U.S. Senate
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(D) J. Hickenlooper*
(R) Somebody
80%
20%
Governor
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(D) Phil Weiser
(D) Joe Neguse
(D) Jena Griswold
60%
60%
40%↓
Att. General
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(D) M. Dougherty
(D) Alexis King
(D) Brian Mason
40%
40%
30%
Sec. of State
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(D) A. Gonzalez
(D) George Stern
(R) Sheri Davis
50%↑
40%
30%
State Treasurer
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(D) Brianna Titone
(R) Kevin Grantham
(D) Jerry DiTullio
60%
30%
20%
CO-01 (Denver)
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(D) Diana DeGette*
(R) Somebody
90%
2%
CO-02 (Boulder-ish)
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(D) Joe Neguse*
(R) Somebody
90%
2%
CO-03 (West & Southern CO)
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(R) Jeff Hurd*
(D) Somebody
80%
40%
CO-04 (Northeast-ish Colorado)
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(R) Lauren Boebert*
(D) Somebody
90%
10%
CO-05 (Colorado Springs)
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(R) Jeff Crank*
(D) Somebody
80%
20%
CO-06 (Aurora)
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(D) Jason Crow*
(R) Somebody
90%
10%
CO-07 (Jefferson County)
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(D) B. Pettersen*
(R) Somebody
90%
10%
CO-08 (Northern Colo.)
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(R) Gabe Evans*
(D) Yadira Caraveo
(D) Joe Salazar
50%
40%
40%
State Senate Majority
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DEMOCRATS
REPUBLICANS
80%
20%
State House Majority
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DEMOCRATS
REPUBLICANS
95%
5%
January 04, 2010 04:42 PM UTC
87 Comments
How do I make a signature line show up?
I put one into my profile an saved it.
But it doesn’t appear.
Try it again and hit reset this time. Not sure why it isn’t showing up for you because it sounds like you did it right. It might be too long, though, which would prevent it from appearing. Try cutting it down to the sentence that starts with “What worries me…” and see if that works.
Back from a wonderful stay in North Carolina, with a side trip to Savannah GA. My companion on this trip has been a book by Loretta Napoleoni, Terror Incorporated.
http://search.barnesandnoble.c…
I’m halfway thru the book, and it’ clear that we need to spend more time chasing the Euros and Dollars, and less time chasing the Imans.
Most startling so far has been the chapter on the PLO, and how a massive assault on a Bank in Beruit is the reason why they can spend away year after year…
Announced yesterday that travelers from 14 nations will receive increased scrutiny if they are US bound. The 14 are mostly Arab and some African.
A big “DOH!” to Homeland Security.
i’d like to believe that behind the scenes DHS is proactive in devising potential threats and figuring out how to respond to them, but after watching them (over)react time and again shoe bomber, then liquids and gels, now powders taped to legs) you have to wonder.
simple non-country-of-origin-specific, non-ethnic or religious profiling should have worked just fine. I mean the guy had a one way ticket paid for with cash and no luggage. How much more suspicious does it get? This is setting aside as something they couldn’t have known, the fact that he was barred from flying in Britain and his father had reported concerns that he was being influenced by extremist organizations to authorities.
Years ago we were pulled out for extra scrutiny, with luggage and a two way ticket to Canada just because we got our tickets with points from a credit card and they showed up on their computer as having been paid for with cash.It was explained to us, when we said we had not paid cash they explained that there was no way for the computer to show they hadn’t been “purchased” at all so it came up “cash”.
The fact that it’s all just a dog and pony show to make it look like something is being done to protect us is the problem, not lack of profiling. This guy all but had a tattoo on his forehead screaming for extra scrutiny.
…where cash payments for airline tickets are not only common, but often required in light of widespread credit-card fraud.
Yeah, Umar shouldn’t have been aboard the plane, but not for that particular reason. I suppose one question would be: shouldn’t everyone reported to authorities–not just by their relatives, but by their roommates, ex-lovers, neighbors, and coworkers, and not just in the U.S. but also in Britain, Germany, Croatia, Serbia, Armenia…–as sympathetic to radicals be placed on a no-fly list? That could certainly speed up airport checkin!
