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.

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.

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.

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

Watch 'em go.

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.

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.

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.