Thursday, March 29, 2007

Tancredo Holding On To Seat

Orignally reported by To The Right.

Is anyone really surprised that Rep. Tancredo is going to with-hold an announcement on his congressional seat? By all indications, the 2008 presidential primary will be over by mid-February. The Denver Post reports:

Tom Tancredo isn’t deciding any time soon whether he’s going to leave his congressional seat in order to run for the Republican presidential nomination.

The Littleton Republican said today that he doesn’t intend to decide between the two. Election rules allow him to run for his House seat and the presidential primary at the same time.

“I don’t know that I won’t run again, should things not turn out that I was president of the United States,” Tancredo said.

Tancredo said that Bay Buchanan, who managed her brother Pat Buchanan’s three presidential runs, will essentially direct his presidential campaign. He announced last week that she had been hired as senior advisor, but Tancredo explained that her role will be expansive.

“She’s going to be really running the show,” he said.

On a related note, Tancredo is probably a bit let-down that no Republicans in Colorado feel like endorsing one of their own, even ones who ran campaigns largely based around Tancredo’s endorsement.

Freedom to fear for your safety

Originally reported by the Political Pale Horse.

Gang violence is growing and a pair of robbers are shooting harmless victims throughout Denver. So what does the Democratic majority do? They pass legislation to make gang members and criminals more successful in their criminal activities.

Reported by Colorado Senate News.

House legislators approved a Senate Democrat measure today barring Colorado residents on using out-of-state concealed carry permits for their self-defense needs…

Senate Bill 34, by freshman Sen. John Morse, D-Colorado Springs, and House Majority Leader Alice Madden, D-Boulder, restricts Colorado’s recognition of valid out-of-state concealed-carry firearms permits. It passed in the House by a mostly party-line vote of 36-29…

“The Legislature has taken its first shot at the Second Amendment,” said Brophy after learning of the House vote on the proposal. “I’m anxious to see if the governor will stand up for the Second Amendment or not.”

Again, why do we force people to become victims? Why can’t we let citizens defend themselves?

This must be that security thing Morse talks about on his website. We’re glad to see that you’re keeping Colorado criminals safe from harm.

Commentary: Are we there yet?

One question has relentlessly plagued campaign consultants since November 8th 2006.

Have Republicans reached the bottom yet?

This question was asked to a few prominent lawmakers on a trip I took back to DC a month ago(that’s right, I’m a big deal). Their answers were intriguing, though not surprising. One Republican Senator thought it was just a bad year for the good guys and we could only move up. Two Republican Congressmen thought we had not reached the bottom yet and only when we learned to “act” like Republicans again would the electorate see the true differences between Republicans and Democrats and start the shift of the pendulum back our way. The one Dem Congressman I met with thought that we had not reached the bottom and only when we learned to disagree with our President would Republicans start the trek up that mountain we call polling.

The different answers to this question also represent three very different strategies in the '08 elections.

The Senator’s response was that it was a freak year and that there was very little we could have done to prevent it. He thought the same campaign strategies, that brought the worst year to Republicans since 1974, would be much more successful in 2008. History would tend to agree with him. The average loss of seats for the sitting Presidents party in an off year election is around 30 seats, however the 6th year (or later if term limits had not yet been imposed) for a sitting President is far worse. The infamous 6th year has brought debacles such as 71 Dem seats in 1938 for FDR’s 6th year, another 55 seats for FDR’s 10th year in 1942, 49 Republican seats in 1958 which was Eisenhower’s 6th year, 47 Dem seats in Kennedy’s 6th year in 1966 and finally the 49 seats we lost in Nixon’s 6th year in 1974. In the 6th year elections where you see a huge loss of seats for either party, you see a slight pickup of those same seats the following election. Republicans stayed status quo in the 1976 election’s losing one seat to the Democrats. If '08 holds true to history, then yes Republicans have reached the bottom and will be able to stay firm to the same campaign strategies we had in '06 and not lose more seats.

The two Republican Congressmen thought we had not reached the bottom yet and only when we learn to act like Republicans would we gain our seats back. It sounds simple enough. Given the option of less government, lower taxes and an emphasis placed on the American family it is hard for anyone to find fault in the Republican platform. When you contrast this with the jumbled and mired Democrat platform, the decision is made even easier. However, if we as Republicans refuse to hold these values paramount then it is hard for voters to see a real contrast with the Democrats. If you have heard Dick Wadhams on the stump these past few months you would know that his strategy is to make clear the distinctions between Republican and Democrat candidates. Make these differences simple and clear in the mind of the voter and we win. To me this is the strategy that makes the most sense, however Karl Rove I am not(I just like to pretend).

The last response came from the one Democrat Congressmen that I met with and that was the key to Republicans winning back some seats is to turn their backs on a President whose approval ratings are in the mid 30’s. Though it guilts me to take campaign advice from a Democrat Congressman, it may very well work. The strategy for the Dems in '06 was to simply say that the Republican candidate was in league with an unpopular President and leave it at that. Remember the DCCC ad against Rick O’Donnell? It was a picture of him getting off the plane with President Bush, and that was pretty much it(I would cut off my pinkie toe to see before and after poll #’s for ROD once that ad came out). Yes, the election strategy that saw us losing so badly in 2006 was simply that old taunt from elementary school “Rick and Georgy sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G…..” Will distancing a candidate from Bush in '08 help us win back some seats remains to be seen.

I think we can expect the three different strategies (stay the course, tell people what you stand for, and tell people you don’t like W) to all be seen in the '08 election. In my opinion it will be a combination of the last two that will see the best results (I still love our President, just saying what will work).

(Editors note: We will have a glimpse of what will work in the '07 Gubernatorial elections. There are only three seats up for grabs, and from what I can gather thus far, each of these strategies will be put in motion by the three different Republican candidates. I’ll write more on this next week.)

(John Galt is a pragmatic Conservative who, when not fighting liberal policies, enjoys spending time with friends and family. John is currently reading a book on regression analysis, needless to say the guy is a rock star.)

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Charter Schools Provide Choice & Innovation In Education

A well written post from Colorado Charter Schools, click here for more.

More memorable Long Bill quotes

From the Long Bill Debate:

"I agree with Jon Caldera..." - Senator Chris Romer (D-Denver) discussing user fees for highways.

Quote of the week

During debate on the Long Bill:

"This isn't the long study, it's the long bill." -Senator Josh Penry (R-Fruita) on Democrat attempts to create more useless studies.

Harvey fights for the un-born

As we speak the Colorado State Senate is debating the Long Appropriations Bill which sets the Colorado state budget.

State Senator Ted Harvey (R - Highlands Ranch) just ran an amendment to the Long Bill that would prevent Governor Ritter from funding abortion-provider Planned Parenthood, which would be a direct violation of Article V, Section 50 of the Colorado State Constitution.

The amendment failed, but Harvey deserves a pat on the back for standing up for the un-born children of Colorado.

Beauprez Endorses Romey

I just got an email from former Congressman Bob Beauprez and his wife Claudia announcing their endorsement of former Mass. Governor Mitt Romney for President.

From the email:

Mitt Romney believes strongly in the core principles of free enterprise, fair and free trade, accountability in education, personal responsibility, tolerance, strong families, and a national defense second to none. More than that, however, we are amazed at what he accomplished during his term as Governor of Massachusetts - strengthening education, laying the foundation for private, market-based health insurance for all, and cutting the size and cost of government.

Specifically, without raising taxes or increasing debt, Governor Romney closed a $3 billion deficit in his first year in office. Each year, Governor Romney filed a balanced budget without raising taxes. By eliminating waste, streamlining the government, and enacting comprehensive economic reforms to stimulate growth in Massachusetts, he got the economy moving again and transformed deficits into surpluses.


Me: *yawn*

Dennis Kucinich is Crazy

It turns out that my favorite liberal loon, Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) is married to the "Dog Queen".

From National Journal's Hotline:

KUCINICH: Move Over, "First Lady" Title

According to the new issue of Cleveland Canine, Dennis and Elizabeth Kucinich "have adopted three dogs in the past year, to whom they feed raw carrots as treats." The Kuciniches also feed the dogs "fruit and left-over salad." The beagles are named Harry and Lucy, and the cocker spaniel is named George after a British king. Elizabeth told the mag: "Dennis likes to take the 'boys' out back and throws balls to them. George has a particularly good knack of catching balls in mid-flight." According to the mag, Elizabeth "became known as the 'Dog Queen' during a six-month stint in India where she fed wild dogs" (Eaton, Cleveland Plain Dealer blog, 3/28).


