Home > Political Notebook
Salazar: Population, pragmatism have helped Dems shift region blue
Democrats’ success in the Rocky Mountain West is both due to demographic shifts and the “pragmatic” candidates the party has put forward, U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., said today during a press conference.
Salazar recalled how the population of Colorado has grown from roughly 3 million in 1990 to nearly 5 million this year: “I think the migration into the state has been one of the factors that has caused some change.”
In response to a question from Political Notebook, Salazar said “pragmatic” candidates, such as Gov. Bill Ritter, have helped the Democratic Party make gains in western elections.
“I think people saw both in the governor, and I think they saw in me, a very strong effort to bridge the partisan divide and try to solve problems,” Salazar said.
“I think people saw Bill Ritter as a pragmatic problem solver and that’s why he was elected here resoundingly in 2006,” he added.
*Salazar photo from The Daily Sentinel archives.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
McCain to Allard: Don’t believe the hype about my water remarks
In response to a deluge of negative press sparked by Republican presidential hopeful John McCain’s comments to The Pueblo Chieftain about possibly reopening the 1922 Colorado River Compact, the Arizona senator has fired off a letter to Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., assuring him that he is not in favor of sucking Colorado dry.
Here are some excerpts from the letter:
*McCain photo from the Associated Press.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
Attack ads target candidate’s work in Iraqi Kurdistan for energy firm
Just as energy is shaping up to be the top issue in the race to replace outgoing U.S. Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., independent political groups have picked up on one candidate’s Kurdish connection in two new attack ads.
Both of the ads, linked to at Coloradopols, attack Republican Bob Schaffer for his work in Iraqi Kurdistan on behalf of his former employer, Denver-based Aspect Energy.
* * *
Tired of attack ads already? Well, sorry to break the news to you, but this is but the beginning of what pollster Lori Weigel called, in a Rocky Mountain News article, the “nuclear winter coming in terms of the negativity of this campaign.”
*Schaffer photo from The Rocky Mountain News.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
‘In many ways, they resemble moderate Republicans’
In case you missed it this morning, National Public Radio did its version of the “how Democrats can win in the Rocky Mountain West” story.
A source for the radio dispatch made something of a curious statement about western leaders, including Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer, before segueing into a feature on U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo.: “They’re not left-wing liberals. They tend to be business-oriented. In many ways, they resemble moderate Republicans.”
That might be true in some respects, but we’re sure some Colorado Republicans and other conservatives in the Rocky Mountain West will beg to differ. Nonetheless, it certainly is an interesting concept: The West has not grown any more Democratic, per se, but rather Democratic candidates in so-called purple states have become more conservative.
*Schweitzer photo from the Associated Press.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
New energy regulations will drop amid campaign cycle
In case the post-Labor Day deluge of ads, debates and candidate forums was not enough fodder for political commentary and reporting, the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission — already a hot topic this election cycle — is expected to drop its hotly contested and widely discussed new regulations in mid-September.
According to The Rocky Mountain News: “The nine-member commission delayed by a week the deliberations that begin today. Another public hearing will be held Wednesday and again Sept. 9-11. A final decision probably will be announced afterward — at least a month or more later than the original schedule.”
This timing probably will make the commission’s rules a prominent issue in political contests across Colorado, including the contest between Collbran Republican (and mineral leaser) Laura Bradford and incumbent state Rep. Bernie Buescher, D-Grand Junction, who has spoken out against unbalanced rules but (along with a bipartisan group of state lawmakers) supported initiating the rule making last year.
So which of the aforementioned candidates do you think the release of these energy regulations benefits most?
*Rig photo from the Associated Press.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
Buescher, Bradford ‘facilitated conversation’ announced
Collbran Republican Laura Bradford, incumbent state Rep. Bernie Buescher, D-Grand Junction, and unopposed incumbent Rep. Steve King, R-Grand Junction, will appear together in a candidate forum at 6 p.m. Sept. 11 at the Two Rivers Convention Center.
