Mark Udall, Meet Henry Hazlitt

by Ari Armstrong | 10:38 am, July 27, 2010

A few days ago Grand Junction’s Free Press published an article by by dad and me about Henry Hazlitt and Frederic Bastiat. We wrote, “forcibly transferring wealth from some people to others does not in itself ‘stimulate the economy’ or ‘create jobs.’” …

Interviewing Ryan Frazier and Lang Sias

by Rossputin | 8:38 am, July 27, 2010

For those of you who are registered Republicans living in Colorado’s 7th Congressional District, if you’re on the fence about whom to vote for, you may find my interview this coming Sunday (August 1st) with Ryan Frazier and then later in the show with Lang Sias to provide useful information in helping you decide whom to support.

More details will be posted on these pages soon for this Sunday’s Backbone Radio show…

 

Ken Buck and the dumbasses

by Rossputin | 8:36 am, July 27, 2010

While I was traveling, Ken Buck was caught, not knowing he was being recorded, calling those Tea Party members who ask him questions about Barack Obama’s birth place and birth certificate “dumbasses”.

Jane Norton pounced on the question, implying that Buck was basically slamming the Tea Party while trying to claim their mantle for his race.

Buck says, of course, that he was just talking about the so-called “birthers”.

My take is that they’re both stretching the truth.

I don’t think Buck was talking about the Tea Party broadly when he called some of its members “dumbasses”, as Mrs. Norton suggested, but I thought it was interesting that he implied that all birthers are Tea Party members, and thus that the Tea Party is an attractor for many with out-of-the-mainstream ideas.

So, while Buck’s comment certainly wasn’t meant as an insult to the entire Tea Party movement, I do think that in an unintended way (and perhaps not understood by Jane Norton either), it did show some lack of understanding of or appreciation for the Tea Party movement.

For the record, I think there is a greater-than-zero but less than 50/50 chance that Barack Obama was not born in the US and is not eligible to be our president.  I think there is a much more than 50/50 chance that there are things in his records which he does not want the public to see because they’ll show that he got whatever advantages he could by doing things as a foreigner, perhaps such as scholarships for schools.

The most transparent president in history, as he fashions himself, is the most closed book we’ve seen in a long time.

In the meantime, I doubt Ken Buck’s gaffe will hurt him very much…except, perhaps, with those voters who are indeed “birthers” and don’t like being called names for having suspicions which, while politically inconvenient for Buck to discuss, are not totally beyond reason.

I don’t have a prediction as to which way this race is going, but I doubt that annoying a few “birthers” will be the difference in the race.  If Norton is successful in painting Buck’s comment as more broadly anti-Tea Party, that could be a bigger factor, but I think that’s rather unlikely.  Also, a lot of people have probably mailed ballots in already, so these things are becoming less significant.

Here Comes Mandatory National Service

by PerlStalker | 7:33 am, July 27, 2010

Charlie Rangel has introduced HR 5741 which requires “all persons in the United States between the ages of 18 and 42 to perform national service, either as a member of the uniformed services or in civilian service in furtherance of the national defense…

Preferences and Prognostications: Colorado Republican Primary 2010

by Ben DeGrow | 6:58 am, July 27, 2010

Last night I decided the mail-in ballot had been sitting too long on my counter, so I went ahead and filled in the bubbles. Time to drop it off now, and contribute my two cents to Colorado’s Republican primary election 2010. Without further ado, here are the decisions I arrived at personally, with some explanation [...]

Jane Norton on health care

by Brian Schwartz | 6:30 am, July 27, 2010

If you’re looking for the latest drama in Colorado politics, or a accusations that Jane Norton is a liar, you have the wrong post.  This post is about what Norton says about health care policy.
Jane Norton is seeking the Republican Party’s nomination to run for U.S. Senate this Fall. The Denver Post’s eidtorial board interviewed [...]

It’s Official: Tancredo is Running in Colorado

by PerlStalker | 10:08 pm, July 26, 2010

Tom Tacredo has made good on his threat to run as a third party candidate for Colorado governor. This hardly comes as a surprise, of course. It leaves things in pretty bad shape for conservatives in Colorado.