And this man wants to be President. Ugh!. It should also be noted that Dennis is almost as old as Elizabeth's father.

Stormy Weather In Colorado Blogosphere

If you read some of the other conservative blogs you might have seen that the Colorado Conservative Project was implicated in a vast conspiracy of collusion with a few other blogs to disrupt some guy’s tranquility, whatever that means.

Ummm...what?

My two friends who coauthor on this blog are barely able to get dressed in the morning without hurting themselves, much less take part in some conspiracy.

The only colluding we have ever done with the blogs TTR and PPH was last night and this morning when they emailed us to ask if we had ever heard of the guy who sent them that email, we sure hadn’t. We are kind of confused about the whole matter and kind of…well not kind of, really amused about it as well.

We aren’t out to get anyone, we actually enjoy the guys website and have a link to it on our page. We also enjoy reading TTR and PPH, and to be honest with you I am going to start reading Ben DeGrow’s blog as well, I feel a sense of camaraderie with him now that we have been imaginary cohorts in a conspiracy, how cool!

We are going to drop the matter at this point in hopes of it just going away.

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Wanna Blow Stuff Up?

Heck yes I do. Who doesn't like to cut loose at dynamite with a belt-fed, fully automatic weapon every now and then?

This weekend is the Rocky Mountain Gun Owners fun shoot out in Fort Morgan. Complete with cannons, machine guns, explosives, and of course ear protection it's fun way to relax exercise a constitutional right.

I snagged some details from RMGO's page, but be sure to head over to their site for full details. They've even got a little map with directions.

Essentially it's open from 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. this Friday and Saturday, and is located outside of Ft. Morgan.

If you want to shoot stuff in a fun and safe environment, it's a good way to get your hands on some hardware that thanks to government interference costs law abiding citizens thousands of dollars.

Flowery Introductions and a Lack of Substance

John and the imaginary version of Mr. Lyman have been kind enough to let me come play in their sandbox over here and I'm darn excited about it. Their introduction was accurate in way that defies the very definition accuracy.

If you really want to know me, I'm less like vermouth and more like a sobering wake-up call to Josh's growing drinking problem. When you begin to visualize your colleagues as various alcoholic beverages, this is one of the warning signs.

In between random blood alcohol level tests that I'll be administering to Josh, I'm hoping to squeeze in regular bit of information that you gentle readers will stoop observe, but mainly I'll just be making fun of the Galt/Lyman duo.

-The Eye

Dems redefine family... UPDATE

*UPDATE*
SB07-124 revised the Colorado Housing Authority Act, but hidden in it is language that redefines the family unit. The current law says that a family is "persons related by blood, marriage or adoption." The bill would change the law to say that a family unit is made up of "persons whether or not related by blood, marriage or adoption."

This opens the door for state sanctioning of homosexual couples, in direct defiance of the will of the people of Colorado who voted against Ref. I and for Amendment 43.

A number of Republicans voted for the measure on Monday.

The Wall of Shame: Rep.(s) Rob Witwer, Ellen Roberts, Debbie Stafford, Al White and Tom Massey.

*DEVELOPING STORY*

Reports from conservatives inside the state legislature indicates that the liberal anti-family elements in Denver have redefined family through a procedural loop-hole in a housing bill to recognize homosexual couples.

I'm working on confirming what exactly happened.

New Contributor

John Galt and If Josh Lyman were conservative... are proud to announce that another contributor will be joining Colorado Conservative Project. While he's still deciding upon his alias, you can expect a new and very humorous perspective to be coming to the pages of this blog very soon.

Our new contributor is a former congressional staff monkey, who is now a campaign consultant here in Colorado. He likes to channel Jimmy Buffet while talking about taxes over a tall glass of Jack Daniels. He is the vermouth to Josh Lyman's gin in the conservative martini. He seldom emerges from his hermitage, but when he does, it is a sight to behold.

Worst GOP Legislators?

Tim Gill front group, Colorado Confidential has released several lists of the most (and least) successful legislators this session.

It's very telling to see two of the worst House Republicans among the top 10 most "successful" members of the State House: Rep. Rob Witwer (R-Golden) and Rep. Al White (R-Winter Park).

Cara DeGette Kicked Off House Floor

Read To The Right's post to learn more.

Fred Thompson on the border

Former Senator and actor Fred Thompson's (R-TN) guest stint on Paul Harvey's radio show, and a National Review Editorial shines some light on his views on border policy.

Recently, Thompson's name has been connected with a possible Presidential run. While my jury is still out on Thompson on the important issues, this is certainly a step in the right direction.

Fred Thompson to the Mexican Government:

hey guys, you’re our friends and neighbors and we love you but it’s time you had a little dose of reality. A sovereign nation loses that status if it cannot secure its own borders and we are going to do whatever is necessary to do so, although our policies won’t be as harsh as yours are along your southern border. And criticizing the U.S. for alternately doing too much and too little to stop your illegal activities is not going to set too well with Americans of good will who are trying to figure a way out of the mess that your and our open borders policy has already created.

My friends, it’s also time for a little introspection. Since we all agree that improving Mexico’s economy will help with the illegal-immigration problem, you might want to consider your own left-of -center policies. For example, nationalized industries are not known for enhancing economic growth. Just a thought. But here’s something even more to the point that you might want to think about: What does it say about the leadership of a country when that country’s economy and politics are dependent upon the exportation of its own citizens?

Obama The Moderate?

Judge for yourself. The following are votes that media darling Barack Obama made in the Illinois state legislature. It is taken from an article by Amanda Carpenter in Human Events.

ABORTION
NO SB 230 (1997)
To prohibit partial-birth abortion unless necessary to save
the life of a mother and makes performance of the procedure
a Class 4 felony for the physician.
NO HB 709 (2000)
To prohibit state funding of abortion and induced miscarriages
except when necessary to save the life of the mother.
Excludes premature births from funding except to produce
a viable child when necessary to save the life of a
mother. Would permit funding in cases of rape or incest
when payment is authorized under federal law.
NO SB 1661 (2002)
A part of the Born Alive Infant Protection Package. Would
create a cause of action if a child is born alive after an abortion
and the child is then neglected through failure to provide
medial care after birth.
CRIME
NO SB 381 (1997)
To require prisoners to pay court costs for frivolous lawsuits
against the state.
NO SB 485 (1999)
To give no offer of “good time” for sex offenders sentenced
to the County Jail.
*Obama was the only vote against this measure
UNIONS
YES HB 3396 (2003)
To make unionization easier by not requiring a secret ballot
to organize if 50% of the eligible workers publicly sign a
card of support for unionization.
YES SB 230 (2003)
Entitles a teacher who is elected as an officer of the state or
national teacher’s union to be granted a leave of absence for
up to six years, or the period of time the teacher is serving.
YES SB 1070 (2003)
Allows college graduate assistants who teach college
courses be eligible to join a union.
CHILD PROTECTION
PRESENT SB 609 (2001)
To restrict the location of buildings with “adult” uses
(meaning pornographic video stores, strip clubs, etc.) within
1,000 feet of any public or private elementary or secondary school, public park, place or worship, preschool, daycare
facility, mobile park or residential area.
NO HB 1812 (1999)
To require school boards to install software on public computers
accessible to minors to block sexually explicit material.
TAXES
NO SB 1075 (1999)
To create an income tax credit for all full-time K-12 pupils in
an amount equal to 25% of qualified education expenses up
to a maximum of $500 per family.
YES SB 1725 (2003)
To restore the Illinois Estate Tax.
YES SB 1733 (2003)
To impose a Gas Use Tax on the purchase of natural gas
from outside the state of Illinois for use or consumption in
Illinois. Forces the delivering supplier to pay 2.4 cents per
therm of gas, or the customer can elect to become a “selfassessing”
purchaser and pay 5% of the purchase price or
2.4 cents per therm.
ELECTIONS
YES SB 1415 (2003)
To create public funding for supreme court races.
DRUGS
YES SB 880 (2003)
To allow the purchase of 10 hypodermic needles from a
pharmacy without a prescription.
PRESENT HB 2000 (4659)
To establish a zero-tolerance drug-testing policy for
Department of Corrections Employees
BUSINESS
NO SB 777 (1999)
To end the unemployment insurance fund building tax.
NO SB 879 (1999)
To end the minimum contribution tax rate for the unemployment
system.
NO SB 795 (2001)
To reduce employers’ minimum contribution insurance rate.
YES SB 796 (2003)
To increase the Illinois minimum wage from $5.15 per hour
to $6.50 per hour.

