( – promoted by Colorado Pols)
The race for the 4th Congressional District remains tight according to a Strategic Services poll released by James Thompson of the Paccione campaign on Friday:
Marilyn Musgrave (R) 42%
Angie Paccione (D) 42%
Eric Eidsness (Reform) 5%
Bill Ritter, the Democratic candidate for Governor also leads 46-41 over Bob Beauprez in the historically conservative 4th Congressional District.
The telephone poll of 400 likely voters in the 4th Congressional District took place September 24-26, 2006. Margin of Error: +/- 4.9%.
More background available at Colorado Confidential.
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Times are away changing. The Bush kiss of death strikes again! Hopefully Angie can keep the momentum going.
But overall good news for Angie. Eric’s back down to 5% from 8% in this poll, where he probably should be.
Is Strategic Services related to Strategic Vision?
Has a Democrat ever been tied, let alone ahead, of the GOP candidate in C.D. 4 since Hank Brown held the district?
As a life long Democrat in the 4th district, I’m so glad to see Angie gaining momentum. I’ve been working for her and whenever I hear her speak publicly, I’m impressed. She’s one tough lady. I believe shes just what we need in Washington to speak for our interests, NOT like musgrave and her bought and paid for special interests.
But I want to correct you. Hank Brown was a Republican, but a darn good one. He’s the only GOP’er I’ve ever voted for on a National level, and if we ever had one like him in the future, I’d probably do it again. Just FYI the last Democrat in the 4th was Wayne Aspinall who served us from 1949 to 1973. After him was Johnson, Brown, Shaeffer and Musgrave.
I was too young to vote for Johnson. From what I hear he’s independent minded. He was one of those Larimer County “RINO’s” the GOP tried to marginalize when they came out for Ritter.
Allard was between Brown and Shaeffer.
I was thinking I was missing someone as only 4 congressmen in 23 years didn’t seem enough. How could I forget whats his name? Thanks.
It’s Schaffer. Bob Schaffer. Spell it out… S-C-H-A-F-F-E-R. Again. S-C-H-A-F-F-E-R. Learn it.
cool your jets bud.
Considering we currently or recently have five different people running for or in office with named sounding like “Shaffer”, it’s a wonder anyone gets any of them spelled right.
It has been over 34 years since a D represented the 4th in Congress. If the Dems are EVER going to take this seat, than this is the year. Musgrave has been very week in this district, and the Rs know it.
Stan Matsunaka never had a pre-election poll showing him within single digits, yet he lost by only 5% last time. Based on that shaky logic–Democrats are winning!
Seriously, this is exactly where Angie Paccione wants to be. Musgrave is so scared, she actually started trying to find some volunteers last week. No luck, apparently.
You’re girl MM needs help on the blog…
… her good friend Foley.
Boy, is this Kharmic. Anti-gay MM taken down (partially – Angie has run a strong campaign) by a gay Republican collegue.
First Bush, then a sexual preditor. There isn’t much more the Republicans can do to self-destruct…
From a Fort Morgan Republican
For some of you this posting is repetitive, but I think worth of reposting. It was only after much contemplation that I have come to my conclusions, for what they’re worth:
I’ve been following the posts on the Paccione/Musgrave debate. I must say it is fascinating to me as a life-long Republican just how sensitive this new crop of Republicans are when their beliefs are challenged. Having the advantage of age and experience over these apparently young blokes, I feel compelled to throw in my two cents.
I have been a businessman my entire life. The party I grew up in no longer exists; at my age I’m not sure I even can muster up the energy to fight the extremism that has permeated both the state and national party. I believed in small government, that local government was the best government; I belive in the rights of the ordinary man, loathed corporate dominance in any sector, and thought the issues of women’s rights and sexual preference were best left to the individual. I’ve always been very sensitive to the enviroment and how we keep our air and water clean. I am also a devout, tolerant Christian.
