DeGette, Lamm and stem cell research

I hate to get too involved in the hysterical slap-fighting that is the CD7 Democratic primary. But I can't help myself. When I see the words "stem cells," I get giddy.

To me, stem cell research is a perfect illustration of all that is wrong with the GOP. Their position flies in the face of science and innovation. They're letting millions of sick Americans die just so their extremist candidates can kiss the ass of the religious right just a bit harder.

It's also an issue where a Colorado Democrat, Diana DeGette, has taken the lead, trying desperately to get her House bill passed in the face of the Senate's laziness.

So, what can I say? Peggy Lamm pushed one of my hot buttons with a press release that reads, in part:

Peggy Lamm, candidate for Colorado's 7th Congressional District, today called on Congress to expand federal funding for crucial stem cell research and to increase the number of stem cell lines currently eligible for such research.

"The biggest obstacle to furthering stem cell research and potentially life-saving cures to terrible diseases is a Republican congress and an administration that is beholden to the extremists in their party," said Lamm...

Unfortunately, Rubberstamp Rick O'Donnell offers just more of the extremist status quo. In a 2002 Rocky Mountain News questionnaire, O'Donnell stated that he would not support the expansion of stem cell research beyond the limitations set by President Bush.

In contrast, Lamm strongly supports the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, legislation authored by fellow Coloradan, Representative Diana DeGette. Rep DeGette's bill would lift the current ban on expanding stem cell research, bringing us closer to finding cures for diseases such as Alzheimer's and Juvenile Diabetes.

Focus on the Family attacks Ken Salazar

Everybody knows that healthcare, the environment and national security are meaningless. Clearly the most crucial issue of 2006 is gay marriage.

In a valiant effort to prevent monogamous homosexuals from destroying America, Colorado Senator Wayne Allard is sponsoring the Marriage Protection Amendment, which the Senate will consider in June. Today, Focus on the Family obligingly launched a series of radio and print ads attacking Colorado's sane senator, Ken Salazar. From The Denver Post:

Ads running in the The Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News feature a freckle-faced boy and the question, "Why doesn't Senator Salazar believe every child needs a mother and a father?" They ask readers to call the Colorado Democrat and "urge him to support the Marriage Protection Amendment."

I'm urging Wayne Allard to quit pandering to religious wingnuts and get his ass back to work.

America to environment: "Bite me"

Our Senate has confirmed a planet-hating new Secretary of the Interior. Only eight Senators even murmured their disapproval. You can find out who these brave souls were at Critterthink, an outstanding enviro-blog I stumbled across while researching the proposed loosening of Colorado's trapping regulations.

In related news, Alaska is melting and Adams County has a radioactive dump so sketchy Denver is afraid to use it.

The mainstream media takes a day off?

I think the media is having one of those days. They're reporting GOP spin as fact. And portraying hard facts as liberal spin. They're patting themselves on the back instead of crediting the bloggers who actually break the stories. They don't seem to know how many Democrats are running in CD7. And according to SAFER, the Colorado papers completely missed a shocking story on the health benefits of marijuana.

Colorado veterans endorse Bill Ritter

As expected, Colorado Veterans for America has endorsed Democratic candidate Bill Ritter for governor. From a press release:

"We believe Bill Ritter will serve veterans and their loved ones exceptionally well," said Larry Drake of Colorado Veterans for America. "Bill Ritter has been working for months with Colorado veterans to thoughtfully develop his positions on veterans issues, including solutions addressing problems and needs in the areas of health care; rehabilitation, education and training; benefits and services; and homeland security..."

"Colorado can do a better job taking care of its aging veterans and their families," Ritter said. "As governor, I will take a strong leadership role in making sure high-quality care and services are available across Colorado, not just in our urban areas but throughout our rural areas. We also must ensure that young military personal returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are prepared to re-enter the civilian workforce and are equipped to cope with the challenges ahead," said Ritter, whose father served in the Army during World War II and is buried at Fort Logan Cemetery.

Ritter criticized Congressman Beauprez for failing to represent the needs of America's veterans in Washington. "Congressman Beauprez has one of the worst veteran-affairs voting records of any member of Congress," Ritter said. "For the last two years, the Disabled American Veterans has given him a rating of zero. We can do better."