Monday, March 26, 2007

Feminism: Bad for your Health?

Feminism may be bad for your health...

Tanc Ramps up

Congressman Tom Tancredo's (CO-6) dark-horse presidential campaign has hired long time ally Bay Buchanan to run his Presidential primary campaigns in Iowa and New Hampshire.

From the Denver Post:

"I'm not saying this is going to be easy," Buchanan said about Tancredo's presidential prospects in a late-1995 interview with The Denver Post, as Tancredo debated whether to run for president. "I think there's a chance. My job is to convince Tom there's a chance."

Buchanan is chairwoman of Team America, the political action committee Tancredo founded. It raises money for candidates who shared Tancredo's hardliner views on immigration and the border.

"She has been a valuable advisor and close friend for a long time and will be an invaluable asset to my campaign," Tancredo said. [Emphasis added]

Tanc 4 Prez

It's no secret that Congressman Tom "Tanc" Tancredo (CO-6) has been talking about not running for congress again, to pursue his dark-horse Presidential campaign. That talk has escalated in the last several days with the announcement that Tanc's Presidential exploratory commitee has raised over $1 million in the last quarter.

The Denver Post has a profile of some of the possible candidates to replace Tanc in CO-6. Among the front line contenders are State Senator Ted Harvey (R-Highlands Ranch) Senator Tom Wiens (R- Castle Rock) and Wil Armstrong (Son of Conservative hero, Senator Bill Armstrong).

There are sure to be a number of second and third tier candidates, possibly including State Senator Steve Ward (R- Centennial).

Harvey and Armstrong will certainly be battling it out over the position of most conservative candidate.

Harvey has the record of a conservative hero; staunchly pro-life, a sponsor of right-to-work legislation every year he's been in office, and one of the leaders on on gun rights.

While Armstrong has the pedigree and is certainly a front line conservative, he has never cast a recorded vote.

Wiens tacks a more middle of the road course, he is a George W. Bush style of Republican.

It will be interesting to see how these elements of the race play out.

Friday, March 23, 2007

Quote of the Week: Honorable Mention

"Wear higher pants, a belt and suspenders" -Senator Mike Kopp having fun with a planned amendment to a plumber bill to permanently stop the famed "plumbers crack".

Adding more wit to the argument, Kopp continued, "Now, that's consumer protection!"

Run Bob, Run

From The Hill:

Former Sen. Bill Armstrong, a Colorado GOP giant who signaled in recent days that he would support Schaffer, said McInnis’s exit would open the door to Schaffer’s best chance at the Senate.

Armstrong’s support is paramount in the state.

“My expectation is that Bob Schaffer will be the nominee and should be the nominee and would have the greatest chance as a Republican to win,” Armstrong said. “This is Bob’s turn; it’s his time.”

MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT COMING

Keep 4-15-07 on your radar screens. More to come later.

Suthers Running For Senate Is A Good Thing

Has the Colorado Conservative Project gone off the deep end in promoting AG John Suthers running for Senate? No, not quite, though we feel it is good that he is talking about running. Let us explain.

The current political environment of the Republican nominee is as follows. Scott McInnis has dropped out. Bob Schaffer has not announced he is running though those close to him think his announcement is coming before summer.

These two former Congressmen are Colorado’s best shot at winning the seat being vacated by Conservative hero Wayne Allard. However now that Scott McInnis has dropped out of the race while Bob Schaffer had not yet announced he is running, the potential for an unknown self funder entering the fray arises.

This is a problem in that the self funder might not go away when a legitimate contender for the Republican nominee announces their candidacy. A Republican cannot win the Senate seat with a divisive primary and Republicans will not see a Senate primary with the current cast of politicos jockeying for the job, however an unknown self funder might not play by those rules and drastically hurt our chances of retaining the seat by engaging in a primary.

By having legitimate politicos such as John Suthers and Dan Caplis talking about running for Senate the chances of an unknown jumping in dramatically decrease as the unknown already knows others are thinking about going to the dance. Take those guys out though and the unknown potentially thinks he is the only R in the room and starts a campaign which he may not want to stop once the wheels are in motion.

Both Suthers and Caplis are principled enough to withdraw their names if Schaffer jumps in. And while we would surely not enjoy seeing Governor Ritter turn over the Attorney General position to Democrat control, John Suthers would be Colorado’s best choice for Republican nominee if Schaffer decides not to run.

So keep up the talk Mr. Suthers and help Colorado Republicans avoid a primary.

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Parent of Columbine victim testifies against gun control

The following is testimony from Columbine victim Rachel Scott's father, Darrell. Mr. Scott spoke out against gun control and in favor of personal responsibility.

Since the dawn of creation there has been both good & evil in the hearts of men and women. We all contain the seeds of kindness or the seeds of violence. The death of my wonderful daughter, Rachel Joy Scott, and the deaths of that heroic teacher, and the other eleven children who died must not be in vain. Their blood cries out for answers.

The first recorded act of violence was when Cain slew his brother Abel out in the field. The villain was not the club he used.. Neither was it the NCA, the National Club Association The true killer was Cain, and the reason for the murder could only be found in Cain's heart.

In the days that followed the Columbine tragedy, I was amazed at how quickly fingers began to be pointed at groups such as the NRA. I am not a member of the NRA. I am not a hunter. I do not even own a gun. I am not here to represent or defend the NRA - because I don't believe that they are responsible for my daughter's death. Therefore I do not believe that they need to be defended. If I believed they had anything to do with Rachel's murder I would be their strongest opponent.

I am here today to declare that Columbine was not just a tragedy -- it was a spiritual event that should be forcing us to look at where the real blame lies! Much of the blame lies here in this room. Much of the blame lies behind the pointing fingers of the accusers themselves. I wrote a poem just four nights ago that expresses my feelings best. Your laws ignore our deepest needs,
Your words are empty air.
You've stripped away our heritage,
You've outlawed simple prayer.
Now gunshots fill our classrooms,
And precious children die.
You seek for answers everywhere,
And ask the question "Why?"
You regulate restrictive laws,
Through legislative creed.
And yet you fail to understand,
That God is what we need!

Men and women are three-part beings. We all consist of body, mind, and spirit. When we refuse to acknowledge a third part of our make-up, we create a void that allows evil, prejudice, and hatred to rush in and wreak havoc. Spiritual presences were present within our educational
systems for most of our nation's history. Many of our major colleges began as theological seminaries. This is a historical fact. What has happened to us as a nation? We have refused to honor God, and in so doing, we open the doors to hatred and violence. And when something as terrible as Columbine's tragedy occurs -- politicians immediately look for a scapegoat such as the NRA. They immediately seek to pass more restrictive laws that contribute to erode away our personal and private liberties. We do not need more restrictive laws. Eric and Dylan would not have been stopped by metal detectors. No amount of gun laws can stop someone who spends months planning this type of massacre. The real villain lies within our own hearts.

As my son Craig lay under that table in the school library and saw his two friends murdered before his very eyes, he did not hesitate to pray in school. I defy any law or politician to deny him that right! I challenge every young person in America , and around the world, to realize that on April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School prayer was brought back to our schools. Do not let the many prayers offered by those students be in vain. Dare to move into the new millennium with a sacred disregard for legislation that violates your God-given right to communicate with Him. To those of you who would point your finger at the NRA -- I give to you a sincere challenge. Dare to examine your
own heart before casting the first stone!

My daughter's death will not be in vain! The young people of this country will not allow that to happen!

Quote of the Week

"Call Joan Fitz-Gerald and tell her to quit the political games. Call 303-866-3342. That's 303-866-3342. And learn more at coloradoethics.com"
- radio ad financed by Jared Polis talking about Fitzzy blocking his infamous Amendment 41

Keep the bickering up!

