Hillary Clinton [heart] Ken Salazar?

On The Chris Matthews Show this morning, one of the 12 regulars opined that Hillary Clinton's best choice for a runningmate would be Colorado Senator Ken Salazar.

UPDATE: Jason Bane discusses this post at 5280's Elevated Voices.

UPDATE: Jeralyn Merritt links to this post at TalkLeft.

UPDATE: The transcipt of the show is now online here:

MATTHEWS: ...We put it to the Matthews Meter, 12 of our regular panelists. Who would Hillary pick? This one's all over the map: four say Barack Obama, three say Indiana Senator Evan Bayh, who just dropped out of the presidential race a few weeks back, two say John Edwards, and two say New Mexico governor Bill Richardson. In fact, there's one vote there for Senator Ken Salazar of Colorado.

Hickenlooper still popular, poll finds

Despite much chattering to the contrary, Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper seems to be as popular as ever. The Denver Post finds:

Denver residents overwhelmingly approve of Mayor John Hickenlooper's job performance, and most don't hold him responsible for the snowpacked condition of city streets, a poll conducted for The Denver Post shows...

The poll backs up what I wrote last week, comparing the Mayor's handling of the storm to George W. Bush's handling of Hurricaine Katrina. Citizens don't blame politicians for the weather, but they do expect a high level of empathy and effort:

Hickenlooper said the poll results indicated that Denver residents appreciated how hard city employees had been working in the past week. "The public may not expect us to be perfect, but they do require that we never give up," he said in a statement.

The poll also contains a tidbit that neatly sums up the state of mind of the American taxpayer:

A majority of Denver residents said that the city should "significantly increase" its number of snowplows, but a majority also opposed raising taxes to buy them or pay for other snow preparation methods.

Bill Ritter not just the governor of Denver

Bill Ritter is looking outside the metro area for administration appointments, as a press release points out:

Gov.-elect Bill Ritter today named two prominent Coloradans to his administration: farmer and longtime Prowers County Commissioner John Stulp as executive director of the Department of Agriculture, and Manitou Springs Mayor Marcy Morrison as insurance commissioner.

Ritter said he is committed to appointing a broad cross-section of talented Coloradans to top-level posts by reaching beyond metro-Denver.

Dunn loses seat, gets sworn in anyway

Republican Matt Dunn lost the race for HD38 to Democratic nominee Joe Rice. But today's Rocky reports Dunn will get to hold the seat for 27 days anyway. He'll replace the resigning Joe Stengel. Dunn had a good sense of humor about the appointment:

"My goal until my term ends is to practice full-time dentistry and take two back-country hut trips," Dunn said. But, he joked, "I'll be available for a special session just in case one arises."

More thoughts on John Edwards for President

It wasn't so long ago, I was voicing my doubts about a John Edwards candidacy. I wasn't sure whether he had the pragmatism to fix the foreign policy messes made by George W. Bush. And between Hillary the establishment favorite, Obama the fresh face, and Biden the senior statesman, there seemed to be little ownable space left for Edwards.

Today he announced a Presidential campaign that appears to be as much about movement-building as it is about winning the White House. Ezra Klein and Atrios both have commentary. The former writes:

"This campaign," Edwards promised, "will be a grassroots, ground-up campaign where we ask the people to take action." As part of that, there'll be monthly Days of Action, the first on January 27th, which will exhort volunteers and supporters to enter their communities and work on a particular issue. "Americans," Edwards kept saying," have to be patriotic about something besides war," and that means taking individual initiative to ease poverty, conserve energy, and create the Good Society even without holding office. The announcement was striking for sounding less like a campaign for the presidency and more like a telethon. His campaign would certainly like to lead in the polls, but Edwards seemed more interested in leading a movement.

Klein's post reminded me of something I wrote about Edwards when I saw him at a luncheon back in March:

Most of his speech focused on poverty. He talked about the immorality of a culture that subsidizes oil companies while cancelling school lunch programs. And he talked about the face of poverty that he has seen traveling across the country over the last year. He also offered several concrete proposals on how to end poverty, like mixed-income communities and easier access to financial aid. I kept thinking, "This doesn't sound like someone who is running for President in 2008. This sounds like someone who has found his life's calling and who has dedicated himself to it. It sounds like someone who understands the promise of self-determination and is terrified to see it slipping away."

Can Edwards' crusade catch fire in the America of 2006, where the President ended the year with a speech begging Americans to "go shopping more"?

More gainful employment updates

Don Mares is either primarying the Mayor or joining the Bill Ritter team as executive director of the Department of Labor and Employment.

Bill Owens also finds gainful employment

Like Gale Norton, Bill Owens has lined up a new job. He'll either be leading the Kucinich for President campaign or running a real estate investment firm.

John Edwards from the Upper Ninth Ward

Gale Norton finds gainful employment

Colorado Confidential reports "former Colorado Attorney General and Interior Secretary Gale Norton has found a new job." She's either going to be the new director of the Greenpeace or general counsel for Shell Oil.

Several ways John Hickenlooper is different from George W. Bush

Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper deserves some of the grief he's getting for the mismanaged response to last week's storm. But those comparing him to President George W. Bush circa August 29, 2005 (here and here) need to have their heads examined.

