(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%
Yet again, the oil and gas industry is crying wolf about stunted energy production. But, as Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission Director, Matthew Lepore testified before a House subcommittee, the industry is achieving record growth in Colorado. In testimony to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy today, […]
Reporting on town a hall meeting in Aurora on Sunday, The Denver Post’s Nic Turiciano did a nice job focusing on what’s emerged as the central issue in the immigration debate: whether to grant a path to citizenship to the 11 million undocumented immigrants already in the United States. Turiciano reported that Rep. Jared Polis […]
Gawker reports on some unforgettable remarks last night from Michael "Brownie" Brown, former director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency under President George W. Bush, now a talk-radio host on Denver's 850 KOA. The same Michael Brown infamously in charge of FEMA in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. As you probably know, last night's […]
(Promoted by Colorado Pols) New polling shows that eighty percent of likely voters are pro-choice, in the sense that the are pro-letting-women-decide-if-they-want-to-have-an-abortion.But they don’t necessarily want to be labeled “pro-choice.” And half of the people who call themselves “pro-life” are actually pro-choice, if you start digging into what they really think. The poll, from Planned […]
PCG Update: Latina journalist Pilar Marrero reports on a national outcry that stopped deportation in this case — the mother was being driven to Mexico when the driver was called and ordered to return her to her Arizona home.
UPDATE– ICE just confirmed, through past AILA president David Leopold, a stay of removal several minutes ago. David is a good friend of mine and I alerted him to the situation a few hours ago.
Obama claims to understand the plight of immigrants, yet his administration raided the home of a prominent DREAM activist last night.
Colorado Senate Bill 13-001, as announced yesterday by the Democratic Majority Office:
When the Colorado General Assembly reconvenes on January 9, President Morse will introduce Senate Bill 1, the Colorado Working Families Economic Opportunity Act of 2013. The Act would create a tax credit for working families, a child and dependent care credit, and a child tax credit against state income taxes.
Many Colorado families are still struggling from the impact of our slow economic recovery, which has made it hard for wages to keep up with the increasing costs of basic necessities like childcare and transportation. This bill could provide a financial boost for more than 370,000 working families.
The Colorado Working Families Economic Opportunity Act is a refund mechanism funded by a state revenue surplus, in accordance with the Taxpayers Bill of Rights (TABOR). Additionally, this proposed legislation would not create more government or bureaucracy because it is based upon already established federal guidelines and qualifications for earned income tax credits.
As further explained by KRDO-TV Colorado Springs:
Senate Bill One, the Colorado Working Families Economic Opportunity Act of 2013 proposes three tax credits. One would be for families who earn up to $60,000, the second would be for families with children and the third would be for families who provide for someone like children or an elderly parent.
“If you’ve got a single mom with two kids, making $32,000 a year, she’d get about $720 worth of credit that she would then be able to use to pay for childcare, pay for medical expenses, pay for transportation expenses, those kinds of things” Senator Morse said.
He said families receiving the tax credits wouldn’t be the only ones affected. He said the small businesses that employ them would also benefit, as workers would be able to attend work more consistently. And he said by spending that money they keep, those individuals would stimulate the economy.
The effect of passage of these refundable tax credits would be similar to the help to working families provided by the Democratic-favored federal Earned Income Tax Credit, and paid for with improving revenues now coming in as the economy recovers. Particularly with the recent end of the federal payroll tax “holiday” benefiting many of the same working class taxpayers, it’s tough to argue against this credit despite its expected fiscal note. As was the case with the EITC, we expect to see some impact studies showing this plan having a greater positive economic impact than, say, funding the Republican-favored Senior Homestead Exemption.
A clever initiative for Senate Democrats; we’ll be curious to see the arguments against this.
UPDATE: At least a bungee-jump off the so-called “fiscal cliff” now likely, CNN:
The feared fiscal cliff was at hand Monday night, with nothing expected to pass Congress before a combination of tax increases and spending cuts starts to kick in at midnight.