"I have the deepest respect for those who put their lives on the line in the name of public safety, whether here in Colorado or on foreign battle fields," said Ritter, who won the endorsement of the Colorado Professional Fire Fighters Association last week.

Photo courtesy of Ritter for Governor.

Colorado veterans speak out on Memorial Day

Democratic nominee for governor Bill Ritter will spend Memorial Day marching in the the Commerce City Memorial Day Parade. After the parade, he'll accept the endorsement of Colorado Veterans for America. An easy choice, given Both Ways Bob Beauprez's sketchy record on veterans' affairs.

Meanwhile, another Colorado veteran, CD6 Democratic candidate Bill Winter, has been firing up the blogosphere with posts like this one on Daily Kos:

I know I didn't give ten years of my life to serving America in the Marine Corps and the Navy only to stand by and do nothing as hate and discrimination are written into the law! I'm going to stand and fight - fight for equality, fight for what is right, fight for freedom and equality for ALL Americans...

Happy Memorial Day!

Photo of Winter with Russ Feingold and John Salazar courtesy of Winter for Congress.

Two's company, three's a crowd, and 18 is...

Hope you're in the mood for a little light reading. Here's a link to the Denver Post's summary of the 18 issues that may be on the ballot in November. The Post reports:

Only 24 states give their citizens this kind of direct access to both constitution and statute books. Oregon historically has the most ballot issues, followed by California. Colorado is third.

Hat-tip to Coyote Gulch.

A Memorial Day Massacre thought

This session, 34 bills met their maker in the office of Governor Bill Owens. Months of work and compromise, wounded by Owens' allegiance to party politics. Ask yourself, right about now, how much do you wish we had Bill Ritter in the governor's mansion?

Podcast from Ken Gordon

Here is Senate Majority Leader Ken Gordon's response to the Memorial Day Massacre, courtesy of Progress Now Action:

Bill Owens to stage Memorial Day Massacre?

In the last hour, I've gotten emails from advocacy groups like Progress Now Action and the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative. Apparently, Governor Bill Owens is planning a Memorial Day Massacre. Late this afternoon, before the long weekend, he is going to veto a slew of popular bills that the Colorado legislature passed over the previous session. We can expect vetoes of bills regarding ethanol, healthcare, prescription drug prices, and discrimination.

Contact the governor before 5 p.m. today by calling 303-866-2471.

UPDATE: Here they come. Owens has vetoed HB1346, SB1 and HB1336.

UPDATE: 18 vetoes as of 2 p.m. List here.

Colorado makes environmentalism profitable

Righties would have you believe that our environment and our economy are enemies. But there's a lot of money to be made in the switch to alternative energy. From the Pueblo Chieftan:

Strong winds in the area are the attraction for the development of alternative forms of energy in this day of rising prices and supply problems for coal, gas and other fossil-based fuels. "We are very pleased with this," Bent County Commissioner Bill Long said. "Although it will not have a lot of employment, it will definitely improve our tax base and our property tax revenue, which is pretty critical at this time."

Hm. Maybe Democratic candidate for governor Bill Ritter is on to something with this whole New Energy Economy thing.

By the way, the photo of Ritter is from his fancy-schmancy new blog. Make sure to check it out.

Colorado Dems stand against ANWR drilling

Here's exhibit A on why to vote Democratic. This morning, the U.S. House voted to drill the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Colorado's representatives split along party lines.

Hat-tip to Soapblox.

CD6 poll, part 1: Winter storm warning

Here are just two questions from the CD6 poll conducted by Anzalone-Liszt Research that leaped out at me.

Which of the following types of candidates is more appealing to you?

Candidate A says his top priority will be enacting tough new immigration reforms to stop the flood of illegals into the U.S. who take American jobs - 35%

Candidate B says his top priority will be to find real solutions to the cost of healthcare, gas prices and college to give middle class families a break - 55%

Don't Know - 9%

Holy crap! You mean immigration isn't the deciding issue for CD6 voters? That right there sinks Tom Tancredo, who has spent more time stacking bricks along the Mexican border than working for his constituents. Now, check this out:

If the election for Congress were held today, would you definitely vote to re-elect Tom Tancredo, probably vote to re-elect him, probably vote for someone new, or definitely vote for someone new?