1. Hickenlooper did not spend the storm smiling through a photo-op with John McCain.

2. Hickenlooper's aides would not have worried about telling him he'd have to cut his vacation short.

3. Hickenlooper did not have to watch the storm on DVD.

4. Hickenlooper did not appoint an inept crony of a crony to head disaster response.

5. Hickenlooper's mismanagement did not help cause 1,836 fatalities.

6. Hickenlooper will not have to spend 105 billion taxpayer dollars to get the city running.

7. Hickenlooper has not tried to shift the blame to the opposition party.

8. Hickenlooper has not tried to cover up his mistakes.

Hurricaine Katrina further exposed the President's incompetence, laziness and moral poverty. At the very, very worst, the Mayor can only be accused of the former.

John Edwards is in

It's official.

BLM posts oil and gas lease sale info

I've written a number of times about the federal government's ongoing, controversial sell-off of the Western Slope. (Here, here, here, here and here.) Today The Craig Daily Press reports that information on a "quarterly oil and gas lease sale is now available. The sale scheduled for Feb. 8, 2007 includes 49 parcels covering 32,125 acres in Colorado."

Speaking of Joe Biden...

....(and I was), he's going after Condi Rice.

BLM considers pulling the wool over our eyes. Again.

It's not like the Bureau of Land Management is the most trustworthy organization. And now it's getting even worse. A couple days ago, The Denver Post reported:

The Bureau of Land Management is considering a reorganization that environmentalists and a bipartisan group of House of Representatives members worry could dilute the agency's protection of millions of acres of conservation lands in the West.

The BLM manages about 258 million acres, and among its traditional workload are mining, grazing and timber programs, but it also maintains about 26 million acres under its National Landscape Conservation System. Much of that is in wilderness or national monuments and conservation areas.

The proposal would bring under the umbrella of the NLCS a variety of unrelated programs that, on paper, could make it seem as though substantially more money is being spent on conservation when on-the- ground spending is shrinking.

Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill also are raising concerns about the reorganization, which critics charge was hatched in secret and has had no public airing.

Meanwhile, the Ginn Co. is building 1,700 homes, a golf course and 1,100 acres of ski terrain on Battle Mountain that'll destroy lynx habitat:

Even Ginn Co. researchers admit the development will hurt lynx. "(The) project will result in an adverse affect to Canada lynx and lynx habitats through direct habitat loss and the indirect effects of increased traffic along U.S. Highway 24, which would fragment habitat and increase the chances of lynx mortality..."

Cross-posted at Square State.

Rule of 14 catches up to Joe Biden?

I have nothing against 2008 Presidential candidate Senator Joe Biden. (Except for the whole bankruptcy bill issue.) He's got a good head for foreign policy, which America sorely needs. I look forward to seeing him on the campaign trail.

The problem is that Biden hasn't just broken the Rule of 14. He's set it on fire and jumped up and down on its ashes. His experience may make him a good President, but it may also make him a lousy candidate.

Here are the most recent polls I know of in Iowa and New Hampshire.

Republicans, AP get out the knives for Ritter

Yesterday's Gazette ran an Associated Press article that pretty much sums up the Colorado GOP's stance on teamwork:

"I am representing the loyal opposition. However, it's a little difficult to figure out what we're supposed to be against, listening to the governor-elect's agenda, which we didn't hear," [Republican representative Mike] May said.

Just tell us what you're for, and we'll be against it. Merry Christmas, eh?

The whole tone of the article seems anti-Ritter to me. But I'm obviously biased. However, it's worth noting that this specific AP reporter has regurgitated rightwing spin before. (See examples here and here.)

Merry Christmas to all

And to all a good night.

Happy holidays from John Edwards (for President)

I got the same email from John Edwards that MyDD and Benny's World did. An excerpt:

For the past two years, we've worked together to build an America that lives up to its promise - one where we all share in prosperity at home and one that shows real moral leadership around the world.

I'm proud of our successes fighting poverty, supporting working families, and standing up for what we believe.

Now, we have a big decision to make - and I do mean we.

I'm getting ready to take this effort to the next level - to bring Americans together in all fifty states to tackle the big challenges facing our country, from poverty and lack of health care, to energy and global warming...

If you want to take this effort to next level, send me an e-mail and
let me know: JohnEdwards@readytochangeamerica.com.

For the record, I tried to find a link. But when I typed in readytochangeamerica, it resolved to the aforementioned MyDD post. When I typed in readytochangeamerica.com, it resolved to johnedwardsevents.com.

Photo of Edwards, me and assorted bloggers courtesty of ProgressNow.

Jon Caldera, John Hickenlooper, and the wisdom of investment

On Fridays, I try to make time to watch Independent Thinking, the show where "hard-pressing conservative host" Jon Caldera hosts "lively - and sometimes heated - debates among elected officials, journalists, activists, concerned citizens." The show is typically littered with distortions and falsehoods. But Caldera is interesting. And it's always good to expose yourself to different points of view.

But I've just about had it with Caldera's insistence that tax dollars spent on transportation, education and healthcare should not be considered investments. This is hogwash. For instance:

1. For every dollar invested in education through the G.I. Bill, "it is estimated that nearly seven dollars was returned to the American public."

2. Money invested in public transportation provides "an economic stimulus far exceeding the original investment - as much as six dollars for every dollar invested."

