The YouTube Election is happening right here, right now

On March 23, 2007 Forbes wondered "Will '08 become the YouTube election?" It might. If the Denver City Council election of 2007 doesn't get there first.

Here are videos from two Progressive Majority endorsed candidates. First Darrell Watson in 8:



Next a volunteer for Chris Nevitt in 7:



I'm not endorsing either candidate, necessarily. But if the second most dangerous organization in America likes them, they must be good.

There are many more videos of city council candidates on magneticbottle's YouTube channel. And candidate bios and news are all over Denver Politics.

Tancredo to proceed with vanity campaign

Rocky Mountain News:

Rep. Tom Tancredo will use Iowa talk radio on Monday to announce his plans for the 2008 presidential race, and all indications are that he's moving full-steam ahead on a longshot White House bid.

UPDATE: More from Mulkern. CD6 implications at CoCo.

Objectivity trumps facts in the classroom?

[This diary was cross-posted last night at SquareState - Ed.]

Not too long ago, a group of sixth graders decided that global warming was a hoax. And it seemed sort of cute because sixth graders are young and of course they'll grow up someday.

But yesterday a Longmont paper revealed that the sixth graders' teacher has decided to quit to pursue a career writing books supporting creationism. Some snips from the story:

A science teacher who's spent 10 years with the St. Vrain Valley School District is retiring this spring to write more books on creationism and the dangers of Darwinism. Ken Poppe, 58, made national news last week after his sixth-grade paleontology class debated global warming and decided humans aren't causing it...

Though his students were free to choose as they pleased, Poppe said he too disagrees with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which declared Feb. 2 that it's 90 percent certain human-generated greenhouse gases are to blame for global warming...

"I'd talk about the alternatives to evolution if kids brought it up. But I'd never set out to challenge evolution," Poppe said of his classroom focus.

It appears that Poppe attempted to separate his personal faith from the scientific facts he taught in class. Now that he has reached a point where he feels that his faith is more important than the curriculum, he is honorably retiring. Kudos to him.

But a closer look at the earlier story reveals this worrisome quote:

Ken Poppe said he let students choose which side of the debate to argue. Poppe personally believes global warming is cyclical and not affected by humans, while his Colorado State University student aide David Richards believes the opposite. Both, however, said they presented both sides equally to the students leading up to Thursday's debate.

Presenting "both sides equally" is not the same thing as presenting the facts. And if a teacher decides that opposing views deserve to be heard, they should be given the respect due to them and no more. The IPCC is 90% certain that global warming is manmade, not 50%.

An obession with objectivity has damaged mainstream journalism, which often seems more concerned with presenting both sides to a story than it is with uncovering the truth. This same tendency should not be allowed in the classroom. I can see it now:

"Most mathematicians believe that two and two equal four. But others believe that numbers are an artificial construct designed by their creator to help them grasp the concept on infinity."

And then the teacher will allow the students to debate the subject and dare parents to question their kids' ability to make up their own minds.

A is A, people. It always will be.

Assorted snark, where have I been and congratulations edition

I've been blogging about objectivity in the classroom and Diana DeGette today at SquareState.

Congrats to Drinking Liberally for being bipartisan and popular. And congrats to CoCo, Wash Park Prophet, Progress Now Action, Colorado Media Matters, ColoradoPols and Coyote Gulch for also being very popular.

Homeowner Protection Act passes House despite drama

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

With an initial voice vote, the House today passed House Bill 1338, the Homeowner Protection Act of 2007. Sponsored by State Representative Jack Pommer (D-Boulder) and State Senator Jennifer Veiga (D-Denver), the bill preserves basic protections for homebuyers that protect them from contracts that leave them with no right to get a defective home fixed...

Nearly all major homebuilders in Colorado today use contracts that force homebuyers to waive their rights that are actually protected under the Construction Defect Action Reform Act. HB 1338 corrects this egregious problem by prohibiting homebuilders from systematically waiving the rights of homeowners. The bill now heads to the Senate for further debate.

HB-1338 has been the subject of much infighting among the GOP. As johne wrote yesterday, GOP stalwart Debbie Stafford claimed that she was threatened for supporting it. ColoradoPols reported that her Republican colleagues essentially called her a liar.

Today's Rocky reported on the threats and the robocalls before getting to the heart of the matter:

At issue is a measure designed to protect homeowners from having to waive their legal rights, at the time of buying their homes, to compel their home builder to fix construction defects.

Opponents argue that House Bill 1338 does much more than that, opening the door to lawyers collecting huge judgments for their clients.

"I don't get that," said Sen. Jennifer Veiga, D-Denver, the Senate sponsor of the measure. "That's not in there."

It's really not. HB-1338 is a common-sense measure that will protect the rights of homebuyers.

UPDATE: The Rocky via ColoradoPols is reporting that the person who threatened Stafford was HD39 Republican David Balmer.

Thompson, Tancredo and Beauprez get weird

The GOP is obsessed with electing actors, and that's weird. Tom Tancredo is being sued for $5 million, and that's weirder. But for pure What? Factor weirdness there's this from the Rocky:

Ex-gubernatorial candidate Bob Beauprez dropped by the Capitol on Tuesday to say that rumors of his political death have been greatly exaggerated.

Beauprez joked with House Republicans that after losing a lopsided election to Democrat Bill Ritter in November some people made him feel "a little like the corpse in the coffin."

"But we did not die. The sun did come up the next day . . . and we're going to live to fight another day," Beauprez said, drawing applause and knowing laughter from the House Republicans Caucus...

He won't rule out a run for the U.S. Senate in 2008.

"You look rested!" shouted Rep. Frank McNulty, R-Highlands Ranch.

"Yeah, I'm sorry I am so rested. But I'm not staying idle," said Beauprez. "The virus that is politics is a permanent one."

Media reports on HB-1281

Rocky and the Post on the HB-1281 signing.

UPDATE: More at the Chieftan and Daily.

Today is a very good day

Today at 12:15 p.m. Governor Bill Ritter will kickstart the New Energy Economy when he signs HB-1281 and SB-100. I'd fully intended to make the trek out to NREL to watch the signing ceremony. But it appears life is going to get in the way. So instead I'm just going to be happy.

