DEC gets kicked off the island...

...and you're next, poll book system. (More: Rocky, SquareState and, for posterity, VoterJones)

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, CD1 Democratic representative Diana DeGette has introduced legislation to help avoid a repeat of November 7, 2006. A press release states, in part:

[DeGette's] legislation amends the Help America Vote Act of 2002 by requiring the development of voluntary standards for electronic poll books. These poll books allow election officials to use electronic means to determine voter eligibility. The standards called for in this legislation provide guidance on how electronic poll books should operate and require these devices to be tested and certified.

Things get testy on the campaign trail

Joe Biden and John Edwards speak out on the field. Yikes.

Democrats take action on prescription drugs

The Colorado House and Governor Bill Ritter are both taking action to lower the cost of prescription drugs. A press release from the House reads, in part:

House leaders fast-tracked a bill that would provide more than 260,000 people in Colorado with huge discounts on prescription drugs. "I'm thrilled that this historic bill is one of the first bills that Governor Ritter will sign," said Rep. [Alice] Madden. "We're not going to wait any longer to provide affordable prescription drugs to the people who really need them."

The bill would create the Colorado Cares Rx program, which allows the state to negotiate a fixed price for generic and non-patented drugs with manufacturers. Pharmacies that voluntarily participate in the program would then be able to sell the drugs to needy citizens who are eligible to participate in the program.

Meanwhile, Ritter today signed an executive order directing the state to "establish a Preferred Drug List for the purchase of prescription pharmaceuticals for Medicaid clients." The move is expected to save the state at least $1.6 million.

Alan Philp not going to the pokey

No charges against the Trailhead Group honcho. (Rocky, CoCo)

Colorado voters have "schizophrenia" on healthcare

I stared at this article in the Rocky forever yesterday, without really knowing what to say about it. Some subjects are too important for snark.

Recent polling shows that Colorado voters consider healthcare a top priority, and many are willing to pay higher taxes for a universal system. But voters are confused by the misinformation that's been spread by the free market faithful.

Universal healthcare delivers better outcomes at lower costs. And a voucher system (such as the one you can read about here) preserves many of the benefits associated with competition.

America's healthcare system is costly and ineffective. And the solution is right in front of us.

Tancredo treasurer tied to FAIR

Not too long ago, I mentioned that many Republicans are uncomfortable with Tom Tancredo's relationship with the Federation for American Immigration Reform. But Tancredo has made no move to sever his ties with the group. In fact, today's Rocky reports that Tancredo's campaign treasurer "has served as a deputy director for the Federation for American Immigration Reform."

In other Tancredo news, Dave Barry thinks the CD6 representative is an "ignorant yokel blowhard," a "xenophobic dimwit," and a "clueless tourist dork."

2008 update: Biden, Obama and Feingold out doing stuff

This afternoon I got an email stating that I should be "among the first to know" that Joe Biden is running for President. Which is good, because I've been referring to him as "2008 Presidential candidate Senator Joe Biden" for more than a month now.

(More: Huffington, CBS, Fox)

The announcement seems likely to get swamped by Senator Barack Obama's recently announced legislation to pull our troops out of Iraq.

(More: TPM, MyDD)

Meanwhile Senator Russ Feingold, who is not running for President, is moving to cut off funding for the escalation.

(More: Kos, SquareState)

What's Bob Schaffer doing?

He's running! Wait, maybe not.

Ritter directs help to southeast communities

According to a press release from the governor's office, Bill Ritter has directed the Department of Labor Affairs to provide a total of $635,000 to eight communities in the southeast corner of the state:

"Southeast Colorado counties are stretched to the limit," Ritter said. "Many have already far exceeded their snow-removal budgets. I'm committed to helping our communities recover from the ongoing impacts of the winter storms."

The money, creatively enough, is coming from the Energy and Mineral Impact Assistance Program. The press release explains:

The program assists communities affected by the growth and decline of energy and mineral industries in the state. Funds come from the state severance tax on energy and mineral production and from a portion of the state's share of royalties paid to the federal government for mining and drilling on federally owned land. The Legislature created the program in 1977.

