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(D) J. Hickenlooper*
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(D) Phil Weiser
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(D) David Seligman
50%
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(D) Jeff Bridges
(R) Kevin Grantham
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CO-01 (Denver)
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(D) Joe Neguse*
(R) Somebody
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2%
CO-03 (West & Southern CO)
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(R) Jeff Hurd*
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(D) Alex Kelloff
70%
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(D) Trisha Calvarese
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CO-05 (Colorado Springs)
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(R) Jeff Crank*
(D) Jessica Killin
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CO-06 (Aurora)
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(D) Jason Crow*
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CO-07 (Jefferson County)
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(D) B. Pettersen*
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(R) Gabe Evans*
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(D) Manny Rutinel
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DEMOCRATS
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State House Majority
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DEMOCRATS
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5%
December 24, 2009 02:18 AM UTC
62 Comments
That’s not a fake Santa, now is it?
🙂
The fake Santa is a real clown.
Merry Christmas, Scott McInnis!
And God Bless You All, Every One!
hmmm, wonder what the carbon footprint of that printed budget is?
It shows a real bipartisan spirit to go get the budget for Scott so he can answer those hard questions.
Scooty will get right on it and forego some Christmas cheer so he will have more time to study the budget.
Ho,ho,ho, Congressman. Merry Christmas.
Really? That’s what these people do with their time? He could have at least slapped on a white beard, now I know he’s not the real Santa!
Not sure whether to laugh or cry. Got this today from McInnis’s campaign due to my responding to Ritter’s call to ding McInnis in an earlier email:
Really, I’m undecided because I answered the Governor’s call to ask McInnis a tough question?
How’s that “budge” analysis coming?
Very reminiscent of his treatment of Silverman. Asked a question by a Democrat, no matter how innocent (“How would you govern differently from Bill Ritter?” is not exactly a hardball for a challenger) he gets extremely defensive (the opening and closing give me a really weird and hostile vibe).
So the answer is, “cut the wasteful bureaucracy,” which I’m sure many teabagger Coloradans imagine is 99% of the state budget, and “I’ll get back to you on that.” Mixed with the bitter sarcasm of Sarah Palin. I’m sure this’ll be charming to the independent voter.
What is wrong with asking “what would your budget look like?” cut unspecified “waste”, and increase revenue by cutting taxes followed up with a hearty “trust me” and a healthy dose of “how dare you” is not an answer.
He sounds mean, condescending and just a bit imperious.
Does he seriously believe this is a winning platform?
that must be it. He who whines last, wins the teabaggers?
He knows for a fact, based on his decade long service in the state house and fourteen years in Washington , DC, that he can’t possibly find enough so called “waste, fraud and abuse,” to cut the budget and maintain all the services. His letter is a sham. Bottom line, he is promising to make massive cuts in the state budget while maintaining all state services.
Mr. McInnis’ letter also only focuses on future spending side. The question then becomes does he believe Governor Ritter has cut out waste, fraud and abuse in the $2 billion he has cut thus far? Does Mr. McInnis believe the cuts Gov. Ritter has made should have been made in other programs? If so, which ones, and how much would he cut? Its strange he won’t talk about the spending cuts Gov. Ritter has already made.
He poses several questions and asks “why not ask the tough questions?” Precisely what should and, in fact, what Governor Ritter has been doing for the past year. Since Mr. McInnis can articlulate the “tough questions,” then certainly he can give us the “tough”answers:
1. Which “core functions” of which “key departments” would he merge and how much would that save the taxpayer?
2. What “overhead” would Mr. McInnis cut out and how much would that save?
3. What cuts would he make and how much money would he save by making the state government more effective?
4. Finally what are the “small but important questions we can ask about every line of spending to force the bureaucracy to defend.”
Since he can ask the “tough questions,” he surely knows the answers to those questions and can share his answers with us. He doesn’t need “six months” of deliberations by the Joint Budget Committee to answer these questions. Gov. Ritter’s next proposed budget is already available for him to review and tell us where he is going to cut.
Please pardon any sarcasm in the above and the following personal note but I worked on the state budget for almost a decade and have followed it since I left state government. Mr. McInnis is simply not telling the voters the truth and he knows it.