3. Democratic Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper's plan to reduce homelessness may save the city $1.5 million.

The investment meme scares Republicans for the same reason that the Fighting Dems and Western Pragmatists do. They all disprove the assertion that the Democratic Party is made up of dewey-eyed idealists, raising taxes to fund half-baked schemes.

The Democratic Party of the year 2007 is about results. And the GOP can't deny it any longer.

Cross-posted at SquareState.

National labor officials get involved in convention dispute

It feels like the Democrats really want to hold the 2008 convention in Denver. They've delayed their decision, apparently to give Denver more time to raise money. And now big labor is trying to end a holdout by the Denver stagehands' union:

Progress was made Thursday on breaking an impasse that has held up Denver's bid for the Democratic National Convention.

The Denver stagehands union, which would handle much of the inside construction at the convention, thus far has refused to sign a pledge not to strike or picket during the gathering. The Pepsi Center ordinarily uses nonunion crews, and the union has said it won't sign an agreement unless the Pepsi Center management agrees to negotiate.

Now national labor officials in Washington, D.C., are trying to find a compromise between the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local No. 7 and Denver's host committee.

Romanoff keeps up call for education reform

Not too long ago, I wrote a diary at SquareState that mentioned Democratic House Speaker Andrew Romanoff's support for some of the ideas that came out of the The New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce. In his newsletter this afternoon, Romanoff kept up the call for education reform:

"Tough Choices or Tough Times" presents a sharp critique of America's economic competitiveness and a bold plan for education reform. States - like ours - that want to succeed in the international marketplace should welcome this report and seriously consider its recommendations... [T]he 2006 report recommends a package of reforms, including universal early childhood education, dramatic increases in teacher compensation, a set of qualifying exams to exit high school, performance contracts for teacher-run schools, and lifelong learning accounts (a "G.I. Bill for our times").

The report also recommended a more controversial idea: Handing public schools over to independent contractors, operating under contracts managed by local school districts.

Colorado welfare computer system "out of whack"

Apparently the DEC isn't the only one with computer problems. Todays' Rocky Mountain News reports:

The computer system that handles Colorado's welfare benefits is still out of whack, despite recent reports to the contrary, county officials and some recipients contend.

A bipartisan committee from Colorado Counties Inc. recently estimated that the Computer Benefits Management System is still generating an average of 11,300 notices of overpayments to clients every month.

In the two years and two months since the system came online, it has churned out 234,085 notices of a suspected $98 million in overpayments, county officials say.

Owens, Beauprez declare statewide disaster

Governor Bill Owens in the Rocky:

Gov. Bill Owens this afternoon declared a statewide disaster emergency due to blizzard conditions, and activated the Colorado National Guard.

Bob Beauprez in the Post via ColoradoPols:

"I don't mean to overly rationalize it or excuse it, but it was one of those years. There was a foul wind blowing and I stepped out in the middle of it," Beauprez said.

That was too easy. I apologize. To make up for it, I'm going to re-read Andrew Oh-Willeke's explanation of "the ground rules for the 2007 regular session of Colorado's General Assembly."

Death threats and the mainstream media

Tom Tancredo allegedly gets a death threat and CNN goes beserk. But when Democratic Rep. Terrance Carroll got death threats, the media tripped over itself to report both sides of the story. And when Bill Winter got death threats, you didn't hear a peep.

The migration problem

That's "migration." Not "immigration." As in, "I just migrated Coloradolib to the new Blogger." The change should let me add tags and update my template. But if anyone has problems viewing or posting, let me know.

Ritter seeks to expand healthcare commission

Today's newsletter from the Bell Policy Center reports:

Gov.-elect Bill Ritter said he wants to appoint three new members to the recently launched Colorado Blue Ribbon Commission for Health Care Reform. His comments came during the commission's meeting on Monday in Denver.

Ritter said he will ask for legislation allowing him to make the additional appointments. While acknowledging the commission is already representative of the state's citizens, Ritter said he believed the group would benefit from the expertise and perspectives of new members from the business and labor sectors and from rural Colorado.

Ritter made some bold promises about healthcare on the campaign trail, and it would be totally appropriate for the legislature to give him some latitude.

Chris Matthews on John Edwards

I'm six days late on this quote. But in light of my recent support for John Edwards, I'm blogging it:

"This is not hardball, this is batting practice," [Hardball moderator Chris] Matthews complained to the audience during a commercial break. "This guy is killing me. He couldn't do this four years ago."

Matthews' praise for Edwards is even more impressive when you consider the NBC host's propensity for regurgitating GOP talking points. Matthews was named Media Matters 2005 Misinformer of the Year.

Thanks to Coyote Gulch and Political Wire for the News & Observer link.

Denver 1 for 2 so far

So we got Allen Iverson. But we won't know about the convention until January.

More commentary on Steve Ward in SD26

Dan Haley has a bit more on the story I blogged Sunday night.

Allard, DNC and Hickenlooper make tough decisions. (Or not.)

Wayne Allard hasn't decided if he wants to run for re-election. And the DNC still can't decide where to hold the 2008 convention. But Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper has launched his re-election campaign.

A second term should be a sure thing. The mayor's audacious plan to end homelessness may save the city about $1.5 million. And he's still in the middle of Greenprint Denver.