I posted a comment on PPC that I’d like t…

Jane Norton will vote for GOP gubernatorial candidate regardless; Ken Buck refuses to say

by Donald E. L. Johnson | 5:29 pm, July 26, 2010

Republican U.S. Senate candidate, Jane Norton, told Craig Silverman on Caplis and Silverman (630 KHOW) that she is disappointed that Tom Tancredo will run as a third party candidate and that she will vote for the GOP candidate regardless of whether that  is the disgraced Scott McInnis, Dan Maes or somebody else.
Earlier on the same show, Ken Buck refused to say how he will vote. And he said he won’t renounce Tom Tancredo’s support.
Buck also said that he was thinking about less than 10 people he’s encountered on the campaign trail when he called birthers who attended Tea Party and other campaign events and engaged him on the question of whether Barack Obama was born in the U.S. Those people, Buck said, distracted from the issues of the Senate campaign.

Dick Wadhams called Scott McInnis ‘untrustworthy,” Dan Maes a ‘joke’

by Donald E. L. Johnson | 4:36 pm, July 26, 2010

Peter Boyles and Tom Tancredo on 630 KHOW said Colorado GOP Chairman has them that GOP gubernatorial candidate Scott McInnis is “untrustworthy,” and he’s told them that McInnis’ primary opponent, Dan Maes, is a “joke.” Wadhams denied saying that and he said John Hickenlooper would beat Tancredo two to one.
Tancredo said on the radio that he had sat down with Wadhams and talked about what they could do about McInnis and Maes.
Boyles pretty much sided with Tancredo and called McInnis and Maes “jokers.”
Wadhams, of course, is in a tough position because he can’t pick sides in the Republcian Party Aug. 10 primary. He said he will back whoever wins the primary.
After Wadhams asked Tancredo if he would drop out if the GOP replaced McInnis with a strong candidate, Tancredo asked if Wadhams if he would back Tancredo if the GOP didn’t name a candidate or named a weak one. Wadhams said he couldn’t back Tancredo against a GOP candidate and promised that the GOP would have a candidate. “That’s win, win for you and lose, lose for Tom,” Boyles asserted.
Tancredo’s never been caught telling lies. Wadhams is a professional political campaign manager.
On Caplis and Silverman, Wadhams called Tancredo a “manical egotist.” Wadhams then blasted Tancredo for having run for office in five decades and not being a loyal Republican. 
Hickenlooper will win the election with Tancredo in the race, Wadhams predicted. He predicted that Tancredo will talk about national and international issues rather than about state issues.
Craig Silverman told Wadhams, “I’ve never heard such invective.” 
Wadhams was very unconvincing. He’s on a rant. He’s defensive and he’s making outrageous comments about Tancredo. His credibility is going into the toilet, which is too bad, because other GOP candidates will need his help and support during the campaign.

August 2nd Happy Hour Meetup

by redrocks | 4:26 pm, July 26, 2010

Colorado Senator Michael Johnston – Up On The Roof!
“Report to the Principal’s Office!”

It’s time to hit the books! Colorado state senator, Michael Johnston (D), was the driving force behind what was perhaps the most controversial and major educational piece of legislation at the capitol this past session, Senate Bill 191, which deals with teacher tenure. [...]

Tancredo: Wadhams Called McInnis “Untrustworthy,” Maes A “Joke”

by Laura Victoria | 1:46 pm, July 26, 2010

Tom Tancredo and Colorado Gop Chair Dick Wadhams appeared this morning on  Peter Boyles’ KHOW radio show, and Tancredo immediately accused Wadhams’ of telling him many times, and “in more ways than one,” that Scott McInnis was “untrustworthy” and Dan … Continue reading →

Scott McInnis Says No to Ultimatum: Has Tancredo “Done the Impossible”?

by Ben DeGrow | 12:30 pm, July 26, 2010

The Scott McInnis campaign a few minutes ago sent out a formal statement in response to Tom Tancredo’s ultimatum and announcement today that he will run as the American Constitution Party candidate for governor. The McInnis statement goes like this: “This election is about job creation, a stronger business climate, an end to unconstitutional tax [...]