And don’t forget Perle Vision’s Special today only: 100% Accurate Hindsight Trifocals: Buy one, pay $1; buy two, they’re free; take three, they’ll pay you!
If Bennet hadn’t been appointed US Senator!
the Broncos would be 16-0 and the Road to the Super Bowl would run through Denver!
Good one. 🙂
No one said it was suspicious because he paid cash – not all by itself. It was suspicious also because it was a) one-way and b) sans luggage. Who takes an intercontinental flight without any bags? The cash purchase was simply the icing on the suspicious cake.
Apparently, lots of people… people who ship their bags ahead by air freight to avoid the hassles of check-in, baggage claim, customs, etc. I gather that you, you international voyager you, don’t do this, but it’s not uncommon, and in fact recommended by a variety of publications writing for frequent flyers. Should checking baggage–the more pieces the better–get a flyer off the suspected list? Should TSA regulations assume that people without checked bags must be planning to commit suicide, since why else would they elect to go only with carry-on baggage?
There must be some name in Logic about this line of reasoning: these were characteristics of Terrorist X; therefore, anyone with these characteristics must be a terrorist. Wore shoes? Check. Wore underwear? Check. Had a multi-entrance visa? Check. Ding-a-ling! Terrorist Alert! Terrorist Alert! Why, I wonder, do you choose just two or three characteristics? Is there some known pattern with many precedents that would lead you to think, “Most people who fly without checked baggage and who paid cash for their tickets are terrorists”? Ok, how about any precedents? Maybe that seems logical to you afterwards; but what was the statistical pattern before Xmas 2009?
I leave you with my sigline.
Those people still take a carry-on at least, and fly two-way.
It must be terrible to have to live in your head, always confused about red-flag things like this, and thinking that gratuitous italics and underlines make your case stronger (in actuality it makes it look like you’re crazy).
…for confirming my point: you cannot point to any pattern, any precedents, any facts. Who are “those people” who “still take a carry-on at least and fly two-way”? Only terrorists don’t have carry-on luggage? Only terrorists fly on one-way tickets? Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab is the only person who ever paid cash in Africa for a one-way ticket and boarded without baggage? Soulda known! So obvious! Makes you wonder why airlines are still allowed to sell one-way tickets–for cash, no less–doesn’t it? Such an easy solution to the threat of terrorists on airplanes–make ’em buy round-trip tickets and they’ll all go away ’cause they’re too cheap to spring for the R-T fare! It’s a shame–a scandal, really– that TSA et al. didn’t take your advice when you first offered it, months and weeks and years ago, since you can see a red flag from 18 inches away.
So, how about sharing with us what other tips and patterns that you’ve provided to TSA, the CIA, FBI, NSA, and Homeland Security and all those other blind bats (to say nothing of your local dog catcher)… or are you too busy packing your bags to take over global airline security services? Whew! I feel better already! (Oops, there I go again, an exclamation point followed by a question mark. Almost as bad as italics! Do me another favor–recommend a good psychiatrist, can you? Must be wonderful, knowing that you know everything, no need to question anything. I’m soooo jealous.)
YOU can’t produce any facts either, which means that any points you think you’re making are not supported by anything except your own feverish emotions.
See BlueCat’s response below. He (she?) is willing to spell it out for you.
Except for one thing: I’m not the one making any assertions to the effect that there were “red flags like this” on the basis of which Abdulmutallab should have been identified in advance since he fit some imaginary terrorist pattern (paying cash, no luggage, one-way ticket, wore underwear, was single, male…oops, scratch the last three). Far more persuasive was Britain’s decision not to admit him–but again, that was because he apparently lied on his application for a student visa, not because he was tied to terrorists. The “pattern” seems a good deal more clear after the event than before, which is why hindsight is generally not worth much (and possibly nothing at all).
Should his father’s warning have put the son’s name on one of the more restricted lists, even on the “no fly” list? In retrospect, yes; but since I haven’t read any transcript of what the father said, I’m in no position to say that placing Abdulmutalab’s name on the 550,000-member list wasn’t a reasonable decision based on what was known in mid-November. Imagine the size of the no-fly list if every disgruntled girlfriend, ex-business partner, or would-be paid informant could put your name on it!
