U.S. Senate See Full Big Line

(D) J. Hickenlooper*

(R) Somebody

80%

20%

Governor See Full Big Line

(D) Joe Neguse

(D) Phil Weiser

(D) Jena Griswold

60%

60%

40%↓

Att. General See Full Big Line

(D) M. Dougherty

(D) Alexis King

(D) Brian Mason

40%

40%

30%

Sec. of State See Full Big Line

(D) George Stern

(D) A. Gonzalez

(R) Sheri Davis

40%

40%

30%

State Treasurer See Full Big Line

(D) Brianna Titone

(R) Kevin Grantham

(D) Jerry DiTullio

60%

30%

20%

CO-01 (Denver) See Full Big Line

(D) Diana DeGette*

(R) Somebody

90%

2%

CO-02 (Boulder-ish) See Full Big Line

(D) Joe Neguse*

(R) Somebody

90%

2%

CO-03 (West & Southern CO) See Full Big Line

(R) Jeff Hurd*

(D) Somebody

80%

40%

CO-04 (Northeast-ish Colorado) See Full Big Line

(R) Lauren Boebert*

(D) Somebody

90%

10%

CO-05 (Colorado Springs) See Full Big Line

(R) Jeff Crank*

(D) Somebody

80%

20%

CO-06 (Aurora) See Full Big Line

(D) Jason Crow*

(R) Somebody

90%

10%

CO-07 (Jefferson County) See Full Big Line

(D) B. Pettersen*

(R) Somebody

90%

10%

CO-08 (Northern Colo.) See Full Big Line

(R) Gabe Evans*

(D) Yadira Caraveo

(D) Joe Salazar

50%

40%

40%

State Senate Majority See Full Big Line

DEMOCRATS

REPUBLICANS

80%

20%

State House Majority See Full Big Line

DEMOCRATS

REPUBLICANS

95%

5%

Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
April 30, 2011 03:02 PM UTC

Weekend Open Thread

  • 90 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

“Nothing will ever be attempted if all possible objections must first be overcome.”

–Samuel Johnson

Tweet
Share

Comments

90 thoughts on “Weekend Open Thread”

  2. Here is an excellent summary of the efforts in 30 states to pass legislation in regard to the kind of documentation that can be used  in voter registration and actual voting. The Advancement Project is a group of civil rights lawyers organized to protect voters’ rights.  

    The Leadership Conference

    Report: Voter ID Proposals Threaten Voting Rights

    Link: http://www.civilrights.org/arc…

  3. Another good story in this mornings Durango Herald by Joe Hanel.

    http://www.durangoherald.com/a…

    The story itself is about Senator (Keith) King R-C Springs to encourage local property owners to raise their taxes for schools and reduce the states obligation (burden).  

    There is a side bar that’s even more interesting than the short-lived bill; the county tax rates on a number of key CO counties compared to the U.S. rate of 1,04%.

    Adams County: 0.83 percent

    Douglas County: 0.77 percent

    Jefferson County: 0.70 percent

    Arapahoe County: 0.68 percent

    Boulder County: 0.59 percent

    Denver County: 0.54 percent

    El Paso County: 0.47 percent

    Mesa County: 0.46 percent

    Not the kind of information you’ll see in a Tea Party newsletter.

    1. Once again the effort to bankrupt any form of government. Force the small population district to match the mandates and they will give up allowing the “privatization” so desired by the R’s to happen. Which means the state and feds giving lots of money to vouchers, now perfectly legal thanks to the republican court of the U.S.

  4. Ok, we have a list of what the legislature could do to address jobs. How did they do?

    1. Place quality people in charge of the state agencies – some quite good but a number have ranged from underwhelming to awful.
    2. Require state agencies to give businesses clear specific answers – ha ha ha ha!
    3. Have state agencies look to Colorado businesses for goods & services – nope, still ABC (Anywhere But Colorado).
    4. Expand Tech Stars & similar across the state – nope.
    5. Don’t do stupid shit – total fail between voting down civil unions and taunting immigrants.
    6. Quality high-speed broadband everywhere – tiny forward steps.
    7. A sane sales tax system – not even trying.
    8. Eliminate the high overhead taxes – no, but with TABOR it’s understandable.
    9. Fully fund SB-191 – nope, more cuts to education.
    10. Adequately fund High Ed – nope, still on the fast road to zero.
    11. Address our crumbling infrastructure – FASTER is a start but nothing new this year.
    12. Address TABOR, Gallagher, Amend 23, etc. – total fail.