A deal to avert that combination, which economists warn could push the U.S. economy back into recession, was “within sight” on Monday afternoon, President Barack Obama said. And in the Senate, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell told members that they were “very, very close” to a deal, having worked out an agreement on taxes…
In the House, GOP sources said there’s little practical difference in settling the issue Monday night versus Tuesday. But if House Republicans approve the bill on Tuesday — when taxes have technically gone up — they can argue they’ve voted for a tax cut to bring rates back down, even after just a few hours, GOP sources said. That could bring some more Republicans on board, one source said.
—–
As the clocks ticks down to midnight, Politico reports:
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Vice President Joe Biden engaged in furious overnight negotiations to avert the fiscal cliff and made major progress toward a year-end tax deal, giving sudden hope to high-stakes talks that had been on the brink of collapse, according to sources familiar with the discussion.
McConnell and Biden, who served in the Senate together for 23 years, are closing in on an agreement that would hike tax rates for families who earn more than $450,000, and individuals who make more than $400,000, according to sources familiar with talks…
After loud Democratic protests on Sunday, Republicans agreed to take off the table a controversial provision that would have cut Social Security benefits. But more hurdles soon emerged, including over automatic spending cuts set to take place next year, and the rates for estate taxes that are set to balloon if no deal is reached by the new year.
[T]he talks hit a ditch on Saturday night when McConnell made a proposal that included switching the formula used to calculate Social Security benefit payments. Using the chained consumer price index, or “chained CPI,” would curb the growth of the program’s cost-of-living adjustments.

Democrats slammed it as a poison pill and warned there would be no last-minute deal to avoid tax hikes if Republicans insisted on entitlement reform, which Democrats had assumed was off the table at this late stage.
The dwindling scope of any potential deal with Republicans is the biggest reason why Democrats have refused to include the so-called “chained CPI” reductions in the future growth of Social Security benefits–a concession President Barack Obama himself had offered at an earlier stage of negotiations in hope of a much larger agreement. Mitch McConnell’s quick retreat on that proposal shows which side has more to lose from the failure to reach an agreement, and (finally!) seems to acknowledge the tremendous public opposition to cutting Social Security.
It’s not even known at this point if the deal that’s ultimately reached–if any–will include rescinding, or at least delaying, major cuts set to go into effect tomorrow to a multitude of domestic and military programs known as the “sequester”–cuts mandated by the 2011 Budget Control Act compromise on raising the debt ceiling. Also unknown is the status of extending unemployment compensation, the so-called “doc fix” for Medicare reimbursement, the estate tax, and many other issues up against deadlines. And of course, whatever they cobble together in the Senate must pass the House, which is, as you know, a more or less dysfunctional body.
We’ll update throughout the day as (and if) necessary.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee quietly sent $760,000 to the Missouri Republican Party in early November, just as the state GOP was mounting a last-minute TV ad blitz to boost Rep. Todd Akin’s sagging Senate campaign, according to records released Thursday.
The NRSC funds appear to have helped pay for the pro-Akin TV ads as he was struggling to narrow Sen. Claire McCaskill’s lead at the polls. The disclosure is highly significant because the Senate GOP campaign committee promised to abandon Akin after failing to push the conservative congressman out of the race following his August declaration that “legitimate rape” rarely leads to pregnancies because female bodies often shut down…
As as the Missouri Senate race dragged on and Akin made up some ground in the contest, the NRSC was in a quandary: Does it stick to its word and hope Akin could rebound on his own? Or should it flip-flop and send an infusion of cash into the race in a last-ditch bid to save his campaign?
Now it appears to have been the latter, certain to give fodder to Democrats eager to hit Senate Republicans on hypocrisy charges.