UPDATE: Done. A paragraph from the press release from the governor's office, for posterity:

"These new laws will improve our economic security, our environmental security and our national security," the governor added. "They will breathe new economic life into rural Colorado. They will create new jobs, and they will say to the rest of the world, 'Colorado is open for business in what will be one of the most important industries of the 21st Century.'"

Some facts about the two bills, again provided by the governor's office:

House Bill 1281

• Sponsors: Sen. Gail Schwartz, D-Snowmass Village; Rep. Jack Pommer, D-Boulder; and Rep. Rob Witwer, R-Genesee.

• Doubles the renewable energy standard established by voters with the 2004 passage of Amendment 37.

• Large investor-owned utilities like Xcel must now provide 20 percent of their electricity from renewable sources such as wind and solar by 2020.

• Requires municipal utilities and rural electric providers to achieve a renewable energy goal of 10 percent by 2020 (they had been excluded from the requirements of Amendment 37).

• Provides a 3-to-1 credit to rural electric associations for investment in solar energy.

• A recent study found HB 1281 would provide significant economic benefits, particularly to rural Colorado, by:
1. Increasing Colorado's share of the GDP by $1.9 billion through 2020.
2. Increasing total wages paid to workers by $570 million.
3. Increasing the workforce by 4,100 person-years of employment.
4. Providing farmers, ranchers and other landowners with $50 million in lease payments for wind farms, crops and solar parks.
5. Generating $400 million in property tax revenue through 2020 to fund education and other services, particularly in rural Colorado.

Senate Bill 100

• Sponsors: Senate President Joan Fitz-Gerald, D-Coal Creek Canyon, and Rep. Buffie McFadyen, D-Pueblo West.

• Requires electric utilities subject to rate regulation to identify high-potential wind-energy locations by undertaking biennial reviews to designate "Energy Resource Zones" where transmission constraints hinder the delivery of electricity

• These utilities are then required to develop construction plans to improve transmission capacity.

• The bill allows utilities to recover costs during construction.

• Allows us to break the "chicken and the egg" cycle whereby wind companies don't build turbines until there is adequate transmission capacity, and utilities don't build transmission capacity until there are turbines.

Anytime you can get "the chicken and the egg cycle" into a press release, you should.

Assorted snark, superlatives edition

• Second most dangerous organization in America: Progressive Majority. I know, I know. It made coffee shoot out of my nose, too.

• "Most heavy-handed" move by the state GOP: Threatening one of their own. [UPDATE: johne has more on this story.]

• Most successful state senator and representative: Joan Fitz-Gerald and Mike Cerbo, respectively.

• Most underhanded move by the Bush administration: Tough one, but last week's reinterpretation of the Endangered Species Act was pretty slimy.

• Busiest man in the state: The guv.

• Wonkiest greeting: "Happy Long Bill Day!" In vaguely related linkage, here's a story about Ritter administration budget director Todd Saliman:

"A budget is more than a spreadsheet. It's a values document, and where you spend your money reflects where your values are. That's pretty powerful."

Bill Ritter works in bipartisan fashion, no one seems to care

When Governor Bill Ritter vetoed HB-1072, he wrote that he "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."

In today's Post, Denver Post Capitol Bureau Chief Jeri Clausing reports that "[a] bipartisan group of lawmakers turned that around on Ritter last week in a letter asking him to slow down and open broader discussion of his plan to overhaul the state's oil and gas regulatory agency." Not until the article's seventh paragraph does Clausing write, "To be fair, Ritter has reached out to stakeholders on all sides of the education and oil and gas regulation issues."

That's an understatement. Members of the Ritter administration spent more than 30 hours in stakeholder meetings discussing HB-1341. And his administration will "likely grant more than 6,000 new drilling permits, a doubling from just a few years ago."

The media needs conflict. GOP partisans want a fight. And some legislators have their own pet agendas. Hopefully the voters can look past the hype to appreciate Ritter's centrism.

Cross-posted at SquareState.

Bill Owens for Senate?

A Bill Owens for Senate campaign is a possibility I mentioned months ago and which Mike Littwin considered in yesterday's Rocky:

[I]f Udall wins, you could see two Democratic senators in Colorado for maybe the next 20 years. So, you make the call. And you know where it has to go - to [Colorado GOP head Dick] Wadhams' old boss, Bill Owens.

Good advice, if the Colorado GOP decides it would rather not self destruct.

UPDATE: ColoradoPols has more from The New York Sun:

In sum, Mr. McInnis was the Colorado Republican Party's best shot at holding the line in 2008. However, he seems to have been forced out of the race by social conservatives who, in a state that is home to Evangelical leader James Dobson and his Focus on the Family, want a "traditional" Republican (i.e., one of them) to be their nominee.

Good vs. bad update: Good appears to be winning

HB-1341 is defeating the doubters. And the Edwardses are beating the haters. But the planet is still struggling in a tight contest with carbon dioxide.

Diana DeGette: Change America's course in Iraq

A press release from the congresswoman states, in part:

"Today I had the opportunity to support legislation that will change America's course in Iraq," said Rep. DeGette. "The U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Health and Iraq Accountability Act shows that Congress is no longer a rubber stamp for President Bush's failed Iraq policy."

H.R. 1591 is legislation that will, for the first time require the President to:
• Set an August 2008 deadline for the removal of U.S. forces from Iraq.
• Enforce established readiness standards for the deployment of U.S. combat forces.
• And certify on July 1, and October 1, 2007 that the Iraq government is meeting political and military benchmarks.

The President has indicated that he will veto HR-1591 if the bill makes it through the Senate.

Assorted snark, mostly Republican edition with a sidebar about an actual policy post

• Tancredo to voters: "You support me!"
• Wadhams to media: "You support me!"
• Club for Growth to Schaffer: "We support you."
• WeatherDem to Udall: "Support the Safe Climate Act."

John Edwards to hold press conference regarding Elizabeth's health

Like rnoboa, I am holding my breath about this.

UPDATE: MSNBC is reporting that sources have confirmed Edwards "is suspending his campaign for the presidency, and may drop out completely, because his wife has suffered a recurrence of the cancer that sickened her in 2004."