    I realize job #1 is to get Hick re-elected in 3 years. But couldn’t they at least take fixing the economy as job #2? Aside from Rollie Heath and a couple of others, everyone in the capitol has run away from addressing the fundamental issues this state faces.

    Colorado is in a really good position on green energy, high-tech, etc. But it is busy pissing it all away. The biggest limit on the growth of companies like mine is the shortage of qualified people to hire. Slower growth means fewer jobs and/or we expand in states that do adequately fund education.

  5. Mayor:

    1. Michael Hancock

    2. James Mejia

    Romer than endorses Hancock in the runoff

    Council at Large

    1. Robin Kniech

    2. Rich Gonzales

    Council District 1

    1. Ken Padilla

    2. Ed Haney

    Write in District 8

    1. Tony Ferrufino

    2.Warren Edson

    Overall citywide turnout — 29%

    1. Mayor: Hancock or Mejia will likely be the other guy. The interesting paqrt will be see to if everyone endorses the non-Romer candidate or not.

      City County at-large: Robin should be in, no problem. I really do not have a feel for who the other one will be, though

      County Clerk: I am thinking a run off is likely with the low turn out. Probably Downey & Johnson.

      Auditor: the only question is will Gallagher have a run off? I doubt it.

      CC1: I thought Susan Shepherd was the heavily favored one?

      CD8: who knows!?!? There are too many variables with it all being write-in and soooo many candidates.

      1. But I know it’s wishful thinking on my part.

        The likely outcome, in my opinion, is Romer/Mejia, and Mejia’s momentum will winthe runoff.

        My preferred outcome is Mejia/Hancock with a Mejia victory.

        My preferred outcome in terms of a FUN runoff is Mejia/Linkhart. 🙂

        1. The only race with no runoff is the At-Large City Council race. The top two vote getters win with a plurality.

          Every other race, including Mayor, individual city council districts, clerk and recorder, and auditor, can have a runoff if nobody gets 50%+1.

    2. Mejia’s going negative is turning people off.  Hancock and Romer both have better organizations than Mefia and will do a better job of turning out their base.

      For what its worth, I’ve made more than a thousand calls for Romer since January, so I admittedly have a dog in this fight.  But my feedback from those calls, plus adjusting the Post poll to correct for the overrepresentation of Latino votes, and adding my assessment of the relative organizational strengths meanhs I see this about 35 Romer, 25 Hancock, 22 Mejia, Spahn about 12 (picking up some of the Boigon vote as the only woman left.)  the rest scattered among the “Who Dat?” crowd.

         Council is Kniech and Ortega.

      Downey is clerk, and, obviously, Gallagher auditor.

      1. regards to Josh, V.

        As for your mayoral prediction, maybe a little high on the big kid, but unlikely not to be the top vote getter.  Ugh!

  6. No, not in education, or high tech, or even in those negative categories like “most restrictive budgeting process”.

    This being the weekend, I’m talking about something much lighter: I have just posted the first in a series of park diaries on our nation’s state park systems.  For some reason, I chose to profile Colorado’s Golden Gate Canyon State Park first…  (Yes, it’s at the Great Orange Satan – I’m really loving the group blogging system over there, and the Park Avenue group is really doing a great job with its park profiles.)

    2. “Everyone who has ever taken a shower has had an idea. It’s the person who gets out of the shower, dries off, and does something about it that makes a difference.”

      – Nolan Bushnell

  8. Warren Edson is a brilliant lawyer and a tireless advocate for Denver.  Out of what 75 candidates Warren Edson clearly stands out.

    Write in his name for Council District 8.

            1. And the advice is never as funny as actual fortunes when you put “in bed” after it.

              “A ship in harbor is safe, but that’s not what ships are built for in bed?”