The WingNut Versus The Rino

Did my buddy IfJoshLymanWereConservative....just call Josh Penry to the floor? Yup. Do I understand why? Yup. Do I still think that Josh Penry is an outstanding legislator and a future Wednesday Warrior for CCP? Double Yup. Is there any conservative Republican out there that has a perfect voting record? Nope,(the possible exception being our own Congresswoman Musgrave and even then if you are an isolationist you would have disliked her stance on CAFTA-DR).

You could go down the list of some of our conservative heroes and I could pick them apart one by one for different votes they have made. Bob Schaffer, Tom Tancredo, Wayne Allard and the list goes on of some of my heroes whom have made bad votes in the past. They are still my heroes though and I will wear out sneakers walking precincts for them.

I do understand where IfJoshLymanWereConservative is coming from, I just do not agree with his assessment of Penry not being an outstanding legislator.

It is important to have dialogue in Republican politics now, both sides of an argument should be presented. Both IfJoshLymanWereConservative and I hope to bring you those arguments through a series of debates with each other. He will come from the staunch conservative side(WingNut) and I will be coming from the moderate side(RINO). Neither of these nicknames bother me and the sooner we can recognize both of them as being silly, the sooner we can start working together.

Huge HAT TIP to Josh Penry for still being an outstanding CONSERVATIVE Republican.

(Editors Note: Believe it or not, when I first met my colleague IfJoshLymanWereConservative I was the conservative one but as the years have went by he is getting more conservative day by day. I'm not sure what type of kool-aid the dude is drinking but it sure is doing the job. The fact that this guy can keep landing a girlfriend is also astonishing to me.)

SanFran Nan runs this site...?

According to SquartState.Net SanFran Nan, our very own Speaker of the House of Representatives, runs this blog and several other conservative blogs here in Colorado.

An IP trace of all the new Republican blogs reveals something awfully troubling. So troubling in fact that it's got Ronald Reagan (if he can remember to, in between dreams of selling weapons to Iran) spinning in his grave.

coloradomediawatch.blogspot.com - 72.14.207.191
politicalpalehorse.blogspot.com - 72.14.207.191
coloradoconservativeproject.blogspot.com - 72.14.207.191

The IP address 72.14.207.191 resolves to blogspot.l.google.com

Google? You mean Mountain View, CA Google? You mean San Francisco Google--home of none other than House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi?


What I find the most humorous about this is that this lunatic, can't get SanFran Nan's title right... She's not the Majority Leader, she's the Speaker of the House!!

If SanFran Nan runs this site, where is my pay check?

(H/T: our buddies over at Political Pale Horse)

What's the deal with Josh Penry?

CCP's good friends at PoliticalPaleHorse (PPH) have recognized Senator Josh Penry (R-Fruita) as an "outstanding legislator".

While I do like Penry, and I like the PPH even more, I think that I need to set the record straight on Penry's voting record.

PPH says that Penry is fighting against "regressive legislation". This couldn't be further from the truth.

As recently as Tuesday, Penry voted for and co-sponsored a ridiculous piece of nanny-government legislation to regulate landscape architects. PPH even lampooned this legislation, which Senator Greg Brophy (R-Wray) called an, "unnecessary limitation on competition." SB07-107 is the definition of regressive.

Penry is also the Senate sponsor of another regulatory bill to license private investigators, HB07-1083.

Penry voted against SB07-40, which would have allowed branch banks to open on the premises of stores like Walmart and Target.

Penry's rating with the Colorado Union of Taxpayers for the 2006 legislative session was an embarrassing 44%.

RMGO, Colorado's only no-compromise gun rights group, was unable to endorse Penry's run for Senate because of Penry's questionable voting record on gun rights.

I do believe that Penry is one of the rising stars in the Republican Party, but as I have said before, the good of the Conservative Movement and the good of the Republican party are not conjoined goals. I believe that it is highly inaccurate to call Penry an "outstanding legislator".

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

It's Official

McInnis is out. More to come later.

Wednesday's Warrior: Tom Tancredo

When talking to Republican activists in Colorado the one name that comes up more than any others as Colorado’s favorite son is Tom Tancredo.

When history is written years from now it is hard to imagine a political figure that will have affected the immigration reform movement as much as Congressman Tom Tancredo. Tom Tancredo came into the spotlight of American politics when the American people needed him most. After being alone in the woods on the issue of immigration for a considerably long time, Tom is now joined by a throng of supporters and admirers who share his vision of immigration reform.

It is because of one mans effort that a single issue has the national political prominence that it does now. For that reason the Colorado Conservative Project is pleased to announce that Congressman Tancredo is this weeks Wednesday Warrior. Congressman Tancredo we salute you.

Click here for the Tancredo For President Blog and get blogging about Tom!

(Editors Note: In recognition of Congressman Tancredo as well as a shot across the bow of his communist neighbor in D.C., CCP suggests you send Tom a cigar to show him your appreciation. You can send your stogie to his district office listed below)
Congressman Tancredo
6099 S. Quebec St. Suite 200
Centennnial, CO 80111

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Republican Classifieds: CD 2 Candidate

Second Congressional District is seeking a moderate Republican to run for the U.S. House of Representatives. Republican must have high name ID to be competitive for a seat where Republicans lost by 40% in 2006 election to Democrat incumbent despite only having a 6% voter registration disadvantage. Long walks on the beach, er I mean long precinct walks are a must have for applicant. Republican must bear a resemblance to Milton Friedman in ideology with strong tree hugging tendencies in a district where Unaffiliated, Green and Libertarian party registration numbers are the highest of any Congressional District in Colorado. Self funder is preferred as potential Democrat nominee will be billionaire Jared Polis, Union funded Joan Fitz-Gerald or environmental funded Will Shafroth. Strong message of being fiscally conservative and small government minded from beginning to end is a must as the Dem challengers will almost certianlly take themselves off the spectrum of liberal idiocy in a brutal primary of who can "out left" the others. If Republican can meet this criteria, a seat in Congress is potential reward. Former 7th Congressional candidate Rick O’Donnell would be a great role model for applicant to have. Applicants should contact Dick Wadhams for more details.

(Editors Note: CCP will on occasion post "classifieds" for potential qualities a candidate must have to win in a certain political environment. Though CCP prides itself on being knowledgeable of most of Colorado's different political atmospheres, we have not mastered them all. If you have a State House seat, State Senate, U.S. House, U.S. Senate or any state wide office that you would like to write a classifed for, please email us with it at ColoradoConservativeProject@hotmail.com)

Monday, March 19, 2007

Loyalty or Principle?

This is better late than never, I guess.

Peggy Noonan
, Reagan’s much vaunted word smith, had an excellent editorial in the Wall Street Journal this past Friday, The Trouble with Loyalty. Noonan explains, far more clearly than I ever could, why principle is important, and why that should color our decisions at the ballot box.

Money Quote:

We were marking a birthday. I was seated next to a politically experienced businessman, an acquaintance of many years. He kept talking about the presidential race. I asked who he's supporting. He was surprised I had to ask.

"Hillary," he said. I nodded.

"Tell me why," I said. "I've known her for years," he said. "I'm a loyal person."

I waited for him to say more. But he didn't.

"Your reason for backing her is that you're loyal?"

"Yes," he said. As if that were enough.

I was puzzled. You're loyal. So what? You have a virtue, good. But that doesn't mean the person you're loyal to should be my president. That's not enough. [Emphasis added]


I believe in loyalty, I just believe loyalty must be placed upon principle, not personality. I have loyalty toward candidates, only in so far as they respect, represent and vote for the principles that are important.

I will not vote for or support candidates that are not pro-life, pro-gun, anti-tax, pro-traditional small government conservatives. My vote is important, as is the time I volunteer and the money I give to on candidates.

To honor the sacrifices of those who protect my right to vote freely, I can’t waste my vote on someone who does represent what I believe are the ideals and principles that make this country great.

Saturday, March 17, 2007

CFG Rankings

From the Political Pale Horse
  • Musgrave 85%
  • Hefley 82%
  • Beauprez 82%
  • Tancredo 80%
  • Salazar 23%
  • DeGette 11%
  • Udall 10%

Friday, March 16, 2007

Senate Rejects Ritter

The Colorado State Senate, in a shocking moment of fiscal sanity, rejected Governor Bill Ritter's ridiculous request for $700,000 to hire a government efficiency consultant.