The only black mark on his resume is last month's election fiasco, when thousands of people left the polls without voting due to long lines and crashing software. That shouldn't be enough to inspire a challenger. The Rocky reports:

Hickenlooper, who has maintained favorable poll numbers in his first term in office, may end up running against himself.

Pat Waak, chairwoman of the Colorado Democratic Party, said she hasn't "heard a whisper" about anybody challenging Hickenlooper.

"I think that people who are thinking about running (for the office) may decide this is not the appropriate time to do it," she said.

"But who can tell?" she added. "Politics is very strange. The minute you say something like, 'Nobody would dare run,' somebody pops out of the woodwork."

Even if someone does decide to run, Hickenlooper's chance of winning re-election are a "near certainty," said Denver pollster Floyd Ciruli.

It doesn't look like the mayor's campaign website has been updated for quite awhile. So if you have questions, his official page might be a better bet.

Least surprising Ritter appointment

The Rocky reports that governor-elect Bill Ritter named Evan "I've Got Your Snappy Comeback Right Here" Dreyer communications director.

Congratulations to TalkLeft

Our friends at TalkLeft are best of the top 250.

CoCo: "ICE defied court order in Greeley raid"

CoCo (via SquareState) reports that last week's raid in Greeley may land ICE honcho and Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Julie Myers in hot water:

The Denver Post is reporting that Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (I.C.E.) officials violated a Wednesday court order from Judge Kane of the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, prohibiting I.C.E. from removing or deporting people apprehended in last Tuesday's Swift plant raid in Greeley. A hundred were voluntarily deported contrary to the order. Another 75 were sent to Texas and now have been returned to Colorado because of the order.

Take a deep breath. On second thought, don't.

A state air quality panel had to approve tougher emissions restrictions on the oil and gas industry to avoid missing federal standards. Denver Ozone tells us that a "newly released legislative audit reports that the use of remote sensing to reduce air pollution from tailpipes in the Denver metro area is failing, threatening clean air and our health." And the Justice Department launched an investigation of the Minerals Management Service, which has allegedly been allowing industries to shortchange the taxpayers out of royalty payments.

UPDATE: Don't breathe yet. Critterthink reports Senator Dan "Climate Change Is The Greatest Hoax Ever" Inhofe "will serve as ranking member on the Senate's Environment and Public Works Committee, with jurisdiction over the Endangered Species Act and other legacy environmental laws."

SD26: Ward is the GOP's choice over Habig

I heard a rumor earlier this evening that the Republicans had selected Steve Ward to fill the soon-to-be vacant seat in SD26. I didn't post it because of, well, sloth. But I just got an email claiming that the GOP picked Ward over Betty Habig by a 75 to 50 margin. Habig had been running a serious campaign to get herself appointed.

I want to stress that I was not at the GOP meeting due to the fact that they don't let me in GOP meetings. But if I heard it twice, it's no longer a rumor, right?

Jessi Colter to perform at Bill Ritter's inaugural

I haven't the slightest idea who Jessi Colter is. But I should, according to a press release from the governor elect:

[C]ountry-music star Jessi Colter will headline the Jan. 12 inaugural concert. Three other musical acts also are slated to perform at the inaugural celebration at the Colorado Convention Center's Wells Fargo Theatre.

"We're extremely pleased a musician of Jessi Colter's caliber will be the main act for Gov.-elect Ritter and Lt. Gov.-elect O'Brien's inaugural concert," said Inaugural Committee co-chairs Frances Koncilja and James Crowe. "This will be a wonderfully entertaining night."

Colorado Democrats detail New Energy Economy legislation

I like most of our Democratic officials. But there are a few that are jerks. So why the non-stop partisanship? Because when you elect Democrats, you get stuff like this:

Democratic lawmakers will introduce a slew of bills in the 2007 General Assembly to propel Colorado into becoming the "renewable energy capital of the world."

Legislation to double the state's renewable energy standard by 2015, mandate the use of ethanol in 10 percent of all transportation fuel - except jet fuel - by the end of next year, offer incentives to biofuel crop farmers and boost the number of transmission lines by allowing utilities to recover the money from ratepayers during construction are in the pipeline.

Renewable energy advocates say with the Democrats in control of the governor's office as well as the state Senate and House, the dozen or so bills - three times the number introduced last year - have a good chance of being signed into law.

Bayh out, Edwards probably in

From today's Rocky:

Sen. Evan Bayh on Saturday ended his White House bid while 2004 vice presidential nominee John Edwards finalized plans to get in, fast-paced jockeying in a Democratic race under the shadow of two unannounced candidates.

Bayh decided he could not compete with Sens. Hillary Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois, whose possible candidacies have dominated the positioning almost two years before the actual election.

Edwards, the former North Carolina senator, has decided he can and is planning to announce his campaign in New Orleans between Christmas and New Year's, two Democrats said.

That's it, I'm endorsing Edwards. Who's with me?

I'm education policy blogging at SquareState

The report of the New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce deserves discussion. So I posted my diary on it over at SquareState. Here's the link.

It's about the candidates, stupid

Writing about Dick Wadhams and Jeff Lane got me thinking about how meaningless high-priced consultants really are.