  10. April 29, 2011 8:25:37 PM

    DETROIT, April 29 (Reuters) – A group seeking to force new Michigan Governor Rick Snyder into a recall election cleared a first hurdle on Friday when an election panel approved the proposed wording on petitions seeking voter support.

    Michigan Citizens United would have to amass more than 800,000 signatures, or 25 percent of the votes cast in Republican Snyder’s election in November, within a 90 day period to put the question to a vote at the next election.

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/…

    1. I especially liked his comments on journalists, and detected some underlying message along the lines of…Do Your Reporting! His dig at the Fox table was priceless, as was his ribbing of Bachmann, Pawlenty, and Romney. His comments about NPR were very funny:-). Whithout them, we’d be listening to, “No Things Considered”! LOL

      Thanks for posting this. It lifted my spirits on a Sunday morning.

      And thanks for all the posting you do on behalf of womens rights too DaftPunk! You are good!

      1. on tv as we were preparing to go to dinner. He absolutlely ripped the aforementioned republicans a new one.

        My favorite was his comments to Michelle Bachmann.

        I am very proud of my President.  

    3. One for taking the time to post this, I missed seeing it last night.

      And, the second for the batch of tomato jam nearing it’s last bubble on my stove as I write this.

    4. .

      Earlier in the week, the Obama White House compels the State of Hawai’i to publish a forged “long form birth certificate” that purports to show that Obama was born in US territory, though not in a US state.

      Then, last night, that same White House releases an Obama “birth video” that clearly shows a birth in Kenya.  

      Who ya gonna believe ?

      .

  12. Teen pregnancy prevention bill almost dies…

    Their opposition began in March, when representatives of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains testified in a Senate committee, urging lawmakers to support the programs. Then, when the Senate debated it on the floor late last month, Sen. Kevin Lundberg, R-Berthoud, cautioned his fellow legislators against voting for the bill, saying he was a supporter of the programs until he learned that Planned Parenthood supports them, too.

    http://www.gjsentinel.com/news…

    What a smart, smart man and a true honor to our fine state, well, not really.

    I mean it’s like saying…

    “I use to like dogs, but then I found out BOTH Hitler and GW Bush had dogs…”  

  13. From Gang Of Six Hones Deficit Reduction Plan

    Their plan, still a work in progress, would reduce borrowing by up to $4 trillion over the next decade by putting the two parties’ sacred cows on the chopping block. Republicans would have to agree to higher taxes while Democrats would have to accept cuts in popular benefit programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and maybe even Social Security.

    If we hear people on the left and right both screaming then they’ve probably found a good compromise.

    1. and how the Republican members of the “gang of six” have already categorically stated they will not agree to any significant tax increase on anyone. It’s almost like Mark Warner and Tom Coburn have a different idea of what the “gang of six” plan will look like. I wonder if that will make it hard for them to find agreement.

      By the way, for those who don’t remember the last time we had a “gang of six” senators who solved everything fucked up everything and still couldn’t come up with their own plan, check this out. It was a long time ago in a galaxy far far away, so I understand if everyone’s forgotten it.

    2. if it cuts Medicare, Medicaid, and SS benefits.

      It’s nothing but the Deficit Commission report that didn’t even have enough votes to get out of the Deficit Commission.

      1. The growth rate of medical expenses is no longer sustainable. It’s at what, 18% of our GDP. The question is not will we put constraints on that spending, it’s how. Uncontrolled compound interest will destroy anything.

      1. And they both hate getting charged for three milkshakes when they only ordered two. Hey, I think I just came up with the perfect new scheme for ending the deficit!

          1. doomed to failure because you wind up with something neither side ever thought would work.  Like, for instance, a mandate without a public option. Surprise.  Nobody liked and it sucks. Fancy that.

            “Everybody hates it” is just as likely, probably more likely, to give you the worst of both worlds rather than the best. Too bad we can’t be grownups, acknowledge good ideas from the other side (if there really are any) make compromises based on the best of both worlds, or press all the advantage we have if the other sides ideas are really destructive to minimize the damage as much as we can and still get something, rather than doing all we can just to make sure everybody loses equally. For instance, raising caps would do more to fix social security than draconian cuts.   Draconian Cuts without raising the cap is one of those lose/lose compromises. Unless you’re a Republican. Then it’s great.  