As saddened as I am by Edwards' decision, it is a necessary one. My heart goes out to John, Elizabeth, and their entire family.

UPDATE: Not so fast. CNN reports that the Edwards campaign will continue, despite the reappearance of Elizabeth's cancer:

John Edwards said tests this week had shown his wife, Elizabeth, had cancer in a rib on her right side. He said the cancer is treatable but not curable.

Elizabeth Edwards said she was "incredibly optimistic" and said her expectations about the future were unchanged.

"You can go cower in the corner and hide or you can go out there and stand up for what you believe in," John Edwards said. "We have no intentions of cowering in the corner."

The Edwards family has endured unspeakable pain already. The inner strength John and Elizabeth possess is an inspiration.

I have given John Edwards a lot of coverage. Discussing policy with him at a Colorado bloggers roundtable, I became convinced that he had the vision, optimism and stamina necessary to be a great President.

As I wrote here, Edwards' quest for the presidency is as much a movement as it is a campaign. So it's totally feasible that it can continue while he and his family turn their attention to supporting Elizabeth. At least, I hope so. While Clinton, Obama and Richardson are all good contenders, the field would be much weaker without John Edwards - not to mention Gore, Kerry, Warner, Bayh and Feingold.

Opponents of New Energy Economy legislation wasting time

Governor Bill Ritter's New Energy Economy means jobs. It means innovation. It means a cleaner state. It means a habitable planet.

It also means a whole lot of whining from entrenched oil and gas interests and their friends in the legislature.

On Tuesday, a group of legislators led by Yuma Republican Cory Gardner asked Ritter to slow down energy legislation including HB-1341, which would overhaul the oil and gas panel. (Read about it in the Rocky or the Post.)

It begs the question, just how slowly would they like things to move? Climate change has been an issue for years. Decades, even. The effects are being felt now. We are lucky that Colorado still has the opportunity to seize a leadership position in the new - and essential - green economy.

Fortunately, the governor seems to understand this. And he isn't inclined to cave on one of the central planks of the Colorado Promise. A statement his office released Tuesday night reads, in part:

"My administration has made every effort to listen to the concerns of the energy and resource-development industry. We understand how important this industry is to our economy and the value it brings to our state. Our intent is to balance the extraction of resources with the concerns the people of this state have expressed surrounding impacts to our water, air and land. Over the past five years, members of the public have lodged more than 1,500 complaints with the Colorado Oil and Gas Conversation Commission regarding those impacts.

"By end of this year, the state will likely grant more than 6,000 new drilling permits, a doubling from just a few years ago. We will have received more than 33,000 permit applications. Colorado is in the midst of one of the largest energy-development cycles in decades, probably ever, and we must do all we can to protect the public's health and our environment.

"Harris Sherman, the executive director of the Department of Natural Resources, and other members of my administration have spent more than 30 hours in stakeholder meetings with the Colorado Oil and Gas Association, the Colorado Petroleum Association and others interested parties regarding HB1341. We have spent twice that amount of time on the phone gathering input from and listening to stakeholders."

Translation: "The oil and gas industry has been heard. And will be heard. And now you're wasting time."

The same could be said in our nation's capital, where for years oil and gas interests have blocked attempts to slow global climate change. Finally, the voices of science, progress, passion and optimism are being heard. One can only hope they are not too late.

Washington Post: McInnis is out

I saw the rumors. Heard the concerns. Examined the denials. And I concluded it was all random guessing. But apparently not. The Washington Post is reporting that Scott McInnis will end his Senate campaign as early as today.

For what its worth, today's Denver Post merely says the Republican frontrunner is "still 'assessing' a run as the road toward a possible nomination has become bumpier."

UPDATE: So that happened.

Within nanoseconds, Progress Now Action announced the upcoming launch of backwardsbob.org, which will highlight the extreme positions of potential Republican Senate nominee Bob Schaffer. (Progress Now Action won Golden Dot awards for its efforts during the 2006 election, and had been targeting McInnis through McLobbyist.org.)

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee issued a press release in which spokesman Matthew Miller stated, "Republicans in Colorado now have to start from scratch with a new candidate who will trail in both fundraising and political organization."

Bill Ritter, education funding and the schools of New Orleans

Everybody wants something for nothing. For instance, the state education fund will be insolvent by 2010. But Governor Bill Ritter's plans to fund it - first by using federal mineral-lease royalties, then by freezing the mill levy - have met with stiff opposition.

Next up, Ritter follows the President's lead and borrows the money from China.

But what if solutions aren't what the GOP is after? What if it wants to create seemingly unsolvable problems as an excuse to foist charter schools upon the state?

Charter schools certainly seem to be on the agenda of Dr. Barry Fagin, an Independence Institute senior fellow and adjunct scholar at the Competitive Enterprise Institute. (A name which ought to raise a red flag for many of you.)

Fagin's column in the Monday, March 19 print edition of The Denver Daily News sang the praises of Daniel Hudson, who Fagin says he first read of in The Atlantic. Fagin lauds Hudson as a "tough disciplinarian" who is fighting "Big Easy bahavior" in the emerging schools of New Orleans. Coincidentally, I also read The Atlantic. So I know the article was ambivalent about Hudson's methods and results:

[Hudson's story] seemed to make no impression on the young man. I couldn't tell whether it was because the student was already too far gone, or because Hudson was so busy talking, and yelling, that he had forgotten how to listen... As Hudson himself knew well, the time he spent in the halls, the endless meetings with parents, meant he knew little of what was happening in the classroom. What was clear, in the time I spent in classes, was how little of the training Jarvis had mandated for teachers seemed to have taken.

Fagin calls the education experiment in New Orleans "unprecedented in American history... Parents have complete freedom to send their child wherever they want. The money follows their child, period. In response, schools are springing up like wildfire." In fact, New Orleans' "experiment" has led to a scary reality - school administrators who want to screen out underachievers and blacks:

Huger would have preferred that his school have selective admissions, by which students are screened on criteria like test scores and grade-point averages. He also would have preferred more of what he delicately called "diversity" - as in white children. But under the guidelines, choice ran only one way: Huger would have to educate any child who chose him.