Mark Paschall allegedly not a pillar of the community

Bad Republican! (Rocky, Post, Pols)

Bill Ritter recommends funding for UCCS Science and Engineering Building

Ritter goes where Owens feared to tread. A press release states:

Gov. Bill Ritter announced today he is recommending $7 million in capital funding for the new science and engineering complex at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs... "One of the most effective economic-development tools state government can provide is a renewed commitment to higher education," Ritter said. "The UCCS project is a perfect example of how we can make long-term investments that will reap incredible returns in the years to come."

Raf Noboa on Iraq

"I owed - and freely gave - my devotion. But we were due - and never received - clarity of judgment, care for our welfare, and a pledge that Iraq's threat to America was truly the equal of the price that so many have already paid, and now more are called to pay."

More about how cool Ken Salazar is

Ken Salazar is so popular. I think I prefer "Clintazar" over "Hillaken."

As if the convention doesn't make us relevant enough...

...we may move our caucuses up.

Tancredo gets chilly reception in New Hampshire

The Rocky Mountain News (via Coyote Gulch) finds Tom Tancredo getting a cold shoulder in New Hampshire.

The story quotes Tancredo, "Yeah, I'm an underdog, but it's been the case almost every single time I've run.'' Which is totally accurate. Unless you count his races against Toltz in 2000, Wright in 2002, Conti in 2004, and Winter in 2006.

The many, many people who are not Diana DeGette

At some point during Democratic CD1 representative Diana DeGette's media luncheon, I realized that many people are not Diana DeGette. Like me. And you. And all the people discussed below.

The 106th Congress was not Diana DeGette.

DeGette started by running down the early accomplishments of the 110th Congress. In just the first 100 hours, Congress passed bills to implement the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, increase the minimum wage, improve America's energy situation, and more.

Then DeGette talked about global climate change and Iraq War escalation. And she listed the leadership posts she'll hold in the House.

One goal she won't pursue: The impeachment of George Bush. She said it would be a distraction from issues like healthcare and global warming.

The contrast between the Democrats of the year 2007 and their Republican counterparts from eight years ago couldn't have been clearer. Imagine how much better off America would have been if the Republican-controlled 106th Congress had put aside its petty and nasty partisan games and focused on moving America forward.

George Bush is not Diana DeGette.

DeGette is an advocate of increased protection for children on the Internet. She is drafting legislation that would require ISPs to keep records for one year, making it possible for police to trace crimes back to the perpetrators. Privacy advocates worry that the bill could infringe on the rights of Internet users. But DeGette, herself an ACLU member, envisions safeguards to protect the innocent. Law enforcement officials would have demonstrate probable cause and obtain a subpoena before accessing records. And Internet providers would be asked to retain identifying data only, not communications.

The President has his war on terror. DeGette has her war on online predators. But DeGette has the skill and vision to wage her war without trampling the Constitution. Bush does not.

Tom Tancredo is not Diana DeGette.

I often tell the story of the elderly African-America woman who stopped me on a Denver sidewalk to tell me how much she loved Diana DeGette. I was doing a lit drop for Bill Ritter. And I asked the lady if she would be voting for him in November.

"I will if he's in the same party as Diana DeGette," she answered.

I asked DeGette how she'd managed to engender this sort of loyalty while leading a national campaign to legalize federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. She talked about her roots in Denver and her passion for seeing the West prosper.

Like DeGette, Congressman Tom Tancredo is a national player with a signature issue. But Tancredo's issue has consumed him to the point where he has lost touch with his district. DeGette's has not.

Joe Lieberman is not Diana DeGette.

DeGette represents a district that's sure to re-elect her as many times as she cares to run. Yet she still listens to her constituents. And makes time to reach out to party leaders, liberal activists and the media.

Joe Liberman lost the 2006 Democratic primary not just because of his opinion on Iraq or his fondness for Bush. He was shown the door because he looked the party faithful in the eye and told them he did not care about their opinions. He thought he was above the democratic process.

Despite the relative safety of her CD1 seat, DeGette is still taking risks and earning and re-earning her election. I don't know how much longer she'll serve. But it's hard to imagine a better representative for Denver.

More at SquareState, Daily Kos and Colorado Confidential.

