(D) J. Hickenlooper*
(D) Julie Gonzales
(R) Janak Joshi
80%
40%
20%
(D) Jena Griswold
(D) M. Dougherty
(D) Hetal Doshi
50%
40%↓
30%
(D) Jeff Bridges
(D) Brianna Titone
(R) Kevin Grantham
50%↑
40%↓
30%
(D) Diana DeGette*
(D) Wanda James
(D) Milat Kiros
80%
20%
10%↓
(D) Joe Neguse*
(R) Somebody
90%
2%
(R) Jeff Hurd*
(D) Alex Kelloff
(R) H. Scheppelman
60%↓
40%↓
30%↑
(R) Lauren Boebert*
(D) E. Laubacher
(D) Trisha Calvarese
90%
30%↑
20%
(R) Jeff Crank*
(D) Jessica Killin
55%↓
45%↑
(D) Jason Crow*
(R) Somebody
90%
2%
(D) B. Pettersen*
(R) Somebody
90%
2%
(R) Gabe Evans*
(D) Shannon Bird
(D) Manny Rutinel
45%↓
30%
30%
DEMOCRATS
REPUBLICANS
80%
20%
DEMOCRATS
REPUBLICANS
95%
5%
Although opinion polls show the American public substantially in favor, there could be trouble on the horizon for President Barack Obama over military action against the Libyan government–as the Los Angeles Times reports: Obama sent a letter to congressional leaders Monday attempting to assure them that the administration was seeking a “rapid but responsible transition” […]
WASHINGTON (AFP) – The US Treasury Department on Monday said it would start selling-off mortgage-backed securities worth an estimated $142 billion, in an effort to close another chapter of the financial crisis. … secured by state-backed mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, were bought as part of the 2008-2009 financial sector bailout. http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20… The […]
The Colorado Statesman’s Marianne Goodland reports: Ballot measures on taxes that were headed to the November ballot are being pulled by their sponsors, Sen. Rollie Heath, D-Boulder, and the Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute, but for very different reasons. Heath told The Colorado Statesman Monday that he’s pulling his citizen initiative that would increase the rates […]
(It’s confusing like that – promoted by Colorado Pols) Sometimes you want political change soooo much that you refuse to acknowledge the legal status quo, even if admitting to legal reality might help your own cause. That’s where extreme anti-abortion activists find themselves today with the fetal protection bill, which has been withdrawn by State […]
There’s been enough discussion about the political tone deafness of the vote and how out of touch Hancock and Linkhart are to think that pay isn’t enough. I’d like to ask a different question and issue a challenge to all of the candidates running for mayor. Will all of the candidates who are working what […]
There’s been a lot of talk about the two candidates for mayor who voted to give the city council a pay-raise. The final vote on the raise is tomorrow night so it will be interesting to see if Linkhart and Hancock stick to their votes. Hancock has doubled down putting out statement after statement explaining that at $78,000 + $30,000 in benefits, the job is at risk of being a playground for the rich because working class families can’t afford to take a job with that pay.
There’s been enough discussion about the political tone deafness of the vote and how out of touch Hancock and Linkhart are to think that pay isn’t enough. I’d like to ask a different question and issue a challenge to all of the candidates running for mayor. Will all of the candidates who are working what are supposed to be full-time tax-payer funded jobs agree to return their salaries during the campaign? Return what they’ve taken since January and agree not to take any pay or maybe take only half of their pay until the election is over?
Hancock wrote that “Serving on the Denver City Council is a full-time job.” He has also said that he is campaigning full-time. I’m a bit confused of how he’s doing both full-time. When the vote comes up tomorrow night I’d like to challenge the City Council to introduce an amendment that any member who is campaigning full-time for another position be required to log their actual hours worked for their City Council job vs their campaign and return the portion below full-time. Didn’t we all call on Ken Buck to return part of his salary since he wasn’t really serving full time as DA while he was busy spewing hate on the campaign?