Colorado GOP’s priorties: Senate, CD-4, Secretary of State, Attorney General

by Donald E. L. Johnson | 8:46 am, July 26, 2010

The most important races for Colorado Republicans in 2010 are the U.S. Senate, CD-4, secretary of state, attorney general, the general assembly and treasurer. Governor-elect John Hickenlooper looks like a pretty easy winner. Clear the Bench is doomed.

Norton campaign shows desperation

by Al Maurer | 8:44 am, July 26, 2010

I would write “hysterical” but then I might be called sexist. On Sunday night I received a campaign email from the Norton campaign entitled ” KEN BUCK TRASHES TEA PARTIERS: Buck Dishes Out More Profanity, This Time at Tea Parties.” It begins, Today, Ken Buck was caught on tape again. After spending the week explaining [...]

Stop Lying, Jane Norton

by Ari Armstrong | 8:44 am, July 26, 2010

Because (as Benjamin Franklin noted) “half a truth is often a great lie,” Jane Norton is often a great liar. She has repeatedly smeared Ken Buck’s character with half-truths. (Norton and Buck are the Republican candidates vying for U.S. Senate in Color…

Will Scott McInnis blow off the GOP establishment and Tea Parties that are backing him?

by Donald E. L. Johnson | 7:18 am, July 26, 2010

One reason leading Colorado newspapers and conservative bloggers think Scott McInnis would be a lousy gubernatorial candidate and governor is that not only does he plagiarize and lie, he also blows off his supporters and clients by not doing what he promises to do.
This is why the GOP establishment folks and members of Tea Parties and 9-12 Project groups who are supporting him may be in for a shock.
They think that if they help him beat Dan Maes in the GOP’s Aug. 10 primary, he’ll recognize that he’s blown the election and step down. He’ll let the vacancy committee that was elected at the party’s state assembly in May pick a new candidate—if they can find one.
But there’s a very good chance that the old political pro who never shies from a fight will go to his long time sugar daddies and get their backing for the run against Hickenlooper.
He’ll blow off Colorado Republican chairman, Dick Wadhams, the chairs of county Republican parties, his strongest supporters around the state and everyone else who stands in his way.
He’ll stay in the race against Hickenlooper and possibly Tom Tancredo and he’ll get 5% to 10% of the vote, ensuring victory for Governor-elect Hickenlooper.
Then he’ll blame everyone else for his loss.  

Is Ken Buck already moving to center with clever gaffes?

by Donald E. L. Johnson | 6:57 am, July 26, 2010

U.S. Senate candidate, Ken Buck, is a clever career government attorney and prosecutor. He’s got a problem if he wins the Aug. 10 primary against Jane Norton. He’s too far right. 
Does he have a clever strategy to fix that problem? Or has he just stumbled on one with dumb luck?
He may have a clever strategy, but it’s probably a result of dumb luck. The problem is that the strategy may be too clever for Buck’s own good. It could cost him the nomination.
Look at the pattern. Connect the dots.
First, Buck dissed Tom Tancredo’s warning that President Barack Obama is the greatest threat to our liberty. Then he backed off and agreed that progressives, led by Obama, are a major threat. Point made to independents and softened a bit.
Second, Buck said the difference between him and Jane Norton is that he doesn’t wear High Heels but wears western boots—soiled western boots. He showed his talent for humor, gave Norton a strong talking point and ad and may have quipped his nomination away. But, then, he showed he’s only human. (Yeah, this is a stretch.)
Third, Buck said over the weekend that Tea Partiers who are birthers are dumb axxes. Well, at least Buck isn’t a birther. Appology extended, point made with independents and people who are tired of birthers.
Norton’s blasting Buck for shooting himself in the foot. Says he’ll “fit right in” in Washington, DC. He is clever, after all. 
But maybe these so-called gaffes will serve Buck well if he wins the primary. That “if”, of course, is very big even though he leads Norton in very old independent polls that are very out of date. It’s a toss up at this point.
I’m clever, too. I’m neutral in this race.