Diana DeGette teaser post

I just returned from a media luncheon with Diana DeGette. Also in attendance, johne and TakeBackTheHouse from SquareState (which is inconveniently down right now); the intrepid Erin from Colorado Confidential (shown taking notes in this photo); and writers from various media outlets including NPR, La Voz, Clear Channel, The Denver Business Journal, and The Colorado Statesman. I'm going to do a write-up tonight. Stay tuned.

Tom Tancredo "misstates the facts"

The hysteria is the same, but the fiction is new:

Rep. Steve Cohen said Tancredo's press statement, under a headline that says Cohen was rejected "because of his race," misstates the facts. He never asked to join the caucus and was never rejected, he said.

Edwards, Obama or Clinton: We can't lose

Our three 2008 frontrunners all commit to universal healthcare in this Chicago Tribune article.

Friday morning, according to Thursday night

I doubt I'll be blogging Friday morning, as I'll be preparing for the Diana DeGette media lunch that's been mentioned on Daily Kos and SquareState.

Tom Tancredo rethinks amnesty

Tom Tancredo's Presidential bid requires the support of mainstream Republicans. And mainstream Republicans don't like his hardline stance on illegal immigration. So he's wiggling. From The Austin American-Statesman, via TancredoWatch, via ColoradoPols:

Tancredo has repeatedly opposed a guest-worker program because he said it would reward immigrants who entered the country illegally. But now, "if I see we're truly enforcing the law... I'd be willing to talk about a potential guest worker program."

Cross-posted at SquareState.

Diana DeGette named Vice Chair of Energy and Commerce Committee

A press release begins like so:

Chief Deputy Whip Diana DeGette (D-CO) announced today that she has been asked by Chairman John Dingell (D-MI) to serve as Vice Chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee. Rep. DeGette also announced today that she has been asked by Speaker Nancy Pelosi to serve on the U.S. House Page Board.

The wheels in my brain spin for several seconds as I consider adding a House page joke. I think better of it. I hit the publish key.

Your 2008 update for January 24, 2007

The media has a big, dumb crush on the Hillary/Obama storyline. Edwards and Biden are reacting to Iraq escalation. And John Kerry's not running in 2008.

Which would be the richer primary? Those that are running - Richardson, Obama, Hillary, Biden and Edwards? Or those that aren't - Kerry, Feingold, Warner and Bayh?

Robert Novak just hates Colorado?

What is it with Novak attacking Colorado congressmen? First it was Tancredo. Now he's after Ed Perlmutter.

Bill Ritter's PUC pick praised

The Denver Post reports:

Gov. Bill Ritter on Tuesday nominated former consumer counsel Ron Binz to head the Colorado Public Utilities Commission... The appointment was hailed by consumer advocates who had accused Gregory Sopkin, the former chairman of the PUC, of being too close to the businesses he regulated.

But business interests voiced approval of the pick, too:

"I have known Ron Binz for nearly a decade and find him extremely knowledgeable and objective on telecommunications issues," said Chuck Ward, Qwest president for Colorado.

I'm so gullible

The President says he wants to make it easier for Americans to buy health insurance and I'm like, "Hm, sounds good." And then I read Kirsten Hannum's post, which explains that Bush's proposal will essentially force poor, old, sick people to pay more while rich, young, healthy people receive a tax windfall. And I feel dumb for ever believing anything the POTUS says.

Colorado GOP wants to gum up the works somehow

And if they can't do it with abortion, they'll do it with immigration:

Republicans are unwilling to let the illegal immigration issue die this legislative session, even as they admit their proposals are probably headed nowhere.

ColoradoPols has more here.

Colorado Democrats react to SOTU

I am keeping a thread updated with Democratic reaction at SquareState.

Colorado GOP bogging things down as much as possible

There's a new wrinkle to the Republicans' Whine and Vote No strategy. Gumming up the works with bills that have no chance of becoming law. From today's Rocky Mountain News:

Two Republican lawmakers announced Monday that they will sponsor legislation to ban abortion in Colorado, except in cases where the life of the mother is in question.

