Mount Virtus

Andrew Boucher, whose claim to fame may be that he is a Colorado conservative with blogging credentials to the Democratic National Convention, made a great point yesterday about the larger significance of John McCain’s upcoming selection of a vice-presidential running mate:

There aren’t many “natural” McCain volunteers. There will be even fewer if he turns off the base with his VP pick.

Or, as I put it bluntly in a campaign planning meeting last week: If it’s McCain-Ridge, we’ll have 25 new GOTV volunteers in Fort Collins. If it’s McCain-Romney, we’ll have 250.

Remember: the Romney team made thousands of grassroots volunteer phone calls in Larimer County for caucus and won with 60 percent.

(As a frame of reference, Bush-Cheney had 110 walkers in Fort Collins on the Saturday before the election in 2004).

The ramifications down-ballot are terrifying…

I think the point applies beyond Boucher’s backyard of Fort Collins, too. The other side will have union-organized walks and other paid activists to push their grassroots efforts. This factor needs to be taken into careful consideration when McCain picks his Veep.

Rocky Mountain Right’s recommendation of conservative Eric Cantor would probably play better in this department than pro-choice Tom Ridge, but the energy and organization from Mitt Romney’s candidacy that showed up at the caucuses earlier this year will be hard for any other potential running mate to duplicate.

Watching hot air balloons might never have been so much fun as this: Americans for Prosperity’s Hot Air Tour is coming to Colorado, starting tomorrow (Wednesday) morning at Broomfield County Commons Park (13200 Sheridan Blvd).

What am I talking about?

Climate alarmists have bombarded citizens with apocalyptic scenarios and pressured them into environmental political correctness. It’s time to tell the other side of the story.

Americans for Prosperity is working hard to bring you the missing half of the global warming debate. What will the impacts of reactionary legislation be for you, your family and our economy?

Be among the first 50 to pre-register online for the Broomfield event tomorrow - or for events later this week in Fort Collins, Pueblo, Colorado Springs, Glenwood Springs, Grand Junction, or Denver - … and get a free T-shirt.

It’s the hot air balloon tour Al Gore tried - and failed - to ground.

And I’m told, all the Colorado stops on the Hot Air Tour will also be calling out Mark Udall for his energy record. Fun, information, and future savings for the whole family!

For more information, contact Jim Pfaff at jpfaff@afphq.org or (303) 957- 8600.

Mike Saccone reports some pleasing but unsurprising news: Attorney General John Suthers has submitted a friendly brief to the Colorado Supreme Court on behalf of the people of the state, and the district court decision that upheld their rights to vote on a tax increase.

But Governor Bill Ritter is probably resting easier than he should, knowing that the political High Court has every reason to favor the Democrats who appropriated them money to construct a new courtroom building. Color me cynical, and hope that I am surprised.

I came across a great site that features anti-democratic tactics of Leftist organizations: blocking efforts to collect signatures, frivolous lawsuits, and other threats to free speech. Occasionally highlighted is the efforts of a group called By Any Means Necessary to try to shut down Colorado’s Civil Rights Initiative. The radical fraud group ACORN is also regularly featured there. Stay tuned to this site, especially as the election approaches.

From Bloomberg.com (H/T Mike Antonucci):

Seven unions, including the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association, have stepped in to help pay for the Democratic National Convention in Denver after the host committee announced in June it was $10 million short of its fundraising goals.

The host committee, as a private organization, can accept unlimited corporate, union and individual contributions. And while presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama and the Democratic National Committee are refusing contributions from registered lobbyists, the ban doesn’t apply to the convention.

Mike Antonucci also cites a Los Angeles Times piece that indicates donors can get “stadium skyboxes” to watch the Obamessiah’s big speech nearby here at Denver’s Invesco Field next week - you know the nice six-figure-a-year executive suites for watching the Bronco games?

Teachers and other union members are footing the bill so the labor bosses can schmooze with Democrat politicos in a luxurious setting. What about union members who don’t support Barack Obama or the Democratic Party? Worse yet, what about those who never joined but pay mandatory agency fees to the union just to keep their job? They’re helping to subsidize the Democratic National Convention fatcat lifestyle, too.

Not only is Barack Obama’s record on human life atrocious and frightening, but he seems utterly unable to give a clear, honest, or reasonable answer on the topic:

“Above my pay grade”? So the buck stops where? More Americans need to wake up to the hollowness of the Barack Obama candidacy, and to think seriously about what kind of leader they want.

Perhaps Barack Obama is genuinely confused about when human life begins and should be protected. After all, in some cases his confusion seems to extend beyond the point of birth (Scott Johnson at Powerline has more). No matter how he tries to dress it up, it’s hard to deny that Obama is in the pocket of the abortion absolutist lobby.

Meanwhile, one Red State diarist is just thankful that megachurch pastor Rick Warren actually raised the abortion / life issue at Saturday night’s unique event - a forum about which agnostic writer William Lobdell noted:

A few closing thoughts. Rick Warren did a remarkable job. Very well done. Second, Sen. Barack Obama was good. He was personable, answered the questions thoughtfully, and showed humor, intellect and depth. Sen. John McCain was even better. His rich life experience took the forum from mono to stereo, from black-and-white to color. I’m a fence-setter voter, but this forum put me on the McCain side. While Obama may be the guy I’d like to have a drink with, McCain is the guy I’d want to lead me into battle. I’m still keeping an open mind, but for now, McCain’s my man.