Since he slams Governor Ritter for releasing inmates, Mr. McInnis hasn’t told us yet what his inmate release policy is going to be when he reduces the Department of Corrections (prisons) budget by nearly 40% from around $700 million to $450 million so he can restore the $250 he promised to take away from roads and bridges but restore it by taking it from other departments funded by the general fund. The only general funded agency where that kind of money exists is the prisons budget. He said it, so certainly he has thought through what kind of prison inmates are qualified for very early release. By cutting the prisons budget by nearly 40%, he is exposing all of us to some very bad inmates. He wants to release them and we deserve to know who exactly he wants to release. He already promised to do that so certainly he can tell us what his inmate release policy is. No need to wait and surprise us later.
It would require decriminalizing drugs, but with that we could drastically reduce our spend on prisons. Maybe that’s the trick he has up his sleeve – like Nixon going to China, it probably would require a Republican to lead on this.
He can’t take $250 million from the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), replace it with general fund money from other departments while simultaneously increasing funding for higher educaiton (as he has promised to do) without transferring about 40% of the prisons budget to CDOT. That means he will be releasing inmates early, veyr early in many cases based on thier sentences, and he will have to reduce the present sentencing for individuals convicted of crimes going forward or decriminalize certain offenses.
All I want to know is his plan for early release and which crimes will he decriminalize going forward. Those are very sensitive issues focused on public safety and require a well thought out plan. Surely, since he is recommending this, he can tell us the details of his plan for early release and decriminalization of certain crimes. Mr. McInnis recommended these measures, he needs to give us the details.
Decriminalize drugs and there will be an uptick in other crimes. If McInnis wants to reduce the state budget significantly, as R36 pointed out, it would have to be the DOC budget.
This, in and of itself, wouldn’t be bad since we lock up more people than most other countries, however, reducing the prisoners in DOC beds isn’t the only answer. There needs to be something there for them when they get out: services, housing, treatment…
McInnis is just spouting nonsense and it is a shame that anyone with half a mind buys the drivel.
How is signing off like that going over with the christian conservatives? He couldn’t say, “Merry Christmas?” More proof that Scooter is a multi-cultural RINO.
And he talks in his letter about his experience running small businesses. I thought he was a cop, went to law school, served in the state legislature, went to Congress, and then went to Hogan & Hartson to lobby. Which of those enterprises was a small business?
Is there more to his resume? If so, I’m curious to hear about it.
From Scooter’s website:
As I learned from an earlier dust-up with Rep. Polis over his protecting the top 4.1% of small businesses from a health care tax, simply hanging out a shingle to practice law is considered running a small business. Which is true, if not the conventional picture one might think of.
The budget, in McInnis’ words comes down to revenue and spending. He states he learned this from running a small business. I am sure, when he ran whatever business it was, he was positive that the best way to success was to reduce revenue! (you know, cut taxes)
I had dinner last night with a liberal democrat who thinks Obama sold out on health care and Ken Salazar sold out on the bankruptcy bill when he was Senator. He knows McInnis and is undecided on Gov.’s race because Ritter has been a disappointment. (My bet is he’ll vote for Ritter.) His reaction to the Santa clown (juvenile)carrying the budget (stupid stunt at Christmas when people are more worried about jobs, paying for gifts)to McInnis HQ and bloggers wanting McInnis to jump in with his solutions now (that’s ridiculous). He went on to say what I keep saying, people want a candidate to operate on their schedule and it doesn’t work that way. We have serious problems that McInnis is taking seriously and doing his homework which he’ll deliver at the appropriate time.
Gov. Ritter has been cutting the budget for months. Doesn’t Mr. McInnis know whether he agrees with those cuts?
Doesn’t he know what additional cut she would make in this years budget or the one proposed for next year?
What leads you to believe he is taking this seriously? If he is, then what ar ehis answers. He has been in the governors race for a long time and coupled with his experience in state govenrment plus his 14 years in Washington, DC he certainly can understand and comment on the state budget.
McInnis apparently knows how to solve our budget crisis, and reduce taxes. These are both things the state desperately needs. But he feels this is not the appropriate time to tell us how we can best address this.