Sen. Scott Renfroe, R-Greeley, and Rep. Kent Lambert, R-Colorado Springs, said their bill will be similar to the abortion ban passed by the South Dakota Legislature in 2005. A key difference is that Democrats control the legislature in Colorado, and for that reason the bill is not expected to pass.

Even if the bill miraculously escaped the legislature, it would likely be vetoed. During the 2006 Colorado gubernatorial campaign, Governor Bill Ritter, who is pro-life, said he would not have signed the South Dakota bill into law. The Ritter campaign website states:

I strongly oppose any effort that would seek to criminalize women or their doctors over this issue. I would strongly oppose legislation similar to the one recently passed by the South Dakota legislature.

So what we have here is two Republicans playing partisan games on taxpayer time. What a shock.

Cross-posted at SquareState.

2008 presidential campaigns take to the web: Part 2

The righties at Patrick Ruffini think John Edwards has the best campaign website. They don't know how right they are. Edwards' site is more than just a pretty package. It offers tons of content and tools users can employ to set up their own communities and action plans.

Consider the websites of the 2006 Colorado governor's race. Bob Beauprez's website and blog were gorgeous. But Bill Ritter's ruled when it came to content - breaking news, dozens of white papers, on-the-scene updates, PDFs, YouTube links, and a blog that allowed comments. At the end of the day, voters chose content over packaging, substance over style.

Are you ready for the convention?

It's going to be a riot.

2008 presidential campaigns take to the web: Part 1

Romney, Clinton & Co. are learning.

Monday is the new Sunday

I'm offline today. Stay warm out there.

Bill Richardson is in

Despite my stated support for John Edwards, at least one poll found my politics align closely with Richardson's. So I look forward to seeing him on the campaign trail.

Ritter appoints Russell George to head CDOT

I learned last night from Colorado Confidential that Governor Bill Ritter has appointed Russell George to head CDOT. It wasn't the news I was hoping for.

1. George headed the Department of Natural Resources for Bill Owens. Last November, the voters of Colorado demanded change, not a rehash of the Owens administration.

2. George has a reputation for compromise. But his compromises seem to end up with the oil and gas industry getting what it wants. For instance, oil and gas interests wanted to drill the Roan Plateau. Environmentalists wanted to stop them. A drilling plan was given the go-ahead last September. George shrugged and said, "We got it as good as we could."

3. George didn't want the job. (CoCo's article quotes Bill Ritter, "I wouldn't take 'no' as an answer... I kept reminding Russell he is a public servant and Colorado needed him in this position.") The appointment was necessary to pacify complaints from the Western Slope.

So to quiet a few angry voices, Ritter made an uninspiring appointment of someone with uncertain commitment to the job at hand.

I didn't post the news until this morning because I wanted to see if the Post's story on the appointment told me anything that changed my opinion.

George does have an impressive resume. And the move illustrates Ritter's determination to govern from the middle. So I'm crossing my fingers and waiting for further evidence. Colorado badly needs an innovative, comprehensive 21st Century transportation system based on clean burning technology. I can only hope that George is the best person to get us there.

The Rocky adores Tom Tancredo

Explain how a dispute between Senator Ken Salazar and Congressman Tom Tancredo justifies the Rocky headline, "Colorado senators clash over Spanish speech." Um, did we elect a Senator Tancredo at some point?

I'm sure the Rocky will fix the headline shortly. At least, I sincerely hope they will.

Salazar delivered a speech in English and Spanish. Tancredo got whiny. That's the extent of the argument. And it exposes three critical facts:

1. Salazar has more courage than I sometimes give him credit for.

2. Tancredo's problem is not with illegal immigration. It's with what he sees as the dillution of a white, Judeo-Christian heritage. As Luis wrote at Square State, "Ah, but Tancredo is only opposed to the 'illegal' aspect of immigration -- it has nothing to do with having a problem with Latino culture. Riiiiiiiight."

3. The Denver papers love Tom Tancredo. Truly, madly, deeply. And nauseatingly.

There's more at Daily Kos.

Global warming real. And worse than you feared.

