John Edwards on Auraria Campus Thursday

John Edwards is one of the few people who can make sacrifice and hard work seem positively uplifting. See for yourself.

DeGette to preside over House Thursday

A press release from the congresswoman's office states:

Thursday, March 1, from 11 am to 2 pm MT Chief Deputy Whip Diana DeGette (D-CO) will preside over the House of Representatives as Speaker Pro Tempore during the debate on the Employee Free Choice Act. This legislation would ensure that workers have a free choice and a fair chance to form unions. The debate will be aired live on C-SPAN.

All Positive, All The Time Week: Bill Clinton

The further we get away from the Bill Clinton presidency, the more I miss it. So with our country eyeing another recession and Coloradolib in the midst of its 2nd All Positive, All The Time Week, here are two lessons that our future Presidents could and should learn from our 42nd.

1. Save when times are good, so you can spend when times get rough: Clinton didn't take the roaring economy of the 1990's as a license to spend. Instead he built up a big surplus. That meant that when Bush needed to give the economy a boost after 9/11, he could afford what many assumed would be a short-term tax cut. Our next President won't be so lucky. He - or she - may simultaneously face a tricky economy and a huge deficit.

2. Consumer confidence can help the country survive recessions: The recession of 2001-2002 was accompanied by a 20% drop in business spending. Why? Because businesses behave more rationally than consumers, and corporations were readying for a prolonged recession. But consumers have short memories. And after the longest economic expansion in our country's history, consumers forgot what a recession felt like. And so they "defied a recession and Sept. 11 and kept spending at a healthy pace." Even at it's recession nadir, consumer confidence was still higher than it was the month Bill Clinton took office. (84.9 in November 2001, indexed to 1985 vs. 76.7 in January, 1993.)

I'm not claiming that Bill Clinton single-handedly recession-proofed the economy. Or even that he deserves sole credit for the Roaring Nineties. But his economic policy definitely paid dividends long after his administration was over.

APATTW: Nonpartisanship update

The Denver Post reports on bipartisan education reform. And The Grand Junction Sentinel talks about a bipartisan bill that gives "surface-rights owners recourse against mineral extractors who damage the surface of private land."

What happens when the government falls down entirely? Since 2003, the amount of funding the National Institute of Health, which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has cut funding for Down syndrome research from $23 million to $14 million a year. The Post has an inspiring story about a Colorado woman's efforts to "make Colorado the best place for people with Down syndrome to live."

Ritter willing to go to great lengths to create green economy

Kickin' butt and taking takin' names.

UPDATE: CoCo has more.

All Positive, All The Time Week hits the Governors Mansion

Who likes Bill Ritter today? Hunters, the families of patients at Craig Hospital, the National Governors Association, and anyone who wants accountable government.

Ritter dines at the White House

The Ritter-Bush mini-summit I mentioned yesterday only sort of happened. The Denver Post reports:

In the White House's state dining room, Bush toasted Ritter and the nation's other governors, pledging that they could "do big things" together.

With the festivities over, Ritter returned to the White House on Monday with a list of Colorado issues he wanted to discuss. In particular, he wanted to press Bush about funding for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden.

He never got the chance. Instead, Ritter experienced the slow pace of working in Washington on issues important to states.

But the assembled governors were able to attempt to communicate their concerns with National Guard deployment and No Child Left Behind.

Larimer County Dems take on estate tax issue, voice support for Ken Salazar

Today the Larimer County Democrats put out a press release "supporting fiscally responsible estate tax reform to further protect Colorado's family farms, ranches, and small business, while condemning falsehoods in a recently published op-ed."

The op-ed in question was penned by CD3 Democrat John Salazar and CD4 Republican Marilyn Musgrave. And it outlines their plan to do away with the estate tax.

The Larimer County Democrats' release reads, in part:

"Musgrave is irresponsibly advancing myths that have long since been exploded," said Larimer County Democratic Party Chair Adam Bowen. "The deceptive and fuzzy math in this column severely questions Musgrave's basic familiarity with the subject." [Ed. - Complete release posted in the comments]

The press release came with a draft of a resolution that the Larimer County Democrats passed last Thursday. It's interesting not just because of its strong stand, but because it ends on a positive note:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LARIMER COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY that it supports the efforts of Senator Ken Salazar to encourage a bipartisan solution to the estate tax that is fiscally responsible and sustains Colorado's vital family farms, ranches, and small businesses.

So a big sign of support for Ken and a slap on the wrist to John, courtesy of the Larimer County Democrats.

Bill Ritter, Cary Kennedy keep it positive at the Capitol

Ritter + Kennedy = Stuff getting done:

For years, there's been a natural tension between Colorado's governor and the state treasurer seated just across the hall.

So far, however, it's been a lovefest between Gov. Bill Ritter and Treasurer Cary Kennedy. But then again, the two Denver Democrats took office less than two months ago.

Ritter appointed Kennedy as one of three co-chairs of his blue-ribbon commission on transportation. Ritter - and nearly everyone else at the Capitol - also hailed Kennedy after she came up with a solution to a nearly $20 million shortfall in health care funding.

Does Al Gore's Oscar help him, should he run?

Take my poll at SquareState.

Bill Ritter to meet with President Bush

Speaking truth to power:

Ritter, who is in the nation's capitol for the National Governors Association's winter meetings, told an alliance of labor, business and environmental groups this morning that he hopes to make the case for promoting energy independence when he and other governors make their customary visit to the White House.

The Internet is a good thing for politics

And I ain't just talking about Presidential politics, although it is. I didn't even realize that Colorado Democratic House Speaker Andrew Romanoff had a blog. And, of course, HD38's Morgan Carroll has one too.

But I digress. This post - in the spirit of All Positive, All The Time Week - is all about giving a shout-out to this post, in which an intrepid blogger sits through a townhall with several elected Republicans, reports on the bills they are carrying, and even catches them fibbing. It's the type of thankless but important journalism you're just not going to find in the Post, folks.

Assorted snark, APATTW edition

Presenting the most snark-free Assorted Snark edition ever:

• Andrew Romanoff: "Cease fire on 41!"
• Jeannie Ritter: "Improve access to mental health services!"
• Dems: "We're cleaning up in Broomfield, literally!"

Coloradolib's 2nd All Positive, All The Time Week

Every once in a while, I feel the need to build up a little karma. Like today, for instance. So I'm announcing Coloradolib's 2nd All Positive, All The Time Week, wherein the snark takes a holiday and everything is sunshine and lollipops. As always, I'll ask Allard & Co. to postpone any especially nasty stunts until next week. Fasten your seatbelts. Coloradolib's 2nd All Positive, All The Time Week starts now.