$700,000 to consult on government efficiency? Apparently I am in the wrong line of work.

Governor Ritter, the answer is simple...

1) Reduce the number of government employees.

2) Reduce the number of government programs.

3) Reduce taxes and regulation.

4) Institute outcome-based budgeting.

5) Abolish the public employees labor union and pay employees based on productivity and performance.

See how easy that is? Now I'm going to invoice the State of Colorado for $300,000.

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Quote of the Week: Honorable Mention

From the Rocky Mountain News some one liners of our Representatives feeding off of each other:

"I’m going to mandate that you have to wear a helmet in a car while wearing a seatbelt" – Rep Frank McNulty R Highlands Ranch

"Can you smoke?" Rep Joe Rice D Littleton

"Only if you’re in a car seat!" Sen Josh Penry R Fruita

Commentary: US Military Still Behind President Bush

Does the U.S. Military still stand behind our President’s? My interest in this topic was heightened after reading my colleague If Josh Lyman Were Conservative's post yesterday about Ron Tupa hating our military. I checked the comments section to see what our readers were saying about Josh's post. A fellow named Dirty Dave, I wonder how one gets the nickname "Dirty" in the first place, anyways Dirty Dave or "DD" as I like to call him, said that 99% of the troops want to be there and feel like they need to be there to defend the people of Iraq. Dirty Dave was quickly rebuked by "anonymous", or "anon" as I like to call him, who said that only 28% of the troops want to be there and provided a link to back up his statistic.

That statistic reminded me of a recent segment on the competely unbiased (wink) 60 minutes where a "large" (probably 15) group of troops said that they felt we should not be in Iraq anymore. To me the entire segment was less about whatever they were saying about Iraq and much more about CBS twisting the segment to frame it as the U.S. Military not standing behind their Commander in Chief, it made me sick to watch.

Anyways back to our commenters Dirty Dave and Anonymous. I think Dirty Dave was making a generalization that the majority of our troops thought we should be in Iraq and I took it as such. The retort, or more accurately the link providing legitimacy for the retort, was what piqued my interest. It was a link to a Zogby/LeMoyne College Center for Peace and Global Studies. LeMoyne Center for what? Is it really that hard for me to believe a study done with a Center for Peace and Global Studies would have results saying our troops wanted out of Iraq? No. I will not go into all of the reasons why this poll holds little credibility in my eyes, much less a zogby poll in general, but if you would like to know more click here for info on the LeMoyne College Center for Peace and Global Studies unbiased findings and faculty.

Ok, forget the hippie poll and the fact it was done over a year ago and think about the soldiers you have had an opportunity to talk to on a regular basis. Having a brother in Iraq, Semper Fi!, and being in the field of politics I often get to talk to our men and women in uniform, call it a perk of the job. Having spoke to hundreds of our men and women in uniform(yes, literally hundreds) I have always got the impression that they aligned with Dirty Dave's assumption that they thought they should be there and more so thought they needed to be there to protect the people. The much more credentialed Oliver North has had a similar experience from the troops he has spoken with. Were these troops intentionally giving me a false impression because they knew that I was a Republican and thought that I wanted to hear that they supported President Bush’s decision? No, I do not think so.

Anonymous is probably correct in that only 28% of our troops "want" to be there. However if someone wants to be somewhere and if they feel that they should be somewhere are two very different things. I have met many, many soldiers who were proud to have served in Iraq and were glad they could serve their country. I have however not talked to any soldier in Iraq who has said that they "want" to be over there. Most of the time when I talk to my brother he talks about how much he wants to be back here in Colorado with his family, with his girlfriend, with his Fat Tire beer. He has never talked about wanting to be there, it's a hot, dry, sandbox where his friends and comrades have died. Who in their right mind would want to be there? Talk to my brother about if we should be there though and it's an entirely different story. The men and women in uniform over there have a deep sense of pride for not only serving their country but also defending the lives of the Iraqi people. I spoke to a Marine recently and while I will not repeat what he said (it's unappropriate), he basically said a big F U to Congress and those waving their white flags saying we need to bring our troops home before more people die. The Marine I spoke with was not sure if it was Republicans or Democrats that wanted to pull the troops out of Iraq, nor did he care, he was equally as mad at both sides of the aisle for letting it come to the point where we were talking about pulling our troops out at the expense of the lives of the Iraqi people. The Marines in Iraq know there are casualties, they also know that if we pull out from Iraq their will be even more blood shed as there will not be anyone to guard the chicken coop any longer.

The majority of men and women over there understand that our President has their best wishes at heart and that he is trying to do the right thing. A recent poll done by Military Times finds that more troops feel we should have went to Iraq than those who think we should not have went there. The poll shows that those troops who still think we can win in Iraq at being at 50% compared to 41% who do not think we can succeed. In regards to the troop surge, 26% think we need less troops over there, 13% think the current level of troops is fine and 38% think we need more troops over there. The war in Iraq is increasingly complicated and time will be tell if our actions over there were correct or not. While these numbers are not staggering support for the war in Iraq, they are alarmingly more in favor of the war in Iraq then those polls taken of civilians.

Should we pay more respect to the statistics of a poll of our troops than to a poll given to those back home? Given the circumstances, I think so.

With President Bush’s approval ratings in the mid 30’s right now, the best statistic to come out of the Military Times poll was that 52% of those in uniform still approve of George W Bush’s handling of his job as President.

(John Galt is a pragmatic Conservative who, when not fighting liberal policies, enjoys hanging out with friends and family.)

Quote of the Week

"My position for many years has been that just as a motorist must have a license, a gun owner should be required to have one as well. Anyone wanting to own a gun should have to pass a written exam that shows that they know how to use a gun, that they’re intelligent enough and responsible enough to handle a gun. Should both handgun and rifle owners be licensed...we’re talking about all dangerous weapons." - Rudy Giuliani on licensing all firearms in New York (Boston Globe, March 21, 2000).

[Eds. Note: This also serves as one of the many reasons I will not support America's communist mayor for President.]

Hat Tip to National Association for Gun Rights. Read about how all the Presidential Candidates stack up on gun rights here.

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Wednesday's Warrior: Mike Kopp

There is little about Senator Mike Kopp (R - Littleton) that doesn't exemplify what is great about our country. He is a veteran, a husband, a father, and a small businessman. Basically, Kopp is the definition of a great American.

Today the Colorado Conservative Project honors Kopp as our Wednesday's Warrior for his work this week to defend the military from the machinations of liberal, anarchists from Boulder.

Read more about Senator Kopp here.

Ron Tupa hates the military

Right now the Colorado State Senate State Affairs committee is debating Senator Ron Tupa's (Communist - Boulder) anti-military resolution.

Senator Mike Kopp (R-Littleton), an 82nd Airborne veteran, held a support the troops rally earlier today.

While this is a deadly serious issue, which people like Tupa and Senator Ken Gordon (D-Denver) are completely wrong on, there can be moments of humor.

I give you Nihilist In Golf Pants' Top 11 Things That Anti-War Protesters Would Have Said At the Normandy Invasion on D-Day (Had There Been Anti-War Protesters At Normandy).

11. No blood for French Wine!

10. It’s been two and a half years since Pearl Harbor and they still haven’t brought Admiral Nagumo to justice

9. In 62 years, the date will be 6/6/6. A coincidence? I think not.

8. All this death and destruction is because the neo-cons are in the pocket of Israel

7. The soldiers are still on the beach, this invasion is a quagmire

6. Sure the holocaust is evil, but so was slavery

5. We are attacked by Japan and then attack France? Roosevelt is worse than the Kaiser!

4. Why bring democracy to Europe by force and not to Korea or Vietnam? I blame racism

3. This war doesn’t attack the root causes of Nazism

2. I support the troops, but invading Germany does not guarantee that in 56 years we won't have a President who's worse than Hitler

1. I don't see Roosevelt or Churchill storming the beaches -- they're Chicken Hawks

[LIVE BLOG UPDATE]
Ron Tupa just said he "loves America." I suspect he's sensed the doubt surrounding whether or not he's actually proud to be born in the U.S.A.

