Magellan: Good to be Colo. Republican Not Named Maes; Reset Election Odds

by Ben DeGrow | 6:23 pm, August 31, 2010

The reliable in-state Magellan Strategies polling firm today released the results of last week’s voter interviews on Colorado statewide races. Taking the pulse of 954 likely voters, they found not surprisingly that John Hickenlooper has a wide lead over Republican Dan Maes (and an even wider lead over third-party Tom Tancredo) — though some small [...]

Colorado Supreme Court prepares additional assault on taxpayer rights, hearing another stealth tax increase case

by CTBC Director | 3:03 pm, August 31, 2010

Colorado taxpayers have taken a real beating over the last several years, courtesy of several Colorado Supreme Court rulings which have set aside the clear language of the Colorado Constitution (Article X, Section 20 – the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights) to enable a series of unconstitutional tax increases by other names; some of the most [...]

MN Gov Pawlenty issues Executive Order against early adoption of Obamacare

by Rossputin | 1:51 pm, August 31, 2010

As he prepares an almost-certain run for president, and in a move which distinguishes himself from Mitt Romney whose “Commonwealth Care” (Obamacare-lite) which is bankrupting Massachusetts and damaging that state’s health care system, Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty has issued the following rather dramatic Executive Order barring departments and agencies of that state from requesting any federal funding tied to Obamacare.  About a week ago, Democrats in the state legislature as well as certain medical organizations asked Pawlenty to accept $236 million in federal money for health care. It’s money which Pawlenty must request for the state to get; thus far he has not said he will make such a request.

If Pawlenty keeps this up, he’ll be setting a strong foundation for a presidential run in 2012 while putting Mitt Romney in a very awkward position.

EXECUTIVE ORDER 10-12

DIRECTING STATE DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES

REGARDING DISCRETIONARY PARTICIPATION

IN THE FEDERAL HEALTH CARE LAW

I, TIM PAWLENTY, GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and applicable laws do hereby issue this executive order:

WHEREAS, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“PPACA” or “the Act”) (Pub.L. 111-148) was signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010; and

WHEREAS, the Act represents a dramatic attempt to assert federal command and control over this country’s health care system, which accounts for one-sixth of our nation’s economy, thereby reducing individual freedom for health care decisions; and

WHEREAS, the Act includes unprecedented federal intrusions into individual liberty, including the mandate that individual citizens are compelled to purchase health insurance under penalty of law; and

WHEREAS, the Act was passed with massive new spending commitments at a time when the growing federal government debt threatens private sector economic growth; and

WHEREAS, the revenue to pay for the Act is based on increased taxes and fees coupled with unrealistic assumptions regarding purported future cost-savings; and

WHEREAS, this legislation includes a multitude of programs and demonstration projects intended to speed the transition to federally-controlled health care; and

WHEREAS, pursuant to Laws of Minnesota 2010, 1^st Special Session, Chapter 1 (Special Session Chapter 1) my Administration has determined Minnesota will not participate in the early expansion of the Medicaid entitlement program offered by the federal government as part of the legislation; and

WHEREAS, consistent with this determination and in recognition of my obligations to protect Minnesota’s sovereign interests and those of its citizens, the boundary between state and federal government must be maintained to prevent an unwise and unsustainable federal takeover of health care in our State.

NOW, THEREFORE, I hereby order that:

All executive branch departments and agencies are directed that no application shall be submitted to the federal government in connection with requests for grant funding for programs and demonstration projects deriving from the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“PPACA” or “the Act”) (Pub.L. 111-148) unless otherwise required by law, or approved by the office of the Governor.

Pursuant to Minnesota Statutes 2009, section 4.035, subdivision 2, this Executive Order will be effective fifteen (15) days after publication in the State Register and filing with the Secretary of State and will remain in effect in accordance with Minnesota Statutes 2009, section 4.035, subdivision 3.

IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I have set my hand this 31st day of August, 2010.

–30–

Rasmussen: Colorado Voters Saying ‘None of the Above’ for Governor?

by Ben DeGrow | 12:24 pm, August 31, 2010

(H/T Complete Colorado) My jaw nearly dropped to the floor when I saw Curtis Hubbard’s coverage of the new Rasmussen poll on the Denver Post’s political blog. Likely Colorado voters seem to be demanding another option. Look at the breakdown: John Hickenlooper (D): 36 percent Dan Maes (R): 24 percent Tom Tancredo (AC): 14 percent [...]