Coloradolib's 1st All Positive, All The Time Week kicked off June 4, 2006.

Healthcare Day of Action on Monday

Progress Now, Healthcare For All Colorado, the Colorado Consumer Healthcare Initiative, Nathan J. Wilkes and other healthcare activists are planning a Healthcare Day of Action on Monday at the state capitol.

Single-payer healthcare would deliver better outcomes cheaper and more effectively than the free market alternative. That's why insurance and pharmaceutical companies have had to spend so much trying to stop it. The healthcare industry has contributed $655 million to political campaigns since 1990. And pharmaceutical companies alone spent $800 million on lobbyists between 1998 and 2005.

Maybe that's why Americans are stuck spending "$477 billion a year more on healthcare than would be expected if the United States fit the spending pattern of 13 other advanced countries." And why "we're paying more than $50 billion so insurers can convince us we need care and then figure out how to deny those of us who'll actually use it."

Who's going to stick up for the truth? You are.

Use this link to tell the Colorado legislature how the current system has failed you. And if you can make it to the capitol on Monday, here's the schedule.

Cross-posted to SquareState.

I guess Tom Tancredo's running for President...

...because he's flip-flopping and weaseling like a real contender.

Tancredo two years ago:

TANCREDO: ...if this happens in the United States and we determine that it is the result of extremist, fundamentalist, Muslims, um, you know, you could, you could take out their holy sites.

HOST: You're talking about bombing Mecca?

TANCREDO: Yeah.

Tancredo today:

GUEST: Congressman Tancredo is the same man who a few years ago said that we should consider taking out Mecca in order to send a message to the terrorists.

TANCREDO: Whoa, that is absolutely...

GUEST: This gentleman is not the man to be...

TANCREDO: You have no respect to say a thing like that.

GUEST: ...to preserve all human life.

TANCREDO: That is absolutely untrue that I said we should take out Mecca in order to send a message.

As Zappatero points out, "I guess it depends on what the meaning of "message' is."

Colorado Consumer Health Initiative video

Link:

Denver's RBI Strategies wins Pollies

Congratulations are in order.

Wayne Allard [heart] Bill Clinton

Hey, who doesn't?

Clean energy to help Colorado economy

Western Democrat reports that global warming will worsen the drought across Western America. What are we going to do about it? Coyote Gulch mentions Governor Ritter's attempts to "to promote renewable energy in Colorado by supporting a bill winding it's way through the legislature." Meanwhile The Denver Post reports that Ritter's New Energy Economy will provide jobs for Colorado:

A bill to double the state's power generation from renewable energy would add 4,100 jobs by 2020 and contribute $1.9 billion to Colorado's economy, according to a study released Thursday by an environmental advocacy group.

The study by Environment Colorado said House Bill 1281 would bring substantial benefits to rural economies while also helping reduce airborne emissions.

"More clean, homegrown energy means more jobs and higher wages paid for Coloradans," Gov. Bill Ritter said at a news conference to announce the study results.

Framing is everything

Pro-Iraq War people calling themselves the Northern Colorado Support Our Troops Group and counter-protesting at anti-Iraq War rallies? Clever. And dishonest. It makes it sound like peace activists don't support the troops. If you're pro-war, have the courage to say it.

More on the Owens Cronyist Retention Program

Yesterday the Post reported that Bill Owens illegally guaranteed 23 of his cronies jobs in the Bill Ritter administration. The Rocky swiftly covered Owens' denial. (My thread on the exchange here.)

Today, the Post responded with a pair of stories. In the first, the paper reported Owens' attempt to blame the situation on a rogue staffer:

Owens said the decision to alter the contracts - in violation of state law and personnel rules - was made by Jeff Wells, his executive director of personnel and administration. "Had we known how this would be perceived, my administration certainly would have vetted it and might have reached a different conclusion," Owens said in a telephone interview.

But Diane Carman used her column to blast the GOP's culture of cronyism:

When it comes to feeding at the public trough, few have been as brazen as Bill Owens' cronies. Then again, few public officials have been as creative as the former governor about devising ways to funnel taxpayers' money to pals without enduring the tedious business of equal employment opportunity rules or public scrutiny.

The sweet job protection program for 23 Owens appointees that was revealed Wednesday by Post reporter Mark Couch is only the latest chapter in an eight-year saga of flagrant disregard for state personnel laws and utter contempt for the civil service system.

Bill Ritter has put a stop to the Cronyist Retention Program. But it bears underlining: The GOP of today has abandoned the principles of small government and increased competition.

Cross-posted at SquareState.

Democratic candidates meet in Nevada

Coverage: MyDD, Denver Post, New York Times, Politico

Coverage of Richardson in Denver: Rocky, Coyote Gulch

Post: Owens promised cronies jobs in Ritter administration

You must be kidding me:

In their final annual employment contracts, at least 23 appointed senior managers in the Owens administration got a promise that they could return to other state management positions at the highest-possible salaries for those jobs. The manager-protection program appears to violate state personnel rules by guaranteeing jobs to senior political appointees.

The contracts, valued at nearly $2.8 million this year, would tie Gov. Bill Ritter's hands in forming his own team by limiting the number of job openings his department heads could fill and by ensuring that Republican political appointees survive in a Democratic administration.

Cross-posted at SquareState.

UPDATE: The Rocky Mountain News reports that Owens has denied The Denver Post's accusation:

A story in the Denver Post this morning said the Owens adminstration gave 23 employees job protection when he left office, and that the practice appeared to violate state personnel rules. Owens said it is ludicrous to suggest that the 23 employees involved were originally hired as part of some patronage scheme.

More about the fake blog of the day: I'm not buying it

SquareState, among others, has linked to a brand-new blogger who takes responsibility for the disgusting site I wrote about here and here. The blogger claims to be a left-wing college student who doesn't think Ed Perlmutter is anti-Iraq War enough.

As of this moment, I'm not buying this story. Partially because Perlmutter is anti-Iraq War. Very.

But I may be wrong. I am cynical because the Colorado GOP has a history of using the blogosphere to pull deceptive stunts like this. Starting with Students for Beauprez. Including the Beauprez Witness. And continuing all the way up to Colorado GOP chair Dick Wadhams. (Who, incidentally, I never asserted had any hand in this specific dust-up.)

My guess is that something fishy is going on. If the actual blogger wants to out himself or herself by name, I will post a retraction.

The incident points out a fundamental flaw of the blogosphere. To the unsavvy, anonymous bloggers who post lies and conjecture appear to have the same credibility as pseudonymous bloggers who link to sources, provide analysis, and mark rumors as such.