Reception for John Suthers on August 4th

by Rossputin | 6:54 am, July 26, 2010

Dear readers and friends,

I don’t routinely get involved co-hosting fund-raisers for elected officials.  And I fully realize that Colorado Attorney General John Suthers is not without some controversy, even among Republicans.

However, for a few reasons, I am extremely pleased to be co-hosting an August 4th “Wine and  Cheese reception” for John Suthers at the home of former Congressman Bob Beauprez and his lovely bride, Claudia.  I hope you will join me on the evening of Wednesday, August 4th, at the event.  Please read the invitation (at the end of this note, or by clicking on the link just above) and RSVP if you’re able to attend.  I look forward to seeing many of you.  Please RSVP by Sunday, August 1st if you can attend.

Let me say first that Suthers and I disagree on one major issue that I know of: drug legalization.  I’m for marijuana legalization and he’s not.  I’ve discussed this with him face-to-face, and before accepting the invitation to co-host the event (along with several other ladies and gentlemen, all more important than I am), I asked Congressman Beauprez to remind AG Suthers of my position on the issue and ask if he’d still want me involved in the event.  Since you’re reading this, the answer was yes which, in itself, I appreciate in the sense of the “big tent” that I truly hope the GOP is or can be.

Now, as for why I want to help John Suthers win re-election as our state’s Attorney General:

First and foremost is the fact that he joined the lawsuit (with 11 other states, at least it was 11 at that time) against Obamacare and that he defends that decision by strong reference to the Constitution, demonstrating an understanding of the Commerce Clause and the 10th Amendment, as you can see in the following video of Suthers addressing an Adams County assembly:

Another interview of Suthers, this one by Dave Kopel of the Independence Institute, also focused on the lawsuit against Obamacare. You can listen to it HERE or pressing the play button below if it appears in your browser.

As I’ve noted previously on these pages, Suthers recognizes that his oath of office means he is supposed to protect and defend the Constitution whenever and wherever he can. The fact that his Democrat opponent thinks Suthers should not have joined the lawsuit (a view shared, not surprisingly by Governor Bill “fooled you once” Ritter) because it’s somebody else’s fight reminds me of a doctor who refuses to treat an injured person by the side of the road because the person isn’t at that doctor’s hospital.  No, the respective oaths taken by an Attorney General and a doctor are about aiding the Constitution or the patient wherever it or he needs aid.

While this one issue would be enough for me to gladly support John Suthers, it’s not the only reason I do.

Looking at the overall tenor of law enforcement around Colorado, with our history of Democrat Attorney General Bill Ritter allowing illegal aliens to plead serious felonies down to “trespass on agricultural land” for the express purpose of letting them avoid deportation, and looking at the outrageous prosecution of Robert Wallace in Wheat Ridge after he defended his property from theft by two illegal aliens (one of whom had previously plead a theft attempt down to agricultural trespass), we simply cannot abandon the rule of law to the Democrat candidate.

Remember, it’s the Democrat Justice Department under Barack Obama and Eric Holder who have specifically refused to prosecute obvious criminal behavior, namely voter intimidation, by blacks or to allow states to take action to minimize voter fraud.  Democrats in America are now openly enforcing only those sections of our law which they believe will help them electorally.  This is not justice and we cannot risk Colorado becoming part of that destruction of fundamental American principles by letting a Democrat win the office of Colorado Attorney General.

Finally, I would add that I appreciate AG Suthers’ joining the attorneys general of several other states in offering Amicus Curiae briefs in the two most important gun rights cases in recent history, the ground-breaking Heller case, and the follow-on NRA v Chicago, both of which were won (by the skin of our teeth) by supporters of the Second Amendment.