The swift and virtually air-tight condemnation of Todd Akin this fall by his fellow Republicans after his infamous “legitimate rape” comments was taken by many as legitimate, but the larger purpose was to shield Republicans all over the country–not least presidential candidate Mitt Romney–from the hard secondary questions about their own support for policies on abortion that agreed with Akin’s statements. Legislation that Akin had co-sponsored with many congressional Republicans, including representatives from Colorado and vice-presidential nominee Paul Ryan, to restrict the definition of rape for federal assistance purposes to “forcible” rape comes uncomfortably close to the twisted logic Akin exposed.
Well folks, you know now. Akin horrified you, but he didn’t really horrify his fellow Republicans. The “abandonment” of Todd Akin was a ruse meant to protect a party whose official platform is in agreement with Akin’s views. Period. And the moment they felt there was a strategic interest in doing so, the same National Republican Senatorial Committee that vowed never to condone what Akin said did exactly that. Because you would only find out after the election.
To say this is an important lesson for voters to remember is a profound understatement.
9NEWS reported Monday night and we wanted to make sure our readers saw:
A Jefferson County School board member has apologized after she agreed with a Denver radio host that the school’s superintendent should be shot.
Radio host Jason Worley, of 560 AM, made the comment about Jefferson County Superintendent Cindy Stevenson in reference to the school’s budget.
Worley said, “If you have a [full-time] Facebook person still in Jefferson County [on staff] your superintendent should be shot.”
Board member Laura Boggs, who was on the radio to talk about a ballot initiative to increase taxes for education, agreed with the statement, but later said she was on her phone at the time and did not fully hear what Worley said.
Laura Boggs has been at the center of a number of controversies on the Jefferson County school board, becoming the first-ever member of that board to be censured for her consistently outrageous conduct. Boggs represents the “Tea Party” minority opposition, was a proud supporter of 2010’s “Bad Three” ballot initiatives after voting to oppose them officially, and is presently working against a mill levy and bond issue campaign for the district she serves.
This is evidently how shooting the superintendent came up.
Incidentally, there is no “full time Facebook person” on staff at Jefferson County Schools. This is just one of many such particularly fact-challenged talking points employed by the campaign against Jefferson County’s Issues 3A and 3B. Ms. Boggs should certainly know better.
But as far as superintendent Cindy Stevenson is concerned, we’re kind of past that.
Originally posted at Colorado Pols.
9NEWS reported Monday night and we wanted to make sure our readers saw: A Jefferson County School board member has apologized after she agreed with a Denver radio host that the school’s superintendent should be shot. Radio host Jason Worley, of 560 AM, made the comment about Jefferson County Superintendent Cindy Stevenson in reference to […]
Although Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler might just be doing everything in his power to make sure you can’t use his office’s online portal to register to vote in this year’s election, if you live in Jefferson County, there’s still hope!
From the Jefferson County Clerk’s office:
The deadline to register to vote in the 2012 Presidential Election is Tuesday, October 9, 2012.
Election Day is Tuesday, November 6, 2012.
Voters in Jefferson County will have a choice of casting a ballot by mail, during early voting, October 22 through November 2, or on Election Day at their precinct polling place. Voters registering after October, will be registered to vote, but will not be eligible to vote in the Presidential Election.
Voters can register to vote or update their voter registration information by visiting any of the County Clerk’s branch locations or by visiting GoVoteColorado.com.
“We are encouraging everybody who wants to vote in this election to make sure their registration information is up to date so they are eligible to vote in November,” said Pam Anderson, Jefferson County Clerk and Recorder.
If you’re able, registering at the County Clerk’s office or any of the six satellite locations is still your best option. If you’re not, however, and if you can’t log on to Gessler’s GoVoteColorado.com, you can alternatively fill out and sign an online form and e-mail it to elections@votejeffco.us. So long as that form is returned to the clerk’s office by 11:59 PM tonight, you should be able to cast a ballot this year.
More information is available at the Jefferson County Elections Division.
We would assume all of our regular readers are already registered to vote in Colorado, but if you are not (or know someone who is not registered), the deadline is Tuesday, October 9. To get registered, go to GoVoteColorado.com.