Wadhams is hailed as the wizard who engineered Jim Thune's upset of Tom Daschle. But he couldn't save George Allen from his own racism.

And there's no one on earth who could turn Ken Salazar into John Edwards. Edwards' charisma and optimism are contagious. Salazar may be a good Senator for this state, but his speeches have never made me leap out of my chair.

A good candidate needs good counsel. A bad candidate gets beaten either way. Maybe I was too hard on John Marshall, eh?

Be honest, now

Would you rather have the convention or Allen Iverson?

Ritter, Salazar make moves. Republicans try to make moves, too.

A press release from the office of the governor-elect reads, in part:

Bill Ritter today named Todd Saliman, a former state lawmaker with expertise in state finances, to head the Office of State Planning and Budget. Saliman served in the legislature from 1994 to 2002, including four years on the Joint Budget Committee during which he earned widespread bipartisan respect.

Ken Salazar also has a new officemate. Haley's Comment reports the Senator has hired Jeff Lane as chief of staff. Lane performed the same job for John Edwards.

And everybody and everybody and everybody is talking about the Colorado Republicans' attempt to recruit Dick Wadhams to lead their party. But why would Wadhams want the job?

Did you know Allard is being sued for $1 trillion?

Me neither.

Illegal immigration is totally the only issue that matters at all

Is this what it's come to for Colorado and The Rocky Mountain News? Governor-elect Bill Ritter speaks about issues like energy, healthcare, transportation and education. And the Rocky reports on illegal immigration policy anyway?

Ritter: Immigration a federal issue

Gov.-elect Bill Ritter stressed that immigration is a federal issue when asked Tuesday about raids the day before at a meatpacking plant in Greeley.

"This is a federal issue, not that we have no responsbility," he said. "(But) the state cannot deport an individual."

Speaking to the Colorado Press Association at its annual meet-and-greet before the start of the legislative session, Ritter said he believes America needs a guest-worker program.

He also noted that he is not working on legislation aimed at straightening out the kinks in immigration measures that state lawmakers passed this year.

Ritter kept his remarks brief as he touched upon the same themes that swept him into office: renewable energy, health care, transportation and education.

Yeah, but seriously, what about the whole illegal immigration thing? Colorado Confidential links to another story here.

Colorado to give Hillary credibility?

Today's Rocky reports that a Denver convention will help 2008 frontrunner Senator Hillary Clinton establish some mid-America cred. And supposedly she already has a wide lead on the rest of the Democratic field. I'll believe it when I see it.

UPDATE: NY Times article here indicates New York may be the choice. More bad indications here.

Bill Ritter, selling the state

I've heard governors claim to be the CEOs of their states. Bill Ritter plans to add the title of CMO:

In the realm of economic development, Ritter said he sees himself mainly as a "marketer."

"It is imperative to have a strategic economic-development plan," he said, "but you become the salesperson executing on that plan."

Ritter said he visited the state's biggest wind farm in Lamar, in southeast Colorado, and heard "the biggest impediment they face" is getting workers with the right expertise to run the place.

Perlmutter to party, do important stuff in Washington

This afternoon I got an email inviting me to a January 4th reception at Democratic CD7 representative Ed Perlmutter's new offices. Sounds fun. But since the offices are in Washington DC, I think I may have to skip it.

While I'm on the subject of Ed Perlmutter, it bears mention that today he announced his appointment to the House Financial Services Committee. The Post's Dan Haley writes:

The committee oversees the financial services industry, including the securities, insurance, banking and housing industries. It also oversees the work of the Federal Reserve, the U.S. treasury department and the SEC, according to Perlmutter's office. Not bad for a freshman. Of course, Perlmutter was elected to Colorado's 7th Congressional District, which is evenly divided among Repubs, Dems and unaffliateds, so Democratic leadership wants to ensure Perlmutter has an important seat at the table.

Media Matters asks Peter Boyles to apologize

Cut-n-paste job from a Colorado Media Matters press release:

Colorado Media Matters today delivered to Clear Channel-Colorado more than 650 signed petitions asking Peter Boyles, longtime host of the morning drive-time talk show on the company's Denver station 630 KHOW-AM, to stop using falsehoods regarding immigration during his on-air discussions of that topic.

You can read a list of Boyles' "falsehoods" here.

Homeless effort pays dividends, immigrant laws cost taxpayers

The Rocky Mountain News reports:

Denver's costly effort to move chronically homeless people into housing and treatment may end up saving the city more than $1.5 million a year, according to a study to be released today.

But an effort to deny services to illegal immigrants may end up costing more than it saves. From a different story in the same paper:

A Grand Junction lawmaker expressed concern Monday that two laws aimed at cracking down on illegal immigrants receiving government services so far have cost taxpayers money but haven't resulted in any savings.

Over the course of the gubernatorial campaign, Bill Ritter often used the term "invest." And he occasionally got heat from Republicans, who claimed that every time Ritter used the word "invest," he meant "raise taxes." But it appears that spending tax dollars to fight poverty, improve healthcare, and provide education saves us money in the long run.

Cross-posted at Square State.

Suthers still fighting partisan battles in other states

Republican attorney general John Suthers just won't stop. Read about his latest at Colorado Confidential.