Even those of us who spend a large amount of time blogging get swept up in the story of the day. Overall, this is a good thing. We jump into the line of fire, so that our candidates don't get Swiftboated. But sometimes we get hit, tricked into perpetuating a story that has no merit.

Perhaps this is one of those days.

UPDATE: Both blogs discussed have either been deleted or made private.

Live online Q&A with Katy Atkinson

Starts in five minutes.

Gov. Bill Richardson comes to Colorado

The 2008 Democratic contender makes a quick stop at the Centennial Airport at 6 p.m. tomorrow.

UPDATE: More on candidates heading west at CNN and in the Post. And a preference poll at SquareState.

State regulators "stretching the science and the art"

From the Post:

Dennis Buechler of the National Wildlife Federation said drilling operations are driving away wildlife, one of Colorado's biggest industries. "We want to work with the industry, but they need to come our way too..."

More about the fake blog of the day

The blog in question put up a new post smearing another congressperson's kids. Except it's not a new post at all. It's a link to a Wonkette post from June 19 of last year. That's not even a credible try. No sane person would believe that the planned follow-up to a post featuring an apparently forged Abby Perlmutter Facebook page would be a post linking to an ancient Wonkette story. The site currently appears to have been a targeted and false attack on the child of a Colorado Democrat.

My original story here. More at SquareState and Janus Online.

Healthcare hot topic of Presidential primaries

And it should be.

Republicans bad, Democrats good

I know there are some good folks over on the other side of the aisle. But, oh man, they're really pushing it today:

• Lamborn is a partisan hack.
• The White House is impeding justice.
• A GOP blogger is smearing Ed Perlmutter's kid.

It's that last story that has me really upset. Whoever posted the lies about Abby Perlmutter should be ashamed. And the Perlmutter family should be very proud. Ed's record is so clean, a GOP blogger turned on Abby. And she's so clean, the GOP blogger apparently made up a story about her.

Colorado GOP Internet guru Dick Wadhams has a history of using the blogs to beat "the media into submission." I'd love to get his take on this story.

But I digress. Let's check in with Colorado's Democrats to see what nasty, partisan tactics they're employing today:

• Ritter is reaching out to business.
• Udall is reaching out to hunters.

So we have the scorched-earth, nonstop campaigning of the GOP vs. the bipartisan solutions offered by Democratic leaders.

I know it's not always this simple. But today it really, really is.

TalkLeft gets prime real estate on Hillary's blog

Nice, Jeralyn.

Happy Presidents Day

The Post reports that when asked to name America's greatest President, more Americans chose Reagan, Clinton or Kennedy than Washington, Roosevelt or Jefferson.

Rage Against the Machine

I was terribly vulnerable in my early 20s. An adult during the day and a teenager at night. Making money for the first time, without any obligation to save it.

It would have been easy to spend my days in a sleepless, dizzying circle. Office. Gym. Club. Repeat.

But then there was Rage Against the Machine.

At an age when nothing seemed all that serious, I was bludgeoned with passion. At an age when cynicism seemed attractive, I was infected with seriousness.

Twelve compromised years later, I am haunted by lyrics. When I try to hide inside the crowded bars of The Strokes or the bewildering streets of The National, I can't forget "there be no shelter here. The frontline is everywhere." When I discuss the best school districts and curricula, I remember that my enemies are "the teachers who taught me to fight me." When I want to go to sleep, I hear a voice now embedded inside my brain screaming, "Wake up."

I am imperfect. And ironic. More Jon Stewart than Tom Frank. I over-accommodate. Over-indulge. And under-commit. But I also blockwalk and phonebank and fight fire with fire.

I am a better person because of a band.

Rage Against the Machine. There will never be another.



Cross posted at SquareState.

Janet Rowland won't go away

CoCo reports Rowland & Co. may require the next Mesa County human services director "to list his or her religious and political beliefs in their application."

Assorted snark, Colorado edition

• Montrose: "We love Bill Ritter!"
• Greeley: "The state legislature is a petri dish!"
• Craig: "We like oil, gas and shooting stuff!"
• Pueblo: "Wind power and then some!"

Democracy in Progress nails it

What do Joe Lieberman, Britney Spears and Douglas County have in common? PDT's Sunday post is a must-read.

I was wrong about Dick Wadhams

On January 8, 2007 I wrote that Dick Wadhams wouldn't be able to ressurect the Colorado GOP until the party reined in its wingnuttier factions.

Whoops.

For the past month, the credulous Colorado media has been all Wadhams, all the time. You can feel his influence in the papers. In the debate over Amendment 41. In coverage of the HB-1072 veto. In the media's attempts to understand the netroots. I fully expect to see Wadhams popping up on the sports page any day now, giving insight and analysis on the Denver Nuggets.

It's puzzling that Wadhams has been able to ingratiate himself with the mainstream media so easily. After all, this is the guy who paid bloggers under the table to influence media covergage of the 2004 South Dakota Senate race. [Source]

So I tuned into Jon Caldera's show on Channel 12 this morning to see Wadhams in action. And I must admit, he knows how to spin.He got his points across without ever seeming to struggle to stay on message, the way that Tony Snow does everytime sits down with Tim Russert.

So I've changed my mind. Dick Wadhams is, in fact, a problem. And the mainstream media seems to be buying his shtick. The sooner the Colorado Democrats find a voice to counter his, the better.

John Edwards on healthcare

Read Edwards' plan on johnedwards.com. And while I'm at it, here's a link to Colorado healthcare blog Ave Cassandra's analysis.

(More: Hillary, Obama, Richardson)

Memo to the Rocky: What?

The Saturday Rocky Mountain News contains this head-scratcher:

[Democratic Congressman Mark Udall is] a longtime war critic whose vote [against escalation] won't raise eyebrows in his liberal-leaning district. But he's also pondering a U.S. Senate race in 2008, when he would need votes statewide. Several observers said Udall has to tread carefully and make sure he doesn't get dragged too far to the left in coming months...

The most recent poll I could find shows that 63% of Americans are against the escalation and 56% believe that the war is "hopeless." In the words of Molly Ivins, "That is the center, you fools." Not many find anti-Iraq War votes leftist anymore.

I agree with Michelle Malkin

Yeah, I never thought that'd happen, either. But I share Malkin's skepticism of legislation that comes with the ambitious phrase "bill of rights" attached. Like, say, David Schultheis' superfluous, silly and shelved Religious Bill of Rights.

Ritter eliminates Office of Colorado Benefits Management System

Yesterday, Democratic Governor Bill Ritter eliminated the Office of Colorado Benefits Management System, a small office established and helmed by Republicans. The move will save taxpayers about $200,000. Not much, I admit. I only bring it up because it's the latest example of why, ten years from now, voters will have completely forgotten that the GOP used to be associated with terms like "fiscal responsibility" and "small government."