            They’ve been winning every one of these gang of whatever compromises ever since Dems “compromised” by promising never to do anything that would trigger the nuclear option if Rs would simply agree not to trigger it as long as they always get their way.  Swell compromise.  

            Don’t have much faith the conservative (not moderate, as you get called no matter how conservative you are if you aren’t an R) Dems in this gang are going to do any better for us than the conservative Dems in that old gang of 14 did.  They’re just going to throw away all the advantages public opinion is now giving them for something that nobody will like and won’t do anybody any good. That is unless somebody on the Dem side has learned a thing in the past 12 years.

            1. BLM loves it, for instance.  “Everybody hates our management plan, thus we must be doing something right!!!”

              No, maybe everybody hates it because it sucks.  I believe that’s what Occam would conclude…  

        1. is you comparing Denver teachers to a sex offender with mental problems 2000 miles away and an unethical traffic cop 1000 miles away. What did Denver teachers do to merit this comparison?

          The reason I think you are one of the worst people I’ve met on earth is that you have utter contempt for everyone who’s not a rich white asshole like yourself. You continually advocate policies that will make things worse for most normal people without ever considering their consequences, and the only time you ever read anything about anything is if it will help you reinforce the things you already believe. And you lack even the most basic ability to examine yourself and your words and your actions.

          Here you viciously insult all Denver teachers, some of whom work really hard at a job you tried once for a day, making a lot less than you and doing things that are a lot more useful to society.

          At this point, you more than any other single person are the reason I advise any good math student not to go into K-12 teaching. Worse than the students who don’t study, worse than the pay and lack of job security, worse than the bureaucracy of standardized tests and curriculum that shut out the possibility of teaching something optional and fun even one day out of the year, is the utter lack of respect for anyone in the profession. And you more than anyone (even Ralphie) embody that lack of respect.

          So when you go to sleep and prepare to dream about what an awesome person you are, why don’t you think for a second about what impact you personally have on making sure the best and brightest go into teaching and give it their all rather than making lots of money on financial models? I’ll bet it’s not the direction you imagined.

          1. of a lack of respect for teachers.

            My father was a teacher and elementary school principal.  My sister is a special-ed teacher.

            The only teachers I don’t respect are the bad ones, and I can say quite truthfully that I’ve dealt with only a handful of those in more than 25 years as a customer.  The problem is that those truly bad ones stayed in the system, affecting class after class, until they retired.

          2. You are truly blessed.  You should be on your hands and knees, perpetually thanking god or whomever that you have been spared the pain of ever meeting even one “worst person.

            I have a priest I could introduce you to..or rather his “victims.” And he did not teach in the public school system.

            All kidding aside, you owe David an apology.

          3. you more than any other single person are the reason I advise any good math student not to go into K-12 teaching

            I won’t try and convince you that you’re mistaken in your assessment of me because I don’t think logical discourse will have any impact on this subject for you.

              1. there is very little consistency to be found in Dave’s mish mash of liberal and tea party friendly opinions. I’m sure he thinks this makes him the most reasonable person around and may explain why he embraces the idea that compromises based on what everybody hates are a great way of finding good solutions. Yes, a randomly thrown together combo of ideas based on equalizing dislike all round, that’s the ticket for Dave. But you were also right to apologize for calling him the worst person on the planet. He really does mean well.

        1. Although sometimes, I admit, I find it hard to tell.  

          Personally, I am OK with people who don’t necessarily fit into a neat ideological box…but of course that means I think you are wrong at lest some of the time, sitting in my little box and all.  

          2. And apparently everyone missed my point on this – I was comparing the L.A. cops to the Denver cops who beat up that kid and were not fired. Somehow everyone took it as comparing it to teachers somehow instead.

  16.  

    Donald Trump pushed back Sunday at President Barack Obama for making him the “focus of the evening” … and laced into Saturday Night Live comedian Seth Meyers as a “stutterer” whose delivery was lacking.