Hard facts vs. unsubstantiated rumor in Colorado politics

I can't decide what the day's top story is. A press release from Gov.-elect Bill Ritter announced the appointments of Stephanie Villafuerte as deputy chief of staff for community outreach and administration and Kenneth C. Weil as deputy chief of staff for policy and initiatives. And all that sounds really interesting. But a blogger rumors that the DNC has chosen Denver as the site for the 2008 Democratic convention. Stop the presses.

A tale of two Bills: Ritter the next Owens?

The Saturday Rocky repeated the rightwing lie that big-spending Democratic legislators are plotting to exploit their control of the governor's mansion just as soon as they can find the $5 million to repair it:

"I think Democrats' expectations are sky high," said Senate Minority Leader Andy McElhany, of Colorado Springs. "They're looking at nearly 50 years of pent-up frustrations..."

Being in charge provides the Democrats opportunities but plenty of challenges, said political consultant Katy Atkinson. "What we normally see when you have a legislature controlled by the governor's party is legislators who are downright giddy at the prospect of getting lots of their bills passed," she said.

As I wrote Friday, Democratic leaders like Andrew Romanoff sound like they're focusing on enacting Ritter's Colorado Promise agenda, not developing a list of pet projects. But over the next two years, Ritter will doubtlessly see some bills he'll wish he hadn't. And the Sunday Denver Post profile of outgoing Republican Governor Bill Owens offers a chance to look at how easily a governor's legacy can be tarnished by extremists within his own party:

The governor "was once on every conservative's short list of possible candidates for higher office," says [the Cato Institute's Stephen] Slivinski. "Now he will probably be long remembered by those same conservatives as a turncoat."

Small-government fanatics will never forgive Owens for fixing the glitch in TABOR. Family values voters still wonder about the Owens' temporary separation. And GOP insiders still gripe about Owens' political missteps. (See Coors, Pete; Traylor, Kiki; and Bob, Both Ways.) But for much of his tenure, Owens was a conservative's dream. Only after fire and recession pushed the state to the brink of financial catastrophe did he finally stand up to his party's fringes.

Contrast that with governor-elect Bill Ritter, who staked out the moderate middle during the 2006 campaign and is promising to adhere to it. From the Rocky, again:

Ritter, a self-described moderate, isn't promising the world to his party. "The governor-elect will act as a gatekeeper on good public policy and do what's right for Coloradans," said Ritter spokesman Evan Dreyer.

The dynamics of the 2006 campaign will make it hard for liberals to pick apart Ritter the way conservatives are picking apart Owens. Colorado voters are likely to get what they were promised. Nothing more, but certainly nothing less.

More federal government trampling of local concerns

I opposed the Bush administration's recent efforts to sell off 22,000 acres of roadless Colorado wilderness to the oil and gas industry. My concerns were partially environmental. But I was also upset because the administration was ignoring the advice of a local task force appointed by outgoing Republican Governor Bill Owens. Whatever happened to the GOP's respect for states' rights?

By that logic, I'm even more upset by this:

Colorado's two U.S. senators joined Thursday in sponsoring a surprise bill that would cut Golden and Jefferson County out of the debate over building a high- definition TV tower on Lookout Mountain.

Golden officials sharply criticized Republican Wayne Allard and Democrat Ken Salazar after learning the two senators had sponsored the brief bill, which passed in the waning hours of Congress. The bill would almost guarantee the placement of a new tower on the mountain.

It looks like we may not have to worry about Allard after 2008. But Salazar doesn't get a free pass because he has a (D) after his name. Colorado's junior Senator took in a half-million dollars from the communication and electronics industries in 2004. That wouldn't have anything to do with his top-secret tower or his silence on net neutrality, would it?

Media Matters video online

Video of the forum I blogged on Tuesday is online at Media Matters.

Coloradolib for Kerry/Richardson?

I took a Presidential Candidate Selector quiz (via Genius of Insanity). And my answers put Gov. Bill Richardson and Senator John Kerry at the top of my 2008 list. Not surprisingly, Tancredo and Brownback landed at the bottom.

Owens says no to Senate campaign, backs Allard

And he did it with a lot more conviction than Scott McInnis did. From The Rocky Mountain News:

"[A Senate run] is not something that I'm looking at... I've really enjoyed every day that I've been governor, but I also am really looking forward to what comes next. In my case, I'm going to be doing some international business, going to be putting some kids through college..." Owens said a successful Allard re-election campaign would be the best scenario for Colorado because it would retain the incumbent's seniority and experience on Capitol Hill.

State House committee assignments, U.S. House calendar

The Colorado House Democrats have announced committee assignments for the next session. Pacified got the same email I did, and lists all the assignments SquareState. The accompanying release quotes Speaker Andrew Romanoff:

"Our agenda is ambitious: to build the best public schools in America, to become the renewable energy capital of the world, and to bring healthcare to all Coloradans. That's what the Colorado Promise is all about."

Colorado Promise, eh? Sounds like Romanoff is on the same page with governor-elect Bill Ritter, whose Colorado Promise agenda included the same goals.

Romanoff was one of the first major Democrats to endorse Ritter for governor, back in early January.

And for the politically obsessed, here's a PDF of the U.S. House calendar for 2007, which was just released by majority leader-elect Steny Hoyer.

