Category Archives: Front Page Posts

Dick Wadhams Gets Another Shot at Glory

3
  by: Colorado Pols Wed May 22, 2013 at 12:06 PM MDT

We missed Dick.

We missed Dick.

​With a H/T to reporter Marianne Goodland, Roll Call's Kyle Trygstad:

Veteran GOP operative Dick Wadhams has signed on as general consultant for the leading candidate in one of the GOP’s top Senate pickup opportunities.

Former South Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds announced on Wednesday that he has retained Wadhams to help lead his campaign.

The election next year will come a decade after Wadhams’ last triumph in the state — managing now-Sen. John Thune’s 2004 upset of Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle.

“Dick’s reputation as a battle tested strategist, coupled with his insight into South Dakota’s political landscape make him the perfect complement to our team,” Rounds said in a statement. “We’ve been considering individuals to fill this role for months and we continued to come back to Mr. Wadhams.”

It's been a rough few years for the formerly legendary Colorado GOP chairman Dick Wadhams. Arguably Wadhams' greatest triumph as a campaign manager came in South Dakota, though, when he masterminded Sen. John Thune's 2004 victory. Wadhams gained his reputation after massaging former Sen. Wayne Allard of Colorado, one of the least inspiring men to ever serve in the United States Senate, into two election wins over Democratic challenger Tom Strickland. Since 2004, however, Wadhams has presided over a string of defeats for Senate candidates in several states including Colorado continued losses for the GOP as Colorado party chairman, and the 2010 gubernatorial debacle that more or less broke the party's back here. Wadhams fell so far, so fast, that it's easy to forget that he was once near the pinnacle of his profession; Wadhams managed the 2006 re-election campaign of Sen. George Allen in Virginia, which was supposed to have been a formality along the way toward a run for President in 2008. But then "Macaca" happened.

Perhaps Gov. Mike Rounds will be Wadhams' ticket back to winner's circle. His résumé‎ hopes so.


Full story: Dick Wadhams Gets Another Shot at Glory

BLM Colorado: Public Has No Need to Know About Public Lands, Public Monies, Public Employees

5
  by: ClubTwitty Wed May 22, 2013 at 7:37 AM MDT

(Promoted by Colorado Pols)

In a show of arrogance that has become too typical of the Colorado State Office of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, the agency is ignoring a Federal judge, media requests, stakeholders, and the public in denying public information about public activities on the public lands, according to the Durango Herald:

“This isn’t a widespread issue of public concern. It is primarily press that are concerned about oil and gas leasing and activists that are opposed to oil and gas leasing.”

The state 'Communications Director', one might assume, has the job as a public employee working on public lands issues and spending public monies, of informing the public and managing media relations.  The 'press' and public are–this common-sense assumption goes–the PRIMARY purpose of his receiving a Federal salary as a taxpayer-funded public employee.

But apparently not for BLM Colorado–where public information is no such thing, and the public and media are merely distractions from what ever other self-determined more important things, like defending illegal agency actions perhaps, or intentionally seeking to divide communities. 

(more…)


Full story: BLM Colorado: Public Has No Need to Know About Public Lands, Public Monies, Public Employees

McLachlan Recall Effort Sputters Out

16
  by: Colorado Pols Tue May 21, 2013 at 11:30 AM MDT

From Lynn Bartels at "The Spot":

The first of four efforts to recall Democratic lawmakers over their gun votes has failed, with the secretary of state’s office reporting no signatures will be turned in an effort to oust Rep. Mike McLachlan of Durango.

Today was the deadline to turn in signatures for the first-term lawmaker’s recall, but the secretary of state’s office was informed that no signatures will be forthcoming. Those spearheading the recall effort against McLachlan needed to collect 10,586 signatures in order to force a recall election.

Juuusst a bit outside.

If you’re going to take a big swing…you had better connect.