This morning, the much-anticipated bill to reinstate a tax exemption repealed last year on some agricultural products, House Bill 1005, passed the House Appropriations Committee on a party-line vote. Democrats are angry about several process items: millions of dollars in additional shortfalls created by the legislation, the rejection of a Democrat-sponsored “pay as you go” […]
(It’s addressed to Denver this time, but it’s relevant to everyone in Colorado. ANd it’s on;y going to get bigger. – promoted by MADCO) Distinguished Candidates: First off, let me commend you for taking the dangerous plunge to run for public office. I’m sure you have your reasons for exposing every iota of your public […]
The Pueblo Chieftain’s Peter Roper updates on the most unfortunately-timed hearings in recent memory, over a proposal to construct a nuclear power plant outside Pueblo–where, proponents strain to point out, there is a very low risk of earthquakes, and even lower risk of tsunamis. They came to stop it Wednesday night – at least 500 […]
We just got a look at one of Mayoral Candidate James Mejia’s first campaign videos, and while it’s only ten seconds long, it certainly gets his name out there.
Sometime in the near future, the Douglas County School District is going to ask the State Board of Education for about $2 million in addition to what they would normally be allocated for next year. “And what are they going to do with this extra money?” you ask. They’re going to turn around and give […]
A few days ago we took note of baffling votes by Michael Hancock and Doug Linkhart, two Denver Mayoral hopefuls (and current Denver City Council members) who all but committed campaign suicide when they voted to approve pay increases for Council members. Hancock and Linkhart are both trying hard to defend those votes, as Fox […]
(Cross-posted at Colorado Pols)
A few days ago we took note of baffling votes by Michael Hancock and Doug Linkhart, two Denver Mayoral hopefuls (and current Denver City Council members) who all but committed campaign suicide when they voted to approve pay increases for Council members.
Hancock and Linkhart are both trying hard to defend those votes, as Fox 31 reports:
A recent post on the well-read ColoradoPols blog showed Hancock and Linkhart’s faces photo-shopped onto a sinking Titanic and called their vote “tone deaf”, especially amidst the election…
…In a statement sent out Wednesday afternoon, Linkhart said he would forgo the pay increase if elected mayor, but noted that the 6.6 percent salary increase won’t take effect until 2014.
“This is a non-issue for today’s budget,” said Linkhart. “We should be delaying any increase in deference to the economy, but not engaging in political posturing regarding future increases that are spelled out in city ordinance.”
Like Linkhart, Hancock also promised to decline the cost of living adjustment if he’s elected mayor, but defended his vote to increase council members’ salaries.
“I believe very strongly that we can’t let public service or politics become a playground for only the rich,” Hancock said. “Serving on the Denver City Council is a full-time job, and we need to ensure that working-class, diverse groups of people have the opportunity to lead Denver in the future.”
As we’ve said time and time again here on Colorado Pols, when you make a mistake on a campaign — STOP TALKING ABOUT IT. There is nothing that Linkhart and Hancock can say that will make their asinine votes on Monday seem any less damaging, but they can certainly help make things worse…which they both managed to do by drawing more attention to their mistakes.
As for their statements, Linkhart’s rationale on Monday’s vote — that it doesn’t affect the current budget — does nothing to make the vote look better. Nobody cares when the pay raise takes effect. Denver is facing a $100 million deficit now. Politics, like much in life, is all about perception.
But thankfully for Linkhart, Hancock’s statement is even worse. For some reason, Hancock insists on sticking with his rationale that a pay raise is necessary because “we can’t let public service or politics become a playground for only the rich.” We would agree with Hancock if he were talking about, say, the state legislature. But City Council members already earn more than $78,000 per year, plus $30,000 in benefits. Given that the average personal income in the Denver area is about $45,000, Denver City Council members are already doing pretty well.
Hancock’s statement summed up this entire fiasco for both he and Linkhart when he said, “This is about being a leader and standing up to do what is right, not what is politically expedient.” We’ve no doubt that Denver voters will agree that Monday’s vote was about “being a leader.” That’s exactly why both Hancock and Linkhart are unlikely to be elected.