Does your county sheriff hate freedom?

Thanks to the diligent, no-compromise efforts of Senator Scott Renfore (R-Greeley) and Rocky Mountain Gun Owners, we now know which county sheriffs love freedom.

It has long been the practice of many county sheriffs to enter conceal carry permit holders into the Colorado Bureau of Investigations (CBI) criminal database. This practice, while allowed by state statute, is clearly a form of gun registry and violates some of our most basic and Constitutionally guaranteed rights.

HB07-1174 "We're coming for your guns now, and we'll be back for your Bible later"
would codify this un-constitutional practice, and is expected to be heard on 2nd reading in the senate, some time this week.

Read more about concealed carry issues and the CBI database here [Thanks to RMGO!].

The List of Shame:
Colorado Counties which enter Concealed Carry Permit Holders into the Criminal Database
Provided by CBI on 3/09/07



County Offending Sheriff # in CCIC
Adams Doug Darr 1688
Alamosa Dave Strong 68
Archuleta Pete Gonzalez 606
Arapahoe Grayson Robinson 2873
Baca Steve Salzbrenner 1
Bent Gerry Oyen 13
Boulder Joseph Pelle 1307
Broomfield Tom Deland 258
Clear Creek Don Kruger 1
Crowley Miles Clark 16
Denver * Chief Whitman 1209
Delta Fred McKee 429
Dolores Jerry Martin 48
Eagle Joseph Hoy 141
Elbert William Frangis 18
Fremont James Beicker 611
Garfield Lou Vallario 5
Gilpin Bruce Hartman 70
Gunnison Rick Murdie 120
Hinsdale Ronald Bruce 67
Jefferson Ted Mink 3792
Kit Carson Ed Raps 62
Lake Ed Holte 51
La Plata Duke Schirard 861
Larimer Jim Alderden 3111
Lincoln Tom Nestor 5
Logan Brett Powell 85
Mesa Stan Hilkey 2181
Moffat Tim Jantz 123
Montezuma Gerald Wallace 457
Montrose Rick Dunlap 548
Otero Chris Johnson 67
Ouray Dominic Mattivi 32
Park Fred Wegener 409
Pitkin Bob Braudis 80
Prowers Jim Faull 39
Rio Blanco Si Woodruff 176
Rio Grande Brian Norton 5
San Juan Sue Kurtz 5
Teller Kevin Dougherty 697
Yuma Sam McCoy 63
Total

RMGO - Colorado's Largest No-Compromise Gun    Rights Organization

22398


Friday, March 09, 2007

Commentary: "Flawed" Republicans or true conservatives

In a recent post the PoliticalPaleHorse brings up some of the interesting dynamics of the Republican and Conservative coalition.


PPH cites George Will’s latest column on the Presidential contenders and their various departures from conservative orthodoxy. While I believe that the be-speckled and bow-tied Will is one of the finest center-right columnists in the country, he misses the systemic problem with the Republican coalition. Will believes that to remain in power, that Republicans, and in his mind by extension Conservatives, must accept a “flawed” candidate.


My response is simple, what good is the power and prestige of the White House if the man (or woman) in it doesn’t share the same principles as the men and women who elected him to that office?


The Republican Party lost in the last election because since 1994 national and state Republicans have presented little more than the “Lite” version of Democrat policies.


Of late, the Republican message as been simple, and sickening:

We’ll build government, but not as much as them.

We’ll fund your entitlement, but not as much as them.

Trust us, we wont take as many of your guns, as much of your money or restrict your freedom quite as much as the Democrats.


This same Democrat-Lite dementia took hold of Colorado Republicans long ago. The 2004 election showed the Colorado Republicans slipping back into the sea with the losses of the State House, State Senate and the U.S. Senate seat.


At issue is the makeup of the Conservative coalition and the degree that Republicans have – or haven’t - respected this coalition.


The original conservative coalition of the late ‘60’s and early ‘70’s was the joining of two separate groups, the traditionalists and the libertarians. [It should be noted that these labels are used within the confines of mainstream political thought, and don’t refer to the literal Libertarians] The traditionalists found voice in thinkers like Russell Kirk, William F. Buckley Jr., while the libertarian elements of the coalitions fell under that banner of Friedrich Hayeck and Whittaker Chambers. All of these great minds wrote for Buckley’s National Review at one time or another.


These two separate ideals were brought together under Hayeck’s fusionism. Essentially, fusionism is the use of libertarian means to reach traditional goals. This understanding of fusionism was birthed during the Goldwater years and brought to maturity under Reagan. I submit to you that true conservatism is this fusion of libertarian and traditional philosophies. The great California State Senator Bill Richardson, founder of Gun Owners of America, once said, “we’re all traditionalists.”


The problem with Colorado’s Republican coalition, is that it has been controlled by moderate-to-liberal Rockefeller style Republicans who have abandoned both the traditionalists and the libertarians.


The Main Stream Media’s favorite catch word is that the far-right is only focused on God, Guns, Taxes and Gays and the fiscal-conservatives are the true moderates. This argument is flawed because the true divide lies between the fusionists – the libertarians and the traditionalists united – and the liberal, populist, "Democrat-Lite" elements of the Party. Make no mistake about it, when the MSM mentions “fiscal-conservative” they’re not refereeing to small-government, free market principles, they’re referring to liberal Republicans.


The question, ultimately, comes down to this: are you a Republican or a Democrat-Lite?


A healthy debate between elements of the fusionist movement will only continue to strengthen the conservative movement.


The few Republican electoral victories of the 2006 election came to those candidates and causes that exemplify true conservatism; Representatives like Marilyn Musgrave and Doug Lamborn, or State Senators like Mike Kopp, Scott Renfroe or Ted Harvey, etc.


What Will misses, and PPH recognizes is simple. Electoral victories for Republicans will come from a full return to the fusion of traditional and libertarian elements of the Conservative Coalition.


The McCains, the Romney’s, the Guliani’s of the world can squabble over control of what is left of the Republican Party. Until true conservative leadership returns to both the national and state level Republican parties, electoral victories for Republicans will be few and far between.


(If Josh Lyman were conservative… considers himself to be one of the true-believers in the fusionist philosophy – a real traditionalist with strong libertarian tendencies. When not battling with liberal Republicans, he enjoys drinking scotch and reading National Review's The Corner.)

Goofy Gordon's attack on Constitution fails

From the RSCC:

After being railroaded through the Senate on nearly party line vote, six House Democrats joined with Republicans to kill a high-priority bill that would have by-passed the Colorado and U.S. Constitutions to elect the President through an illegal interstate voting scheme. Senator Ken Gordon (D-Denver) and Representative Jack Pommer (D-Boulder) sponsored SB07-46, which would have abandoned Colorado’s leverage in Presidential Electoral College.

“The Gordon/Pommer Bill to undercut the Electoral College was even more extreme than Amendment 36 which was rejected by the people of Colorado by almost 2-to-1,” declared Rep. Kent Lambert (R-Colorado Springs), Chairman of the Republican Study Committee of Colorado (RSCC). “SB07-46 was an end-run around the Constitution and the vote of the people of Colorado only two years ago.”

SB07-46 would have required Colorado to pool its Electoral College votes with a coalition of other states and cast all their electoral votes for the popularly-elected candidate.

“The last time I remember an interstate compact to elect a president was by the Confederacy at the start of the Civil War,” Lambert said during the hearing. “The process for a peaceful transition of the president is critical to a unified nation. This bill would have risked legal challenges in every precinct in the country, if not riots in the streets that occur in other countries that elect their presidents by direct vote.”

The measure was killed in the House State Affairs Committee on 10-1 vote after vigorous debate. “I’m gratified that most of the Democrats on State Affairs saw fit to respect the will of the people of Colorado,” stated Representative Kevin Lundberg (R-Berthoud), an RSCC member who also sits on the State Affairs Committee.

Thursday, March 08, 2007

CCP Self Defense Class



Rep. Steve King, R-Grand Junction, will be hosting a self defense class in the capitol basement tonight at 6:30 pm for lawmakers and staffers. Click here for more info.

The Colorado Conservative Project is also sponsoring a self defense class for lawmakers and capitol staffers, in fact Democrat lawmakers are especially encouraged to come . This cost of the class is approximately $570 with an additional cost of $150 to legally use the methods employed by CCP.