Colorado Confidential wins awards for journalistic excellence

The Colorado Society for Professional Journalists confirms what we already know. Congratulations, CoCo.

Assorted snark, politics edition

• Georgia State Sen.: "I'm battier than Schultheis!"
• Lieberman crony: "Bloggers are babies!"
• Newsweek: "John Edwards is dreamy!"
• CoCo: "Hillman and Beauprez have dumb websites!"
• DCCC: "Colorado is bulletproof!"

Hat-tip to SquareState for the DCCC link.

Assorted snark, policy edition

• Iraq: DeGette, Udall, John Salazar, Perlmutter
• Energy: Ritter, Ken Salazar
• Amendment 41: Ward, CoCo

Colorado to be part of a national primary?

Via CBS:

After a handful of key contests spread throughout late January, a glut of states awaits on Feb. 5 - a day that threatens to become the equivalent of a national primary. The list of states that are holding contests on that day is significant: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Utah. But other states - California, Colorado, Illinois, Florida, Michigan, Montana, New Jersey, Texas and possibly more - are moving to join that club.

David Schultheis worst legislator in history

How strongly can I put this? David Schultheis is a huge embarrassment to our state. His anti-hispanic, anti-government, anti-female agenda is too extreme for Colorado. And his efforts to disguise his intolerance as piety should offend the religious and non-religious alike.

Schultheis is apparently oblivious to the train wreck that is his legislative record. In fact, he seems to believe his professed religiosity in and of itself makes him a better person than his less-sanctimonious peers. Here he is speaking from the State Senate floor yesterday, quoted at Colorado Confidential:

"In order to have morals you have to have virtue, and to have virtue you have to have religion."

It's impossible to have morals without religion? Hogwash.

Schultheis' most recent abomination was the "Religious Bill of Rights" that was shelved by the State Senate yesterday. The bill was inspired by the paranoid fantasy that the 92% of Americans who believe in God are somehow being persecuted by the 8% who don't. Among other things, it would have allowed science teachers to opt out of teaching evolution and reinterpreted what Schultheis called "the misunderstanding of 'Separation of Church and State.'"

Schultheis has made a career out of hiding unchristian positions behind evangelical rhetoric. The sooner the legislature is rid of him, the better.

Diana DeGette to speak out against escalation on House floor

Tune to C-SPAN tomorrow morning between 7:30 and 8:30.

(More: Mark Udall's remarks)

UPDATE: DeGette's full remarks as prepared here and in the comments. Enjoy.

SB-60 passes 56-9

And Pacified takes the opportunity to give a Whine And Vote No update.

Alleged Beauprez informant awaits fate

A "going to the pokey" update.

Assorted snark from the 2008 primaries

• McEwan to Edwards: "Adios."
• Hillary to Rove: "Boo!"
• Russert to Dems: "Huh?"
• Tancredo to House: "Whichever."

And finally, SquareState points out that the Ken Salazar for Vice-President rumors I wrote about last year are still swirling.

Evan Bayh would probably make a better runningmate for Hillary, Richardson or Obama. But an Edwards/Salazar ticket would be just about perfect.

Dick Wadhams isn't helping the GOP

See: ProgressNowAction, SquareState, and a classic from Raising Kaine

Ritter asks for protections for roadless lands

Lost in the news of Friday's veto was the governor's recent effort to obtain temporary protections for roadless lands. Today's Sentinel reports:

Ritter sent a letter Friday to Regional Forester Rick Cables in Lakewood, asking for temporary protections for the state's roadless areas until Ritter can evaluate the recommendations of the Colorado Roadless Area Review Task Force, which spent about a year taking public comment about the future of the state's 4.4 million acres of roadless areas.

The AP's story from Saturday reported that many hunters and fishers want Ritter to go even further, complying with Clinton-era regulations:

Hunters and anglers who were courted by Democratic Gov. Bill Ritter in his election campaign last fall are now asking him to throw out or revamp a plan his Republican predecessor endorsed for protecting 4.1 million acres of national forest land...

David Petersen of Durango, a task force member and Trout Unlimited staffer, said while the panel did good work, he hopes Ritter withdraws the petition because the Clinton rule gives more protection to the roadless areas and reflects what an overwhelming majority of Coloradans want.

"At least 90% of all Coloradans who commented in writing or in person said what they wanted was full roadless protection," Petersen said.

After the election I wrote about the "slow shift of business groups and Libertarians into the Democratic camp." And now the GOP seems set on alienating the hunting and fishing community. If this keeps up, the GOP won't have any constituents left besides Big Oil and gay marriage opponents.

Cross-posted to SquareState.

Ritter, Suthers send letter on 41: Analysis

The two biggest debates of the 2007 legislative session have been trumped-up, partisan, finger-pointing fests.

Bill Ritter and John Suthers' letter spoke of "very little guidance regarding the meaning of certain provisions of Amendment 41." But the amendment was ambiguous by design. Morgan Carroll's eloquent pre-election endorsement of 41 stated:

Amendment 41 will have "enacting legislation" to nail down precise definitions and address any potential ambiguities before taking effect. The public can and will have a say in that process as well. The measure was written to put some flexibility to shape the implementation of Amendment 41 to make sure that while we implement this that we can be fairly surgical in clarify that it reaches only those we intend to.

Colorado Confidential wrote that lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have expressed a willingness to write enacting legislation - at least in the case of Amendment 27, which contained similar language.

And a few days ago The Rocky Mountain News reported that this process was already underway:

Children of government employees could accept scholarships and lobbyists could socialize with public officials under a bill that seeks to clarify the controversial gift-ban law known as Amendment 41.

The proposal, expected to be introduced early next week, is designed to prevent a host of unintended consequences of the law approved by voters in November.

It does so by listing a handful of exemptions, including allowing CU professors to take Nobel Prize money and spouses of slain police officers to accept donations.

It also inserts language that more closely ties a gift to its intended effect.

So for the second time in just a few days, Ritter has had to go to extraordinary lengths to quiet a controversy that shouldn't have been.

(More: Sentinel, Post, SquareState)

Ritter, Suthers send letter on 41: Text

This afternoon, Governor Bill Ritter and attorney general John Suthers sent a letter to all state employees, clarifying the government's interpretation of Amendment 41.

Here's the complete text of the letter. I'll follow up with my analysis.

In the weeks since Amendment 41 took effect, there has been a growing concern among government employees at all levels over the effect that the Amendment will have on the ability of employees' children to apply for and accept educational scholarships. We understand and share these concerns.