It's true that a recall of Senate President John Morse is the primary target for RMGO, Dudley Brown and crew (as well as the NRA), and recall efforts against Democrat Senators Evie Hudak (Arvada) and Angela Giron (Pueblo) also continue. But that doesn't mean that such a poor effort on the McLachlan recall is not important. In fact, failing to turn in any signatures in a recall effort against McLachlan will have political repercussions beyond 2013.

As we've discussed before, it is incredibly difficult to succeed in a recall effort, which is why threatening such a maneuver carries so much risk. The threats from Brown and his RMGO lobbyists during the 2013 legislative session (threats like this one) only work if there is a real risk that a recall will succeed. Next time, for McLachlan and other "threatened" legislators, they'll have some recent history to consider when another "threat" comes their way.

What could make the difference in the remaining recall attempt, against Senate President John Morse in Colorado Springs, is the presence of paid petition gatherers and growing national interest in the effort. Due in part to Morse's last election being in the 2010 off-year, Morse always represented the lowest hurdle for recall organizers, and the highest-profile target as Senate President. It's worth nothing that the first, stillborn recall question against Morse technically failed last week–but that doesn't matter now that the NRA-endorsed, fully funded signature gathering campaign is on the ground, and they can try again and again if they wish. In interviews this past week, Morse appears to accept the fact that his recall will probably go to the ballot, and he vows to fight–not just for his seat, but to defend all of the many policy goals the General Assembly accomplished this year.


Full story: McLachlan Recall Effort Sputters Out

Attention Journalists: Mike Coffman is NOT a “Moderate”

20
  by: Colorado Pols Tue May 21, 2013 at 11:16 AM MDT

endangeredcoffmanUPDATE: Jason Salzman weighs in with a similar conclusion.​

—–

Somebody help out Tim Alberta at National Journal, please:

Heritage Action, an influential group that works closely with the Republican Study Committee and its conservative members, wrote a letter Thursday to House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., urging them not to bring two bills to the floor…

But the notion that House Republicans should steer clear of any potentially discordant votes did not sit well with some lawmakers.

“This is the House of Representatives,” said Rep. David Schweikert of Arizona, a conservative RSC member who said he normally supports Heritage Action’s efforts. “We need to step up and do our work.”

At the opposite end of the GOP’s ideological spectrum, Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Colo., a moderate who sometimes refers to himself as an independent, [Pols emphasis] scoffed at the suggestion…

Okay, obviously, full stop. We don't claim to know who Tim Alberta is, whether he's been a political reporter for decades, just graduated from college or what. We could find out, of course, but we frankly aren't going to bother. What we will do is say again, as succinctly as we can, that Rep. Mike Coffman is no "moderate"–and that this reporter is facilitating an underway wholesale reinvention that Coffman is trying desperately to pull off without too much scrutiny. Little aside references like this one slowly aggregate into a body of such references, and presto!

The guy who only last year told fellow Republicans that President Barack Obama "is not an American," who co-sponsored Todd Akin's "legitimate rape" bill, H.R.3 in 2011, who tried to restrict the delivery of bilingual ballots to U.S. citizens, who called Social Security a "Ponzi scheme," and who served as loony-right Rick Perry's campaign chair in Colorado is now a "moderate who sometimes refers to himself as an independent."

It's painfully obvious to everyone who knows the history here that Coffman's breakneck-speed reinvention from hard-right to "moderate" is happening to facilitate his continued survival in a district that is no longer overwhelmingly conservative, as his seat was prior to the 2010 redistricting cycle in Colorado–the extremist Rep. Tom Tancredo's former district, in fact. The only question is whether or not he will be allowed by the media to get away with it.


Full story: Attention Journalists: Mike Coffman is NOT a “Moderate”

IRS troubles light up CO Springs talk radio

8
  by: Jason Salzman Tue May 21, 2013 at 9:56 AM MDT

(Promoted by Colorado Pols)

Jeff Crank works for Koch-Brothers-funded Americans for Prosperity and doubles as a poster child for conservative talk-radio host, holding forth on KVOR in Colorado Springs.