To repeat before ending this particular dead-end exchange: Since I’m not making any assertion(s) about what was or was not a “red flag,” I have nothing to prove with evidence. And in any case, I didn’t take a family trip to Canada recently, so obviously I know nothing about apprehending terrorists!
Good luck at TSA, CIA, FBI, or wherever. Oh, embassy in Lagos is it? I’ve heard it gets hot there.
but cash plus one way plus no luggage should be more than enough to get a would be flier extra scrutiny, even without the other info that certainly should have been easily available if our system were working as it should be. As is, it’s a multi-billion dollar dog and pony show, the inconveniences of which do little to keep us safe but make it look like somebody must be doing something very serious to protect us.
“As is, it’s a multi-billion dollar dog and pony show, the inconveniences of which do little to keep us safe but make it look like somebody must be doing something very serious to protect us.”
It is as effective as putting warning labels on a package of cigarettes is in stopping smoking.
The operative agenda is ‘look like you are doing something.’
Essentially you have to give airport employees the authority to act harshly on hunches that behavior is suspicious. With a lot more people flying now than before, and with many flights relatively cheap, a lot of behavior that might have raised flags before is going to be completely innocuous.
And it’s important to note that once any redneck airport employee can start profiling people he finds suspicious, you’re going to see a lot of arbitrary harassment of brown and foreign people, just in case. When that happens, you end up with LESS security.
A sufficiently determined terrorist is impossible to stop in any remotely free society. The Lod massacre was carried out by a Japanese woman. What sort of profiling would have caught her?
I point out the behaviors that should have brought extra scrutiny regardless of ethnic, religious or country of origin profiling. Yes, behavior based criteria will also cause innocent people to receive extra scrutiny but the inconvenience is a fair price to pay for effective security measures. What’s aggravating is having to go through a lot of inconvenience while someone who paid cash for a one way ticket with no luggage is allowed to board with me with no additional scrutiny.
Relying mainly on non-behavioral profiling just invites the use of operatives who don’t fit the profile. There is always a supply of misguided vanilla looking American and European young people, as well as Japanese and others that don’t fit the profile, attracted to violent groups.
Also, while most terrorism these days is related to Islamic extremists there will always be other dangers. Ethnic or religious profiling isn’t going to stop a Timothy McVeigh.
People love to point to Israel’s El Al as a paragon of flight safety and they do use ethnic/religious profiling but even they rely much more on behavioral criteria and their screeners are much better trained. It’s also worth noting that singling out Muslims on that basis alone hardly contradicts recruiters who use the alleged Western/Israeli Crusade against Islam as a recruiting tool.
tracks money and people.
He frequently has better intel than the government. The national security apparatus uses his info (FBI, CIA, Homeland security)
He has had to live underground due to death threats, but his work has accolades from many notable figures.
Have any of the MANY campaigns posted their last quarter “winnings”?
It just ended last Thursday so I would imagine we’ll start seeing some numbers roll in w/in the next two weeks.
if the reports will reflect Penry’s returning his donations as he said he would. Might be an indication of what his future aspirations are.
Yeah, I’d be quite interested to see his donations, period, who they were from, his burn rate, his raise rate and like you said, if he returned them as promised.
If a person says they are going to return donations and the defunct campaign spent, say, 20 percent of the total, does each donor get 80 percent of his/her money back? Or can the quitter choose to give 100 percent back to selected individuals and 60 percent to others? Or, I guess, zero return, for that matter, if it is up the former candidate?
When Angie Paccione dropped out of the campaign, she reimbursed folks who had given donations in the quarter she dropped out in (and I think she gave partial reimbursements for folks that donated prior to that). I received a full reimbursement of my campaign donation within about 30 days of her withdrawing. I was shocked and pleasantly surprised because I didn’t expect to get my money back and I thought it was a really stand up thing to do. She hadn’t mentioned she would be returning funds–she just did it and I still love her for it to this day. So, you are dead right–Penry could really foster a lot of good will by keeping his word on this one.
I can understand completely if he doesn’t completely reimburse people because some of the early quarter donations probably went to operating and campaign related costs and that is to be expected. But if someone gave within the last 30 days before he left the campaign, I would expect them to receive full reimbursement and if his costs were minimal at this point (and they really should have been), I’d expect some sort of reimbursement to every donor. I think it’s up to the campaign what percentage to return.