Hickenlooper Education Plan: Substantive Discussion with Dubious Funding Claim

by Eddie | 11:24 am, August 31, 2010

I know that political campaigns are going on. Election season is upon us. When I ask my mom or dad what’s happening in the race for governor, they usually roll their eyes, take a deep sigh, and pat me on the head: “You’ll understand when you’re older,” they say.
That may be true, but I do [...]

Ken Buck and the 17th Amendment

by Rossputin | 7:18 am, August 31, 2010

I’m going to write about the broader issue of the 17th Amendment in much greater detail sometime soon, but thought it important to mention a couple of things now given that it’s the subject of a Colorado campaign commercial.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has run an ad that, if it were not run by Democrats, should be considered shockingly dishonest. Given the source, however, it’s par for the course.

Specifically, the ad says that Ken Buck has a “radical” idea, letting state legislatures elect our senators rather than having them chosen by a direct vote of the people. The ad is dishonest for a couple of very different reasons.

First, the idea of indirect election of senators, i.e. their being selected by state legislatures, is only radical if you think our constitution is radical. That is how senators were chosen in this nation until the 17th Amendment to the constitution was passed and adopted in 1913. Indeed, this nation has had many more years of senators chosen by legislatures than of senators chosen by citizens.

Second, and perhaps more importantly, Ken Buck almost immediately and publicly and repeatedly restated his position, which he then restated again to me in a brief phone interview yesterday.

Buck recognizes that the 17th Amendment changed the balance of power toward the federal government and away from the states but thinks that most of the impact is felt through the way government spends money, uses unfunded mandates, and threatens states with the withholding of federal money.

Buck believes that a balanced budget amendment as well as other pushback against the federal government holding states hostage would accomplish much of the same result as repeal of the 17th Amendment.  Buck also argued against repeal of the 17th Amendment because people are now used to electing senators and because he “has more faith in citizens than in elected officials.”

The DSCC knows that Buck does NOT support repeal of the 17th Amendment, but they’re running the ad anyway. I think the ad is ineffectual and I’m glad the Dems are wasting their money. Any time the Dems talk about the constitution, they remind people that Dems don’t understand or care about it.

I wish Ken Buck had stayed with his original statement against the 17th Amendment, but the facts are that the Democrat ad against Mr. Buck is wrong in every possible way.

I maintain my prediction made the day after the primary that Buck will beat appointed Senator Michael “Who?” Bennet by a wider margin than the roughly 8% by which Bennet beat Andrew Romanoff.

The geekiest online cartoon of all time

by Rossputin | 6:15 am, August 31, 2010

Thanks to my friend Brian Wesbury who must feel like the guy in this cartoon for pointing it out to me…

 

Speak Now, or Forever Hold Your Peace… Governor’s Office seeks public comment on Colorado Supreme Court nominees

by CTBC Director | 11:45 pm, August 30, 2010

Speak Now, or Forever Hold Your Peace…
Governor Ritter has asked for public comment on the three nominees (he’ll pick one of the three) put forward by the Supreme Court Nominating Commission to replace outgoing Chief Justice Mary Mullarkey, who announced in June that she would retire rather than be held accountable by Colorado voters this [...]

Wind Farms in CO and TX Increase Overall Emissions

by PerlStalker | 7:46 pm, August 30, 2010

The Heritage Foundation points out a study conducted in Colorado and Texas that the use of wind energy in those states has actually increased emissions of SO2, NOX and CO2. The increase comes from the frequent cycling of the coal plants which makes the…

Quote of the Day – Hewitt

by Mr. Bob | 6:41 pm, August 30, 2010

Two years into what had been sold as a new politics and a new approach, the 70 percent are fully aware that they have been conned, suckered, and taken to the cleaners by a hyper-ideological amalgam of leftist public intellectuals, snarling bloggers, ca…

Time to Revisit Common Core?: It May Take a Change on Colorado’s State Board

by Eddie | 2:46 pm, August 30, 2010

Four weeks ago today the Colorado State Board of Education adopted Common Core academic standards in math and language arts by a 4-3 margin. Instead of putting the issue to rest, Colorado’s failure to secure an expected share of federal Race to the Top (RTTT) funds has resurrected the issue.
Why? Because some of the [...]