What has my party given us? No Child Left Behind, the largest ursurpment of local power in the history of our government; we passed an energy bill through Congress worth nearly $13 billion dollars last year supported by our Congresswoman. It was the traditional industries of coal, oil and natural gas that benefitted inordinately from the federal trough, leaving the fledgling renewable industries to divvy up a small portion of the pie. In light of the overwhelming scientific data that demonstrates that human activity is affecting our atmosphere, the federal administration, enabled by our very own representatives continue to protect these industries from accountability at the same time they are making unimaginable profits. We have struggling rural communities on the eastern plains that are in dire need of new industry like ethanol and wind. When Amendment 37 was put in to place nearly two years ago, our very own state legislator at the time, Rep. Greg Brophy, opposed the initiative. This initiative has now given Colorado two of the largest wind farms in America.
And today we learn of a despicable cover-up by House leadership involving a Congressman, CHAIR of the House Caucus formed to protect children from internet pornography, and a 16 year old page. The only thing more despicable about this was the fact that NO ONE from the Colorado Republican delegation has come out publicly condemning the leadership and asking for their immediate resignation. Where is the leadership in Congress today?
Just this past year both our very own Rep. Cory Gardener and Senator Greg Brophy went on record as opposing Referendum C; it would also have repealed the senior citizens property tax adjustment that is giving significant relief to our elderly population in the district and statewide. Had Referendum C failed, Morgan Community College, Northeastern Junior College and the Community Colleges in SE Colorado (all Congressional District 4 colleges)would have closed. I am an old sage and it is no secret that both Senator Brophy and Representive Gardener take their political cues from Congresswoman Musgrave, who also opposed Referendum C and I believe opposed Amendement 37 on ideological grounds.
There was much discussion two days ago about the award given by Colorado Farm Bureau to Angie Paccione. Congratulations Angie. I have been a member of Farm Bureau for a number of years. In fact, Congesswoman Musgraves husband is a Farm Bureau insurance agent in our county. I was taken back by the comments by the two individuals who were taking aim at Farm Bureau. It is an organization of utmost respect and it’s President is a fine farmer from Washington County. One might ask why the Farm Bureau which is a conservative, yet thoughtful organization would choose Angie Paccione over Congresswoman Musgrave. I believe I have at least part of the answer. I had a friend of the family share with me recently that a letter was sent from the Farm Bureau to the Congresswoman describing their weariness of her near total fixation on gay marriage issues while ignoring eastern Colorado agriculture; there was the promise that if she did not change her focus they could not support her in the next election. I also know that many local sugar beet farmers were stunned by her vote to pass CAFTA – and the fact that the main beneficiary of that vote was big agri-business. Congresswoman Musgrave’s vote was one of the 11th hour votes the administration needed to pass this bill, and President Bush counted on her to support the administration’s policies over the wishes of her constituents.
All of these things keep adding to my uneasiness in further supporting the Congresswoman. I have always believed that representatives should first and foremost represent the wishes of their district and not subordinate those responsibilities just because the President needs someone to carry his water.
This past week Congresswoman Musgrave spoke at a family values convention and made the statement that the most important issue facing America today is the preservation of traditional marriage. I would respectfully disagree with the Congresswoman. In fact, given the many struggles we face today I’m not sure I would even rate it in the top 10. I do not for one minute deny the fact that Congresswoman Musgrave BELIEVES that gay marriage is the most important issue facing my district; what troubles me is the fact that it is unlikely the highest priority of the constituents of Ft. Morgan and beyond. If, in the event, she does not believe this is the most important issue facing the district, then one can only come to the conclusion that this position has monetary benefits for the campaign as the sole reason.
We also now have the revelation that Karl Rove’s step-father left his mother to be in a committed relationship with another man, and that Rove tried to pressure the publisher to omit that information. We are also well aware of the orientation of one of Dick Cheney’s daughters. I for one could not care in the least about the sexual orientation of those individuals or anyone elses for that matter; I believe that is something of concern for the individual. I doubt that Karl Rove or Dick Cheney would be interested in denying their loved ones the same legal rights that traditional marriages are afforded. It is this hypocrisy that I can no longer tolerate.
