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%
May 15, 2023 12:11 AM UTC
23 Comments
Rachel Bitecofer on the Twit:
I was reprimanded for showing a documentary ( by Scholastic, no less) that merely mentioned that juveniles serving life sentences for murder often have a history of being abused, physically and sexually. It was part of a unit on juvenile justice, for a class using controversial issues as writing prompts.
Just the idea that the video merely mentioned “sexual abuse” as a factor in juvenile crime was enough to make a parent complain. These were 8th graders, some of whom had probably experienced abuse of various kinds.
At The Colorado Sun, Trish Zornio shares her opinion that Colorado Democrats are losing millennials like me, even if we have nowhere to go Why would the one-time candidate for the Democratic nomination for the 2020 US Senate seat be lost? Zornio, who you may remember dropped out of the Senate nomination race on April 15, 2020, before the Democratic state convention, is clearly disappointed by the recent legislative session. Democratic majorities in the Colorado legislature ignored her generation.
No mention of legislation on other “generational” topics that will have a profound impact, such as catching up on K-12 spending and advancing universal pre-K education. No mention of the portions of her issues that WERE addressed, such as 4 of the 5 bills impacting firearms. No mention of the competing impulses among Democrats on how best to address some of her issues, such as housing. No mention of the limiting factors of the Colorado budget constraints and legislative time.
Nope … progressives didn’t deliver everything in the 120-day session, so
No word on why dropping out would help make “progress on climate, health care, education, and especially will assist as possible to transition us forward from COVID-19.” No explanation of how lost voters helps “the next generation of women and science in government.”
Sounds like you have the makings of a good LTE (Letter to The Editor) or a rebuttal article.
The alternatives speak for themselves? I have empathy, but we’re at an “all hands on deck” moment. I hope Trish will reconsider and be a beacon for those who do feel disenfranchised. We need her voice.
The problem is that the upcoming generations are frequently, and repeatedly, criticized by the more senior generations–"millenials don't want to work"; "gen z are entitled", etc. I've got a millenial and a Gen Zer, who are good, conscientious citizens who are trying to do well, do good, and live a good life. But it's harder to buy a house, pay for necessary medical care, and basically to advance these days. Try buying a first home these days. My son's mortgage payments are about the same as mine, with hundreds of thousands of difference in the value of our respective homes. They vote, they pay attention, but to say they aren't discouraged would be inaccurate. And I never had to participate in an active shooter drill when I was in school.
Agreed on all accounts, Spaceman. I’ve all-too-often heard them ridiculed, demonized, etc. Sans any major policy changes their lives will play out much different than ours. That means we have to engage in some public discourse worthy of adult conversations. I hope we get there sooner than later.
I am certain things are difficult for generations after mine. Post-high school education is more expensive, housing prices are high, inflation eats into purchasing power, and the threats of climate change hangs over the future.
On the other hand — the Gen-Z and Millennial generations don't worry about being drafted, don't have to deal with the generational reality of multiple thousands dead and 3 or 4 times that number wounded in combat. They have not had multiple political leaders assassinated. Inflation is nowhere close to 13%, as it was the year I got a full-time academic job. Average mortgage rates are not 16%, as they were the first time I considered buying a home.
I seem to remember the disconnect between generations from when I was a new voter in the mid-1970s. A few of my near contemporaries were certain McGovern would win in 1972. When he didn't, they despaired and were certain the corrupt coalition of Democrats would never bring about sufficient changes in foreign policy, civil rights, or anti-poverty efforts.
We;ve not reached utopia — but whatever advances have been made, they required political action, generally by progressive forces working within the Democratic coalition.
The Red State Murder Problem
Duplicate
These statistics, while tragic, make perfect sense to me. Exploit people economically, feed them a diet of righteous anger, fear that their place on the food chain is slipping away thanks to undeserving women, poor and dark skinned strangers, mix in paranoia and conspiracy theories to ‘splain it all, and then make sure the Red Staters are all amed to the teeth, and you have a recipe for Murderama.
The curse of a successful session by Democrats:
Progressives are upset that Colorado isn't a progressive utopia yet. Republicans are upset that Democrats did anything.