Gallup: 10% GOP edge in generic ballot is largest in polling history

by Rossputin | 2:36 pm, August 30, 2010

The Gallup polling organization just released the results of a poll of registered voters taken from August 23-29.  The poll shows a 10-point Republican advantage, not just the highest in this election cycle but the highest ever.

In fact, the last three weeks’ polling results, showing a GOP edge of 6,7, and now 10 points are all higher than the previous GOP record lead of 5% during a mid-term election cycle, a gap which Gallup had in June 2002 and July 1994.

At least as important is the 25-point Republican lead in voter enthusiasm, the highest during this election cycle.  (I don’t have the information about where that fits within the historical range, though one would think it would be quite close to a record high.)

Remember, since Gallup polls registered voters rather than likely voters, it tends to overstate a Democratic advantage or understate a Republican advantage since there are almost always more registered Democrats than Republicans but Republicans tend to be more likely to vote than Democrats.

Even the somewhat left-leaning Gallup now sees the potential for a GOP “wave election” in 2010.

It’s no wonder that political betting at Intrade.com has the GOP with a 75% chance of taking back a majority in the House of Representatives.  At this point, I’d be somewhat surprised if Republicans won fewer than 50 seats.  Perhaps more interesting is the question of whether the GOP can take back the Senate.

At this time, Marco Rubio is trading 63% to win in Florida, Washington State is a toss-up, Russ Feingold is barely leading his Republican challenger in Wisconsin, and Harry Reid is slowly drifting down toward 50% in Nevada.  Republican basically need to win every even quasi-competitive seat to take back the Senate.  As much of a longshot as it might seem, in 2010, anything is possible…

8/28 in DC Pledging Our Lives, Fortune and Sacred Honor

by Lu Busse | 12:14 pm, August 30, 2010

What a privilege to stand with over 500,000 Americans to Restore Honor and our nation under God on Saturday, August 28, 2010! How do I know over 500,000 were there?  We FILLED the area around the Reflecting Pool between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument which holds 250,000 people; we FILLED the field to [...]

Meet “Liberty On Tour” Tonight!

by redrocks | 12:11 pm, August 30, 2010

Don’t forget tonight’s “bonus” meetup will replace a 1st Monday of September meetup (Labor Day holiday).

Besides our future leaders forum, we are also pleased to be hosting Liberty on Tour’s Pete Eyre and Adam Mueller, fresh off an “encounter” with the Denver Police Department!  More about their experience can be found at ColoradoFreedom.net, or hear [...]

DoD Upholds Voting Rights for Colorado’s Military

by Al Maurer | 11:12 am, August 30, 2010

According to Fox News reporting, “The Department of Defense announced Friday that it was denying four states’ requests to waive requirements of a law intended to protect the voting rights of military personnel overseas…” Colorado is one of them. The Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment (MOVE) Act is part of the National Defense Authorization Act [...]

Liberty On Tour Detained By Denver Police At Outreach Event

by Chuck Moe | 10:58 am, August 30, 2010

Liberty On Tour was at Invesco Field doing outreach activities while football fans tailgated prior to the Bronoco’s game. For several hours they handed out information, gave bus tours, and spoke to people about liberty. All was well until an Invesco Field parking lot employee called the Denver Police since she felt that she had been ‘mocked’ after she had told LOT to not offer ‘free’ beer to other tailgaters.

The right Angle to beat Harry Reid?

by Rossputin | 6:09 am, August 30, 2010

On Friday, at the Steamboat Institute’s Second Annual Freedom Conference, I had the chance to speak with Republican Senate candidate from Nevada, Sharron Angle, in addition to hearing her address to the assembled audience.

Here’s my take on Mrs. Angle:

While she doesn’t blow you away with an extreme of intellect or rhetoric, she’s more than adequate in each of those categories.  Much more importantly, she possesses an unquestionable sense of being “real” that I haven’t seen in a political aspirant in a long time.

When she spoke about her personal battle to free Nevadans to home-school their children, the story made it clear that she her passion for the issue was honestly acquired by her own child’s public school education experience.  It was also clear that this is not a lady who will give up on something she thinks is right and important.

She focused, as all candidates must, on the economy and jobs, noting that her state has the highest unemployment rate in the country and dryly noting that if this is the result of the many things Harry Reid has “done for Nevada”, then all Nevadans should hope he stops doing more for them.  She noted that unemployment in the county in which her son lives is now 40%.  She also said that the value of her home, which was not a very big number to begin with, has been cut in half.