Definitely re-elect - 23%
Probably re-elect - 21%
Probably someone new - 16%
Definitely someone new - 26%
Don't know - 14%

So with zero name recognition, Bill Winter is only two points behind Tom Tancredo. Which means anybody who gives a damn about Colorado has only one job. Say the name Bill Winter as often and as loud as humanly possible.

Ready? Go.

All I want this morning is...

...a petition. Doesn't really matter who it's for. I just adore a good petition.

...some recognition for the the William M. Bulger Excellence in State Legislative Leadership Award winner, Denver's Andrew Romanoff.

...for the voters in CD6 to wake up and realize how much Tom Tancredo is hurting Colorado's economy. And while I'm writing about CD6, I have to admit that I got the full polling results from Bill Winter this morning. And they are freaking amazing. I'll share them later on today.

...a cure for every disease known to man.

...a stiff cup of coffee for the folks who hit Drinking Liberally last night.

Now, where's my burrito?

Diana DeGette vs. Senate inertia

Stem cell research is a no-brainer issue. If you don't support it, you don't have a brain.

To date, the best piece of legislation on the matter was co-authored by our own Definitive Democrat Diana DeGette. Her bill would expand federal research on leftover embryos from fertility clinics and create strict ethical guidelines for future research. It passed the U.S. House and was sent to the Senate a year ago.

And since then, crickets chirping.

GOP Senate leader Bill Frist promised to support the measure and then dove for cover at the first hint of pressure from the religious right.

To commemorate the one-year anniversary of the House version of the bill, DeGette and other proponents of stem cell research lashed out at Senate inaction. The Washington Post and The Rocky Mountain News are reporting on event:

On Tuesday, DeGette led a parade of lawmakers who marked their yearlong wait with a series of fiery floor speeches. DeGette cited Frist's comments last summer publicly backing some type of expanded research and promising to schedule a vote. "At that point, it appeared the hopes of so many patients and caregivers would finally be realized... That's the last we heard of this bill."

One one hand, I'd love to bash Bill Frist and his band of merry wingnuts. But let's keep it positive, eh? Contact DeGette and thank her for championing a cause worth fighting for.

Karen Middleton, hanging out at Uptown

I've written how much Karen Middleton deserves to hold on to her seat on the CD7 Board of Education. So I stopped by her fundraiser this evening to show my support.

Karen is popular across party lines in CD7, and she's a rising star in the Democratic party. But that district may go completely nuts about September, so we can't take anything for granted.

I snapped this photo of Karen. Yes, that's CD6 Democratic congressional nominee Bill Winter hanging out in the background.

The people's candidate gets some netroots chic

Check out the Bill Ritter for governor campaign video:



Please do me a favor. Let me know if you can see the video and what sort of operating system and browser you are using. Thanks.

Spinning the Colorado Pols Big Line

For political geeks, tracking the Colorado Pols Big Line is almost as fun as watching a Carmen Electra/Kelly Monaco dance-off. Sure the line is an unscientific mechanism based solely on the wild ass guesses of some sort-of anonymous bloggers. What's your point?

This week, the Big Line fluctuated wildly in the wake of the state assemblies. Both Ways Bob Beauprez's resounding GOP victory launched him into a tie with Democratic nominee Bill Ritter, despite the fact that Both Way's opponent, Mad Dog Marc Holtzman isn't backing down.

And CD6 Democratic nominee Bill Winter climbed to 7-1 odds. (The Big Line claims Winter's biggest problem is name recognition, so, you know, Bill Winter, Bill Winter, Bill Winter.)

But by far the most surprising odds are in CD7. And the resulting thread is sure to be full of accusations, innuendo and slander.

For most of the past year, assembly winner Ed Perlmutter has been leading the pack of Democratic challengers. But this week Peggy Lamm's strong poll numbers - and stellar video, perhaps - have convinced Colorado Pols to list her as the top Democrat, at 4-1 odds. The real shock, though, is Herb Rubenstein. Herb was something like 250-1 not too long ago, but his relentless campaigning, his outreach to bloggers and activists, and his unabashed liberalism lifted him to 100-1, to 25-1, to 12-1 and now to 10-1. Quite a climb.