Joe Stengel: See you later, alligator

Joe "Coloradolib's Favorite Person" Stengel says so long and farewell. From the Rocky:

Rep. Joe Stengel resigned from the legislature Tuesday, making him the third lawmaker to bow out weeks before the start of the new session because of the impact of Amendment 41.

A provision in the ballot measure, billed as the "ethics in government" issue, requires a two-year cooling off period for statewide elected officials and lawmakers before they can do business with former colleagues.

By resigning before Amendment 41 becomes law - which could happen any day now - the lawmakers who had been scheduled to leave office Jan. 10 believe they won't be affected by the measure.

Stengel, a Littleton Republican, was term-limited. He declined to comment, but he has been sending out resumes, seeking work in the legal field and in government relations.

UPDATE: A comment at Square State points out Media Matters' criticisms of the newspapers' coverage of this story. And ColoradoPols points out The Boulder Daily Camera's biting editorial.

Ritter, Western Democrats to head New West Project

Pacified and Western Democrat are linking to John Aloysius Farrell's post about the New West Project. Me too, me too:

A group of the West's most influential Democrats is creating a new organization to try to capitalize on the party's recent success in the Rocky Mountain states and deliver the region's electoral votes to the Democratic ticket in 2008... At least four Western governors - Janet Napolitano of Arizona, Bill Richardson of New Mexico, Brian Schweitzer of Montana and Bill Ritter, Colorado's governor-elect - are expected to lead the group's advisory council, the sources said.

It's good to see regional Democrats aren't waiting for the national party to wise up. In 2004, the Kerry campaign wrote off Colorado. And just a few months ago, the DCCC signaled its high hopes for CD5 without getting into the race, essentially putting a target on our nominee without giving him a bulletproof vest.

The new organization creates a powerful block within the Democratic party that understands the reasons the West is shading blue.

The prize for most succinct response to the Iraq Study Group Report goes to Diana DeGette

From a press release:

"The bipartisan Iraq Study Group's conclusions tell us something that most of us already knew: President Bush's Iraq policy is a complete failure. I hope President Bush will heed the Iraq Study Group's recommendations and change course in Iraq now. If he does, he will find the American people and the new Democratic majority in Congress ready to work with him."

Actually, that's not just "from" a press release. That's pretty much it.

According to media, election coverage swell

I got the press release from Bill Ritter spokesperson Evan Dreyer at 11:40 this morning:

Gov.-elect Bill Ritter today announced a full line-up of inaugural festivities that will kick off with a Jan. 9 swearing-in ceremony at the Capitol and conclude with a statewide plane tour. A dinner, concert and whistle-stop train tour also will round out the celebration.

The release landed in my inbox as I was putting on my jacket to head to a Colorado Media Matters panel discussion that featured Dreyer and his opposite number from the Bob Beauprez campaign, John Marshall. For a moment, I imagined the release I would've gotten had Both Ways Bob won the election:

Gov.-elect Bob Beauprez today announced a full line-up of inaugural festivities that will kick off with a Jan. 9 swearing-in ceremony at the Capitol. Or maybe it'll be at the Olive Garden. Or the governor's mansion. No wait, the Capitol. On the 9th. Or maybe the 10th.

I shuddered, switched off my computer, and headed out the door.

So, like, you people are real journalists, huh?

In addition to Dreyer and Marshall, the panel included newsmen Adam Schrager, Greg Moore, John Temple and Jeff Thomas, and Colorado University's Elizabeth Skewes.

I felt a bit out of place. Most of the people in the audience were journalists (like Colorado Confidential blogger Wendy Norris) or politicians (like State Senator Ken Gordon). Coloradolib provides coverage of debates, rallies and protests, along with unlimited amounts of snark. But it's not really the place you go for investigative reporting.

Nonetheless, I had a question I was dying to ask the media figures in attendance. "Why did you keep breathing life into Bob Beauprez's ethically bankrupt and politically floundering campaign?" Or, as I phrased the question in my notebook:

In your coverage of the Medina ad scandal, you consistently balanced stories about Beauprez's alleged crime with stories about Ritter's questionable judgement when it came to offering plea bargains. How could you possibly equate those two things?

I never got a chance to ask my question.

But the whole thing was darn interesting anyway.

It was clear from the outset that Marshall was bitter about Beauprez's defeat, but he went out of his way to say the media wasn't to blame. Dreyer felt the media was too hard on Ritter at times, but as the winner he could afford to be magnanimous.

The most interesting exchange came when Skewes took traditional media to task for using the web as a dumping ground for information it didn't have the space to run. Temple denied the charges and said traditional media is using the web because readers are demanding it.

And despite what my too-clever headline would lead you to believe, the journalists were open about some of their own failings. For instance, Schrager revealed that his Truth Tests were so popular, 9 News occasionally made room for them by shelving other political reporting, in essence dubbing the advertising the biggest story of the election.

And while much of the conversation revolved around the role of the Internet, the panel didn't feature a single Internet-based reporter.

So is the media biased or not?

Towards the end, someone asked the panel whether the media had traded objectivity for bipartisanship. All of the journalists denied it. But as Schrager said, "Everybody looks through their own prism and sees what they want to see."