We are troubled by the recent reports of government employees leaving or contemplating leaving government service due to concerns over Amendment 41 and the restrictions that they fear it will impose on their children's opportunity to apply and be considered for scholarships. We ask for your patience and understanding while work continues to clarify the meaning of Amendment 41.

The atmosphere of anxiety is stoked by the fact that we currently have very little guidance regarding the meaning of certain provisions of Amendment 41. We are, however, convinced that when the voters approved Amendment 41 it was not their intent to limit the opportunities of the children of government employees to compete for scholarships on equal footing with the children of non-government employees. We are also confident that most scholarships that contain significant ongoing performance requirements are not prohibited by the plain language of the Amendment.

Indeed, over the last two weeks, three lawsuits have been filed. In these suits, litigants are either seeking clarification of the meaning of Amendment 41 or asking the courts to strike down some of the provisions of the Amendment. These lawsuits will help us achieve much needed clarity regarding the Amendment.

One of the lawsuits regarding Amendment 41 and its impact on scholarship eligibility was settled late last week. The suit was brought against the Governor by the Boettcher Foundation and three current Boettcher scholars. In the suit, the parties sought clarification that Amendment 41 does not prohibit the children of government employees from receiving the Boettcher scholarship. We worked with the plaintiffs to reach a favorable settlement. Specifically, when approving the parties' settlement, the Denver District Court found that the requirements imposed by the Boettcher Foundation upon its scholarship recipients - attendance at a Colorado college or university and maintenance of a minimum grade point average and course load - constitutes adequate consideration under Amendment 41.

While the settlement in the Boettcher Foundation case does not resolve all of the outstanding questions regarding the impact that Amendment 41 could have on students and their families, it is an important first step. As we did in the Boettcher Foundation case, we will continue to work towards achieving clarity for government employees.

In the meantime, we urge you not to allow uncertainty over Amendment 41 to lead to hasty decisions regarding your employment with the State of Colorado or local governments, and ask for your patience while we continue to address the many lingering questions regarding its implementation. If you have specific questions about accepting a scholarship, we encourage you to speak with a supervisor or manager in your department or agency. While they may not be able to provide an immediate answer to every question, we are confident that at the end of the day, the majority of scholarships for the children of government employees will be acceptable under Amendment 41.

Sincerely,
Bill Ritter, Jr.
Governor
John W. Suthers
Attorney General

Landfill gas trendy "renewable resource"

Somewhere between ingenuity and avoidance, there's this:

The city of Denver wants to use landfill gases to generate electricity and then sell it to a utility. Plans call for the construction of a gas-to-energy plant that would burn methane emitting from the Lowry Landfill and neighboring Denver Arapahoe Disposal Site. Xcel Energy is poised to buy the electricity... The project would help Xcel comply with Amendment 37, a statewide renewable energy requirement that voters approved in 2004. Voters "wanted us to look at all renewable resources, not just wind and solar, and this contract with Waste Management will help us meet those requirements," Xcel spokeswoman Ethnie Groves said.

"...you and the horse you rode in on!"

Amanda Marcotte quits the John Edwards campaign:

"Bill Donohue and his calvacade of right wing shills don't respect that a mere woman like me could be hired for my skills, and pretended that John Edwards had to be held accountable for some of my personal, non-mainstream views on religious influence on politics."

(More: Fix, Pandagon)

House Dems pass military, energy bills

A press release from the House Democrats states, in part:

House Bill 1149, sponsored by State Representative Joe Rice (D-Littleton)... creates an exception for military personnel by allowing them to apply for an absentee ballot without personally signing the application... House Bill 1253, sponsored by Majority Leader Alice Madden (D-Boulder) would prohibit insurance carriers in the state from denying coverage to military personnel.

Rice's bill passed; Madden's has moved through the Business Affairs and Labor Committee. Two seconds later, I received another release regarding two new energy bills that both passed through the House unanimously. Just the highlights:

House Bill 1087, sponsored by State Representative Andrew Kerr (D-Lakewood), would grant schools money to install wind turbines on campus... House Bill 1145, sponsored by Representative Michael Merrifield (D-Colorado Springs)... ensures that leased public lands will be available for green powered projects. Ninety percent of revenues from state lands fund K-12 education.

"Palomino! Palomino!"

Still giggling at the thought of shouting "Palomino!" during the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner.

Risque SNL skit explains.

Who vetoed HB-1072 and why?

Jon Caldera wants credit for the veto. The complicit media, union strategists and Democratic legislators must take some of the blame. And GOP Machiavelli Dick Wadhams almost certainly played a role in shaping biased media coverage.

But is it silly of me to suggest that the responsibility for Friday's HB-1072 veto rests solely on the shoulders of Governor Bill Ritter?

Colorado is a weak-governor state; the power lies with the legislature. So it's not surprising that Ritter used the way-out-of-porportion circus surrounding HB-1072 as a chance to make a statement using the biggest hammer he had at his disposal.

In this context, the veto feels less like a capitulation to the rightwing noise machine and more like a message to the legislature.

Message received. Yesterday's Denver Post reported that Democratic House Speaker Andrew Romanoff would assemble a "council of business and labor leaders to advise the legislature in light of the bitterness between the two sides over House Bill 1072." Why? Because both sides "have an interest in educating the workforce and reducing the cost of health care." [Ed. - Emphasis added.]

Ritter's veto has reminded everyone exactly what the Colorado Promise goals are: Guaranteed healthcare, reformed education and a New Energy Economy.

Well done, Governor. So long as those goals are, in fact, met.

Ick.

Republican State Senator Scott Renfroe buys his party a one-way ticket to permanent minority status.

Feds: No evidence Colorado farmers suffered

One more reason to believe the administration has lost touch with reality:

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has rejected a request from Gov. Bill Ritter to declare a crop disaster in 10 Colorado counties, saying there is no evidence farmers suffered from two blizzards that hit the state in December, according to a letter obtained by The Associated Press.

Three strikes and I'm boring

This is the third time I've done a long interview with a Post or Rocky reporter without getting any quotes in the paper. Worth the read anyway, though.

UPDATE: SquareState reports that the Post's editor "demanded defunct righty blogs be listed, even after [the reporter] pointed out their lack of activity."

UPDATE: The Post's reporter told me that her story included a sidebar with a link to Coloradolib. Her editor deleted the link in favor of links to the aforementioned rightwing blogs. Hm, wonder why.

Because I was listening to it on the bus this morning

Gill, Romanoff featured in The Atlantic

"They Won't Know What Hit Them" could have just as easily been titled "Why Local Politics Matter." It outlines Colorado philanthropist Tim Gill's efforts to defeat anti-gay politicians at the state level, before they have the chance to rise to national prominence:

The challenge, he believes, will be expanding the ranks of donors while maintaining the focus of those who participated last year and now face the ultimate temptation in "glamour giving," the 2008 presidential race. "You hope that the forces of darkness will be the ones distracted by the shiny bauble of the presidency..."