I offer Crank's comments below, from Saturday's show, to illustrate how the troubles at the IRS give echoers like Crank the perfect springboard to reach for their deepest anti-government rhetoric, while demonizing Obama at the same time in the most extreme and shadowy ways.

Crank: “This is the moment to stand up and say we need to rip the IRS out by its roots! Grab it and throw it away and eliminate it! Get RID of the IRS! Throw it out the window! Let it be—throw it on the ash heap of history! Make it be the Soviet Union! Something that we remember in the disant past! No federal agency should be feared like this – and bureaucrats should never ever have this kind of power. It’s sickening! It’s absolutely sickening to see this kind of thing.”

He added that it’s sicker that we don’t have a leader in the White House who will stand up and get rid of these Jack Booted thugs at the IRS. Then later, he got more specific about Obama:

Caller (Mrs. Youngblood): "The reason I thought why the IRS is attacking most of the religious organizations was that to silence them because he [Obama] is wanting to establish a One World Religion…which would be Muslim. These religious organizations just didn’t meet his standards. [he’s trying to] Keep them from growing. I know he’s Muslim."

Crank: "…Some people will argue, 'Oh, he’s not Muslim.' Whatever, I’ll tell you this — He’s no friend of Christianity. When you’re attacking churches left and right and their tax status… there’s not one mosque that’s come forward and said, 'You know what? The IRS is really attacking us' Did you notice that, Mrs. Youngblood?"

Asked via Twitter if Crank really thinks Obama is "no friend of Christianity," Crank replied: "I said there weren't any Mosques that got an IRS root canal. Christian ministries did. True?"


Full story: IRS troubles light up CO Springs talk radio

What Happens When You Have No Candidate

21
  by: Colorado Pols Tue May 21, 2013 at 8:42 AM MDT
They too would like to be Governor.

They too would like to be Governor.

FOX 31's Eli Stokols:

If Colorado Republicans are looking for a fresh face to take on Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper next year, one of them just appeared.

Out of nowhere.

Well, Rhode Island, really.

Steve Laffey, a former mayor and GOP Senate candidate who moved to Colorado just three years ago, has filed papers to run for governor in 2014.

Laffey’s campaign manager, Patrick Davis, began dropping hints on Facebook Monday night. Laffey is expected to officially announce his campaign Tuesday morning on the Amy Oliver Show.

We wrote yesterday about Colorado GOP chairman Ryan Call's surprisingly frank admission this weekend in the Durango Herald that the Republican bench of eligible candidates for high office has "suffered" after years of losses. Yesterday afternoon, FOX 31 put up a story with Call speculating about as many as five candidates, and a "robust primary" to include such GOP luminaries as Secretary of State Scott Gessler, Sen. Greg Brophy, and perhaps even Attorney General John Suthers–though the story notes later that Suthers has already ruled this out.

Well folks, now you know why Call was so eager to get other names out there. Back in the real world, outside observers are increasingly confused as to why nobody has formally jumped into either of the two top-ticket races in Colorado for 2014. It's incongruous, especially given presumptions about having "awakened the sleeping giant" over gun control, that nobody is serious about taking on Hickenlooper. And it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that Brophy, the likeliest candidate so far along with the polarizing Gessler, has no appreciable chance.

Bottom line: something had better happen, and soon, because the Dan Maes clown car is en route.


Full story: What Happens When You Have No Candidate

Udall Promises “Bold and Productive Action” To Fight Sexual Assaults In The Military

3
  by: nancycronk Mon May 20, 2013 at 4:35 PM MDT

(Promoted by Colorado Pols)

Responding to growing reports of sexual abuse and harassment within the United States military, U.S. Senator Mark Udall announced today he will take a leading role by working on both sides of the aisle to address sexual violence in the armed services. He outlined his plan to find solutions, hold perpetrators accountable, and protect victims from retaliation.