On February 2, a team of 450 lead authors, 800 contributing authors, and 2,500 peer reviewers will unveil the first volume of a four-volume study of climate change. The results aren't pretty. Global warming is real, it's mankind's fault, and the results may destroy much of the planet. The Rocky Mountain News reports:

All 23 models agree that the planet will continue to warm as levels of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping "greenhouse" gases rise in the coming decades... [E]xtreme weather - heat waves, droughts and heavy rains, for example - will likely become more frequent and more intense in coming decades. Dry spells could lengthen significantly across the western United States, southern Europe and other areas... [E]ven if greenhouse gas levels could be magically stabilized today, sea levels would rise 10 to 20 inches per century for the next 400 years or more, imperiling coastal regions.

The Colorado and national Democrats are fighting for legislation that will reduce pollutants and reconfigure our economy around clean energy. This might be the most important political battle in America today.

Cross-posted at SquareState.

Bob Beauprez calls for the execution of Barack Obama

And your execution, too. If you oppose the Iraq War. From Colorado Media Matters:

On Newsradio 850 KOA's The Mike Rosen Show, guest host Bob Beauprez -- a former Colorado Republican congressman and gubernatorial candidate -- responded to a caller who suggested that people opposed to the war in Iraq are "traitors" and "ought to be shot" by stating that doing so would constitute "good old Western justice."

Some days, I can't believe how easily we beat Bob Beauprez in 2006. Other days, I'm suprised anyone voted for him at all.

Hillary Clinton: "I'm in"

It's official. Hillary Clinton is running for President. The reason I'm not blogging her video, as I did with Obama's and Edwards', is that it's not on YouTube.

Hat-tip to rnoboa.

Time hails "the exuberant and slightly eccentric Democrats of Colorado"

Time gets it. The Democratic domination of the Mountain West doesn't stem from conservative nominees. It's about pragmatism, the issues, and a lack of the sort of political grandstanding the Colorado Republicans tried to pull yesterday.

Hat-tip to CoCo for the Time link.

What's the most vulnerable Senate seat in the country?

The open seat in Colorado. That's nothing Coloradolib readers didn't already know. But for posterity, from The Washington Post:

Allard's announcement jumps this race up to the top of Democrats' opportunity list. Despite the chatter about a candidacy by Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, Rep. Mark Udall should have the Democratic field to himself. For Republicans, former Rep. Scott McInnis is in the race, and his former House colleague, Bob Schaffer, is actively considering it. If those two men comprise the top tier of GOP primary candidates, expect a nasty fight between fiscal conservatives (McInnis) and social conservatives (Schaffer) within the Colorado Republican Party.

DeGette, Dems pass CLEAN Energy Act of 2007

Like their colleagues in the Colorado legislature, national Democrats are making renewable energy an early priority. Today's press release from Congresswoman Diana DeGette states:

"Today Congress took the first real step towards giving our nation a 21st Century energy policy," said DeGette. "For too long, the only type of energy plan Republicans advanced involved drilling in the Arctic or giving more handouts to Big Oil. This bill starts to correct those shortsighted policies by repealing taxpayer funded giveaways to oil companies and redirecting that money towards clean renewable energy."

The bill, the CLEAN Energy Act of 2007 (H.R. 6), takes important steps towards a smarter energy future by:

1. Repealing $14 billion in subsidies given to the largest oil companies and investing those funds in clean, renewable energy and energy efficiency.

2. Ensuring oil companies that were awarded the 1998 and 1999 leases for drilling pay their fair share in royalties.

3. Closing loopholes and ending giveaways for Big Oil in the tax code and in the 2005 Energy bill.

4. Creating a Strategic Renewable Energy Reserve to invest in clean, renewable energy resources and alternative fuels, promote new energy technologies, develop greater efficiency and improve energy conservation.

Minor changes at Coloradolib

Most of the posts at Coloradolib are what I call "link plus snark." But I make occasional attempts at analysis and reportage. Starting now, these posts will be labeled "punditry" and "frontlines," respectively. I added the appropriate links to my sidebar. While I was at it, I added Haley's Comment, Ave Cassandra, Denver Ozone and Coyote Gulch to my blogroll. And changed my archiving system from weekly to monthly.

Tom Tancredo and the definition of conservatism

The American voter imagines that there are only two political philosophies. Pete Stark sits somewhere on the left and Jean Schmidt sits somewhere on the right and the rest of us fit somewhere on a continuum between them.