The same article reports that across America, charter schools are failing to meet academic benchmarks. In Washington, D.C., "the latest numbers showed that only four of thirty-four charter schools had met academic benchmarks. And in Philadelphia, the most recent data showed schools run by educational management companies - which Huger saw as the best bet when run in partnership with local nonprofits like his - lagging behind public schools in improving performance."

As Ritter said at a recent Bell Policy Center event, education is the key to opportunity and economic growth. And there's little doubt that our schools need an overhaul; Democratic leaders like Andrew Romanoff are leading the way. But charter schools are far from the silver bullet the free market fundies make them out to be.

Ask Bill Ritter a question

You have until 6 p.m. to get your questions in.

Would George W. Bush support HB-1331?

HD36's Morgan Carroll writes about HB-1331 at SquareState:

...I am sponsoring, along with Rep. Debbie Stafford (R-Aurora) and Sen. Lois Tochtrop (D - Thornton) HB 07-1331. Several other states have taken a far more aggressive lead on sharing public information with the public to help make informed decisions when selecting a physician... HB 1331 enhances the information service provided by the Colorado Board of Medical Examiners to the public so that patients can search for professional infractions against a license or findings of medical negligence. Every patient deserves the ability to make an informed choice and provide informed consent when possible.

Even the White House recognizes that an informed patient more likely to make good decisions. The President's healthcare plan includes this sentence:

To get the best quality care for the best price, patients need to know in advance what their medical options are, the quality and expertise of doctors and hospitals in their area, and what their medical procedure will cost. (Ed. - Emphasis added)

Ritter hails energy legislation (and etc.)

Best email waiting for me in my inbox? Bill Ritter's press release supporting landmark New Energy Economy legislation:

Gov. Bill Ritter today hailed the final passage of House Bill 1281, the legislative centerpiece of his 2007 renewable energy agenda for Colorado.

"I applaud lawmakers from both parties for their bipartisan cooperation and vision as they work to enact Colorado's New Energy Economy," Ritter said. "In 2004, when Colorado voters overwhelmingly approved Amendment 37, we became the first state in the country to set renewable energy standards by citizen initiative.

"We're making history yet again with HB 1281 by expanding those standards and continuing to establish Colorado as the nation's renewable energy leader."

The governor congratulated lawmakers, investor-owned utilities, rural electric associations, environmental organizations, labor groups, consumer advocates and others for their collaborative efforts in shaping HB 1281.

"HB 1281 will help stimulate the rural areas at the heart of the New Energy Economy - regions like the Eastern Plains and San Luis Valley where wind, sun and agriculture are abundant," Ritter said. "The bill will help us attract manufacturers of wind turbines and solar products. It also will stimulate research and development of emerging energy technologies.

"And by expanding our renewable energy production and consumption, we'll reduce our reliance on foreign oil, which is good for our environment and our national security.

"I look forward to signing HB 1281 and the remainder of the New Energy Economy legislative package very soon," the governor added.

Other assorted good tidings:

• Hilarious: Bob Beauprez has a copycat.
• 2008 update: In Colorado, Washington and cyberspace.
• Lobbyists: Morgan Carroll owns you.

So much going on...

...and so little time. In my case, actually, no time at all. Fortunately, there are a lot of good people following the stories of the day.

• The governor announced his plan to keep the State Education Fund from going bankrupt. Read about it: Post, Ritter, SquareState, Media Matters

• Diana DeGette. She's the most powerful member of Colorado's congressional delegation. She's working to provide healthcare for children. And she's asking for voter's opinions on the Iraq War.

• The Colorado legislature debates a nonbinding resolution opposing the Iraq War: Pols, Post

• Interesting stuff: Wash Park Prophet, Wild Again, Democracy In Progress, Ave Cassandra

And as always, someone's always blogging at SquareState. That's it. I'll see you Monday.

Blake misses in HB-1008 column

The headline from Peter Blake's column last Saturday asked "Can passing bad bills help GOP?" A better headline may have been, "How much misleading data can we fit into one column?"

Blake argues that HB-1008 is "a singularly cynical proposal" that Republicans may have decided to support to put "Gov. Bill Ritter in a bind once again."

The bill would make it easier for firefighters with cancer to get workers comp. So how does Blake try to make it sound like pro-union pandering? The column rests on two assumptions. The first is that HB-1008 "is roundly detested by those who would have to pay higher workers comp premiums, namely the municipalities and special districts that employ firefighters." This is a point the Rocky's editorial staff made - nearly word for word - in January, when it wrote, "HB 1008 would increase the cost of workers comp insurance purchased by the municipalities and special districts that employ firefighters."

But neither statement is accurate. In fact, statistics provided by the House Democrats cite a number of states that have passed presumptive cancer bills without impacting workers comp premiums:

• California has had "no impact" in actuarial assumptions or funding of the state's firefighter retirement system. An actuary in the system says that this legislation has had "minimal effect" on the actuarial costs to the retirement system.

• Illinois has had presumptive cancer legislation in its worker's compensation statute in place since 1984. For the first 6 years after the implementation of the statute, the City of Chicago (which employs 50% of the firefighters in the state) had an 8.3% reduction in the number of beneficiaries receiving occupational disability benefits.

• In the first 4 years after passing presumptive cancer legislation in Nevada, the state had a total of three claims. This averages to less than one claim per year for a rate of 0.02% in the state of 3,990 firefighters.

• Rhode Island had a total of 6 claims in the first 8 years after the presumptive cancer legislation was implemented in 1986. This, again, averages to less than one claim per year for the state of 5,000 firefighters.

• The state of Oklahoma had 22 claims paid in the 6 years after passing presumptive legislation, an average of 4 claims per year. The average cost per claim was $10,409 for a state of 12,420 firefighters. That is less than a dollar per year per firefighter to pay for the coverage of cancer in his/her profession statewide.

Blake's second assumption is that "[n]obody really knows what causes cancer and the only studies linking cancer to firefighting are funded by the firefighters. But HB 1008 says that most cancers afflicting firefighters after five years on the job 'shall be presumed to result' from their employment."

A press release from the House Democrats cites "studies done over the past 50 years [that] have provided evidence that supports the fact that members of the firefighting profession develop certain forms of cancer at an alarmingly higher rate than previously believed." The bill is limited to these forms of cancer - those that attack the brain, skin, digestive system, blood or genitourinary system.