Since I didn’t see the exchange myself, I’ll go with the assessments of thoughtful uncommitted viewers like William Lobdell and others. I’d be interested to read observations written by others, too.

Michael at Best Destiny points out the inconsequential, do-nothing record of his and my state representative Sara Gagliardi - and the representative for most of Arvada, Colorado:

Among things she did NOT sponsor, she did manage to join her party voting to extend unionization into the state government (which had to be vetoed, only to reappear via Executive fiat . . .er, order); she did manage to vote against increasing academic requirements for graduation, but vote to create standards for Sex Education in the schools.

So the entire track record of Sara Gagliardi’s first year in office as a part of the majority was:
–no academic standards
–Sex Ed standards
–banned smoking in casinos, which encroaches on personal rights and hurt casinos financially

Pretty impressive. Feeling good about MY representation.

One more reason to cast my vote for common-sense candidate John Bodnar. In fact, my John Bodnar for State House yard sign arrived this morning: first of the political season. Now I just have to trim the front yard to give it a more sightly background. To match the yard sign, I have posted a John Bodnar sign on the sidebar - my virtual blog “yard.”

Earlier I linked to the audio of former Governor Bill Owens and former U.S. Senator Hank Brown giving their endorsements of Amendment 49, Colorado’s Ethical Standards initiative. Compliments of Ethical Standards Now, here is a longer version of the Hank Brown Amendment 49 radio ad set to YouTube video - “Amendment 49 keeps lobbyists in line”:

(Full disclosure: I also happen to work for the Independence Institute, which has provided the intellectual ammunition behind Ethical Standards.)

The latest edition of Budget & Tax News highlights an important case pending before the U.S. Supreme Court about a clean elections law from Idaho:

In 2003, the Idaho Legislature passed the Voluntary Contributions Act, which banned the collection of political contributions through government payroll systems throughout the state. Nothing in the law prohibits union members from contributing to candidates by choice, and nothing in it prohibits unions from engaging in politics.

Policy experts view the law favorably. Noted Ben DeGrow, an education analyst with the Independence Institute, “Governments should be focused on performing vital services for taxpayers, not on acting as a bill collector for private groups–especially groups that are lobbying officials and funding political candidates.”

Besides the fact I’m quoted in this article, why do I bring this up? Colorado voters are considering a proposal that would have the same practical effect of bringing Ethical Standards to government. Amendment 49 on the November statewide ballot will prohibit governments from bundling money from public employees’ paychecks and delivering the cash to special interests who use it to lobby politicians.” But it’s written in a way that avoids the challenging legal baggage of Idaho’s Voluntary Contributions Act.

(Full disclosure: I also happen to work for the Independence Institute, which has provided the intellectual ammunition behind Ethical Standards.)

The Colorado Supreme Court may have given the Colorado Education Association (CEA) a pass from the state’s electioneering laws, but the Landmark Legal Foundation has taken the same evidence to file a complaint with the Internal Revenue Service that the union violated its tax-exempt status.

In other words, CEA spent members’ general dues money on union employees to coordinate political campaigns but reported zero dollars spent on politics to the IRS. Listen to Landmark’s Pete Hutchison tell the story on this newly-released iVoices podcast.

It’s good to see a breath of fresh air and common sense coming to Denver to counter the sea of Moonbat protesters drawn to the Democratic National Convention like moths to a flame. The American Victory Coalition is holding a patriotic rally in support of our troops and victory at Denver’s Pioneer Monument Park on Sunday, August 24, from 10 am to 2 pm.

Go here to find more details on speakers, security, suggestion for what to bring, and other details like parking and transportation.

Just wanted to bring your attention to a great new piece by Hannah Sternberg at The Weekly Standard on the politics of merit pay, a topic all too near to my heart.

Most of the article explores a proposal by the reform-minded chancellor of Washington, D.C. Public Schools - Michelle Rhee - and how it’s being received in this dysfunctional, bureaucratic education system. But the article also takes a peek at events surrounding Denver’s groundbreaking ProComp teacher pay program, including a mention of the recent tensions that have resulted in strike threats.
Read the rest of this entry »

Two of Colorado’s most respected political heavy hitters - former Gov. Bill Owens and elder statesman former U.S. Senator Hank Brown both have endorsed Amendment 49 (Ethical Standards Initiative) on the November ballot:

Government should not be the bagman for special interests. Amendment 49 will prohibit governments from bundling money from public employees’ paychecks and delivering the cash to special interests who use it to lobby politicians. Government should be using our tax dollars to provide crucial public services, not to funnel money to political organizations. Amendment 49 keeps lobbyists in line.

Bill Owens gave a thumbs-up to Ethical Standards when he guest-hosted the Mike Rosen Show last week: Listen to the audio here.

You may have heard it already on the air, but Hank Brown has recorded a radio ad for Amendment 49: Listen to the audio here.