So an interesting question for Representative McInnis – why do you think it’s in the best interests of the people of the state to keep your solution a secret for now?
First probably less than 1% is paying attention right now and 2nd you and some of the others must not understand the process. It’s Ritter’s job not McInnis’ to put forth his budget proposals to the legislature. It’s the legislature that makes the decisions and then, only then does the Gov. have the say in the form of a veto. I have a lot of sympathy for what Ritter’s going through and I will feel the same toward McInnis when he’s Governor if economic conditions are the same. But I have faith that McInnis will go after jobs as he as said he will. Ritter was soft at best on job creation when it counted. There’s the rub.
But Scooter is out there pandering to the base, who are those who think there’s a simple solution for everything.
He’s going to have to come up with some specifics sometime. Not this week or next, but I’d say by spring. Otherwise he’ll be open to ridicule about the time more people will start paying attention.
If you want someone to let you be their representation, you have to be prepared to justify it.
Arguably in politics, no more than 1% are ever paying attention. So what? You still expect Ritter to tell us what he’s doing beforehand and justify it after, right? That’s the job. You want the job, show that you can do it.
Mr. Mcinnis has already proposed taking $250 million from CDOT by repealing FASTER while simultaneously replacing it with general fund money from other departments (prisons and increasing general funds to higher education. Surely, he can tell us how he is going to do that and what specfic plans he has in mind how to accomplish this.
Why should he wait for the JBC to act? The next propose dbudget plus the nearly $2 billion in cuts Gov. Ritter has already made are publicly available on the internet. I don’t see why he has to wait for the JBC. After all, he is running for Governor and has told us he will cut the prisons budget wo why can’t he tell us his inmate release policy when he cuts the prison budget by the 40% his plan calls for? Surely, he knows how he is going to accomplish his goal of early release for inmates.
From a purely political perspective, he would be exceptionally wise to tell us his early release policy for prison inmates because of the emotionally charged nature of this issue. Better to get this issue out front now with time for everyone to get past the emotion and discuss it rationally.
But don’t confuse that with actual leadership. That would be something different. But you’re right about the politics.
“But I have faith that McInnis will go after jobs as he as said he will.”
What exactly would that look like?
The letter quoted above alludes to good jobs on in the western part of the state being “targeted” by Ritter. Like it was Ritter’s goal to eliminate jobs. I get that this is political speak for “drill baby drill” but that implies that the reasons that O&G production is off in Colorado is because of something Ritter did. When the reality is that we have very competitive severance taxes and nowhere near as burdened with regulations in Colorado as other states. Production is off because prices are down. What would you have the governor do to change that?
Maybe I’m misreading the letter and maybe if we just waived all regulation CO O&G production would spike up. But I doubt it.
Did you have something else in mind?
I would have thought the R position was that only the free market can create jobs. That the only gov’t job creation that is ever possible is the kind that is a net drain on the economy.
If McInnis really wanted to lead, he’d propose his cuts now, in public, and submit them to the JBC – because obviously according to McInnis, the JBC and Ritter can’t figure it out.
He’d save our economy and have something of a substantial claim to run on during the campaign. Or he’d have his arguments shot down and have a strong claim that he tried to help and Democrats didn’t listen.
Or he’s full of hot air and doesn’t want to put anything forward because we’d all point and laugh.
but it occurred to me of course we can.
I don’t believe his 10 years in the legislature included any time on the JBC, so his learning curve is steeper than you think. Most Republicans truly believe that “cutting waste” and being “more efficient” is the answer to the budget problem. You know from working with the budget that the sums are huge, and that’s Scooter’s problem.
My bet is that he’ll stick with the rhetoric as long as he can, because there aren’t any easy answers. If he were honest, he’d admit that. But he’s a politician so he won’t.
He indicated he did that with the state budget and the federal budget in the past so why can’t he do it with the state budget now?
I’d be astonished if there is any credible evidence anywhere of Scooter going through a budget “line by line.”
I’m not saying there isn’t. I’m just saying I’d be hugely surprised.
http://www.timescall.com/news_…
Gertie asked if he ever did.
Question asked, different question answered.