Angle said (twice) that she believes releaing Obamacare is of utmost importance, though she didn’t mention the problem of doing so while Obama remains president.

Angle said in her direct conversation with me, in response to a question, that she does feel like she should be extremely careful when speaking because of the way the Democrats and the media aim to twist her words against her.  However, she seems not to worry about it a lot, and said as much, noting that she just needs to let as many people as possible learn who she is by her own words.

One of her strongest moments came when a person in the audience asked her why we should believe that she would avoid being corrputed by Washington should she win election, why we should believe she will not catch “Potomac Fever.”  Her answer, as good an answer as a candidate can give, was to look back at her history in the state legislature when votes of the 42-member body frequently had the result of “41-to-Angle.”  While it’s not ridiculous to ask if often being the only vote on one side of an issue might be a sign of an inability to convince others, Angle emphasized that he showed her refusal to “go along to get along.”  She also stressed her role as the GOP whip in getting and keeping Republicans to stick with support of limited government, liberty, and low taxes in many other votes.

Although I wouldn’t necessarily see Sharron Angle in overall Senate leadership  – in part because she probably wouldn’t “play the game” to get there – I could certainly see her chairing or being a leading force on a Senate Education Committee, and she’s one of the few people I could imagine in that sort of position who would have an unshakeable commitment to reducing the federal government’s involvement in education.

All in all, Mrs. Angle struck me as a “citizen legislator” in the best sense of the term.  I think she’s a person who knows who she is and will be more resistant than most to becoming part of the problem rather than part of the solution.

Therefore, I wouldn’t hesitate to support her, the various news reports of prior “gaffes” not withstanding.

Mrs. Angle noted that she was hurt in the polls right after winning the primary because Reid’s campaign immediately spent an enormous amount of money attacking her when her campaign war chest was empty.  However, she seems to be raising money now and hopes to have more than enough to put up a decent fight against the inevitable Reid and DNC onslaught of negative ads.

The two most recent polls on the race have Angle up by two and Reid up by one, a remarkably weak position for an incumbent Senate Majority Leader but still a stronger position than Reid seemed to be in just a few months ago.

While Republican enthusiasm has a good chance of carrying this race and others for the GOP candidate, Harry Reid is still trading about 56% to win this race in political betting at Intrade.com, in part because of a quirk of Nevada election law:  Nevada ballots carry a “None of These Candidates” option which tends to split the anti-incumbent vote, often leading to the re-election of the incumbent.  (Even if “None” gets the most votes, which has happened, the actual candidate with the highest number of votes wins the election.)  For that reason, while I think Reid should be a little less than 56%, it’s probably right for him to be 50% or more, whereas I wouldn’t say that in a state without the “None” voting option.

Mrs. Angle has a “real person” persona which, for example, Jane Norton was really missing.  Angle wants to connect with the average person and seems able to do so, whereas Jane seemed a little more patrician.  If she can use this ability to connect, if she can see enough Nevadans face to face to convince them that she really does understand them, I think she has a decent chance of becoming the second Republican in six years to defeat an incumbent Senate Majority Leader.  I’d sure like to see it, and I encourage my readers to contribute a few bucks to Mrs. Angle’s campaign.  The value of electing a true believer in the values of our Founding while simultaneously sending Harry Reid back to try to find a job in a state with the nation’s highest unemployment rate cannot be overstated.

Opposing a Religion Does Not Necessarily Make One a “Bigot” – The Reason for Opposition Matters

by Elliot | 6:09 am, August 30, 2010

While the opposition to the Ground-Zero Mosque may be based on political correctness, to the extent that its supporters are calling the opponents “bigots” they are misapplying words.   Contrary to their contentions, bigotry is NOT “when a group is protested against just because of their religion.”  Instead bigotry is when a group is protested [...]

Revoking Hick’s free pass

by completecolorado | 7:42 pm, August 29, 2010

The Vince Carroll headline August 11, “Time to Yank Hickenlooper’s Free Pass,” was a clarion call to all Colorado media, if not Carroll’s own paper.  And since that time, the Denver Post’s Karen Crummy has authored two thoughtful, serious examinations of Mayor Hickenlooper.  Given Crummy’s groundbreaking work on the Cory Voorhis scandal, it’s little wonder [...]