All this drama has been good fun. But it's had the unfortunate side effect of leaving GOP insider Rubber Stamp Rick O'Donnell alone at the top of the CD7 pack, at 3-1. That number is misleading, though. CD7 is considered one of America's hottest political districts. It doesn't matter who the Democratic candidate is. The money will come flooding in after the primary is over. And the Democratic victor will have tons of name recognition. Meanwhile, the O'Donnell campaign can't make a move without screwing up. The top Democrat in CD7 should be the overall favorite, too.

Tonight in the life of Coloradolib

Show some love for Democratic CD7 Board of Education candidate Karen Middleton tonight at Uptown Tavern.

Gen. Wesley Clark endorses Jay Fawcett

The Colorado GOP is falling apart, nowhere more so than in CD5. As usual, they're trying to solve their woes by playing dirty tricks on Democrats.

Take CD5 frontrunner Lt. Col. (ret.) Jay Fawcett. It appears that GOP partisans cut Fawcett's Internet lines shortly before the Democratic assembly and have pursued some questionable fundraising tactics.

Fortunately, this isn't slowing down the Fawcett campaign, which today announced that it had been endorsed by another Fighting Dem, General Wesley Clark:

"Jay Fawcett is just the kind of leader Colorado deserves to have in Washington, DC. His honorable service in the United States Air Force, his work in the private sector and his life as a family man provide Jay with the experience and perspective we need on Capitol Hill in these trying times at home and abroad. That's why I am proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with him in this campaign."

By my count, Clark has only formally endorsed 12 candidates. So it's a honor to have him single Jay out.

Can it really be that Colorado Democrats are going to be able to contest all seven congressional districts and the governor's mansion this year? Believe it or perish, sweatermonkeys.

Colorado puts public lands in private hands

I arrived back in Denver yesterday to find the government tearing through Colorado's environment like the Denver Outlaws through the MLL. The Bureau of Land Management has really lost its mind. From today's Denver Post:

Seven oil and gas drillers are choosing the company that will study how much drilling should be allowed on 1.5 million acres of public land in northwestern Colorado and will pay most of the study's costs... The current plan for BLM-administered lands surrounding Meeker would allow for 1,100 wells. But oil and gas companies would like to drill as many as 15,000 wells over the 15- to 20-year life of the plan.

That's private companies like Chevron and Exxon deciding what to do with public land. Public, as in, "the public owns it."

This comes less than a month after Gov. Bill Owens vetoed HB1095, which would have encouraged the government to purchase environmentally sound products, and HB1309, which would have strengthened Colorado's air quality standards.

You know what's going to be sweet? Picking out gas masks for my children. I can see it now. We'll be registered for gifts at Baby Gap, Babies R Us and the Baby Pollution Filter Superstore.

State assembly, how I miss you

As nice as it is to blog from The Living Room, drinking lattes and overlooking the Pacific Ocean, I'm still sorry I couldn't have been in Colorado for the state assembly. From the thread on Soapblox, it sounds like the party activists are fired up. I got a release from the Bill Ritter for governor campaign with portions of his speech:

We get to decide our future with this election. We get to look ahead - not back. And the fundamental battle in this country is not between Republican and Democrat, the left and the right. Rather, it is between the cynics and those of us who hope. The reason I am a Democrat is because we are the party of hope - and I mean hope for all. We are the party of opportunity - and I mean opportunity for all. We are the party of promise - and it's a promise that speaks to every single Coloradan.

The release goes on to highlight Ritter's specific goals for education, healthcare, fiscal responsiblity and the new energy economy.

If you have stories from the assembly that you want to share with Coloradolib readers, please post comments on this thread. Wish I could've been there with you.

The Colorado GOP owes me, big time

I've come to the conclusion that without me helpfully pointing out its errors, the Colorado GOP would fall apart completely. Want proof? I left town for one lousy day and in that short period of time Marilyn Musgrave picked up the (hopefully unwanted) support of the KKK, Both Ways Bob and Mad Dog Marc's staffers got in a slapfight, a GOP partisan allegedly tampered with Democratic CD5 candidate Jay Fawcett's phones, and Republican Senator Wayne Allard sent me an email with mind-numbingly misleading statements like, "The global war against terror cannot be won by ignoring the activities of those who wish to destroy our nation."

Sheesh, guys. I can't help you if you insist on doing so much stupid stuff all at once.

Best protests ever!