The mainstream media's bias is for balance, whether that balance paints a truthful picture or not. And that's why, when Marshall admitted the left did a better job of blogging the election, I had to shrug my shoulders. It was easier for us, because the mainstream media wasn't telling the whole truth about Beauprez. That gave us something to write about.

That's one of the many reasons why on January 9, we'll welcome Governor Bill Ritter, instead of Governor Both Ways Bob.

Photo of Dreyer and Marshall courtesy of my handy-dandy camera phone. Video of the panel will be available here at some point. Thank you to Colorado Media Matters for putting together the panel. And a special thanks to Marshall for participating in a Media Matters-sponsored event.

Wayne Allard and Bob Beauprez: Partners in delusion

Colorado Senator Wayne Allard has spent the last 15 years entrenched in Washington DC. In 2005 he received a rating of just 5% from the League of Conservation voters. Nonetheless, the Post reports that Allard believes he can cast himself as an outsider and an environmentalist.

Bob Beauprez lost the 2006 gubernatorial election by 16 points. But he still won't rule out a 2008 Senate run.

Will someone buy these guys an alarm clock? They need to wake up.

Barack Obama, Jay Cutler and the problem with talented rookies

Last night, I got an email alerting me to draftobama.org. The site states:

Draft Obama is a recently formed grassroots organization of ordinary voters who believe strongly that Senator Barack Obama is uniquely gifted and qualified to lead our country back to greatness. As the most compelling public figure in America today, Senator Obama offers our country unmatched hope, thoughtfulness and leadership.

Yick.

It's not that I don't [heart] Obama. How could I not? He's a anti-war progressive with an eerie ability to bridge the red-blue divide.

He's also a newbie. Eight years in the Illinois state senate. Two in the U.S. Senate. No executive experience.

The world is a scary place. And it isn't likely to be any better after two more years of W. The next President will have to right a nonsensical foreign policy, astronomical budget deficits, a broken healthcare system, and a military stretched thin because of W.'s fondness for knocking over secular dictatorships that posed no threat to the United States. When Kim Jong Il and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad rattle their sabers, I'm not sure how a President Barack Obama would respond.

Which brings me to Jay Cutler. Great arm, NFL body, seems smart enough. But in the grasp of the Seahawk defense last night, he did what rookies always do. He threw the ball straight up.

A must-win game against the defending NFC champs in freezing temperatures on national television is no place for the quarterback of the future to make his debut.

The next President will immediately face a similar situation with much, much (did I mention "much"?) higher stakes. America doesn't have the luxury of electing the President of the future.

You can view Sen. Barack Obama's wiki page here. Hat-tip to TalkLeft for the Times link.

The Tuesday tease

Tomorrow I'm attending a Media Matters forum. Featured speakers include Evan "I've Got Your Snappy Comeback Right Here" Dreyer and John "I'm Going To Jail" Marshall. Should be fun.

TakeBackTheHouse, international superstar

Congrats to our own TakeBackTheHouse for being recognized by The New York Times as one of "the most influential bloggers who went to work for campaigns this year." You can read his post on why the Times has its head up its butt at Square State. Harsh realm!

While I'm namechecking people, thanks to Dan Slater for putting the interests of the party ahead of his own ambition.

2006 election results certified by Secretary of State

It's official. There will be no recount. Want to point fingers? Here you go.

Meaningless but fun fact: Jay Fawcett, Angie Paccione and Bill Winter all got more votes than Rick O'Donnell.

Western Slope oil and gas leases blocked in court

The Bush administration's plan to drill the heck out of the Western Slope hit a snag this week. From Colorado Confidential:

Nearly 100 oil and gas leases that had been issued in Colorado's wilderness and roadless areas by the Bureau of Land Management have been blocked...

Past Coloradolib posts on this story here, here and here.

Tom Tancredo plays the media like a harp from hell

The louder Talk Left, Colorado Confidential, Square State and Coloradolib yell, the happier Tom Tancredo seems to get. From today's Rocky Mountain News:

This week's flap is vintage Tancredo, who revels in public spats with high-profile figures as a way to further his fight against what he calls uncontrolled immigration and a "cult of multiculturalism."

[Jeb] Bush, the president's brother, is just the latest to get pulled into the fray. Among others, Tancredo has used spats with New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, top White House political adviser Karl Rove, and Sen. Ken Salazar.

Tancredo allies, opponents and outside analysts all see it as part of a combative public relations strategy that has helped the Littleton Republican turn his back-bench seat in Congress into a national bully pulpit.

Every two years, it's the same thing. Twenty-one months of the lunacy that's made Tancredo famous. And then three months of pretending to be a straight-shooting maverick.

Perhaps Tancredo doesn't deserve our energy. He's spoken in favor of using the Quran to swear in U.S. congresspeople. His Darfur score is excellent. And every democracy needs its stark raving wingnuts.

But the issue isn't the venom Tancredo occasionally spews. It's the people that venom attracts. Tancredo is a celebrity among the racist and the violent. And I'm ashamed that their hero is from Colorado.

It may be difficult to unseat Tancredo in CD6. But it would be easy to marginalize him so that he doesn't get his dream shot at a Senate seat or even the presidency. But doing it will require all of us - including Jeb Bush - to keep our mouths shut when Tancredo opens his.

I don't think I have the restraint.

PS - Extra points for anyone who caught the Batman Returns reference.