I missed the nuance and, regrettably, gertie’s joke.
I would make another joke about video evidence and a comprehension test, but it seems a bit hypocritical now.
Sorry gertie!
I’ll look for the link.
What’s ridiculous is that McInnis can’t offer specifics when asked how he will govern responsibly. Period.
I love it how every time a shill wants to marginalize something, it’s always “the bloggers” who they describe as wanting it. You must have missed the Denver Post editorial last week titled “McInnis being coy on the budget,” which started like this–
Here, Ellie: http://www.denverpost.com/opin…
Go read the whole thing, and then tell us again how it’s all just bloggers being stupid.
By the way, since this is a BLOG, did you ever think that wrongly insulting everybody here might make it tough to convince them?
I don’t know any “liberal Democrats” who would ever consider voting for the “nation’s biggest Tea Party candidate.” Your friend is either tragically uninformed or fictional.
I’d suggest it could be both.
Where are the days of Christmas past when Santa, even legislators (See Morgan Carol above), reminded the public that the budget is a legislative function in Colorado? The Governor gets to submit and veto – thats it. Hint: That is why the JBC meets throughout the year.
McInnis would be crazy to wade into budget turmoil before the long bill is even drafted or before the legislature takes it up. Maybe Santa ought to dust off the Easter bunny suit (which comes too early this year) or the Uncle Sam costume (which may be a little late). Its a shame to have to reprint the real copy, to replace the make-believe copy he just delivered.
If McInnis has a wish for Santa, maybe it will be for a budget that can be balanced without one-time stimulus money or the vehicle (taxes) fees after the legislature has repealed this highly unpopular and unfair measure.
Mr. McInnis wants a balanced budget without Stimulus money or license fees (FASTER – the $250 million cut at CDOT he wants to impose), then he certainly can tell us how he will accomplish that. He doesn’t have to wade in on the JBC’s deliberations. All he needs to do is tell us what his budget proposals are. He doesn’t need the Democratic JBC to do that. All he needs to do is tell us how he would structure the budget.
The Govenror submits a proposed budget around the first of December every year and he manages the budget throughout the year including cutting the budget as Gov. Ritter has accomplished this year to keep it in balance. Since the governor has management responsibility for the state budget and Mr. McInnis wants to take over that responsibility, the least he could do is tell us his plans. Why won’t he?
He has already said he will cut the prison budget by 40%, so why can’t he tell us his early release policy for prison inmates and his plans to decriminalize crimes to keep the prison budget in check in the future? None of his answers to any of these questions depend on the what the JBC does or thinks. We would like to know specifically what Mr. McInnis thinks about the budget.
A number of McInnis supporters have made very legit comments that the budget goes to the legislature first, then to the Governor. And that Ritter as the sitting Governor is the one who needs to weigh in then. They are also right that there is normally no expectation for a challenger to get involved at this point in the process.
But…
In the specific case of McInnis he, and his supporters, are stating that he has a much better solution to our budget crisis. If he does, then waiting hurts the people of this state – a lot. Do we want to elect a Governor who will hurt the people of Colorado for his own political gain? I think not.
Representative McInnis – the people of this state are hurting. You have a solution that can alleviate this hurt. Please help us now.
Or if you think we are better off for you keeping your solution secret for awhile, please explain why.
Does McInnis have to say – Jobs, Jobs, Jobs and talk about what type of jobs he’s going to go after.
There is nothing as deaf as a person that refuses to listen.
How is he going to attract more jobs to Colorado?
What policies will he pursue to bring more jobs to Colorado?
So far, all he has really said is he will bring the oil and gas industry back to Colorado by revising regulations that never drove them out in the first place. So far he hasn’t offered any information about himself that would give us any confidence he will improve the economy. Just saying he will go after creating “jobs, jobs and jobs” tells us nothing.
By saying “jobs, jobs, jobs” every chance he gets.
He has to click his heels together three times too.
Every politician on the planet is running on a platform of “Jobs, Jobs, Jobs” this year. So yes I hear him – and I’m asking him to tell me more.
Colorado’s unemployment rate is three points below the national average.
That you can take to the bank, unlike Scott McInnis’ empty rhetoric.