For all these reasons, and despite minor disagreements on other issues, I enthusiastically support John  Suthers’ re-election as Colorado Attorney General and I hope that many of you will be able to attend this event.  (To protect their privacy, I have deleted the Beauprez’s address from the online version of the invitation.  Ask for the address when you RSVP, per the invite’s instructions, to attend the event. Please RSVP by Sunday, August 1st.)

SuthersBeauprezAug4

An Illegitimate President? Or an Escape from Reality?

by Lesley Hollywood | 11:22 pm, July 25, 2010

 As the Tea Party has grown, strengthened, and become more mainstream, the conversation has seen it’s fair share of hiccups.  Although the original Tea Parties held across the USA were in protest to an over-the-top, pork filled piece of legislation passed in early 2009 (AKA: The $787 billion dollar American Reinvestment and Recovery Act), the message quickly began to stray.  [...]

CO Liberty Groups Send an Open Letter to Tom Tancredo

by PerlStalker | 10:27 pm, July 25, 2010

Several liberty groups in Colorado to Tom Tacredo urging him not to run as part of a third party. Such a run will almost certainly lead to a John Hickenlooper victory in November. The full letter is below.

Personally, I think Tancredo saw an opportun…

Buck Sick of Birthers

by PerlStalker | 9:58 pm, July 25, 2010

Today in Out of Context Theater, Jane Norton’s campaign is blasting Ken Buck for saying he was “sick of Tea Partiers.”

KEN BUCK TRASHES TEA PARTIERS
Buck Dishes Out More Profanity, This Time at Tea Parties

Denver, CO – Today, Ken Buck was caugh…

GOP wants to clean up its mess without Tom Tancredo’s help

by Donald E. L. Johnson | 9:19 pm, July 25, 2010

There seems to be a growing concensus among Colorado Republican leaders and activists that they want to take their chances that they can clean up the mess in the GOP’s gubernatorial primary without Tom Tancredo’s unsolicited help.
GOP leaders appear to be gambling that the disgraced gubernatorial candidate, Scott McInnis, will win the party’s Aug. 10 primary against Dan Maes and then drop out. If he wins the primary and drops out, a vacancy committee elected at the party’s state assembly would name a replacement.
Evidence of the growing support for this scenario includes a letter to Tancredo from the chairmen of the Republican parties in six large Front Range counties, a letter from the leader of 9-12 Project and Tea Party groups and numerous postings and indications of support for McInnis or opposition to Tancredo’s ultimatum on FaceBook.
Many conservative bloggers are saying they can’t support McInnis. At least one widely followed conservative, Ben Degrow, also has indicated on FaceBook that he doesn’t want Tancredo to jump into in the race either. Few Republicans believe either McInnis or Tancredo can beat Governor-elect John Hickenlooper in November.
It’s not clear whether Tancredo will back off his ultimatum to run if McInnis and Maes don’t promise by noon Monday to drop out if they win the primary. 
But it is clear that the state GOP and McInnis supporters have launched a major campaign to make sure McInnis wins the primary.
Tancredo believes he has a better chance of beating Hickenlooper than either McInnis or Maes would. He says he’s trying give those candidates an honorable way out of the gubernatorial race, but critics worry that he’s only angered McInnis and made it less likely that he will drop out.
What happens after the primary remains to be seen.

9-12 and Tea Party Groups to Tancredo: Reconsider Your Ultimatum

by Ben DeGrow | 8:51 pm, July 25, 2010

Lu Busse, Chair of the 9.12 Project Colorado Coalition, this evening dispatched an open letter to Tom Tancredo in response to the former Congressman’s serious threat to run as a 3rd party candidate for governor if Scott McInnis and Dan Maes don’t announce they will drop out of the race by tomorrow at noon. The [...]