This is what bothers me as someone who worries about his family. How much longer can we spend like there is no tomorrow? There was a reference in yesterday’s blog to Angie’s personal finances. I know people struggle, and I have experienced financial difficulties myself. I would suggest that Angies issues would likely pale in comparison to the financial disaster that is occuring in Washington under the watch of our current Congresswoman. I worry about our rural communities in Colorado. Just when will we have sufficient reform in the utility world so that farmers and communities can reap the benefits of an inexhaustible natural resource? I had the chance to hear Angie speak earlier this year and she is very vocal about a new energy economy for Colorado. The flip side for this is that I know the Congresswoman works closely with the fossil fuel industry in this state. This is not a personal attack on Marilyn, or Bob Beauprez for that matter, but the reality is when you take siginificant amounts of money from those industries in your campaign, you will vote their dollars. It’s just the way politics have become. Money driven.
I’d like to close this with the admission that for the reasons above I have decided to vote Democratic for the first in my life. This is not a personal attack on the Congresswoman, just something I must do. I do not believe that statement she made last week in any way reflects the values or the concerns of my family or the 4th congressional district. Although I do not know Angie, I believe we should give her the chance to show us what she can do. If Farm Bureau believes in her strong enough to give her their top award, it gives me the confidence to know I’m not making the wrong decision. While her husband, who is a local Farm Bureau agent may not agree with my decision to vote for Angie, I believe we would agree that Farm Bureau is a sterling organization.
I imagine my comments will be the subject of much tongue lashing by the obvious suspects on this issue. I have little tolerance for ignorance and don’t intend to debate their ill-philosophies. It’s a saying in farm country that it’s not a good idea to wrestle with a pig in mud; all you do is get dirty and the pig enjoys it.
Thank you for your time and the opportunity to give my opinions on these matters.
Well thought out and thought through. You are a credit to your race and to the notion of conscience. May all republicans follow in your footsteps. thank you.
I wanted to thank you, and give a little quiet applause for your note. I’ve been mildly terrified of the fanatical lack of tolerance growing in the country over the past few years.
At the same time, I am homeschooling my 10 year old son and discussing tolerance with him. I pulled him from public school here in Colorado last year due to utter disgust with the lack of discipline in the classrooms. Since then, we have had many discussions on this subject. We have discussed the disruptive and disrespectful children he (and others) had to deal with at the school. We’ve talked about how these children should have handled their disagreements, that it is ok to disagree with someone, as long as you respect their dignity, and that discussions and calm disagreements are good.
I feel that I’m watching these same children in Washington. They might as well be up on the desks, making faces and yelling obsenities at each other.
It is nice to hear that someone (and yes, a Republican and I am a registered Democrat) has the intellect to speak with common sense and a firm standing in their own beliefs. This gives me hope that once the “Bush Empire” has retired, we can all start talking again.
Maybe YOU should run for President! (smile.)
Thank you.
about the comments about the Farm Bureau, Musgrave was given the same award. The Friend of the Farm Bureau Award is not an endorsement and can be given to as many people as they see fit. If they wanted to give it to Eidsness too, they have that right.
Ft. Morgan Republican….. That’s very well put. Based on the number of Republicans posting on here, you are far from alone in being ticked with the “Powers-That-Be” in the GOP.
What’s really amazing is the degree of enthusiasm some of them are expressing for candidates like Angie Paccione, Bill Ritter, and Jay Fawcett. Some of the Republicans sound more excited about voting for these candidates than some of the Democrats!
But honestly I got about two minutes in before I got that cramp in my stomach which only happens on two occassions. One of them is watching ridiculousness like this.
“The most important issue out there is marriage…”????
Let me list a few more issues that we can discuss as taking priority over an Amendment to the US Constitution to restrict rights (instead of protecting them) from U.S. citizens:
Bin Laden?