It is unreasonable to place the burden of proof on a cancer victim. It is a fact that firefighters develop specific cancers at a high rate due to their exposure to various toxins. And presumptive cancer legislation has had only a minor impact in the states where it has been enacted. It seems like HB-1008 would be a hard peice of legislation for the GOP machinery to attack.

But Peter Blake has a history of leaving critical facts out of his columns. (For instance, Colorado Media Matters called him out for a column that "pointed to two of Colorado political consultant Dick Wadhams' campaign successes without acknowledging -- aside from a passing mention of comparisons between Wadhams and Karl Rove -- the negative campaign tactics Wadhams has used to achieve those successes.") But ignoring data in order to portray a good bill as a giveaway to the firefighter's union? He's really gone too far.

Cross-posted at SquareState.

Colorado Democrats launch blog

Here it is. I heard it first from Dan Slater. CoCo also has a story online.

Some random March healthcare links

• John Aloysius Farrell: "Health care is a hot topic, but specifics are hard to come by."
• Morgan Carroll: "Injured workers deserve better in Colorado!"
• Colorado Media Matters: "Rosen's guests misled on infant health care."
• And then there's this from the John Edwards campaign:

John Edwards campaign goes carbon neutral

Nice:

By conserving energy and purchasing carbon offsets, the Edwards campaign will offset the carbon emitted by Edwards and his staff's campaign travel, and the energy used in his campaign headquarters and field offices.

Rocky Mountain High vs. I-70 congestion

The lyrics to our new second state song ask why "they try to tear the mountains down to bring in a couple more. More people, more scars upon the land." Seems like a good excuse to point to Diane Carman's recent column on the "unsexy" effort to find a mass transit solution for I-70 congestion. And to celebrate our governor's campaign statement that:

We must always consider the impact that transportation projects have on the environment. With proper planning, transportation projects and growth can enhance our quality of life without harming the outdoors. A perfect example: the way I-70 gracefully snakes through Glenwood Canyon. This project and its concerns for our natural settings should serve as a model as we look for 21st century solutions to congestion problems throughout the I-70 mountain corridor. We must design projects that improve mobility, honor the environment and protect the livability of adjacent communities. For this reason, I believe we need to preserve a transit envelope as part of a long-term I-70 transportation solution.

Injunction filed to halt 41 enforcement

(CoCo, Pols, Rocky)

UPDATE: Compromise reached.

UPDATE: Press release from the House Democrats:

The House of Representatives agreed today on House Bill 1304, a plan to implement Amendment 41. By passing the bill on an initial voice vote, the House sent a strong message that they respect the will of the voters in implementing Amendment 41.

Representative Rosemary Marshall (D-Denver), the sponsor of House Bill 1304 said, "This common sense approach brings clarity to Amendment 41's ambiguities. With the help of the Colorado Supreme Court, this bill will clarify and enact Amendment 41 in the quickest way possible."

A bi-partisan amendment to provide voters the opportunity to ratify the implementation of Amendment 41 was supported by a voice vote.

House Bill 1304 implements Amendment 41 by defining key terms and establishing an ethics commission to review violations of public trust by government officials and employees. House Joint Resolution 1019, which works in conjunction with HB 1304, is sponsored by Speaker Romanoff and sends an interrogatory to the Colorado Supreme Court to ask to what extent the legislature has the authority to clarify Amendment 41. HJR 1019 will be heard by the House at the same time as the final vote on HB 1304.

CoCo saves Steve Durham from the Internet

The intrepid Cara DeGette does a good deed.

Jeffco commissioners approve tower

Right next to death, taxes, globalization and the tides, there's high definition television. Here's a clip from the Post's story "Jeffco approves TV tower on top of Lookout Mountain":

Jefferson County commissioners today unanimously approved rezoning for a digital-TV broadcast tower on Lookout Mountain.

Saying they felt trumped by a quickly passed federal law, the commissioners said they will enforce building and zoning codes for the 730-foot-high tower.

Lake Cedar Group, a consortium of local TV stations, has sought rezoning for the tower so it can broadcast high-definition TV to the metro Denver area by the federal deadline of February 2009.

"The best way to manage this is to affirm the previous board's approval and continue to monitor compliance with building codes authorized by the official development plan," Commissioner Kevin McCasky said of 2003 actions.

Commissioner Kathy Hartman said was "not exactly thrilled to find myself" in a position of the federal government saying that the county did not have jurisdiction over local issues such as health consequences of tower radiation.

"If we had voted no, everyone would ignore us, and it would have no effect," Hartman said.

There are two stories here. The first is about the tower itself, advancing technology, and the health concerns of the surrounding community. The second is about the way in which our Senators and even the Jeffco commissioners have attempted to gain control of the situation.

In December of last year, I published a story called "More federal government trampling of local concerns." My opinion remains unchanged. Both sides have valid arguments and Washington was too quick to assert itself.

An even better example of this tendency is the Bush administration's decision not to wait for the recommendations of a local committee before proceeding with the auction of oil and gas leases on roadless Colorado land.

I don't mind a strong federal government because issues like terrorism and global warming can't be solved at the local level. But in some cases, Washington simply goes too far.

Bill Ritter institutes anti-cronyist, pro-taxpayer policy

Today's Rocky Mountain News reports:

Democratic Gov. Bill Ritter has instituted a "use-it-or-lose-it" vacation and sick leave policy for his top appointees.

"These rules are fair and they protect taxpayer dollars," Ritter said in a news release.

The policy comes after an outcry over practices by Ritter's predecessor, Republican Gov. Bill Owens.

Owens initially had a similar use-it-or-lose-it policy when he took office in 1999. But that changed effective July 1, 2004, when Owens allowed Cabinet directors and other appointees to accrue unlimited vacation and sick leave, so they would have hefty final paychecks.

Fundamental differences

James Dobson thinks that global warming is a distraction from "'the great moral issues of our time,' such as abortion and same-sex marriage." I think global warming is the great moral issue of our time. Consider:

• Deaths from global warming will double in just 25 years -- to 300,000 people a year.
• More than a million species worldwide could be driven to extinction by 2050

There is a point at which rational argument becomes impossible. Perhaps we have reached it.