If Colorado activists want to learn how to protest, they should take a trip to the seal beach in La Jolla, California. Outside the entrance are two ongoing protests. One that suggests opening the beach to humans. And another that wants to save it for the seals. Each side has exactly one supporter, and they seem to get along famously.

The Red Carpet of Complaints

Check out Progress Now Action rolling out the red carpet for Xcel.

There's no defense for Xcel's price gouging and profit taking. They don't play by the rules of capitalism. They receive our tax dollars as subsidies, jack up our rates, and then turn around and stuff their pockets with cash. Nice going, PNA.

Marc Holtzman on the cover of Westword

Conservative Coloradolib readers, prepare to get happy. This week's Westword features a ginormous (For the pop-culture challenged, follow this link.) cover story about Marc Mad Dog Holtzman and his ongoing war with his Republican primary opponent, Both Ways Bob Beauprez. For those not inclined to read the article, it goes like this:

Marc Holtzman likes Ronald Reagan. He has a crush on Ronald Reagan. He's defending Ronald Reagan, he loves Ronald Reagan, he wants to have, like, ten thousand of Ronald Reagan's babies. (For the pop-culture challenged, follow this link.)

Seriously, it's a very good article, which portrays Holtzman as an idealist whose accomplishments and talents aren't quite up to the standards set by his hero.

It's almost impossible for me to choose which of the GOP candidates is worse. I disagree with Marc Holtzman on, well, everything, but Westword's article at least makes him sound almost niavely sincere. Whereas Both Ways Bob is a waffly politician who seems to be a puppet of his GOP handlers.

Fortunately there's Democratic candidate Bill Ritter, who bundles Beauprez's experience, Holtzman's optimism, and former vice-presidential candidate John Edward's populism.

Fort Collins wolf sanctuary sets up online petition

Hm, recently Coloradolib has become something of an enviro-blog. Don't worry, my main gig is still saying snarky things about local politics. But let me update the story of the Dells wolf one last time. All of our e-pressure has had some effect on the Wisconsin Dept. or Natural Resources, which has backed off its pledge to shoot the wolf and now says it's "looking into other options." This is a waste of time and taxes. A licensed, insured sanctuary in Fort Collins has volunteered to capture the wolf and care for it indefinitely. The sanctuary has set up an online petition so all Americans can tell the Wisconsin DNR to make the ethical and economical choice. Sign the petition here.

Trappers attempt end-run around Colorado constitution

Colorado voters put a partial ban on trapping in the state constitution 10 years ago. But that ban may be weakened on July 13, when the Colorado Wildlife Commission will consider new regulations requested by the Colorado Trappers Association. You can see a PDF of the regulations by following this link.

There are three main arguments against the changes:

1. The new regulations do an end-run around Colorado voters. Are we really going to let a government commission rewrite the Colorado constitution just so 350 trappers can trap nine additional species of wild animal?

2. The status of many of these species' populations are unknown. Renewed trapping could harm them, according to Sinapu. And it is impossible to guarantee the traps won't injure other animals.

3. Recreational trapping is a sick, pathetic sport. The voters have already confirmed that it doesn't belong in our state.

So legally, environmentally and ethically, the changes are just plain wrong. Email Wildlife.Comm@state.co.us and let them know that.

You can read past Coloradolib posts on this story here, here and here.

...And out come the wolves

About a week ago, my wife and I were at Le Peep and our waiter stated that President George W. Bush belongs in jail. It's not like I asked his opinion. He just, you know, wanted to share.

It's the dawn of a new day, folks. Bush's poll numbers are so low that people feel safe bashing him in front of complete strangers.

Ditto for congressional candidates, even in close districts. Check out Peggy Lamm on Bush's speech last night:

...It's hard to see the president's speech as anything more than just an election year photo-op for Republicans who are desperate to change the subject from their failures on Iraq, the budget, Katrina and prescription drugs.

A real plan to address illegal immigration would start with the basics - enforcing the laws that are already on the books by cracking down on corporations that hire undocumented workers.

Tonight's speech demonstrates once again that this administration isn't interested in real solutions. They're interested in their falling poll numbers, and hope that lip service like tonight's speech tonight will save them. All that was missing from President Bush's performance tonight was the flight suit.