The truth is much messier. And nowhere is that more obvious than in the case of CD6 representative and 2008 presidential contender Tom Tancredo.

Tancredo is trying to position himself as a conservative. In The Denver Post, he was quoted as saying, "It appears to me that there is a void, which I think I can fill, (being) a true conservative with a conservative history."

But Tancredo's biggest fans are not the free-traders and religious fundamentalists that the average voter thinks of as conservative. Read what three prominent conservatives have written about him:

1. RedState questioned Tancredo's conservatism: A person with even modest social conservative convictions would simply not be funded by an organization whose activities are as repugnant as FAIR's."

2. Captain's Quarters derided Tancredo's aspirations: "Front runners in presidential politics usually get there by having a broad policy outlook and developing the kind of experience that lends credibility to their executive potential. Single-issue legislators rarely fare well when throwing their hats in the ring -- Bob Dornan springs to mind here -- and usually wind up as a laughingstock, and their issue marginalized. Tancredo's exploratory committee might want to take all of this into consideration before wasting political donations better used to help the eventual Republican nominee win the general election."

3. Robert Novak blamed Tancredo for Republican failures: "Although no more than 25 House Republicans follow Tancredo's rigid line, that is enough to obstruct a coherent Republican posture... In trouble on Iraq and federal spending, Republicans are being lured into a nativist posture that is political fool's gold."

The most passionate Tancredo backers are not Republicans the way that, say, George Will is a Republican. They're paleoconservatives, a school of the conservative movement that emphasizes family, cultural identity and a strong military. Things get blurry after this. Because it's easy for troubled souls to confuse "family, identity and strength" with "eugenics, race and violence." And that's how you get conflicts like the one RedState was writing about.

Over the last few days, Tancredo hasn't proved himself capable of winning over mainstream Republicans. He's hired a key Pat Buchanan supporter to run his campaign in New Hampshire. And despite his instance that he's popular in Iowa, the latest polls show him getting only 2% of the likely Republican primary vote. This might feel familiar to Tancredo. His 1998 election was the result of a five-way primary that he won with only 25.7% of the vote.

Maybe Tancredo's base isn't the GOP at all.

Over the past year, I've become convinced that a healthy percentage of the CD6 representative's support lies outside his party. I've personally heard anti-globalist Democrats sing his praises. Online, I've seen self-identified liberals post pro-Tancredo statements. It makes sense, in a way. After all, it's not just Republicans who feel uncertain about the future, insecure in their jobs, and scared of an increasingly multicultural country.

Let me put it another way. In the days before the 2006 election, Republican nominee Doug Lamborn in CD5 was pulling only 2% among Democrats. I will eat my computer if the same was true for Tancredo in CD6.

New Energy Economy hits the state legislature

This is why we block-walked, phone-banked and donated our hard-earned money. From The Rocky Mountain News:

Lawmakers highlighted more than a dozen alternative-power bills designed to build a new transmission system to channel solar and wind energy from rural areas to urban consumers, require utilities to generate 20 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2020, and plant wind-powered generators at schools to help cut electricity costs while teaching students the science of alternative energy.

UPDATE: And not a moment too soon.

Allard, Salazar, DeGette, Udall, other Salazar, Musgrave, Lamborn, Perlmutter seek blizzard relief for farmers

Meanwhile, Tom Tancredo is busy proving he's a maverick. The Rocky explains.

As if you didn't know already...

...Udall's so totally running. And Elway's not.

Bill Ritter tackles the state budget

Bill Owens left behind a plan that calls for 1,000 new state employees, and grows the budget by far more than state law allows.

A former prosecutor, Governor Bill Ritter believes that he can save some money by reducing corrections costs. From The Denver Post:

Ritter said reducing fast-growing prison costs would give the state more money for other programs such as higher education and human services, which are vulnerable to budget cuts... Ritter also promised close scrutiny of the budget proposal he inherited from Republican Gov. Bill Owens and state agency heads... Ritter said he has already warned his department heads not to expect too much. "Our communication with our directors is that there is not new money," Ritter said.