Hickenlooper just might win a second term

It goes without saying, but since the Rocky said it:

His accomplishments are nothing to sneer at, either: taming a major revenue shortfall in his first two years; attacking homelessness with a novel initiative; raising college scholarship money for needy Denver students; promoting regional cooperation; revamping police tactics to thwart rising crime rates (which have since started to recede); pushing through a series of ballot measures involving everything from a new justice center to subsidized preschool.

Colorado Media Matters on Post, Ritter

Colorado Media Matters examines the Post's recent coverage of the governor and sees many of the same problems I did.

AFL-CIO threatens to ask Dems to move convention

I have an even better idea. How about we all slap ourselves silly? The AP reports:

Stung by Gov. Bill Ritter's veto of a bill that would make it easier for unions to organize, the AFL-CIO threatened to recommend the Democratic Party move its 2008 convention from Denver.

Meanwhile, Ritter goes about his business. From the Rocky:

Water court judges, for the first time, will be able to consider environmental impacts and water quality along with water quantity as part of the determination on larger permanent transfers in a bill that Gov. Bill Ritter will sign Monday.

UPDATE: Ritter takes a strong stand in the Rocky:

"I don't have any reason to believe it's going to move," Ritter said today of the national convention slated for Denver in August of 2008. What's more, Ritter showed no inclination to bow to the AFL-CIO's threats and revive the fight over House Bill 1072, the Colorado Labor Peace Act.

Critterthink on climate change

The Bush administration admitted that polar bears were endangered by global warming and the loss of sea ice. And then prohibited its scientists from discussing polar bears, global warming and the loss of sea ice. Huh? Critterthink explains.

UPDATE: Weatherdem weighs in at SquareState.

Denver Post up for a Pulitzer for blizzard coverage

Editor and Publisher via Coyote Gulch. Congratulations to the Post staff!

House Dems pass good-government bill (and other legislative news)

A press release states, in part:

Legislation that will increase transparency on campaign contributions passed along a party line vote today in the House State, Veterans & Military Affairs committee. Sponsored by State Representative Gwyn Green (D- Lakewood/Golden), House Bill 1323 would amend current campaign finance law to reveal the identities of financial backers in Limited Liability Corporations... HB 1323 now goes to the House floor for consideration.

Also passing committee today:

• HB-1301, which would establish a Cervical Cancer Immunization Fund.

• HB-1330, which would allow a second adult to adopt another adult's child. This would clear the way for same-sex or co-habitating couples to share responsibility for an adopted child.

• HB-1008, which would ensure firefighters receive the benefits they need when they contract work-related cancers.

Cross-posted at SquareState

In defense of a governor who shouldn't need defending

Governor Bill Ritter is arguably the most powerful person in Colorado. His election in November was just short of a landslide. And in the two months since his inaugural, he has helped calm the Amendment 41 debate, directed aid to Colorado's blizzard ravaged southeast counties, recommended full funding for the new science and engineering complex at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, indicated he will approve major renewable energy legislation, saved the state a reported $1.6 million on prescription pharmaceuticals...

I could go on like this for quite awhile.

But a casual observer of Colorado politics might get the impression that Ritter is a governor under siege, taking heavy fire from all sides. Today the Post's Tom McGhee reported that Ritter is attempting to win back labor's trust after his veto of HB-1072. The Rocky's Berny Morson wrote that Ritter is considering vetoing two education bills, one carried by a Republican and one carried by a Democrat. And the Post's Jeri Clausing reported that "in just two months in office, Gov. Bill Ritter has emerged on the opposite side of candidate Bill Ritter on two key issues, raising questions of credibility and the reality of carrying out his sweeping Colorado Promise."

The last statement is especially disingenuous. Nether of the issues Ritter allegedly flip-flopped on - HB-1072 and the allocation of federal mineral lease dollars - was even part of the Colorado Promise, a document the Ritter for Governor campaign released in September of 2006. At the time, I wrote that, "The comprehensive 52-page policy book takes on every issue facing Colorado, from healthcare to the economy to the environment to illegal immigration." On February 11, 2007, I reread the document and realized that'd I'd been wrong. Themes like "energy" or "education" were mentioned far more than issues like, say, union voting procedures.

It's true that some of the voters who cast their ballots for Bill Ritter were voting against his Republican opponent or for pet issues. But I believe most voters chose Ritter because they wanted major, 21st Century reforms for our state's healthcare, transportation, education and clean energy systems.

In other words, voters want the Colorado Promise.

There is no excuse for breaking a campaign pledge. But the two flip-flops alleged in the Post are less serious than Clausing makes them out to be. The first is that Ritter's veto of HB-1072 contradicted earlier statements to labor groups; I discussed that situation on February 9, 2007. The second is that using increases "in federal mineral lease money to shore up the state's failing education fund" would violate Ritter's pledge to "give priority to energy-impacted areas for severance tax and federal mineral lease moneys." Even those alleging this change of heart state that they haven't seen Ritter's plan yet, which makes the whole thing sound like preemptive politicking.

In politics, the perception of smoke can create a very real fire. But there's not even smoke here. Just a lot of hot air.

Cross-posted at SquareState.

Darrell Watson declares lead in City Council race

Today's Denver Post reports that just about everybody in Denver is running for city council:

No fewer than 18 candidates are vying for three open seats on the Denver City Council this spring, but the contests have largely gone under the radar without a high-profile race for mayor to draw attention to the campaign season.

The Post states that the voters in District 8 alone will have to choose between "Sharon Bailey, Roger Cobb, Donna Davis, Carla Madison, Joshua Mitchell, Greg Rasheed, Lynn Smith and Darrell Watson."

Serendipity. This afternoon, I got a press release from the latter candidate. It states, in part:

Denver County Clerk and Reporter reported yesterday that District 8 candidate Darrell Watson raised $13,201.36 during course of his campaign. He has out-raised his closest opponent by over $5,500.

"Not only are we doing a great job on fundraising, we are proud to report that we did it with 168 donors, of whom two-thirds gave $50 or less," stated Watson. "This shows that we have a broad base of support from throughout Council District 8."