Let's hope voters are savvy enough to extend their dislike of the president onto his clones. Like Lamm's CD7 Republican opponent Rubber Stamp Rick O'Donnell, who has expressed his adulation for Dick Cheney and the Bush administration in general.

More good news from CD5

Today is just full of sunshine and lollipops for Colorado Democrats. I've already mentioned Bill Winter's strong poll numbers in CD6. Now I get a release that states that the CD5 GOP candidates, who've all had to run to the extreme right, are facing a serious challenge from a Democratic candidate, Air Force Lt. Col. (ret.) Jay Fawcett:

Once voters are given just a little bit of information about Jay, he takes a commanding lead in the horserace - 39% for Fawcett compared to just 22% for the Republican.

Like CD6, CD5 appears to be a conservative district that Democrats can win, as long as we can make sure voters have heard of our candidate.

The Coloradolib Monday survey

Who's the bigger jackass?

Contestant #1: President George Bush, whose entire administration as been built around exploiting our military to further his political aims. Tonight, he will attempt to deflect criticism of his domestic spying plan by sending the national guard to the Mexican border. Make sense to you? Me neither.

Contestant #2: Jim Martell. The Iowan discovered the world's first wild grizzly/polar bear hybrid in the far northern reaches of Canada. And shot it. "It will be quite a trophy," Martell said.

Contestant #3: Tom Tancredo. I just got a PDF with the full results of the CD6 polling. And in the extremely-Republican district, only 44% say they would vote for Tancredo again. I hear he is very popular in Arizona, though.

Winter winning in CD6? Believe it.

I was going to sit on this until there was a formal press release from the Bill Winter for CD6 campaign. But the news has already spread across Daily Kos, Soapblox and Coloradopols. Brace yourself:

When given Winter's name, bio, and party affilliation, CD6 voters chose him over Tom Tancredo 47% to 45%.

Currently, Winter's name recognition is only 9% to Mad Tom's 84%. The GOP will try to take advantage of that fact. Unfortunately for them, there's nothing bad you can say about Bill Winter. So the GOP'll do what it does best. Lie to the American people.

The only way to stop the smear campaign is to get out in front of it. Our buzz is faster then their TV ads. Every water cooler in every office in Colorado tomorrow should be the home of the exact same conversation. And it should start a little like this:

"Hey, did you see? Tom Tancredo's getting beat."

Five reasons today is a great day

1. Mom.

2. TBTH's Daily Kos post, 100 reasons Bill Winter deserves the Netroots Endorsement (parts 1 -50).

3. Bill Winter's Daily Kos post, Defend Every Village.

4. Colorado lacrosse. Yesterday, the Colorado Mammoth captured the national pro indoor championship, Colorado State beat Colorado University in the national college club championship, and Denver University made its first appearance in the NCAA tournament in a loss to second-ranked Maryland. That's a whole lot of Colorado.

5. Mom.

Bill Winter on fire

Peggy Lamm's CD7 campaign has placed ads for her campaign video on several popular blogs. The video has drawn mostly positive comments at Coloradopols. One even mentions my cameo. Which means my 15 minutes of fame are still ticking away.

But I could only wish for the level of buzz that surrounds CD6 Democratic candidate Bill Winter. On Tuesday, Winter will be doing a fundraiser at Tortilla Coast in Washington DC. The guest list is rumored to include Russ Feingold, Ken Salazar, Dianna DeGette and Mark Udall. Who knows, maybe Tara Reid will show up. I hear she likes to party.

I briefly thought about starting a PAC that would collect donations to send me to DC. But all the good PAC names were already taken (Citizens for Integrity in Government, Integrity and Honesty in Elections, Voters for Honesty in Voting, Integrity for Citizen Voting and so forth). So maybe you ought to just donate directly to Bill instead.

Coloradolib off e-spamming in Wisconsin

For the last couple days, I've been devoting a bit of my blogging time to sending nasty emails to the Wisconsin Department of Wilddeath. It's plowing ahead with its plans to use taxpayer dollars to shoot a wolf, even though a insured sanctuary in Colorado has offered to trap it, transport it to Colorado, and care for it.

I visited the Fort Collins-based sanctuary last November, and I can personally attest to both the quality of care and the passion of the volunteers there.

If you want to send any emails of your own, contact the sanctuary at wolfsanctuary.net and tell them you want to help.