Iraq
Congressional Corruption (reaching the White House)
Republican PEDOPHILES (and the cover-up by REPUBLICANS)
Hurrican Katrina Victims (still living in the streets)
$9 Trillion deficit
Immigration
Healthcare
Education
Global Warming
That’s just the top 10, and there are many more that Im willing to bet the majority would agree take rank over “marriage.”
Discuss.
Every time MM opens her mouth and reminds voters that she considers stopping gay marriage the most important issue, she reminds voters how out of touch she is. Paccione is running a brilliant campaign, and if MM now tries to change tack Paccione can remind voters that if they elect MM they’ll continue to get a one-issue do-nothing person.
Oh yes, and a person who thought Foley was “weird” but didn’t do anything to question his chairmanship of the caucus for exploited children.
this is mission accomplished for the federal government and Colorado, which are the only places Musgrave’s voice matters.
There is a federal statute in place that says: No gay marriage for federal purposes or full faith and credit purposes.
There is a Colorado statute in place that says: No gay marriage for Colorado purposes.
There was no bill introduced in the Democratic party controlled legislature in Colorado to overturn the Colorado statute last session, and there is no groundswell of support to overturn the federal statute either.
Putting a federal statute already on the books and unlikely to be repealed into the U.S. Constitution is pretty meaningless to the average person in Colorado.
And, far fewer people oppose allowing people who live together and love each other from making legal arrangements in a single package, as opposed to piecemeal, or from directing that things like their worker’s compensation death benefits go to people that they love. That is what domestic partnership legislation is about.
* * * *
Interestingly, there are lots of other “moral” issues that Musgrave seems in no hurry to address.
She hasn’t complained about her own Republican colleague, Mr. Foley, propositioning boys working as pages in Congress. She hasn’t complained about her Republican colleague Hastert, who covered up the matter for years.
Nor, have I heard her complaining about her own colleague, Mr. Sherwood, who is putting out his own ads admitting to adultery and apologizing, who was accused of assaulting his mistress. I also don’t recall her expressing outrage when Newt Gingrich had to resign over an adulterous affair. I also haven’t heard her calling to recriminalize adultery in Colorado.
She hasn’t been pushing to provide care for kids who are child victims of child abusers and molestors like those of Foley, those in Bailey, and those in an Amish school in Pennsylvania.
She is opposed to reducing abortions through wider availability of contraception, and voted against a Democratic party bill to that effect. She hasn’t pushed to provide economic support to poor pregnant women so that they are less likely to seek abortions.
…there’s no need to do so. In Musgrave world, protected human life begins at conception and ends at birth.
I’m a yellow dog Democrat, but I still don’t trust polls released by any campaign, regardless of which campaign it is.
I’ would guess we’ll be able to tell how authentic the Musgrave camp thinks this poll is by their reaction: if it’s ho-hum you can bet their polls have better numbers for MM; if they come out guns a blazing, rest assured Angie’s numbers are dead on.
Ft. Morgan Republican, nicely stated. This is gonna be a tight race, to be sure, but if you listen closely at night, you can hear the faint stress crackings of a wayward, un-American ideology coming apart at the seams. I’ve got no beef with normal folks on the other side of the aisle, and look forward to the days when we can take up public education debates, economic policy differences, and whatnot, and get away from “snowflake babies”.
Give her hell, Angie! Can’t wait for the debate!
First, the Bush Administration encourages Pervez Musharraf to back off of pursuing Al Qaeda and Bin Laden in Waziristan, thereby letting the Taliban come across the Afghanistan border in strength and take control of the Afghan side of the border, increasing the level of attacks against NATO and our own troops.
Then, the Brits cut their own deal with the Taliban over the weekend to slink away and ditch Bush’s war on terror, allowing the Taliban to eventually take over southern Afghanistan and provide a sanctuary for Bin Laden.
Our local commanders in southern Afghanistan have on their own initiative decided to focus more on nation-building than pursuing the Taliban, in a perhaps-too-late effort to win over the locals.
Then today, Mullah Frist says it is time to trust the Taliban again and let them into the Karzai government.