His plans include co-sponsoring "a number of bills" on the issue, and pushing for a provision to the National Defense Authorization Act. One of the bills he intends to support is the Murray-Ayotte Sexual Assault bill, a bipartisan piece of legislation from Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), which will establish a special military counsel to provide legal advice and assistance requested by any military sexual assault victim. The law will require cases to be automatically referred to a general or admiral to ensure greater oversight. The bill will allow cases to be shifted outside of the chain of command if an appropriate investigation does not occur in a timely fashion.

(more…)


Full story: Udall Promises “Bold and Productive Action” To Fight Sexual Assaults In The Military

Today In BS: Scott Gessler and 2012 Voter Turnout Rates

10
  by: Colorado Pols Mon May 20, 2013 at 2:05 PM MDT

Stop Whining About OverreachingAs the Craig Daily Press' Joe Moylan reports:

For Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler, there was no more blatant example of partisan political power than House Bill 13-1303, a 128-page rewrite of Colorado’s voting laws…

On Saturday, Gessler was the featured speaker during the annual Moffat County Republican Party Lincoln Day Dinner at the Holiday Inn of Craig. During his 20-minute address, Gessler outlined for about 40 local residents the flaws he sees in the new law and criticized Gov. John Hickenlooper as being a rubber-stamp governor for a partisan state Legislature…

“We outperform almost every other state in terms of voter turnout and we outperform the eight same-day voter registration states,” Gessler said. [Pols emphasis] “This wasn’t a problem that needed to be solved. Not one Republican amendment was accepted and not one person from my office was consulted on this bill.”

Our friend John Tomasic of the Colorado Independent directs us to this George Mason University chart of voter turnout in the 2012 elections:

State VEP Highest Office
Turnout Rate 		VEP Total Ballots Counted
​Turnout Rate
Colorado 70.3% 71.1%
Minnesota (SDR) 75.7% 76.1%

And that's "Today in BS," folks.


Full story: Today In BS: Scott Gessler and 2012 Voter Turnout Rates

Good Luck With That, Ryan Call

14
  by: Colorado Pols Mon May 20, 2013 at 1:17 PM MDT
See you in 2016?

See you in 2016? Maybe?

As the Durango Herald reported over the weekend, Republicans in Colorado are still looking for that elusive candidate to challenge either Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper or Sen. Mark Udall. We've discussed many times in this space that Colorado Republicans are basically paralyzed under the vice grip of the Tea Party and the far-right; the only way to win a statewide election in Colorado is to run as a moderate, but the GOP can't get a moderate out of a primary. Perhaps both a cause and effect of this problem has left Republicans with quite literally nobody to turn to for help.

In that context, it's hard not to feel sorry for Colorado Republican Party Chair Ryan Call, who can't do much anymore but just admit that the GOP has no bench. From the Durango Herald:

Republicans have whispered about a handful of possible candidates – including two prominent Four Corners politicians – but the party appears to be running into trouble fielding top-tier candidates for these races. Political scientists and strategists say this is just the latest edition of troubles that have dogged the party for the last 10 years…

…The Colorado Republican Party is down but not out, state chairman Call said.

“There’s no question that the bench, if you will, of candidates has suffered as a result of election losses in the past,” Call said. [Pols emphasis]

Call is correct, but it's more than that — even Republicans who have won recent elections (such as Rep. Cory Gardner) aren't really part of a bench that could succeed statewide. Republicans, and Call, know what they don't need.But they still have to square that with a Tea Party crowd doesn't agree about much of anything, even amongst themselves.

Colorado Pols readers have heard this all before, of course, but it's pretty incredible to see the State Party Chair basically admit that Republicans have no bench. The truth shall set you free, or something.


Full story: Good Luck With That, Ryan Call

Let No Facts Stand In The Way Of Rage

16
  by: Colorado Pols Mon May 20, 2013 at 11:02 AM MDT

A brief roundup of reporting on the release late Friday by Colorado Attorney General John Suthers of long-awaited technical guidance for law enforcement on the implementation of House Bill 1224, the bill limiting gun magazine capacity to 15 rounds. Suthers' release of this guidance, which lays out the plain language of House Bill 1224 and seeks to dispel a huge amount of unfounded speculation and misinterpretations of the new law, came on the same day that a majority of Colorado county sheriffs held a press conference with Dave Kopel of the Independence Institute announcing their lawsuit to overturn both House Bill 1224 and the universal background checks bill, House Bill 1229.