Those are the kind of jobs McInnis has targeted. Loosen oil and gas regulations, create more jobs. McInnis does not get it – that is one industry we do not need to grow. More drilling, exploration, roads in wilderness areas, more dependence on non-renewable resources. McInnis truely has no vision.
How, how much.
Answer those in a believable way and I might be able to vote for him.
Perhaps as naive as believing in Santa Claus, I would love to see this state get back to respectcful politics. We live in a world of fast food, fast banking, and more and more fast politics where we demonize anyone who throws their hat in the ring.
I hope that McInnis, who is now in the ring, would have the respect to allow the sitting Governor and legislature to at least get their “ideas” of government out on the table, before he wades in. The election is next November.
Can you imagine how disruptive it would be to the Colorado legislative session – 120 days, for some outsider to start lobbing missles to what admittedly is a difficult process.
Let us hope at the outset, that McInnis, who once served in the legislature, respects their tasks and responsibilities. Let us hope further, that he actually respects the sitting Governor.
I am looking forward to a really good race for governor between two people that can act like gentlemen during the race and set an example for elections yet to come.
Questions that he initiated by stating he would repeal FASTER ($250 million), replace that money with other general fund money while simultaneously increasing funding for higher education. That will require him to cut the prison budget by 40% and release inmates early.
He raised the issues and the questions that logical come from his proposal. No one is being disrespectful toward Mr. McInnis, we simply want to know how he is going to accomplish this. His recommendations won’t disrupt the legislative process at all. If he has a better way of managing and structuring the state budget shouldn’t he put those proposals on the table now so they can be implemented as soon as possible. He isn’t showing any disrespect by suggesting positive specific solutions to our budget issues here in Colorado.
People, including elected officials and those seeking elected office, make policy suggestions all the time. There is nothing disrespectful about that and Mr. McInnis certainly wouldn’t be disrespectful by letting us and the general assembly in on his plans. Here is more power to him if he has some good ideas. I simply wnat to know what they are.
How he’d do it, but he has a little time to come up with something.
Again, I think he has until spring and by then he’d better have something concrete. It’s going to be tough for him because there aren’t any easy answers. The Denver Post won’t be the only paper demanding answers.
In the meantime, he’ll repeat his mantra of “jobs, jobs, jobs” and vague promises of work on the state budget.
hope–and pray everyday–that the economy remains in the tank, that people remain out of work, that the nation continues to struggle.
With no ideas of their own, a base that hates government, gays, and fetishizes guns, his (and their) only strategy is to attack, smear, slime, and pretend they have solutions when all they really have is ‘I’m not that guy.’
McLobbyist is a has been. Will the electorate fall for his lies about bringing back O&G jobs by weakening regulations even as our water and air are poisoned? Even though those jobs were intentionally shed–not by Dems–by industry to protect their profit margins, even though the ‘drill baby drill’ mantra is a lie–the more they drill the more they increase supplies, the more they glut the market, the more money they may pocket but the less sable they make the long term viability of jobs. McLobbyist is a whore, plain and simple, for big-monied interests that don’t give a whit about Colorado, Coloradans, jobs, our earth or anything but cash.
is the most accurate comment I have so far read in this thread.
McLobbyist has nothing except a return to the free market bullshit that got us where we are now. He is a fraud…no, a revolving fraud. That is…a fraud any way you look at him.
It’s rude to ask a politician for a plan? Fine, whatever, but do not, ever, suggest it’s because McInnis is being respectful.
This is one them pesky better explain it things, also helps to have a solution (but that’s the big secret!):
Here’s that respect again, also sans alternative plan:
If you really want respectful politicians, I guess you can try voting Maes in the primary.
http://www.timescall.com/news_…
McInnis “lobs missiles” whenever he wants about the budget, but then doesn’t have to offer any specifics out of “respect?” For who?
That’s so dumb I can hardly believe it was serious. Are you a Ritter double agent?
would have been more appropriate.
then again Scot McLobbyist might not understand.
anyway, I am waiting for xmas and I am sure I am going to get my
MBA degree before that and will be doing a job soon.
Merry X-Mas to all 🙂