Colorado Rep. Doug Lamborn was accorded the unusual honor today of a mention on the New York Times’ editorial page, although unfortunately for Rep. Lamborn, it wasn’t really what you’d call an honorable mention. Opining on the fast-tracked bill from Lamborn to defund National Public Radio (read the latest at the Colorado Independent), The bill, […]
The following organizations give concrete need assistance: search and rescue, blankets, food, water, clothing, etc. They do not ask for professions of faith, or anything else in return for the services they provide. Red Cross International www.redcross.org Doctors Without Borders www.doctorswithoutborders.org Save The Children www.savethechildren.org The American Humane Association is also helping displaced, injured, and […]
(Clearly, the school board was just a formality! – promoted by Colorado Pols) Head of the “nonpartisan” “libertarian” Independence Institute, Jon Caldara let his excitement run away with him today. He was celebrating the Douglas County school board decision Tuesday night to give residents tax money to pay for private schools. His first-blush email dispatch […]
For the life of me I can’t figure out why Americans keep electing people who don’t like government to run government. Because the budget for the fiscal year that started six and a half months ago still hasn’t been passed, our government was again on the verge of a shutdown. We are over half way […]
A friend of mine sent an email to me that said, “I don’t understand all of this education reform stuff. I don’t know the difference between vouchers and charter schools and magnet schools and education reform, and the other options. Can you give me the ‘idiot’s guide’ to understanding this stuff before my daughter starts […]
We face two giant problems in reforming our campaign finance system. First, the stakes are so high that money will find a way to affect the outcome. Second, it take many many years to pass any real change, and about 4 months to figure out a way around them. I think we need to take […]
The Durango Herald’s Joe Hanel has a potentially important development today on the controversy over House Bill 1276–a bill that would effectively short-circuit the work of the bipartisan Joint Select Committee on congressional redistricting, by reinstating GOP-friendly guidance to judges in the event of the legislature’s historically likely failure to reach agreement. The joint committee, […]
In an interview with The Associated Press, Republican Rep. Paul Ryan says that the GOP will “lead with their chin” and soon propose cuts to Medicare and Medicaid in an effort to balance the budget: In a wide-ranging interview with The Associated Press, the Wisconsin lawmaker and chairman of the House Budget Committee said the […]
Folks, we’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: negative campaigns generally influence voters in more ways than the electorate is willing to admit. Voters say they don’t like the mudslinging, but they unfailingly admit in polls and focus group that it does work.
Mayoral candidate Michael Hancock wants to make an issue out of it, however:
Denver mayoral candidate Michael Hancock today challenged fellow candidate Chris Romer to stop planning for a negative political campaign and instead promise voters he will run the kind of clean campaign Denver voters expect and deserve.
Romer’s campaign has hired a Tennessee-based research company, and this week an opposition research consultant for the company requested government records for Councilman Hancock and Councilwoman Carol Boigon, who also is running for mayor.
If your opponent looks like he may possibly be digging up dirt on you, it’s never a good idea to call attention to it via press release. All this does is make reporters wonder what it is that Romer might be looking for. Hancock is clearly trying to paint Romer as a negative campaigner, but is that really worth the downside to such an approach?
The other problem with a press release like this is the unspoken message that it sends. Calling attention to something that Chris Romer’s campaign might be doing tends to give off the impression that you think Romer is the frontrunner. After all, nobody takes wild swings at opponents who are behind them.
UPDATE: Righthaven is now being counter-sued by a different defendant, which Righthaven says is…wait for it…”litigation overkill.” —– As Westword reports, the blog-suing organization Righthaven (which the Denver Post is also working with) is looking at a PR disaster: MediaNews Group’s get-tough policy toward copyright protection has been led by Righthaven LLC, a Nevada firm […]
Interesting stuff from our friends at “The Fix” today: Sarah Palin’s unfavorable rating has spiked to a new high, adding further fuel to the argument that her presidential campaign may be doomed before it begins. A new Bloomberg poll shows the former Alaska governor is now viewed unfavorably by 60 percent of American adults. That’s […]
( – promoted by Colorado Pols) When it comes to redrawing Colorado’s congressional districts, there’s strategeric strategery, which you’d expect, and then there’s stratospheric subversion of rule of law. Reporters covering the redistricting process should be sure not to confuse the two. And so far, they’ve done a good job. The starting point for confusion […]
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