The article also features a quote from Democratic Colorado House Speaker Andrew Romanoff:

Romanoff believes that voters perceived Republicans as caring more about marginal social issues like gay marriage than about the economic woes hampering the state economy. "The difference between our agenda and theirs was the difference between the kitchen table and the bedroom door."

It's worth a read whether you're a Colorado native or a political junkie.

Bill Ritter's Colorado Promise, for the record

Download the Colorado Promise PDF here:

Mentions of health care: 43
Mentions of energy: 127
Mentions of education: 107
Mentions of environment: 35
Mentions of water: 84
Mentions of economy: 68

Mentions of union: 2
Mentions of labor: 4
Mentions of The Colorado Labor Peace Act: 0

Stay inside and blog...

...because if you breathe the air outside you'll die:

A lingering weather system has trapped high levels of air pollution over the Denver region, prompting health officials to issue warnings to even healthy people to limit outdoor activities.

More Tancredo-worship from the Rocky

Media Matters lets 'em have it.

Bill Ritter and the power of the veto

I'd like to say I didn't see it coming. But I did. Today, Governor Bill Ritter vetoed HB-1072, setting off a firestorm of criticism and second-guessing.

Moderate changes the Colorado Labor Peace Act are a fine idea. But in this case, labor groups and the Republican Party both over-reacted, attempting to make political statements early in Ritter's term.

Ritter's response was unexpectedly savvy. First he restated his commitment to bipartisanship:

...I promised the people of Colorado over the last two years, that I would work tirelessly to bridge traditional divides, to bring together groups that often find themselves at odds: Republicans and Democrats, business and labor, developers and environmentalists. I vowed to listen to a wide range of views, to unite and to build consensus around a public policy agenda that speaks to the common good.

Then he chastised those who put him in this unwinnable situation:

From the beginning, this was a bitter, divisive and partisan battle. Opposite sides dug in, refusing to consider reasonable compromises. It demonstrated precisely why so many people have grown so cynical about American politics. The bill's proponents made no effort to open a dialogue with the opponents. At times, the opponents were neither respectful nor civil. It was over-heated politics at its worst.

Ritter made sure to leave the door open for the bill to come up again:

I am persuaded by their argument that changing long-time Colorado law relating to business and labor negotiations in this manner, in the atmosphere with which it was debated, is not now in the best interests of our state. (Ed. - Emphasisis added)

And Ritter finished by reminding all involved that his priorities as governor remain unchanged:

Creating the New Energy Economy, reforming health care, funding education, and building a 21st century transportation system requires that kind of [bipartisan] spirit and commitment.

Ritter's veto leaves him with the ability to re-open negotiations with labor, while building up IOU's from business groups. But it also leaves him with a heavy responsibility. Because those of us who supported him won't forget those elements of the Colorado Promise that Ritter held most dear. The voters are owed substantive proposals for guaranteed healthcare, a 21st Century transportation system, and major steps towards the implementation of a New Energy Economy that greatly reduces pollutants while providing a livlihood for thousands of workers.

The clock is ticking.

Nancy Pelosi headed to Denver

Who's speaking at the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner? Well apparently Peter Boyles was unavailable. So we're going to have to settle for Nancy Pelosi:

Peter Boyles, Gunny Bob to host Tancredo fundraiser

From the Rocky:

Rep. Tom Tancredo's talk radio buddies are about to give his White House ambitions an off-the-air boost. Conservative talkers Peter Boyles and Robert "Gunny Bob" Newman will share the emcee duties at a Feb. 25 fundraiser for Tancredo's newly-formed presidential exploratory committee...

Boyles goes on the offer the least rousing endorsement in the history of party politics, "He doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell."

Norma Anderson, nonprofits sue Bill Ritter

The Denver Post:

A group of Colorado citizens and nonprofit corporations filed a lawsuit today against Gov. Bill Ritter, claiming Amendment 41 is violating their First Amendment rights... Among the plaintiffs in today's lawsuit is former lawmaker Norma Anderson, who says she can no longer spend more than $50 on her grandchildren because Anderson's daughter is the clerk and recorder for Jefferson County.

Ritter "caught off guard" by HB-1072

Amending the Colorado Labor Peace Act is a good idea. Fast-tracking it to "demonstrate to our workers that life's a whole lot better with Democrats in charge," not so much. From The Denver Post:

Not all labor leaders in Colorado agreed with the effort to push the bill so soon. One person close to the issue said that while everyone agreed it should come forth this session, some disagreed that it should be the first issue to push out of the gate without any warning to the governor.

Ritter said he "talked to (labor) about being inclined to sign a bill that amended" the Labor Peace Act during the campaign. But he says he was caught off guard when it began moving during his first week in office.

Cross-posted at SquareState.

Edwards: "We're beginning a great debate about the future of our country, and we can't let it be hijacked"

John Edwards did the right thing. (Edwards, Fix, Kos)

Why I'm all worked up about the Edwards bloggers

There are two things about this issue that bother me:

1. Marcotte and McEwen may be controversial. But much worse has been written on the Internet by anonymous bloggers who publish unsourced assertions and vile speech while hiding behind pseudonyms. (I mention some local examples here, here and here.)

2. Republican Senators like John McCain and John Thune have also employed controversial bloggers. They got away with it because they kept their relationships secret, and were never questioned by a credulous media.

In the end, the debate is larger than John Edwards. If the radical right and the mainstream media have their way, honest, controversial commentary may disappear. In its place will be the deceitful, anonymous, clandestine Internet of John McCain and John Thune. And that'd be a very ugly Internet indeed.

(Media Matters: 1, 2, 3, 4)

John Edwards fires, fires and rehires, or doesn't fire bloggers

An update on my post "Social conservative attacks Edwards bloggers."

The Edwards campaign has not officially responded. But Salon suggested the bloggers may have been fired. Meanwhile Chris Cillizza noted the difficulty of hiring anyone whose every political opinion had been cached on the Internet. But the prize for best insight and analysis goes to Glenn Greenwald, who pointed out controversial remarks made by a blogger for the John McCain campaign.

This point is important. McCain's blogger didn't get his candidate in hot water is because he reportedly concealed the relationship. Edwards, on the other hand, offered America honesty. And it appears America may make him regret it.

Bill Ritter appoints transportation task force

Colorado Transportation Commission chair Doug Aden, state treasurer Cary Kennedy, and Phelps-Tointon president Bob Tointon will co-chair the Colorado Transportation Finance and Implementation Panel, "a blue ribbon task force that will lead a statewide conversation about the future of Colorado's transportation system... The panel will present recommendations by the end of 2007."