That’s the emerging consensus, as the Washington Post reports: President Obama travels to Henderson, Nev., on Sunday for a mission far more important than the usual swing-state campaign rally: He will huddle privately with senior aides for an intensive, three-day boot camp to prepare for the first presidential debate. On Monday, Mitt Romney will do […]
Democrat Joe Miklosi will put his first ad on television tomorrow, making him the last of the major congressional challengers in Colorado to make it to your living room (metaphorically, of course). This doesn’t mean anything necessarily — Miklosi may simply be choosing to go heavier later in the month than others. We’re not as […]
( – promoted by Colorado Pols) On Sept.5, the Douglas County Board of Education passed a resolution to no longer negotiate a collective bargaining agreement with the teachers’ union, the DCF. This is just one more example of the nationwide Republican plan to break public employee unions. Some time ago the union asked the Colorado […]
FOX 31’s Eli Stokols: Eight of Colorado’s 36 Republican delegates, all of whom supported Ron Paul, abstained Monday morning rather than pledging their support to the presumptive GOP nominee, Mitt Romney. “We’re here because principles matter a lot more than candidates,” said Jim Gaston, an alternate delegate from near Trinidad who supports Ron Paul and […]
(How many ways can one spell “unsurprising?” – promoted by ProgressiveCowgirl) It’s bad enough the Mike Coffman has been in hiding and won’t talk to middle class people in Aurora. Now the Coffman campaign is openly making fun of them. As reported in the Aurora Sentinel & the Colorado Statesman, a group of 99% Aurora […]
As Tweeted moments ago by Sen. Greg Brophy (R-Wray): Colorado’s classiest Tweeting senator strikes again. We’re not sure we’ve ever heard an instance of a sitting Colorado senator cracking a joke about another state senator being rushed to the hospital. Perhaps a new low for bipartisan…for lack of a better word, decency? For our part, […]
That’s the word last night from Sara Burnett of the Denver paper–accompanying President Barack Obama on his campaign swing this week through Colorado is one Sandra Fluke, now-famous law student at Georgetown University who was derided as a “slut” on the Rush Limbaugh radio show for her congressional testimony in favor of contraceptive coverage. Fluke’s […]
I made a call on Wednesday to the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment. I wanted to ask Executive Director, Ellen Golombek, whether she plans to involve her office in the dispute between the Douglas County Board of Education and the teachers’ union, the Douglas County Federation. The Federation has formally asked for their help. […]
Image via Village Voice 7NEWS reports from near Caldwell, Idaho: An electronic billboard in Idaho comparing President Barack Obama to Colorado shooting suspect James Holmes is drawing sharp criticism nationwide… Above the picture of Holmes, the billboard says: “Kills 12 in movie theater with assault rifle” and then underneath: “Everyone freaks out.” Above Obama’s photo, […]
UPDATE: The illustration seen below has been removed from the Gazette editorial board’s Facebook page. It’s been replaced by a new one of the Chick-Fil-A cows holding signs that say “no gay marriage.” Along with this message, which you can judge for yourself: As so many found the original cartoon offensive, I have replaced it […]
We feel like at this point we can offer a few words on the inevitable and premature attempts, on both sides of the aisle, to make Friday morning’s tragic shootings at an Aurora movie theater comport with pre-existing political agendas. By now you’ve no doubt heard about the unfortunately-timed Tweets by the National Rifle Association […]
When Republican candidates aren’t failing kindergarten math in their lit, they’re failing first grade English by using implied three-letter cuss words to sling mud at, ironically, one of the most eloquent Democrats in the legislature. Observe: That’s a mailer from Brian Watson, the Republican opposing Democratic incumbent Representative Daniel Kagan, running in the brand-new HD3. […]
When we last discussed the Douglas County Board of Education–far and away the most politically activist school board in the state and the center of a major controversy over the funding of religious school tuition with tax dollars–we noted with amusement that the members of this board, which has made so much of the “political […]
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