Taught by Sensei's Harvey, Brophy, Kopp, Penry, Gardner and Renfroe the CCP dojo guarantees methods that far exceed any taught by other Judo, Karate or Ju-Jitsu dojos. As a warning, CCP methods are so effective at defending your home and family that many liberals have tried for years to ban them.

We guarantee 100% satisfaction and as a side note we promise that in a situation where you would have to defend yourself against a student from Sensei King's dojo that you would successfully kick their @$$.

(Editors note: The Colorado Conservatie Project respects what Represenative King is doing and this post was meant only as a joke.)

McInnis & Shaffer

The Political Pale Horse has an interesting side by side comparison on our two potential Senate nominees. Click here for the story.

Wednesday, March 07, 2007

Swisher Sweet Justice

Remember that whole "stink" about Congressman Ellison (D-Minnesota) throwing a tempertantrum over Tancredo smoking cigars in his office. It seems that alot of folk sympathized with Tommy T and now he can't stop the influx of stogies he's getting from folks all over the country. Read this article from The Hill for more.

Can A Moderate Win?

National Journal provides a good analysis of POTUS contender Rudy Giulliani's chances of being the nominee despite being viewed as a moderate by many.

Why is this pertinent to Colorado politics? Think Senate primary with a guy named Scott going against a fella name Bob.

Wednesday's Warrior: Bob Schaffer

For those who have met this week's Wednesday's Warrior, you know that there are few in Colorado politics as well spoken or intelligent than former Congressman Bob Schaffer.

At this past Saturday's GOP State Central Committee Meeting (CentComm) Schaffer gave one of the best political speeches I have heard in many cycles. It has been rumored that Schaffer might run for Senator Wayne Allard's soon to be vacated senate seat. Scott McInnis [hardly a conservative], who has already announced his campaign for the senate, spoke before Schaffer, calling on Republicans to unite and avoid a primary.

In his comments, Schaffer laid down the law both for Republicans and Democrats. He drew clear distinction between true Republican ideals and the "goofy" ideas of the Democrats. Schaffer called upon the Republican party to return to its true ideals, and brought the crowd to its feet with his admonishment of the liberals running our state's government.

Schaffer is a well spoken mainstream conservative, who has done extensive work in education, which is an issue that Republicans have serious electoral problems with.

For his stellar performance at the State CentComm meeting, the Editorial staff of the Colorado Conservative Project name Bob Schaffer as Wednesday's Warrior.

Classic Schaffer: smacking down Jesse Jackson on Crossfire.

Read Schaffer's full bio here.

Tuesday, March 06, 2007

Colorado Media Matters... er... Watch

A new site has popped up that has a pretty good breakdown on the scam that is Colorado Confidential/Colorado Media Matters.

Check out Colorado Media Watch.

Eidsness ditches Reagan, joins the Donkeys

As was discussed here earlier, Eric Eidsness is now a registered Dem.

Tim Gill's shills over at the Dead Governors' has the full story. Eidsness was insignificant in as a reform party candidate, now he won't even get out of a primary. Good riddance.

Here's part of Easy E's press release:

"I think most Coloradoans regardless of political affiliation believe in keeping their house in (fiscal) order; don't want big government telling them what to do; help their neighbors when they need it; and, believe in law in order", says Eidsness.


"Many of us are at once conservative, progressive, green, libertarian and independent - it depends on the issue. Being true to my conscience and our values here in Eastern Colorado will remain my principle goal. I won't change for political expediency".

"I said when I announced in April of 2006 and do now that we are a two-party system", emphasizes Eidsness. His web site home page noted he was not trying to build a (third) Party but to join a movement of moderate, common sense and civil elected representatives in Washington who put country above ideology.

Eidsness' move to the Democratic Party is a logical progression and other former Republicans have done the same in recent times.

Viva Romney?

This article from Brietbart.com illustrates the tone of the 08 POTUS race among Spanish speaking voters, go early and go often.

A Call To Arms

This story from The Hill confirms to many of us that our new State GOP Chairman is getting alot more media than one normally would receive in his position. No where else in the entire country, with Virginia being the possible exception, is a state's GOP leadership been under the microscope as has Dick Wadhams and the Colorado GOP. What does it all mean? Well nothing that Mr. Wadhams can't handle.

Let's not forget that this is our state and we are the ones that need to shoulder the burden, not just Mr. Wadhams. Dick and his team, who are rumored to be very impressive, will lay the groundwork for the state to turn a bright red again, but we are the ones that need to be the workhorses for them. Without us, all of their strategery and late nights will all be for not.

So let this be a call to arms for all you elephants out there to pick up your sword and be ready to fight in what will surely be a hard fought battle.

We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition:
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Cripin's Day.
- Henry V

Anti-Americans Among Us

From Backbone America

“Excessive, that’s the word. Any European can instantly spot us Americans by our excessiveness. I lived there for years, and I know.”

The instructor had asked our discussion group to sum up America in a word, much as St. Paul once cast all Cretians as “liars and beasts.” An affluent-looking man in a jogging suit answered first, scorn in his voice: We are an excessive people.

Americans, he said, consume too much, talk too loud, presume more than we should. Others leveled similar criticisms. America is grossly materialistic. America is overly assertive. Everyone’s assertiveness so far had been on the side of self-dislike. Aren’t we a generous people as well, the instructor prompted.

Now voices chimed in from the other side. Americans are optimistic, innovative, resourceful, religious. We’re spirited and confident. We’re friendly.

Were the boosters entirely right? No. Did the critics have a point? Sure. But on that Sunday here in the land of liberty, the lap of plenty, I was troubled at the sourness toward our country expressed by some of my neighbors. I was struck by the hesitancy of others to admit their patriotic pride. I saw anti-Americanism, the virus from abroad, now infecting the homeland.
Anti-Americanism denies that the United States is a force for good in the world and a noble chapter in human history. It indicts our nation – and its people, you and me – for a dark litany of crimes, flaws, transgressions, and omissions. It ignores America’s virtues and magnifies our deficiencies. It abandons perspective, unleashing envy and ingratitude,

The anti-Americans are like spoiled children. They confuse imperfection with malice, resent what belongs to others, and condemn as abuse any refusal to indulge them – while petulantly demanding avoidance of consequences and continued enjoyment of unearned benefits.
This infantile mindset obviously serves the fanaticism of an Ahmadinejad in Iran, the opportunism of a Chavez in Venezuela, the cynicism of a Putin in Russia, or the chauvinism of a Chirac in France. But the United States is resourceful and generous enough to deal with all those.

It helps that we know many of their own people admire America and would love to come here.
Whether we can survive the spread of anti-Americanism among Americans themselves is another question. Disavowal of our country’s fundamental goodness, blindness to the evidence of how many people she has liberally blessed for so long, denial of America’s worthiness to lead the world – these attitudes gaining among our elites do constitute a deadly virus.

The virus infects “citizen of the world” news organizations such as CNN and the New York Times; universities such as Harvard, Stanford and yes, CU; sneering columnists such as Paul Krugman and Garrison Keillor; powerful lobbies such as the ACLU and the NEA teacher union; and of course, politicians such as Congressman John Murtha and Senator John Kerry.
America today sends abroad “a terrible message of duplicity and hypocrisy,” branding us an “international pariah,” Kerry told the World Economic Forum in Switzerland last month. With such talk from the man who came within 130,000 votes of being president, the apologetic ambivalence toward America in my discussion group isn’t surprising.

For many of us, though, the watchword is still “America without apologies, America as it was meant to be.” Our land shines bright even as it strives toward unrealized ideals. Not for us the elite vision of convergence with Europe: borders erased, enterprise stifled, liberty fading, birth rates falling, Islam ascendant, faith censored and secularism supreme.

Millions here, thank God, still have patriot bloodlines and a backbone. Not for us the bile of ingratitude. Not for us the anti-American virus.
Posted by John Andrews in Andrews in Print

(Editors Note: Read this story on John Edwards to further illustrate Andrews point)

Monday, March 05, 2007

Abuse on rights temporarily delayed

The Rep. Al White (RINO - Winter Park) / Sen. Bob Bacon's (D - Fort Collins) "We're coming for your guns now, and we'll be back for you Bible next week" Bill [aka: HB07-1174] was temporarily laid over after hearing over two hours of testimony in the Senate Judiciary committee.