(Full disclosure: I also happen to work for the Independence Institute, which has provided the intellectual ammunition behind Ethical Standards.)

This, of course, is the reason why I preferred someone other than Mike Coffman to win the 6th Congressional District primary:

Gov. Bill Ritter is poised to appoint a new secretary of state — no doubt a fellow Democrat.

Republican Secretary of State Mike Coffman won the 6th Congressional District primary. As the district is heavily Republican, Coffman is expected to win the seat in November.

Among the names often mentioned as possible appointees to the $68,500-a-year-post are House Speaker Andrew Romanoff and Senate Majority Leader Ken Gordon. Both Democrats are term limited.

What’s done is done. Fox is in charge of the hen house now. On the up side, the Democrats’ phony watchdog group Colorado Ethics Watch will have to look for someone else to harass.

In other primary election news, while the Lefty Dead Governors are ecstatic that the Secretary of State’s office “turns bright, shiny blue”, it turns out to be only their consolation for not having Doug Bruce to kick around anymore.

Also, one state house race in central Jefferson County remains undecided at this hour:

Tuesday night was a nail-biter for Sue Schafer as she was 24 votes ahead of her opponent in the Democratic primary for the state House District 24 seat.

With 39 of 40 precincts reporting, Schafer held the slim lead over Dave Ruchman in the Jefferson County district.

Oh, and having taken down Joan Fitz-Gerald, Jared Polis looks to be the successor of Mark Udall in the liberal 2nd Congressional District. It’s a black eye for Tim Gill, Pat Stryker, Big Labor, and the entire Colorado Democracy Alliance - which turned on one of their own and lost.

Early primary results are in … Congratulations to Mike Coffman, the next Representative from Colorado’s 6th Congressional District. He wasn’t my first choice, but he will do a fine job in Congress. Wil Armstrong had a big deficit to overcome, but despite his late surge couldn’t make up the difference.

Congratulations also to fellow blogger Joshua Sharf, whose hard work and consistent conservative Republican message has paid off in a primary victory.

As predicted, incumbent Doug Lamborn has held on in the 5th Congressional. Wish it were Jeff Crank, but there’s no use looking back.

On the Democrat side, upstart liberal millionaire Jared Polis holds a lead over party favorite and career pol Joan Fitz-Gerald. But this one is still too close to call at this point.

El Presidente, the hard-working and creative blogger at Slapstick Politics, is heading to the Republican National Convention in the Twin Cities to provide his creative brand of new media coverage from a center-right Colorado perspective. Any financial support you can give him is appreciated.

When 9News reporter Nelson Garcia wanted a different perspective on school district bond elections, he asked to interview me. If you want to see the video - or just read it in print so to avoid having to look at me - the story is here:

Ben DeGrow is the education policy analyst for the Education Policy Center within the Independence Institute, which is a conservative political think tank. DeGrow says too many middle class families are coping with high gas prices and a poor real estate market to think about raising their own property taxes for schools.

“This may be a tough year for JeffCo and other metro school districts to be asking for money,” said DeGrow.

JeffCo is just one of the major districts around Denver poised to ask voters for money this fall. Denver, Aurora, and Cherry Creek have also expressed the intent to place bond issues or mill levies on the November ballot along with a number of other districts across Colorado.

DeGrow says school districts place bond issues and mill levies on the ballot during presidential elections because that means more un-informed voters will come to the polls.

“You’re reaching into a base of voters who don’t necessarily have as much information who may be inclined to just give more money to schools because it sounds like the right thing to do,” said Degrow.

DeGrow says, instead, people should be asking districts how it can spend the money it already has more efficiently instead of trying to fix all problems by throwing more money into the system.

“Most studies show, there’s no connection between how much is spent and what the results are as far as student tests,” said DeGrow.

You may now return to your regularly scheduled blog reading.

It’s not often I break news on this site, but just remember it was reported here first: As of today, the entirety of Colorado state government is officially unionized. Previously, the “Colorado WINS” union coalition won the right to represent six of eight occupational groups in state government - despite being outvoted by the “don’t give a crap” coalition.

While political junkies in Colorado await the results of candidate primary campaigns, results from mail-in ballot elections for the final two occupational groups of Colorado state government were counted and tabulated today. Via an email from the state labor department, here are the results (which should be posted here shortly):

Financial Services Group:
Colorado WINS was successful in this election. Here is the vote count:

Yes: 405
No: 325

Professional Services Group:
Colorado WINS was successful in this election. Here is the vote count:

Yes: 1,783
No: 1,208

In both cases, fewer than half of eligible employees voted, and fewer than 25 percent voted for employee representation. Interestingly, these two contests were closer than any of the previous six - more participation overall. Combined with the results of previous elections, here is the final tally of state workers on the question of receiving exclusive union representation from “Colorado WINS” (H/T Mike Antonucci):

In favor of unionizing: 7,669 (24.0%)
Against unionizing: 2,952 (9.2%)
Don’t give a crap: 21,353 (66.8%)

It looks like the “Colorado Loses” campaign may have made a small dent in urging more state employees to vote no, but the efforts were too little, too late. Thank you, Governor Bill Ritter.