Boy, where’s Dan Willis when you need him? 🙂
http://coloradopols.com/diary/…
That old chestnut never gets tired, does it? 🙂
That won’t be the last time we’ll see that scandal get mentioned this year.
would be that it is up to the campaign committee/candidate to determine the percentage and amount each donor receives in returned donations. But I was just thinking it would be a good coffin nail to send out post cards telling a donor that his/her neighbor received 100% of their donation back while you received none. If it was not done fairly.
Of course, this is Josh Penry we are talking about. One nurtured by one Scooty McInnis, whom knows a thing or two about not doing what he said he would do with his donations.
Man, that is evil–your little postcard idea. That is really evil. I’m filing that away in my “future use” ideas catalog.
from Drew Westen/CNN
It’s difficult to find places where the White House has drawn up sound bites digestible at the 4th Grade level that scare people, and repeated those bites ad nauseum, like the R’s have done. But that’s the R’s game, not the D’s game, and Obama campaigned repeatedly for people to not play into fear. So are you now asking the White House to come up with scary one liners to hit the R’s with? At any rate, that’s how I interpret Westen’s usage of “coherent, compelling” in that article.
You can choose to be positive and forward thinking – but you still must sell your approach to the American people. And in today’s world that does mean short easy to understand snippets.
What was the New Deal, if not the ultimate digestible sound bite? Penultimate, actually – “Hope” trumps it for simplicity and elegance.
That’s not the issue, though. Bush and FDR (among other successful presidents) had a rather uniform policy that they pursued with consistency, and Obama so far isn’t doing that very well. We know he’s after health care reform, but he’s been careful not to define it clearly – probably so he could get whatever drastic compromise that proved necessary (such as leaving single payer out of it) without going back on his word. That may or may not be good politics, depending on who you ask, but it allowed the public to form their own ideas when a “coherent, compelling message” would have made it clear.
Not unless you simply mean successful in getting re-elected. That re-election was soon followed by plummeting respect and approval, relegation to a spot near the bottom of the list as a president and a complete repudiation of the permanent majority Rove was bragging about right up until the reality based numbers trumped “his” numbers.
Do agree that a good sound bite or two would be helpful since most of the public is not in the habit of studying policy details. In a society where people can scream for the government to keep its hands off their medicare, pols do well to coin catchy phrases.
He was successful in a) communicating his agenda and b) getting it passed in Congress. At least as long as the GOP held the majority.
Keep in mind that Bush got NCLB (his first major policy move) passed within the first 6 months of his presidency; Obama is still working on his first policy victory. (Granted, Bush wasn’t dealing with attrition-like conditions with the opposition and that makes all the difference in the world.)
History won’t remember Bush as a good president, but he was successful, at least in the short term.
and was done in about a month as I recall.
the financial meltdown was a mutually-agreed-upon top priority crisis.
The financial bailout was passed under Bush. The stimulus package didn’t deal much with financial stuff as I recall, and it passed with virtually no Republican support after a fair bit of wrangling, in more or less the form proposed by Obama (minus the state aid).
It didn’t feel “mutual” in any sense; Republicans went apoplectic over it, and although the teabaggers are now associated with “Keep your government hands off my Medicare!”, they started as a response to all the socialocommuninazimaoistalinifascistoslavery of the stimulus bill.
they also got a huge wilderness bill done early on. One of those things that had been waiting for Dems for a long, long time
you’re putting NCLB on par with health care reform?
I’m still baffled at all the Obama-hating. (I’m using hating in the sports meaning, not the KKK meaning.) He’s doing fine. Leave him be, and in 7 more years we’re all going to be very happy he’s been in the White House.
These are both reform efforts to which each president gave top priority. In that respect, they are exactly on par with one another.
NCLB didn’t (doesn’t) have nearly the universal interest from the public in general, and it had bipartisan support from the beginning. It didn’t have a full, rock-solid minority against it. It got huge bipartisan votes in both chambers … it passed the Senate 91-8. W wasn’t swimming upstream on NCLB, fighting a dedicated, fully-unified opposition, like Obama is on health care. There just isn’t a comparison.