Celebrity scandal at the House Majority Project!

You didn't go to the House Majority Project party last night? Oh my gosh! Lindsay Lohan was like, "I want to dance with Andrew Romanoff." And then Paris Hilton was like, "No, I want to dance with Andrew Romanoff." And then we looked over and Hilary Duff was like, already dancing with Andrew Romanoff!

Impeach

From today's USA TODAY:

The National Security Agency has been secretly collecting the phone call records of tens of millions of Americans, using data provided by AT&T, Verizon and BellSouth, people with direct knowledge of the arrangement told USA TODAY. The NSA program reaches into homes and businesses across the nation by amassing information about the calls of ordinary Americans - most of whom aren't suspected of any crime...

"It's the largest database ever assembled in the world," said one person, who, like the others who agreed to talk about the NSA's activities, declined to be identified by name or affiliation. The agency's goal is "to create a database of every call ever made" within the nation's borders, this person added.

UPDATE: Heck, if Bush's HUD secretary is rewarding contracts based on party affiliation, we can impeach him twice.

UPDATE: A big round of applause for CD1 Democratic Congresswoman Diana DeGette for being the only Colorado representative to sign John Conyers' brief challenging the Bush administrations warrantless domestic spying.

UPDATE: Another big round of applause for Denver-based Qwest, the only baby Bell that refused to turn its records over to the government. Looks like Qwest made the right move. Someone at Soapblox pointed to this story on Think Progress. The actions of Verizon, AT&T and Bell South have opened them up for a multi-billion dollar lawsuit.

Whiskey with Mason

Hits 1 through 6: Can be found by following this link.

Hit 7: Politics in America has gone haywire. Russ Feingold criticizes the government's invasion of our privacy and gets branded a flaming liberal. Bill Clinton shrinks the government and balances the budget and gets called a communist. And the conservatives at the Independence Institute are trumpeting marijuana reform.

Hit 8: Hold the phone. Maybe that last one makes sense. After all, decriminalizing marijuana would save Colorado somewhere around $60 million a year. And legalizing it could bring in something like $90 million in revenue. And it would get the government out of the lives of thousands of otherwise law abiding citizens.

Hit 9: Last night, Mason Tvert of SAFER was our guest at Drinking Liberally. And I will never get over the fact that I am continually drinking in front of the guy whose major strategy is to illustrate that marijuana is less harmful than alcohol.

Hit 10: We were also joined by CD7 candidate Herb Rubenstein, who has a spiffy new website up. And CD6 candidate Bill Winter, who seemed very relaxed after all the drama that surrounded his campaign yesterday.

Hit 11: The best line of the evening actually belonged to Kathryn of the Peggy Lamm campaign. I told her my baby is due on the Fourth of July. Without missing a beat she replied, "Oh, your Lack of Independence Day." Good stuff.

Hit 12: Mason said that SAFER's campaign is less about winning elections than it is about educating the people. If you really want to get educated, you can read TBTH's detailed report of the evening.

Show 'em how we roll

Mason Tvert of SAFER has never seen me without a drink in my hand. And that's not likely to change tonight at Drinking Liberally. But if you really want to see me celebrate, come by the House Majority Project's end-of-session party tomorrow. Somehow, I got roped into co-hosting. And I've pledged to do a shot anytime anyone donates $250 or more to Bill Winter's CD6 campaign.

Ritter blasts GOP pandering

So apparently I'm not alone in thinking Both Ways Bob Beauprez and Marc Holtzman are trying to pander their way into the governor's mansion. I just got a press release from the Bill Ritter for governor campaign that states, in part:

"Voters, business leaders and nonprofit organizations alike all set aside their partisan differences last year and supported a common-sense plan to restore fiscal sanity to our state... The Congressman and Marc Holtzman are simply pandering to the extreme elements in their party in order to win their primary," Ritter said. "They clearly don't understand Colorado's budget, and this type of cynical politics is just what you would expect in Washington, D.C. This is the last thing we need here in Colorado..."

The release says a lot more than that, mentioning all the progress that's been made thanks to the voters' decision to OK Referendum C.

It got me thinking about how insatiable the fringe elements of the Republican party are. We work our asses off to find moderate candidates like Clinton, Salazar and Ritter. We go out of our way to court libertarian and pro-business voters. And does the GOP make any attempt to meet us halfway? Nuh-uh. They purge their party of honorable conservatives and send forth a nonstop stream of extremists like Both Ways Bob.