GOP complaints against Tancredo.

by David K. Williams, Jr. | 6:03 pm, August 29, 2010

I thought competition was a GOP principle. Or does that only apply to school choice? If the current voting system makes Tancredo’s third party run problematic for the GOP, the GOP should champion a new voting system. I suggest Approval Voting. I recommend “Gaming the Vote” by William Poundstone as an excellent primer on the issue.

Flood protection: If it’s not your business, it’s none of your business

by Brian T. Schwartz | 6:00 pm, August 29, 2010

From the Daily Camera: The idea [from City of Boulder officials] is that a new set of codes would apply to new construction and substantial remodels of buildings that are designated as “critical facilities.” Under the city’s definition, those buildings include hospitals, sewage treatment plants, gas stations, nursing homes, police and fire stations, emergency shelters, [...]

Just Because It Is Legal to Protest the Mosque Does Not Make It “Right”

by Elliot | 9:56 am, August 29, 2010

In the furor after Ali Hasan called those who opposed the Ground-Zero Mosque bigots, the argument over the mosque has basically been two sides talking past each other.  Supporters of the Mosque call those in its opposition bigots who are ignoring property rights, while opponents of the Mosque claim that the Mosque’s supporters are confusing [...]

Freedom ain’t a la carte.

by David K. Williams, Jr. | 8:03 am, August 29, 2010

According to the New York Time’s article on Glenn Beck’s “Restoring Honor” rally in D.C. (see “At Lincoln Memorial, a call for religious rebirth”):. . . Tea Party groups have said they want to focus on fiscal conservatism and not risk alienating peopl…

Two years on and the arc of a movement

by Kelly Maher | 3:43 pm, August 28, 2010

“It’s time for us to change America,” then-Sen. Barack Obama said on this date two years ago in Denver, accepting the Democratic Party’s nomination for president of the United States. It’s clear now that the change we’ve been waiting for is something else entirely.

Ryan Frazier 40, Ed Perlmutter 39: Liberal CD-7 Incumbent Feels the Heat

by Ben DeGrow | 5:51 pm, August 27, 2010

National Review Online’s Michael Sandoval breaks more news this afternoon by bringing our attention to a new Magellan Strategies poll of my own 7th Congressional District. Bottom line: Republican Ryan Frazier edges out incumbent Ed “Don’t Call Me Pelosi” Perlmutter, 40-39. Some observations on the survey: The voter sample was 38 percent Democrat, 35 percent [...]

Gazette Says Amendment 63 “Protects Our Freedom”

by Mike Krause | 4:36 pm, August 27, 2010

The Colorado Springs Gazette has an outstanding editorial on Amendment 63, the “Right to Health Care Choice” citizens amendment, calling it a “great idea” that has become certainty. One money quote out of many:
Amendment 63 would make Colorado an attractive haven for health care development, competition, and medical tourism, thus improving the health care [...]

Denver Gets a Dose of More ‘Affordable Housing’ Bad Medicine

by Mike Krause | 3:32 pm, August 27, 2010

Over at the Denver Daily News Independence Institute Senior Fellow Barry Poulson takes Mayor Hickenlooper to task for prescribing for Denver more of same bad federal “affordable housing” medicine that helped get us into our current financial mess:
Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper recently signed on to “Take Root Denver,” a new affordable housing campaign sponsored [...]

Bernie Buescher Doesn’t Get His Way: Time to Make Military Votes a Priority

by Ben DeGrow | 2:48 pm, August 27, 2010

Update, 8/28: I have uploaded a copy of the official DoD letter denying Buescher’s waiver request. A few weeks ago, Bill Ritter-appointed Secretary of State Bernie Buescher brought his own campaign into the news limelight by requesting a waiver from the law requiring ballots be sent out to military personnel no later than 45 days [...]

Immigration reform failure? Perlmutter blames GOP

by Kelly Maher | 2:25 pm, August 27, 2010

At a recent forum that included Republican challenger Ryan Frazier, U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter, D-Colo., tried to blame “41 Republicans” in the U.S. Senate for the failure on immigration reform. Perlmutter’s deflection indicates what’s really needed: a change in leadership, starting in his 7th Congressional District.

We May Disagree about Senate Bill 191, But There’s No Need to Rewrite History

by Eddie | 12:34 pm, August 27, 2010

Nobody in the education world is talking about anything else, so why not just make it official and call this “Race to the Top week”? The fallout continues. In an exclusive interview on Tuesday, State Board of Education member Marcia Neal told my Education Policy Center friends that we might see an effort to slow [...]

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