I think it is time for Hamid Karzai to get on a plane and get out of town before he gets killed by Bush and Blair’s new allies.
Tell me again, which political party appeases terrorists?
This is the party of Musgrave. Who among us agree with this, and does Musgrave? This is the party of the apocolypse.
First, the Bush Administration encourages Pervez Musharraf to back off of pursuing Al Qaeda and Bin Laden in Waziristan, thereby letting the Taliban come across the Afghanistan border in strength and take control of the Afghan side of the border, increasing the level of attacks against NATO and our own troops.
Then, the Brits cut their own deal with the Taliban over the weekend to slink away and ditch Bush’s war on terror, allowing the Taliban to eventually take over southern Afghanistan and provide a sanctuary for Bin Laden.
Our local commanders in southern Afghanistan have on their own initiative decided to focus more on nation-building than pursuing the Taliban, in a perhaps-too-late effort to win over the locals.
Then today, Mullah Frist says it is time to trust the Taliban again and let them into the Karzai government.
I think it is time for Hamid Karzai to get on a plane and get out of town before he gets killed by Bush and Blair’s new allies.
Tell me again, which political party appeases terrorists?
This is the party of Musgrave. Who among us agree with this, and does Musgrave? This is the party of the apocolypse.
So now, after Condi Rice denies being warned in July 01 of an impending attack, Woodward has DOCUMENTARY PROOF shared on NBC that Rice got exactly such a warning.
Another lie.
Woodward is no dummy – he has proof for his allegations. He wrote a very positive book on the Bush administration in 2002 and now realizes that he was duped along with many others.
One can only hope that we can flush out Washington DC soon. It stinks to high heaven.
I am getting so sick of Condoleeza Rice’s ” I don’t recall” bullshit.
Bin Laden determined to attack in the United States
Bin Laden determined to attack in the United States
Bin Laden determined to attack in the United States
Someone had to practically club this lady over the head with this, and she didn’t lift a finger. To add salt to the wound, she testified during the 9/11 commission that she would have “moved heaven and earth” if she had known something was going to happen. Now there is proof that she was indeed warned, but to no avail.
It’s usually LIAR something STINKIN’ LIAR I don’t call people LIAR frequently DIRTY ROTTEN LIAR, but I think LIAR she is being a little untruthful.
posting to the open thread tonight, so I apologize, but this post is not comopletly off the mark. Musgrave, Allard, Beauprez are ALL part of this FAILED Congress and DESPICABLE ADMINISTRATION:
Well, a congressional session rightly adjudged as one of the most futile in memory finally limped to the finish line over the weekend. And its record was so bad that even the non-judgmental Reuters news service could barely suppress a sneer of contempt:
Leaving behind a pile of unfinished work, members of the scandal-rocked U.S. Congress adjourned and went home on Saturday to ask voters to re-elect them in five weeks.
With polls showing President George W. Bush’s fellow Republicans could lose control of Congress in the November 7 contests, their leaders even decided to depart a week early to give members more time to campaign.
“It’s been a ghastly congressional session, particularly the last year,” said Stephen Hess, a congressional scholar the Brookings Institution. “They figure the best thing to do is get out of town. They aren’t doing anything here.”
No kidding. The eruption of yet another Republican ethics scandal, and yet another Republican ethics scandal coverup, seemed to put an appropriate exclamation point on the session, and on what the country can now demonstrably expect from single-party GOP rule in Washington. And Republicans know it. That’s why they continue to signal that their campaign to hold onto power will not focus on their accomplishments, such as they are, but on smearing Democrats. Sen. Mitch McConnell, the sleazemeister who is about to become Republican leader in the Senate, put it succintly: “A lot of Americans have forgotten what Democrats do when they are in the majority. We are going to remind them.”
If this tactic works, it will require a national short-term memory lapse of historic dimensions.
Every poll up to this point, including her own which she just released shows her up. Her own poll just put her up by 7, the last one I saw showed her up 6 and the one before that showed her up 4. She is trending upwards at this point, not down.