Let's stop the madness, people. Vote Ritter.

Winter fires consultant, hires anyone who gives a damn

Like TBTH and johne, I received an email from Democratic CD6 candidate Bill Winter this morning, detailing why he parted ways with his campaign manager. While I assume the email was sent to a large list, and portions have already popped up on Soapblox, I'm still not comfortable blogging the whole thing without Winter's approval. Here is a snippet:

America neither needs nor wants more of the same old politics as usual. It's time for us as a nation to rise above the old politics and the old ways and embrace new ways and stand up for what we believe in. I am going to Washington to represent the people of Colorado, and my ONLY job will be to make their lives better.

I have never, ever met a more courageous candidate than Bill Winter. Not coincidentally, I have never, ever met a more inspiring candidate than Bill Winter.

He's willing to take on the world's worst congressman in a district that's stacked heavily in the GOP's favor. And he's willing to ignore elitist political consultants and listen to the grassroots, the netroots, and everyday people.

If you have never donated to political campaign, this is the time.

Holtzman also tries to bribe voters?

According to Coyote Gulch, Republican candidate for governor Marc Holtzman has responded to his primary rival's plan to bribe voters with unaffordable rebates:

GOP gubernatorial candidate Marc Holtzman announced his economic plan Monday, promising to give back all of the tax-surplus refund over the $3.1 billion that lawmakers originally requested when they asked voters to bail the state out of an economic crisis. Holtzman's plan would more than double the $500,000 refund supported by his opponent, Rep. Bob Beauprez...

Holtzman and Both Ways Bob ought to go buy a copy of the June 2006 Atlantic Monthly. In an interview with conservative Cato Institute chairman William A. Niskanen, Jonathan Rauch illustrates that historically cutting taxes tends to grow the government. Why? Because when you apparently reduce the cost of something, people want more of it.

If Holtzman and Beauprez really want to shrink the government, they ought to support Referendum C and pay-as-you-go plans. Once voters see the true cost of government, they'll be more willing to take a look at what programs can be cut.

Angie Paccione and stem cell research

Democratic CD4 candidate Angie Paccione supports stem cell research. Her Republican opponent, not so much. You can read more at Progress Now Action. And while I'm up in CD4, forgive me for mentioning that the USLIA playoffs start this afternoon. Go Rammies.

Both Ways Bob trying to bribe voters?

What's Both Ways Bob Beauprez doing these days, besides sucking up to Marilyn Musgrave? Pandering, playing politics and practically prevaricating, same as always. The Rocky Mountain News reports:

Gubernatorial candidate Bob Beauprez on Sunday became the first person to sign a petition for a proposed ballot measure to use excess Referendum C revenue to offset heating bills.

This is so misleading it makes me want to scream. What excess revenue is Both Ways Bob referring to? The voters were promised that Ref C money would be spent on heathcare, higher education and transportation. Instead, Both Ways wants to create some phantom "excess" cash that he can use as a gambit to support his troubled campaign. When is he going to learn that he can't buy votes?

Fawcett's rivals getting desperate

Put this story in the Maybe Not Corrupt But Icky Anyway file. The L.A. Times reports that one of Jay Fawcett's CD5 rivals is having one of his supporter's tactics investigated by the Air Force.

Fawcett, a Democrat, has consistently been keeping pace with - and in some cases outraising - his Republican rivals. And it looks to me like they're getting worried.

Support Winter for netroots donations

TakeBackTheHouse has nominated CD6 Democratic candidate Bill Winter for the Netroots Candidates ActBlue page. To support the nomination, go to the thread on Daily Kos, find TakeBackTheHouse's post "Bill Winter and Colorado!" Then post something about what a great idea this is. You'll need to sign up for a free Daily Kos account.

Winter has won the support of the netroots, the grassroots, and just about everyone else who believes CD6 deserves a congressman who kicks ass. Helping him win Russ Feingold's Progressive Patriots Fund donation was a good start. But it's going to take a lot more than $5,000 to unseat the tragi-comedy that is Mad Tom Tancredo. And a spot on the netroots candidate page would send a lot of cheddar Winter's way. Get to work.