Insults are hurled all willy-nilly from the left and the right but Colorado is in a better place than it was at the beginning of the session.
I think us Millenials and Gen Xers and Progressives would be better served to recognize the steps Democrats took to work towards the things we want and offer help and ideas instead of giving up the way Zornio is describing.
Ms. Zornio needs to do a better job of “reading the room.”
The first round of voting for the next Denver mayor is a good example. The top two candidates who got into the runoff are more or less centrist Democrats. The #4 finisher may be a center-right type.
Lisa Calderon in the #3 slot is a self-proclaimed “urban” democratic socialist. Like it or not, calling oneself a “democratic socialist” is not a winning formula except in a few smaller pockets in Denver or Boulder. The “progressive utopia,” referenced by Chickenheed, is not coming any time soon; things like rent control and top down directives regarding local zoning. In general, though, I give the Dems a solid grade of “B” for the now-concluded session.
The bigger problem is the ignorance of the definition of Democratic socialism and its role, in particular, in the development of rural America (it has morphed into the MAGA-equivalent of “communism”).
Some of the greatest “socialist” constructs we have in the US is our rural electrics, our local farm cooperatives, the local telephone company and the postal service.
We’ve ceded the definition of these words to the very same people who define what “pro-life” means, and to the fossil fuel sector to define what “cheap electricity” meant.
I long for the day we can have grown-up discussions again between political opponents who understand this.
I'd also wish for all sides to recognize the reality that addressing any of the really BIG problems is going to take an "all of us" effort.
Climate change disasters will not be adequately mitigated or avoided unless there is a sizeable effort by governments, educational institutions, technological innovators, industries, food producers, financial institutions, nonprofit/NGO organizations — and probably others I'm not thinking of at the moment.
Even relatively small but important problems won't be addressed without cooperation. Keeping a rural hospital or an urban medical center (such as Denver Health) open to provide medical care will likely require federal, state, and local government support; corporate and company cooperation; medical insurance adjustments; philanthropic support, and volunteers.
Outright denial of the problems or an unwillingness to cooperate in a search for some viable combination of solutions, as shown by Colorado's Republican politicians, eliminates or increases the difficulty in reaching some options.
Grown-up discussions and debate would be a welcome change.
Unfortunately, Michael, modern day dem socialists don’t seem to run on those rural accomplishments. For them, it’s about reparations, soak the rich, more handouts for people, still some “defund the police” out there, and so on. Which is why I changed my reference to “urban” dem socialism.
Unfortunately these issues are more nuanced than either of us can explain in a single post. Rural America/agriculture enjoys a massive safety net for what I would argue are valid reasons. That said, we don’t get to live in a vacuum. The other side of the coin is an urban consumer/workforce that has to match our productivity. That, in a general sense, means a trained, healthy, educated work force (generally dependent on federal transfers). Reparation discussions aside for now, it is an issue that should be debated, and with an entirely different narrative.
I don’t think it’s that “it has morphed into the MAGA-equivalent of “communism”’, so much, Michael, as it is that those loud-mouthed yahoos don’t know the difference between the two. To hear them tell it, anything other than every man for himself, and the devil take the hindmost, is socialism/communism.
On a lighter note, this story in today’s Denver Post had us laughing out loud:https://www.denverpost.com/2023/05/15/springfield-police-man-switch-places-with-dog/
That’s what I meant to convey, that they can’t distinguish or explain the difference!
Great story!
I sure hope they can find those nine whistleblowers who were going to blow the lid off the whole Biden international bribery scheme. I wonder what next weeks' conspiracy theory is, and how much we taxpayers get to pay for it. FFS
Well, since FOX's breathless illegal immigrant tsunami never made landfall, I'm guessing it'll be the dread Biden/Democrat War on Memorial Day?
I'm sure they're all as credible as the election fraud witnesses. Most. Important. Scandal. Ever.
"Today the multi-year investigation into the multi-year investigation of possible Trump/Russia election tampering is done.
Tomorrow the DOJ is planning to start on the multi-year investigation into the multi-year investigation into the multi-year investigation of possible Trump/Russia election tampering is done."
UGH (the 2nd statement is a joke…I hope).