Congress. Cardboard cut-outs. Kabuki. Shadow boxing. Again, pick your metaphor.
Or read her damn website and at least critique from an informed place. Know what her policies are before you trash them. What a concept.
It is an academic exercise, MJ, and I have a full time job that takes up most of my time. So I have to limit the amount of time I waste on stuff doesn't make any difference.
I am sure that Dr. McCormick is a bright and capable veterinarian, and she would be light years better than the incumbent representative if she were to be elected. (Actually almost anything this side of Tom Tancredo would be better than Buck.)
But those of us with demanding jobs do not have the luxury of thoroughly researching every post they see on this site on every trivial candidate running in every race.
Sorry, but that's just life…..
Perhaps if you spent less time warring against moderates, you would have more time to stop and smell the cannabis flowers, m.j.
Mama, I live in Grand Junction, conservative bastion of the 3rd CD. The huge majority equate “progressive'' with “free stuff'' nobody has to work for. Yes, it is possible for a Democrat to win the 3rd. Diane Bush must get an enormous turnout of Democrats in Pueblo, the SLV and Durango to offset the R numbers Tipton (or any warm-body R) will get from Mesa, Delta and Montrose. Gail Schwartz, with higher name ID and good financial support, couldn't do it. I have high hopes for Bush, unless she veers too far left. Perhaps Zappy might condescend to do some field work over here, or perhaps Sterling in the 4th CD if driving over the mountains scares him.
Afraid to be Blue.
Not afraid, Zappy, but I'd rather win.
And I agree with V'ger that it's time you soaked your head in the toilet. I don't care if you flush first or not.
Disappointing thread folks. We should be thanking Karen for caring and taking on Buck in an attempt to define some of the critical issues that Buck is not only on the wrong side of but actively encourages bias and disrespect for women who choose to pursue leadership roles. How about some dialogue on the pursuit of of goals above personal enrichment where altruism isn't a slogan but a living decision-making framework from which the individual can reach for the unrechable stars because they know that right action at the right moment can produce right results in the wrong situation. Dave Sanders heard the first gunshots in the parking lot and his action was to go towards the gunfire to rescue his students. This is a great action that Karen has undertaken and her efforts can help inform the voters of CD4 of the consequences of following Buck's vision of a richer upper class for white males and no climate change mitigation projects.
Thanks for taking the time out of your life to run in this campaign and best wishes for clarity and focus in your presentations. I would read another of your posts.