Assorted snark from the Coloradolib inbox

• McInnis to Schaffer: "But I don't want a primary!"
• Republicans to Democrats: "Hillary big like Hulk!"
• Linkhart to Denver: "I'm in. And I'm in to win."
• Tancredo to voters: "Immigration? Never heard of it."

HB-1072 watch

So much bother! But with the mainstream media still spreading rightwing misinformation, who knows what the governor will do.

Social conservative attacks Edwards bloggers

CNN reports that a prominent social conservative, Bill Donohue, is attacking the John Edwards campaign for employing bloggers Amanda Marcotte and Melissa McEwan who, prior to working with the campaign, had been critical of the religious right.

There is a campaign to save Marcotte and McEwan's jobs launching here.

Donohue has a history of hysterical rhetoric. He has opined that child abuse in the Catholic church was "a homosexual scandal, not a pedophilia scandal" and that "Hollywood is controlled by secular Jews who hate Christianity." [Source] Donohue has also stated that, "'If you asked' some Hollywood actors 'to sodomize their own mother in a movie, they would do so, and they would do it with a smile on their face.'" [Source]

How John Edwards responds to Donohue will tell us a lot about how serious the candidate is about freedom of speech. I have been enormously supportive of Edwards. I hope his sense of right and wrong outweighs his political instincts.

Cross-posted at SquareState.

The 2007 federal budget: Colorado edition

Everybody (and everybody and everybody and everybody) has already pointed out that President Bush's new $2.9 trillion budget proposal funds a massive increase in military spending by cutting or underfunding domestic programs. What impact might we see locally? A couple highlights:

The White House's website trumpets funding for the State Children's Health Insurance Program, but in a press release, Diana DeGette stated that the budget may underfund the program by $10 billion, "putting the nearly 176,000 uninsured children in Colorado at risk."

The budget would sell off federal lands to fund an increase in national park spending. And it would cut expected funding for Golden's National Renewable Energy Laboratory. As Mark Udall said, "Energy independence is so critical to our national security, our energy security and our economy that we cannot afford to shortchange programs that will move us forward."

Cross-posted at SquareState.

Vote for America's best Senator

Poll here. Currently Ken Salazar is in 39th place, while Wayne Allard is 76th. Hat-tip to Wonkette.

El Paso GOP self-destructing even faster than the state party

Watch 'em go.

Media showed McInnis even more favoritism than I originally thought

An update on "Denver media [heart] Republicans," which noted how the mainstream media had misleadingly equated Scott McInnis' questionable ethics with Mark Udall's wife's job as a Sierra Club lobbyist. It now turns out Mark Udall's wife isn't a lobbyist at all. Colorado Media Matters explains.

John Edwards, universal healthcare and the lazy, lazy media

Chris Cillizza's blog at The Washington Post is usually a must-read. But today, he's giving blogxygyn to the idea that presidential candidate John Edwards' universal healthcare plan could cost us the White House in 2008. The truth is that at the local and national levels, Americans favor raising taxes in order to fund a single-payer healthcare system.

Bill Ritter names Donald Elliman director of the Office of Economic Development and International Trade

Elliman is a past president of Kroenke Sports and Entertainment. The appointment fills the final department executive director position in the Ritter administration.

Colorado GOP sees cliff, accelerates

Will the Colorado GOP try to regain some of its lost relevance? Or will it continue skipping towards permanent minority status? The Rocky has the answer:

Gun bills. Abortion bills. A "Religious Bill of Rights" for students and school staffers. Those proposals, sponsored by some of the most conservative lawmakers at the state Capitol, have Democrats shaking their heads.

"This is mainstream Republicans' worst nightmare," said Sen. Bob Hagedorn, D-Aurora.

Healthcare, education, the economy, transportation, immigration reform, the environment and energy are crucial to Colorado. The Republican Party either doesn't get it or doesn't care.

Scott McInnis is a lobbyist

And what a lobbyist!

Coaches make less than players

And Bill Ritter makes less than his appointees.

Ritter signs bill creating Colorado Cares Rx Program

A Monday morning press release from the office of the guv states, in part:

[Bill Ritter stated,] "I pledged not only to seek long-term solutions to a health-care crisis that has 17% of our population without insurance, but also to take immediate action to lower costs. We took a step last week when I signed my first executive order and established a Preferred Drug List. We take another big step today by signing Senate Bill 1 and creating the Colorado Cares Rx Program."

The program will provide up to 264,000 eligible Coloradans with access to discounted medications.

Steve Ludwig on the Democrats and the business community

I'm recommending Ludwig's post at SquareState. Call me a latte liberal if you must.

What will climate change mean for Colorado?

Coyote Gulch pointed me to The Denver Post, which is examining what effects climate change will have locally:

Colorado's average temperature could heat up by 7 or 8 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the century, according to a U.N. climate change report released in part last week... "Areas that are already wet get wetter; areas that are already dry get drier," [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration expert Tom] Delworth said.

Without buy-in from the United States, China and India, attempts to manage claimate change may be futile.

Rudy Giuliani continues to be strange

Yesterday Political Wire reported that Rudy Giuliani purposefully left his party affiliation blank on a recent form: "Giuliani's campaign confirmed that leaving off the Republican designation wasn't a typo."

Had Giuliani realized that he has no chance of winning the Republican presidential primary? Was he secretly plotting an unaffiliated run at the White House? Apparently not. Today, he reversed field, telling South Carolina reporters the omission was in fact a "mistake."

Extremely theoretically speaking, if Giuliani were to run as an unaffiliated candidate, he'd have to find a way to explain his ill-informed endorsement of Bob Beauprez to the voters of Colorado.

John Edwards speaks at the DNC

Read the full remarks as prepared. Also, make sure to check out state party vice-chair Dan Slater's post.

Cross-posted to SquareState.

HB-1072 passes

Passed:

"This doesn't set up a closed shop in Colorado," said the bill's sponsor, Sen. Jennifer Veiga, D-Denver. "You're not required to join the union. All this does is get government out of the middle of private contractual agreements between management and labor."

And the Rocky thinks the filibuster was "more fun than fury."

President 2008: What you want. And what you get.

On November 17, I hosted a poll at SquareState, asking activists who they were inclined to support in 2008. The top five vote-getters, in order: Al Gore (12 votes), Edwards or Obama (tied with 6), and Richardson or Schweitzer (tied with 4).

Today, there's a poll at ColoradoPols asking which candidate is most likely to win the nomination. The top five vote-getters so far, in order: Clinton (19 votes), Gore (13), Obama (11), Edwards (9) and Clark (7).