He made some interesting points about messaging (or lack thereof)
My take–Obama (or his people) don’t want to be in “campaign mode,” they want to be in “governing mode.” There used to be at least a year of honeymoon to govern in the odd numbered years, but that doesn’t happen anymore.
To repeat a comment from yesterday – if you have not seen it, go see it ASAP. It is an absolutely incredible movie – amazing story.
What’s so amazing about it, aside from the pretty-cool special effects?
is, in fact, the answer.
especially in 3D (though I didn’t see it in IMAX). I didn’t find the story to be very amazing though.
to be more interested in story and character than special effects. But aren’t you in the demographic that’s supposed to be all about the techie stuff?
and I enjoyed the movie mainly because of that. (My wife’s reaction was much closer to David’s.) But it’s rare that I’ve watched a movie where I knew exactly what was going to happen at every moment just from having seen the trailer.
Of course, I think the Star Wars prequels are woefully underrated, so what do I know?
but I suspect you know plenty. I too prefer not to be able to predict exactly where a script is going. That’s why I never enjoyed all those popular police/ forensic/justice system procedurals. They all work out the same way. The most obvious suspect is never the culprit. The one who is initially so cooperative and “charming” in a smarmy way is always the one.
..and has been done to death. Avatar was almost as lame as Titanic, but at least it had more ‘splosions.
I think the special effects were secondary to the story & acting. It sucks you in to the world & the people. The aliens come across as another species without being heavy-handed. And the characters all have depth.
I think it’s one of the best films ever.
which is IMAX-3D. There are still the hollywood doe eyed beauties, and the matters of dominion over the planet,but I’m told it is amazing. One friend said that if there was ever an anti-war movement started in this country, this movie could start it. I don’t know, haven’t seen it yet.
Read more here.
You reap what you sow, ‘pubs, you reap what you sow.
Good for Reid and Pelosi. McConnell and Boehner will just have to gather at the C Street Sin Shack and pray for forgiveness as they whine.
I just caught up on my TiVo backlog, and this pretty much it when it comes to the VBA…
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories…
The disconnect just enrages me…the people on the medical side do all they can to treat the vets, but the benefits side routinely engages in “Delay until you Die” tactics.
I’ve got a pretty simple solution – just approve all claims, and then audit them when they appear bogus. Seems to work for every other branch of the government….
For indie, the reason I upgraded my computer O/S was to use the MS Media Center and have my own DVR so I can record things such as 60 Minutes or British Parliment.
Happy New Year Dan. Email me when you get a chance.
I think the only one I have is the official one. Do you have my card still (Vet?) – send me an email, and I’ll reply…
Everybody else. You can always go to my website and find ways to get in touch with me.
Dan,use the official one for now.
and completely respect the sentiment.
However, more practical would be something akin to the TAP exit brief occurring the day after swearing in. And then an required annual brief describing the current status of DVA and relevant benefits changes.
Even now I meet people who should know better who have a rather bizarre understanding of how the VA works and what it can and should do. Eg- I recently met a college career counselor who swore that a VA home loan would pay for up to $183,000 of a qualifying vet’s first home purchase. This counselor claimed to be a VNE vet.
…is that the same people who give the care (VHA) are generally the ones doing the exams to determine your Disability rating. If the VBA is examining every claim that comes in for fraud, aren’t we saying the VHA has enough fraud/incompetence to warrant a review?
If not, then lets assume the VHA knows what it’s doing, and go with their diagnosis. Approve all claims and audit the rest. Take all the excess manpower devoted to hunting thru old military records, and have them support the VHA.
Also, NO OTHER gov’t agency is as hostile to the claimant as the VBA. Every other form you file with the Feds has a 1-800 number and web address for help. The VA tells you upfront that they won’t help, and advises you to call a Vet Service Organization. Would you tolerate the IRS telling to you hire or call HR Block if you need help with your return?
The claims system was invented in the 1950’s – it’s time to dump it and start from scratch. I know this is heresy in the DAV, but they have some skin the game, and need the current system for their own selfish reasons.
What can I do to help?
….found here:
http://www.vetscommission.org/…
or the Iraq vet who was getting benefits from the VHA caused by a specific event and then denied benefits from the VBA caused by the same event…because they couldn’t find evidence of the event.
Ridiculous.