More developing...

Harvey fights for law and order

Today Senator Ted Harvey (R - Highlands Ranch) jumped the first hurdle toward requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote.

Harvey caught Senate Dems off guard with his amendment to Senator Ron Tupa's SB07-83. Senate Dem leadership was so befuddled when the amendment was accepted by the chair that they laid it over without a vote, effectively taking a procedural 'time-out'.

Harvey's amendment will be up for a vote later this week on the senate floor.

From ColoradoSenateNews.com:

“With the illegal aliens coming here in droves, one would hope we could take some responsible steps toward protecting the integrity of our voting system,” said Harvey.


Democrats appeared to have been caught off guard by Harvey’s proposal and moved to postpone debate until later in the week.


“The Dems couldn’t believe their own chairman ruled that it fit under the title, so they laid it over,” explained Harvey.

Eidsness a Democrat

Read what the Greeley Trib as to say about former CD 4 candidate Eric "Did I mention I kind of worked for Reagan" Eisdness becoming a Democrat. Hat tip to Pols for making Colorado Conservative Project aware of the story.

I don't care if you are a Democrat, this guy has to make you as sick as he does us Republicans.

He is not a Democrat nor does he embody anything the Dems stand for. He is an opportunist in the worst way and will do anything to grab abit of power. He claims he was stonewalled from the leadership in the 4th District GOP, but talk to leadership and they will tell you that he never ever called, emailed or wrote them. He will tell you that there were some covert operatives of either (switch names accordingly) Allard, Schaffer or Musgrave that sat him down and told him he could not run for Congress as a Republican and made some backdoor deal for him to be (switch position accordingly) State House Represenative, State Senator or the Sultan of Brunai, but talk to any of those offices and they say, "huh?????"

He will tell you that he only wants to serve the people. The reality is that his interest in serving the 4th Congressional is not altruistic but rather midlife crisistic. He got to a point in his life where he thought "Darn it, I used to work for Ronald Reagan. Somebody please give me credit for working for Ronald Reagan...It's Ronald Reagan for heavens sake..you know the Gipper...Everyone likes Ronald Reagan now and I kind of used to work for him...I am kind of a big deal and I want people to know that. I am going to have memoirs one day for when I kind of used to work for Ronald Reagan and people are going to read them. Somebody please put me on a poster, put me on TV, put me in Congress!!!"

The guy needs to take one of those cheesy political quizzes that you get in the email and figure out which side of the aisle he should be standing on rather than straddling the aisle, crying that people don't like him.

More Gun Control on the Horizon

Today the Senate Judiciary Committee will hear Rep. Al White's (R - Winter Park) big-government gun-control bill, HB07-1174.

HB07-1174 would remove the sunset provisions on the conceal carry permit database, which is scheduled to [finally] die this July 1. RINO White's bill is being carried by Sen. Bob Bacon (D - Fort Collins) in the Senate.

The measure is expected to pass out of the committee with a 4-3 party-line vote.

Hillman: Hysteria Trumps Self-Defense

HYSTERIA TRUMPS SELF-DEFENSE IN GUN DEBATE

CAPITOL REVIEW
By Mark Hillman

Hysteria trumped reason yet again at the State Capitol when a senate committee killed the so-called "Make My Day Better" bill on a party-line vote.

Responsible gun owners regularly find themselves subjected to this kind of treatment by wet-diaper, nanny-state liberals who believe that any Colorado citizen with a gun is barely capable of suppressing some ravenous urge to shoot everyone who casts so much as a cross-eyed glance.

House Bill 1011 was sound and reasonable, extending to workers in a business the right to protect themselves against an imminent criminal threat — the same right that Coloradans have enjoyed in their homes since 1985.

So reasonable, in fact, that Rep. Cory Gardner (R-Yuma), who sponsored the bill, picked up the support of nine Democrats in addition to all 29 Republicans when the bill passed the House of Representatives.

Unfortunately, the likelihood that the bill would receive similar bipartisan support if it came to a vote in the full Senate no doubt factored prominently in anti-gun Senate President Joan Fitz-Gerald's (D-Coal Creek Canyon) decision to assign the bill to the Senate State Affairs Committee where opponents of our Second Amendment rights rule with an iron fist.

There, the bill died on a 3-2 party-line vote with Democrats opposing the right to self-defense and Republicans supporting it.

"What we're trying to do here, I think, is create some street-imposed death penalty … over a Milky Way bar," warned Sen. Peter Groff (D-Denver). The usually more thoughtful Senate president pro tem worried aloud that an irascible store clerk might start gunning down teenagers for talking too loud, wearing their hat backward, or listening to rap music.

That's quite a statement about how some lawmakers view the good judgment of Colorado's working men and women – to suggest that the only thing stopping the average service worker from blasting inconsiderate customers is a state law.

Moreover, the analogy demonstrates a lack of understanding of the plain language of the bill, which stipulates that these protections apply only if the person who poses the threat enters the property unlawfully.

In the House, the condescension was even more insulting with the highly emotive Rep. Gwyn Green (D-Golden) declaring, "We as a country have decided to solve our conflicts with violence. We'll just blow people away."

When did we make that decision? Maybe that was the night I was watching "The Departed"? Maybe Rep. Green should move to another neighborhood, because I can't find any neighbor of mine who has decided to "just blow people away."

House Majority Leader Alice Madden (D-Boulder) personally guaranteed "that (the bill) will be used to legitimize heinous crimes, heinous murders…. I don't want that blood on my hands."

What about the next convenience store clerk who is gunned down by a criminal? Whose hands is her blood on?

Coloradans were confronted with similar knee-jerk hysteria when former Sen. Jim Brandon introduced the original "Make My Day" law 22 years ago. Those predictions never came to fruition.

When Colorado finally passed a uniform statewide right-to-carry law in 2003, the nanny-statists predicted that our communities would look like Dodge City and that minor traffic altercations would erupt into gunfights. But reality and the stable judgment of Colorado citizens proved them wrong.

Most of us would hope that after being so wrong for so long, the anti-gun crazies would be more accepting of the prospect that we common folk can be trusted to act responsibly.

Sen. Ted Harvey (R-Highlands Ranch) explained, albeit in futility, why such a law is necessary and rational: "Law enforcement can't be there at all times."

And despite the selfless sacrifices made by law enforcement officers, they are not legally required to come to your defense even if they do happen to be there.

Unfortunately for responsible citizens, it's not enough to have logic, history or, perhaps even, a majority of legislators on your side.


Mark Hillman is a wheat farmer and former Colorado senator. Visit www.MarkHillman.com to read more or to comment.

Saturday, March 03, 2007

State Central Meeting in 5 Sentences

Nothing too exciting happened at the state Central Committee meeting. Perry Buck defeated Henri Stone for the vice chair. Alot of applause for speeches by Allard, Schaffer, Coffman, Musgrave and of course Wadhams. Slightly poor planning on the events schedule as things went over on time (how do we not know by now that politicians are long winded?) but it was nothing we couldn't live with. All in all a good meeting and hopefully a new beginning.

Angie Offers Excuses

From the Political Pale Horse.

Thursday, March 01, 2007

Mike Kopp: Citizen Legislator


Today's edition of the Rocky Mountain news special feautre, Citizen Legislators, profiles Senator Mike Kopp (R-Littonton) today. Kopp is am 82nd Airborne veteran.

From the RMN:

Sen. Mike Kopp It's a - boy! Next Wednesday, Mike and Kimberly Kopp expect to welcome their fourth child, Soren Peter Kopp. Soren is for Søren Kierkegaard, the prolific Danish writer considered the father of existentialism. Peter is for both grandfathers, who are each nicknamed Pete. The baby will join Meghan, 11, Ethan, 9, and Allie-Grace, 6.

Kopp, a Republican who lives in Ken Caryl, says the biggest issues facing his constituents are illegal immigration, traffic congestion and the danger of fire in Jefferson County's mountain communities.

Kopp, 38, owns his own company, which does development work for nonprofit agencies and charter schools.

Today's portrait is one in a series featuring lawmakers. To see past portraits, go to RockyMountainNews.com/legislature.