Center for Native Ecosystems petitions Bush administration

Yesterday Colorado's Center for Native Ecosystems was one of several environmental groups to demand Bush administration officials take action to address global warming. Read about it at Critterthink.

Meanwhile Wonkette points to The Guardian, which is reporting that the American Enterprise Institute has offered $10,000 to any scientist willing to counter the global warming report I keep blogging about. Coloradolib readers may remember AEI's memorable tagline, "Carbon monoxide. They call it pollution. We call it life."

UPDATE: In other environmental news, Governor Bill Ritter today announced a deal to lower mercury emissions. A press release states:

Jim Martin, executive director of Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, applauded the proposal. "This agreement will lead to earlier mercury emissions reductions than we would have seen from the EPA program..."

The plan calls for new advanced control technologies to be installed in 2012 at two coal-fired power plants in Colorado...

Senate Republicans try to jam labor bill

Colorado Confidential is live-blogging.

Diana DeGette reacts to global warming report

From a press release regarding the report I blogged this morning:

"Climate change will have a devastating impact on Colorado and the West," said Rep. DeGette. "Fire danger will increase precipitously. Reduced snow pack will hurt our economy which is so dependent on tourism, and our reservoirs will empty out. Water is already a precious commodity in our arid climate; we can't afford to take any more chances."

Denver media [heart] Republicans

The mainstream media continues to give the GOP a hall pass. From the Rocky:

Rep. Mark Udall, D-Colo., agreed to co-sponsor a bill that seems to be pointed at a past controversy involving campaign payments to the wife of former GOP congressman Scott McInnis, a potential rival.

That prompted a McInnis spokeswoman to jab back, mentioning that Udall's wife is a Capitol Hill lobbyist for environmentalists...

McInnis drew media scrutiny and complaints from Democrats when his campaign continued to pay his wife thousands of dollars per month to work as campaign manager even after he announced his intention to leave Congress.

Let's see here. McInnis may have obeyed the letter of the law, but he certainly violated its spirit. Meanwhile, Udall is married to someone who lobbies for environmental causes. It is dishonest and misleading to equate these two things, to write them off as tit-for-tat political bickering.

It reminds me of the Medina ad scandal, during which the media consistently balanced reports on the Beauprez campaign's alleged lawbreaking with reports on Ritter's decision to plea bargain immigrants.

It's on-the-one-handism gone into overdrive. Hopefully the voters can see through it.

Cross-posted at SquareState.

Friday morning finds world doomed

The global warming report I wrote about on January 20th has been released. Read about it in the Post and on MSNBC, which reports:

Scientists from 113 countries issued a landmark report Friday saying they have little doubt that recent global warming has been caused by man, and predicting that hotter temperatures and rises in sea level will "continue for centuries" no matter how much humans control their carbon emissions.

The scientists warned against the perils of defeatism:

"It is critical that we look at this report... as a moment where the focus of attention will shift from whether climate change is linked to human activity, whether the science is sufficient, to what on earth are we going to do about it..." [Ed. - Link added]

In what I'm sure is totally unrelated news, Exxon Mobil made $4.5 million an hour last year.

"It's all over, people! We don't have a prayer!"

Papers spread conservative misinformation about HB-1072

Colorado Media Matters finds the papers' coverage of the Colorado Labor Peace Act lacking.

Bill Ritter continues efforts to help southeast counties

Two days ago Governor Bill Ritter directed aid to help southeast Colorado dig out. Now he's asking Colorado's congressional delegation to put some pressure on the federal government. A press release states, in part:

"Livestock producers in southeastern Colorado and the region need help immediately... Specifically, livestock producers need Congress to fund emergency programs that will assist in recovering the costs of livestock feed, the value of lost livestock, disposal of livestock carcasses, and costs associated with the rescue of livestock immediately following the storms."

It's about the candidates, stupid

Rightwing writers Ben DeGrow and Stuart Rothenberg are correct. Almost. The Democratic Party's recent success at the polls isn't a sign of a seismic shift in Mountain West politics. It has a simpler explanation.

The Democrats ran competent, ethical candidates who campaigned on real issues like healthcare, education and energy. The GOP ran extreme, often corrupt bureaucrats who campaigned on imaginary crises like illegal immigration and, um, that was about it. The people voted accordingly.

When the GOP gets back in line with the voters, it can and will regain some of its lost relevance.

See my post-election commentary on the state of the Republicans and Democrats for more.

Postscript for the unsure: The noun "stupid" is an allusion to James Carville's famous quote about the 1992 election. It is not meant as an aspersion on DeGrow or Rothenberg.

Udall vs. McInnis, round one

The winner, Mark Udall.

HPV vaccine faces campaigns against profits, sex

Every year about 4,000 women die from cervical cancer. Yesterday Colorado's Democratic legislature took action. A Senate committee approved a bill requiring girls to be vaccinated against HPV, an STD that causes the disease.

The Rocky's story on the situation at the Capitol reported that some oppose the bill on the grounds that the company that makes the vaccine will profit from its sale:

Opponents accused Merck & Co., manufacturer of Gardasil vaccine, of pushing similar legislation across the nation to boost its bottom line.

People are absolutely right to be suspicious of the ties between the doctors that dispense new medicines, the legislatures that mandate their use, and the companies that profit from their sale. But the Rocky's article doesn't give enough emphasis to the fact that social conservatives have been been campaigning against the vaccine for years as part of the movement's ongoing war on sex.

Time Magazine's article "Defusing the War Over the Promiscuity Vaccine" states:

The New Scientist in Britain quoted the Family Research Council's Bridget Maher warning that "giving the HPV vaccine to young women could be potentially harmful, because they may see it as a licence to engage in premarital sex."

Similarly, About.com states one reason the vaccine is controversial is that "[m]any groups feel that the HPV vaccine will encourage promiscuity among young people."

Last year The New Republic reported that the social conservative movement had begun to couch its opposition to the vaccine in the language of choice:

Instead of campaigning aggressively against the vaccine, Christian groups have adopted a subtler rhetorical strategy: saying simply that they favor "choice"--that is, allowing parents to decide whether the vaccine or abstinence is right for their children. This strategy is no less pernicious for being polite. And it could go a long way towards undermining the vaccine's potential benefits.

The point is that the war against the vaccine stems not just from the reported concerns about choice and profits, but from a deep-seated opposition to premarital sex.

Cross-posted at SquareState.

UPDATE: A telling quote from The Denver Post:

[O]pponents said it crosses a new line of government mandates and could encourage sexual promiscuity in teenagers. "This will create the perception of immunity, and sex outside of marriage will actually increase," said Ed Hanks of Colorado Right to Life.