“after an IED explodes please document the scene for future VBA paperwork confirmation before taking cover or administering first aid to the wounded.
Upon return to base before reporting, document the specific incident for ease of future VBA claims processors.”
Tammy Duckworth, the current VA undersec’y for Public Affairs, lost both legs and the use of one arm in Iraq. When she filed her claim with the VBA, they made her come in for a supplemental exam to see if she indeed had lost those limbs.
Are there still too many leftovers from the previous administration? That definitely was the attitude during the last administration.
Or not enough people to handle the claims, or is the ‘point’ system that they talked about the biggest part of the problem? What do you know about Patrick W Dunne, the undersecretary for benefits? http://www1.va.gov/opa/bios/bi…
He was just sworn into office in Oct 2008. That seems a little strange to me. If it was that close to a new administration, why wouldn’t the Senate wait for the new administration? Someone must have been really pushing to get this guy in before the new administration took over.
Maybe they need to hire other than Admirals and Generals for this position. From his bio, I would say that he has simply been around too long. They need someone younger with new ideas and the energy to carry them out. I can just see Admiral Dunne being asked about making a change and his answer is always “This is the way it has always been done”. Anyone, anywhere in government as in a business, with that answer should be fired immediately!
I think that we should have a conversation directly with Shinseki. I know it is a big department and that Shinseki is working hard but I think that some of the undersecretaries are letting him and the veterans down.
claims start with being hurt/injuried/sick in the military. It doesn’t matter if you make the VBA telepathic – someone on the DoD side has to document someone’s record.
And to do that, you need people who have been on both sides of the process. I’m not a big fan of Dunne, but he’s been there a while, and he’s on that group of Dubya appointees that “seem” to know what they’re doing.
I say hire more Sergeant Majors and Master Chiefs in the intermediate positions. Then shit would get done…
You seem to be in a position to be well informed on the VA. Would you be willing to keep the rest of us (me) informed and not let this be a one day news story but a continuing update on what is happening, or not happening? Maybe we could report back on what our representatives and senators have to say about http://www.vetscommission.org/…
I swear to God, just when I think I’ve been outraged enough by the VA, they never fail to take it to the next level.
and congratulations on one of the best sig lines ever. The Broderick Crawford version of All the King’s Men narrated by “Jack” was in my view the greatest political movie ever. (Runnder up, “Primary Colors.)
The Sean Penn remake of All the King’s Men was so bad I tried and failed twice to make it through it.
Peanut gallery backbencher Laura Bradford says she will introduce legislation requiring DHS beneficiaries to submit to drug and alcohol testing. Guess she believes those who take corporate welfare, tax breaks and business subsidies (see David Kay Johnston’s “Free Lunch“) do not drink or use drugs. How would Bradford survive without ignorance?
The one that passed was supported by her former opponent, Secretary of State Buescher. It was an obsolete-language cleanup bill.
What makes you think that this or any other Bradford bill with see the light of day?
her bill will see the light of day. But what’s the waste of time, effort and taxpayer money to an UberCon if it will placate Janet Rowland and a “screw the needy” teabagger base? If Janet and Craig can waste time and money on needless failed lawsuits, only seems fitt’n that they support Laura’s failed legislation.
The US Standard railroad gauge (distance between the rails) is 4 feet, 8.5 inches. That’s an exceedingly odd number. Why was that gauge used? …
but not true
http://www.snopes.com/history/…
But I like this one- even if it’s not true either (IDK)
At last, 1:07PM EST, very peacefully, a hospice CNA and myself with him.
He cheated the grim reaper for two years, the time past his expected demise in 2007.
The Verizzo family is fine. I’m fine.
(Old time Polsters know I moved to FL to take care of him and Mom in Oct. 2007. You fresh ‘uns might not understand why I put this up.)
and your family. It may be of some comfort to you that you gave such good care and companionship in your father’s final years. My dad died in a tractor accident and I always regretted “not being able to say goodbye.”
From the little I know, he seemed to do a pretty good job at raising a kid. Now, don’t let Texans undo it.
Glad your father is at peace, and that you’re at peace with his passing, too.
Been there, done that. It sets you back for much longer than you think right now.
I am happy that your father is over his pain. Yours, unfortunately, still has a way to go. I’m not happy about that. But you will get through it.