Business leaders, community leaders, and labor have all rallied around Watson's campaign. "Darrell is the only candidate who understands that communities thrive with a healthy economic base. He is the only candidate that understands the business community, and is a proponent of diversity and housing for all," stated businessman Jim Hannifin, owner of Ready Man Temps.

Musgrave named to "Enemies of the Middle Class" list

Today Americans United for Change named CD4 Republican Marilyn Musgrave to it's list, "18 Public Enemies of the Middle Class." The organization states:

Specifically, Americans United took issue with the Representatives' votes against: 1) H.R.2, the Fair Minimum Wage Act which would raise the federal minimum wage for the first time since 1997 from $5.15 to $7.25 an hour over two years; and 2) H.R. 800, the Employee Free Choice Act, which would level the playing field for middle class workers by fixing a badly broken system for forming unions and bargaining with big business and Corporate America for better pay and improved benefits.

Congressional voting records rated

Great numbers at CoCo.

Coloradolib on Christopher Hitchens on Thomas Jefferson

I recently finished Christopher Hitchens' biography of Thomas Jefferson. I'd intended to write a lengthy review. But the book doesn't merit it.

Hitchens' Jefferson is an inconsistent and private man who approached greatness only when flouting the Constitution and Congress. The book harps on our third President's fondness for the French and his conflicting views on slavery. But Hitchens celebrates Jefferson's stunning writings, his action against the Barbary pirates, and the Louisiana Purchase.

There's certainly room for this interpretation of our third President. But Hitchens' writing itself is disappointing. The whole thing reads like notes for a much better biography. In fact, it's all so off-hand, it's almost like Hitchens blogged it.

(Another take: blogcritics)

House to debate new cervical cancer immunization bill

A press release from the House Dems states:

State Representatives Bernie Buescher and Dianne Primavera, a cervical cancer survivor, recently introduced legislation to increase the availability of cervical cancer immunizations, especially to young women and low-income women. House Bill 1301 differs from Senator Williams' bill on the same topic in several significant ways. (HB 1301 will be heard in Committee on Thursday March 8, 2007.)

I discussed Williams' bill on February 1, 2007. It ran into problems and as of March 3 was "stalled in a Senate committee."

For the record:

• Eric Eidsness, a longtime Republican, has switched sides, probably readying for another run at Marilyn Musgrave's CD4 seat: Pols, Coloradoan

• Mayor Hickenlooper will run for term two: Rocky

Bill Ritter, Morgan Carroll cheer me up

This morning the GOP has been corrupt, hypocritical, racist and corrupt again and again. I almost didn't want to check my RSS feeds again for fear I'd learn yet another way wingnuts are messing up our country.

But I did, because I'm actually getting my RSS feeds through an IV drip now. And I was pleased to find this from the Rocky:

More than a dozen bills aiming to transform Colorado into the green energy capital of the nation are wending their way through the legislative process, inching toward Gov. Bill Ritter's desk for his blessing.

Bills that double Colorado's current goal for electricity from renewable resources, help build power lines to carry wind energy, require gasoline to contain a certain amount of ethanol and have new homes and buildings comply with energy efficiency codes.

Ritter is expected to approve most of the major renewable energy and energy efficiency bills. He promised voters last year he would transform Colorado into a new energy economy that depends less on foreign oil or pollution-causing fossil fuels.

Promises made, promises kept.

Then I learned from Morgan Carroll that her worker's comp choice bill has passed out of the House Business Affairs and Labor Committee.

Sunshine and lollipops and rainbows, people. Life is good.

Healthcare action items for the day

• The Colorado Consumer Health Initiative asks people to call their representatives to ask them to support funding for the State Children's Health Insurance Program. [More information and call-in numbers]

• House Speaker Andrew Romanoff asks people to send "ideas about how we can extend health insurance coverage to all Coloradans" to the Blue Ribbon Commission for Health Care Reform. [More information]

UPDATE: The Washington Post has a good healthcare story here.

Trustworthy media emerges in Colorado

The mainstream media won't report the truth about Colorado GOP chair Dick Wadhams. And it's "rigged" against Democrats. But there is hope. The Craig Daily Press reports that Colorado Confidential has earned Colorado Press Association credentials.

More Jefferson-Jackson coverage

More on the dinner I blogged Saturday at SquareState and CoCo and CoCo again.

CPAC, RNC reject Tancredo candidacy

Good for them.

Prominent national conservative blogs disavow Coulter

When Ann Coulter calls a leading Democrat a faggot (and she's done it twice), it's natural to have an emotional reaction. For some of us, that reaction is outrage. For the GOP sycophants at the Post, that reaction is to blame the victim. But both of those reactions are wrong. Because neither Ann Coulter or John Edwards should be the story.

The story is the fact that the crowd at the Conservative Political Action Conference applauded her statement.

Spinning is different than lying. Partisanship is different than hate. Calling Bob Beauprez "Both Ways Bob" is different than calling Edwards a "faggot." Ann Coulter can say whatever she wants. But mainstream voters should think long and hard before casting votes for representatives of a party that openly celebrates Ann Coulter.

Everyone in the media seemed to gloss over this point. Fortunately, a few rightwing bloggers are trying to do the right thing. The Politico carries the full text of a letter that a "group of some of the most prominent conservative bloggers" sent to CPAC. The letter reads, in part:

Ann Coulter used to serve the movement well. She was telegenic, intelligent, and witty. She was also fearless: saying provocative things to inspire deeper thought and cutting through the haze of competing information has its uses. But Coulter's fearlessness has become an addiction to shock value. She draws attention to herself, rather than placing the spotlight on conservative ideas...

One of the points of CPAC is the opportunity it gives college students to meet other young conservatives and learn from our leaders. Unlike on their campuses - where they often feel alone - at CPAC they know they are part of a vibrant political movement. What example is set when one highlight of the conference is finding out what shocking phrase will emerge from Ann Coulter's mouth? How can we teach young conservatives to fight for their principles with civility and respect when Ann Coulter is allowed to address the conference? Coulter's invective is a sign of weak thinking and unprincipled politicking.

The letter was apparently signed by Captain's Quarters, among others.