Apparently, the sheriffs were a lot more interesting to the media.

Hypothetically, Suthers' technical guidance should take some of the wind out of the sails of opponents–and least those motivated by specious, even irrational interpretations of the bill's language. As the scant press coverage that actually mentions Suthers' memo from the weekend indicates, though, it didn't even slow them down.

7NEWS' Alan Gathright appears to have done the best job explaining what the AG's guidance means:

Some concerns about the law prohibiting the sale, transfer and possessing of large-capacity ammunition magazines might be eased by a legal opinion released Friday by Colorado Attorney General John Suthers and Department of Public Safety Executive Director James Davis. Gov. John Hickenlooper instructed the officials to provide the technical guidance on how law enforcement agencies should interpret and enforce the law. 

Just because a magazine has a "removable baseplate" does not mean it falls under the law's definition of a large-capacity magazine "designed to be readily converted to accept more than 15 rounds of ammunition," the guidance says. "

On many magazines, that [removable baseplate] design feature is included to specifically to permit cleaning and maintenance," the opinion says. "Of course, a magazine whose baseplate is replaced with one that does, in fact, allow the magazine to accept more than 15 rounds would be a 'large-capacity magazine' under House Bill 1224."

So, just having a magazine with the potential to be expanded to hold more than 15 rounds isn't deemed a violation of the law. [Pols emphasis]

The Durango Herald's Joe Hanel reports, if that's a problem for your outrage, the answer is simple: just ignore it. 

(more…)


Full story: Let No Facts Stand In The Way Of Rage

Lobbyist Radio Host and Lobbyist Guest Express their Screwy Feelings on Internet Radio

3
  by: Jason Salzman Mon May 20, 2013 at 8:47 AM MDT

(Eww – promoted by Colorado Pols)

Lobbyist Corky Kyle, who runs the Kyle Group, hosts an internet radio show called “In the Lobby,” which promises to give “you a backstage pass to the heated industry of lobbying and politics.”

Here’s the backstage view you got when Kyle had Tony Gagliardi, a lobbyist for the National Federation of Independent Business, on the show May 7 (@24 min).

Kyle: All right. We’re back. We’re back, after the exciting first segment of our show. How’s it feel, Denver, to be a small businessman? Did you just want to bend over and grab the Vaseline®? Or maybe they’re not going to use Vaseline ® this time. I don’t think they are.

Gagliardi: They’re not even going to take you to dinner.

Kyle: They’re not even going to take you to dinner! That’s right! And, on top of that, they won’t even kiss you!

Gagliardi: [laughing] I know.

Kyle: What the heck is going on with this?

(more…)


Full story: Lobbyist Radio Host and Lobbyist Guest Express their Screwy Feelings on Internet Radio

At Least She’s (Hopefully) Not Your School Board Member…

10
  by: catpuzzle Mon May 20, 2013 at 7:30 AM MDT

(The battle of Andrea Merida vs. everybody else rages on – promoted by Colorado Pols)

It’s always good to see our elected officials take to the interwebs to engage in some good ol’ interaction with the people they are supposed to be representing.

Of course, for most politicians, that might mean responding on twitter or engaging on facebook. But for a select few, it might just mean getting down in to the trenches, and starting a good old flame war.

And few are more likely to be engaging in some good ol’ blog-post-comment-wars (general belief is she had quite a few sock puppet accounts here on Pols back in the day) or general online "trolling" than the Denver school board’s very own elected super-troll, Andrea Merida (when she isn’t busy imploding in some other way, of course).

What follows is almost too ridiculous to be true. It's simply incredible that she’s (still) an elected officia, and in a job that’s important!

So, check out the kind of elected official her constituents are lucky enough to enjoy!

(more…)


Full story: At Least She’s (Hopefully) Not Your School Board Member…