Colorado Liberty Groups ask Tom Tancredo to back off threat to run for governor

by Donald E. L. Johnson | 8:20 pm, July 25, 2010

Lu Ann Busse, a leader of the 9-12 Project Colorado Coalition and Allies, has written a letter in the name of the groups to Tom Tancredo asking him to withdraw his ultimatum that if Scott McInnis and Dan Maes don’t announce by noon Monday that they will withdraw from the gubernatorial race if either wins the Aug. 10 GOP primary, he will run for governor. Busse writes that some 66% of 754 members of the groups surveyed in a “non-scientific” poll said they wouldn’t support Tancredo for governor if he ran. 
Busse uses the same quote that McInnis backers are using from a Tancredo argument against leaving the GOP for a third party. To run for governor, Tancredo would leave the GOP and become a candidate for the American Constitution Party.
The 9-12 Project groups supposedly are unhappy with both the GOP and Democrats, but Busse has written a letter asking Tancredo to not leave the GOP. In her letter, Busse argues that forcing McInnis or Maes off the ballot after one of them wins the primary would subvert the will of Republican voters and the nominating process. But delegates to the GOP state assembly in May elected a 24-person vacancy committee that would replace the GOP candidate if he stepped down. That means the vacancy committee’s selection would be as legitimate as the primary election results.
The Liberty groups’ members are protrayed at being angry with the GOP’s and Democrats’ politics as usual. Now they’re playing politics as usual.
What gives?
All of the groups listed on the Busse letter are known to include a lot of followers and members who also are registered Republicans, and some of them are strong supporters of Dan Maes.
Busse’s open letter to Tancredo follows the jump (click on the headline of this story).

No, Jane, No!

by Al Maurer | 6:00 pm, July 25, 2010

The negativity of the Norton campaign, which started back in April when Josh Penry was hired away from the McInnis campaign, has reached embarrassing heights. I wrote a piece on April 22 with a question mark about the negativity; this time it’s an exclamation point. There seems to be no positive message left; it’s all [...]

Physics can not be changed. Reality can.

by David K. Williams, Jr. | 2:44 pm, July 25, 2010

My small-government GOP friends tell me often that I should accept the reality that we live in a two-party system with plurality voting.They miss the point.I accept reality.They, however, fail to see that reality can be changed. At one time, we were a…

“Unintended Consequences” or spreading ‘Intentional Disinformation?’ Denver Post editorial gets the facts wrong on Colorado Supreme Court retention election and appointment process following a “NO” vote

by CTBC Director | 1:11 pm, July 25, 2010

A few days ago – following the announcement of Clear The Bench Colorado’s resounding win against the frivolous, groundless, and vexatious “complaint” filed by the legal attack group “Colorado Ethics Watch” (CEW, pronounced “sue” – it’s what they do), with the judge even going the extra mile and awarding Clear The Bench Colorado ‘tens of [...]

Scott McInnis Republicans are making Clear the Bench a waste of time

by Donald E. L. Johnson | 11:41 am, July 25, 2010

Scott McInnis Republicans are making Matt Arnold’s Clear the Bench campaign to deny retention to three Colorado state Supreme Court partisan judges a waste of time. Scott McInnis Republicans are showing that they have no more integrity than their candidate does. Scott McInnis Republicans want to unseat the partisan Democrat judges because of their lack of intellectual integrity, which is real. But how many voters are going to pay attention to Scott McInnis Republicans who complain about intellectual integrity when they themselves are showing that they have none? The unintended consequences of blind party loyalty are huge and long lasting.

Dave Kerber says he wrote stop Tancredo email

by Donald E. L. Johnson | 9:46 am, July 25, 2010

David Kerber, chairman of the Arapahoe County Republican Party, says that my opinion that the Scott McInnis campaign or Colorado state GOP probably wrote his stop Tom Tancredo e-mail, which I published in full yesterday, is incorrect. He says he wrote the letter. He’s a heck of a writer, because that letter looked like it was done by a professional writer. I stand corrected.

Tom Tancredo – Not a Free Market Conservative Before He Was Not a Republican

by Elliot | 10:38 pm, July 24, 2010

Tom Tancredo is threatening to enter the governor’s race, ostensibly to ensure that a conservative will hold the seat instead of a liberal democrat.  The problem is that not only will Tancredo’s threatened actions, if he carries through with them, almost undoubtedly ensure that Hickenlooper will be our governor for the next 4 years, but even if [...]

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