It's good to know that the GOP still has a spine. And it is unsuprising that it's found not among the party hierarchy, but in the blogosphere. Here's hoping the bloggers inspire the GOP elite to action.

Court rules against state GOP

Take your frivolous lawsuit and shove it:

In an unsigned opinion, the justices said that the only injury the Republican voters allege is that the Elections Clause had not been followed. "This injury is precisely the kind of undifferentiated, generalized grievance about the conduct of government that we have refused to countenance in the past," the court stated.

UPDATE: Colorado Confidential reports that the AP's story on the court's decision was full of rightwing bias.

Help Our Heroes march today

The Sunday Denver Post reports that the Democratic Presidential nominee just can't win in Colorado because the party will surely elect an East Coast Liberal. The paper makes sure to get the obligatory quote from Colorado GOP chair Dick Wadhams:

"They are going to focus on national Democratic platform, not on the Rocky Mountain West," Wadhams said. "They will nominate a liberal nominee, and it will show that they are liberals, not moderates."

Apparently, the liberals Wadhams dreads have hit upon a dangerous strategy: Asking America to work hard to achieve its goals. On Friday, John Edwards spoke in Denver:

He opened with broad assessments of what he described as America's diminished ethical leadership in the world, challenged his listeners to fight global warming and promoted universal health care, easier access to college and higher minimum wages.

And what are our local liberals up to today? A press release that just landed in my inbox states that Democratic legislators Joe Rice and Chris Romer will spend today with the National Guard in support of "Help Our Heroes":

State Representative Joe Rice (D-Littleton), in partnership with elected officials and veterans groups, will be unveiling the "Help our Heroes" legislation package this Sunday, March 4, 2007, during a media event with local National Guard troops. The National Guard will be conducting their training during the event.

The Post has it wrong. The Democrats aren't just going to win Colorado in 2008. We're going to walk away with it.

2007 Jefferson-Jackson Dinner: Nancy Pelosi closes out APATTW

On paper, the speaker at this year's Jefferson-Jackson dinner couldn't have been more different than the speaker a year ago. Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer had arrived in a jean jacket and delivered a speech that was equal parts hunting lesson and energy symposium. By contrast, this year the Colorado Democrats welcomed California congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, the first female Speaker of the House in our nation's history.

It wasn't likely that Pelosi would reminisce about her time in 4-H. But it turned out that she had more in common with Schweitzer than one might expect.

From the beginning, her speech featured the pragmatic populism that swept the Democrats to victory in 2006. She told the crowd of nearly 2,000 about the success of the Six for '06 agenda, which included raising the minimum wage and passing a new stem cell bill. She blasted the Iraq War, pointing out that the real war on terror has been neglected.

Pelosi may lack Schweitzer's easy-going nature. But she isn't the San Francisco liberal you read about in the mainstream media, either. She's just a Democrat trying to find pragmatic solutions.

This is the final night of Coloradolib's 2nd All Positive, All The Time Week. Speaker Pelosi provided a marvelous capstone for it.

(More: Rocky, 7, SquareState)

Salazar meets with Bush and I have my second meltdown of the week

So what can I write about today, given that Coloradolib's 2nd All Positive, All The Time Week is nearing its end?

Well, Colorado Senator Ken Salazar is the second high-ranking Colorado Democrat to meet with the President this week. Sounds promising. The Post reports:

Sen. Ken Salazar met with President Bush Friday to discuss energy policy and request additional funding for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Colorado.

Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman, and nine other U.S. senators also attended the hour-long meeting at the White House, which Salazar said the president called to declare that energy was "on his mind" and demonstrate that he has a "working knowledge of alternative fuels."

"My main point to the president was that he's right to spotlight the energy issues that are facing our country and we need (his) leadership in order to get something done," Salazar said.

The topic of global warming did not come up.

So that sounds positive. Wait a second. No it doesn't. It sounds like an egregious example of political fluff. Let's try again. What else is going on? Ann Coulter called John Edwards a "faggot."

I give up. All Positive, All The Time Week is hard.

More assorted APATTW nonsnark

• Edwards to Denver: "Be inspired!"
• Saturn to galaxy: "Be awed!"
• Denver Three to White House: "Be sorry!"

Morgan Carroll takes on workers comp reform

One of the ironies of market-driven healthcare is that it actually limits choice, when compared to a single-payer voucher system. For instance, injured workers in Colorado can't even choose their own doctors. HD36 representative Morgan Carroll is out to change that. A press release states:

Next Monday, March 5, the House Committee on Business Affairs and Labor will hear Rep. Morgan Carroll's HB-1176, which would, for the first time, give workers injured on the job the ability to choose and to change the physician who treats them. Colorado's Workers Compensation Act currently does not permit injured workers any doctor choice or any right of change. Only a small minority of states deny injured workers these rights...

"The free market allows us to choose who fixes our cars, to choose who fixes our homes, and to choose where we buy our groceries, but Colorado's Workers Comp system does not allow workers any choice in who 'fixes' their bodies after they're hurt on the job. That's not 'free' and it certainly isn't fair," said Rep. Carroll.

It looks like Carroll is in for a fight. Currently, the Colorado Secretary of State lists 50 lobbyists working to oppose the bill, with only 10 lobbying for it. Another 51 are listed as either monitoring or amending. [Source]

Cross-posted at SquareState.

Diana DeGette makes it easy to stay positive

Coloradolib's 2nd All Positive, All The Time Week stays on track thanks to co-operation between federal and state legislatures, as evidence by CD1 representative Diana DeGette:

Friday, March 2, at 2 pm MT U.S. Representative Diana DeGette (D-CO), Vice Chair of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, will address the Colorado State Senate Select Committee on Renewable Energy. Rep. DeGette will share with State Senators the Congressional agenda for renewable energy and discuss how federal and state governments can work more closely together to fund and promote clean energy.

For those who missed it, here's a link to my post "The many, many people who are not Diana DeGette."

Staying positive through clenched teeth

I'm not going to violate the spirit of Coloradolib's 2nd All Positive, All The Time Week. But the Rocky really blew it this morning. I melted down at SquareState.

Cary Kennedy for Governor in 2014?

I agree.