    The badly coiffed, thin-skinned walking stump joke Trump–apparently believing his own glass house immune from the rocks he tosses with abandon–simply cannot handle anyone who does not hold his own over-inflated image of himself, nor tolerate those who cannot join in his pretense that his inherited money came from his own business acumen.  

    Mr. Multiple Bankruptcy, the Clown Apparent in this year’s lead up to 2012, wants to steal oil from other nations–after we invade and occupy them, of course, and tell China to give our jobs back, except–presumably–the ones busy manufacturing his own crap, because that might cut into his profits.  But he needs ‘friends,’because otherwise where would he actually have the guts–or intelligence–to field real questions?  

    Trump’s comments came in a quick phone-in to “Fox and Friends,” a day after he sat almost stone-faced while the president and Meyers ripped him repeatedly, to belly laughs from the crowd…

    “Well, I really understood what I was getting into – I didn’t know that I’d be virtually the sole focus,” Trump said…

    ” … I was thinking to myself as they were doing this, you know, the American people are really suffering and we’re all” having fun at a gala…”

    Prior to the dinner, after he strolled the red carpet with his wife Melania, Trump said that he actually didn’t think he would get poked by the president.

    “I wouldn’t think [Obama] would address me” during his speech,” Trump told ABC News.

    Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/s…

    1. I just don’t get it.

      At least Ross Perot understood that SNL would make fun of him.  As did Gerald Ford. And Reagan, And Bush 1, And Clinton and Bush Jr  and Obama and McCain and Palin and everyone else who captures the national political discusion and spotlight.  Except the Trump.  What a maroon.

  18. NY Times on one drilling project in the Arctic:

    “Americans are reeling from staggering prices at the pump,” said Representative Cory Gardner, a Colorado Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. “So the president has to justify to the American people why we are not replacing Saudi Arabian oil imports with U.S.-produced oil.”

    http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05…

    Does the congressman really think that allowing (or disallowing) this one project (of Royal Dutch Shell’s in the Arctic) would have ANY effect of gas prices at the pump?  Production levels haven’t really decreased in the last three years, nor has demand really increased.  So far for 2011, Saudi Arabia is the third largest importer of oil to the US, although Canada sends us nearly twice as much and Mexico sends us more.  

    All told, YTD oil imports from SA = just over 13%…We get well over a third from North America (Canada, Mexico, US).  They DO have universal health care up there (and down there too, for that matter), so I guess it’s either a repressive monarchy or commies…But then ALaska gets like $1.84 for each buck they send to the US Trasury, and the citizens collectively own the state’s share of the mineral revenue–so they are kind of socialistic too!!! I am so confused Mr. Gardner!  Commies? Wahhabists? Who SHOULD we send our money to???

    Still, with about 2% of the world’s reserve, and representing about 20% of the demand, the idea that the US can replace Saudi oil for any length of time (and, of course, if Shell started drilling today it would take several years to get it to market) is mathematically difficult to imagine.  Thus I have to look at only one of two conclusions–yes, Rep. Gardner IS that stupid OR he is an intentionally dishonest man.  Vote Polsters!  Which is it?  

    http://www.eia.doe.gov/pub/oil…  

    2. They are saying he was killed in a mansion outside Islamabad, Pakistan.  It will be interesting to see how long he was there and if the ISS (Pakistan’s intelligence service) was putting him up.

      1. Which raises interesting questions since we aren’t supposed to have boots on the ground in Pakistan. I wish I could say I cared about that but frankly, I don’t. I’m glad he’s dead and I’m glad we were the ones that got him.  

          1. Don’t forget, he was behind the USS Cole and the bombings of our embassies in Africa, among other depraved acts of mass murder.

            1. That hadn’t occurred to me yet.  This literally came out of the blue and it still hasn’t fully sunk in yet all the implications.  

Leave a Comment

Recent Comments


Posts about

Donald Trump
SEE MORE

Posts about

Rep. Lauren Boebert
SEE MORE

Posts about

Rep. Yadira Caraveo
SEE MORE

Posts about

Colorado House
SEE MORE

Posts about

Colorado Senate
SEE MORE

75 readers online now

Newsletter

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter to stay in the loop with regular updates!