According to an announcement posted of the Mesa County Republican Party’s Web site, the Colorado Children’s Campaign’s “facilitated conversation” will focus on early childhood education, K-12 education, child health care and child welfare.
The “debate” announcement also says that the candidates will be provided copies of the topics and questions to be addressed before the event.
In other words: This should be worth checking out, but only if you miss the duo’s other planned debates.
*Bradford photo from The Daily Sentinel archives. Buescher photo shot by Political Notebook.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
Lamborn, Salazar team has high hopes for finishing out 2008
Colorado Springs Congressman Doug Lamborn, R-Colo., has high hopes for the remainder of Congress’ 2008 schedule, and, according to an interview with the Colorado Independent, one of his tag-team partners will be Congressman John Salazar, D-Colo.
Lamborn told the online publication: “We’re making solid progress towards getting a veterans’ cemetery in Colorado. I’ve got a favorable committee assignment on veterans’ affairs and have been working really hard on it, along with Rep. Salazar.”
*Salazar photo from The Daily Sentinel archives.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
Gov. Schwarzenegger: TABOR is my kind of budget mandate
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger endorsed Colorado’s Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights during a joint appearance with Gov. Bill Ritter, according to The Denver Post, saying: “In Colorado, you don’t have these problems. You have a spending limit and a rainy-day fund and all those other things.”
As reporter John Ingold pointed out in his report, the governor’s comments — though they make sense in light of California’s budget woes — had a tint of irony at the joint appearance: “Ritter has been outspoken about the need to untangle the fiscal policy knots in Colorado — including the ones Schwarzenegger apparently just endorsed.”
*Schwarzenegger photo from the Associated Press.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
Confronting the 527 factor
A major factor in this year’s U.S. Senate race, according to former Congressman Scott McInnis, R-Colo., will be the money 527 committees dump into advertising throughout Colorado.
McInnis, once a Senate candidate himself, said after Labor Day, he expects liberal 527s to start to mount attack on Republican Bob Schaffer who has performed well at recent debates with Democratic candidate Mark Udall.
“They’ll spend millions,” McInnis told Political Notebook. “It’s very unfortunate. That’s money that doesn’t have to be disclosed. Basically they can get away with very generous contributions (and) very limited disclosure.”
(Colorado law does require 527s to register and regularly disclose basic financial figures, but the regulations governing the political committees have yet to be tested in a general election cycle.)
McInnis used state Rep. Bernie Buescher’s most recent electoral contests as an example of the effect outside groups can have on an election. During the 2006 cycle, for example, 527s effectively crowded out the candidates’ own messages on TV and radio.
“My guess is the 527 in Colorado, if you could track it, on each side will spend a minimum of $5 million or more. … I think Colorado’s going to have a U.S. Senate race somewhere in the $15 (million) to $20 million range,” McInnis said.
*McInnis photo from The Daily Sentinel archives.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
Looking ahead: Club 20 debates
Once again, all roads will lead to Grand Junction when Club 20 opens the doors the weekend of Sept. 5 and Sept. 6 for its fall meeting.
The meeting will feature debates between candidates vying for seats wholly or partially on the Western Slope, ranging from House District 55 to the 2nd Congressional District. The statewide candidates for Colorado’s open U.S. Senate seat as well as representatives speaking for or against various ballot measures also will be featured during this year’s debates.
Here are our picks for which debates will be worth sitting in on:
—> For reasons we described earlier this week, the meeting of state Rep. Bernie Buescher, D-Grand Junction, and Collbran Republican Laura Bradford will be worth checking out. (3:30 p.m.*)
—> The debate between state Rep. Christine Scanlan, D-Dillon, and Republican Muhammad Ali Hasan should be worth checking out. With how weird this race has already been, expect Scanlan’s cross examination of Hasan to be interesting. Where should she begin? With his ex-girlfriend’s restraining order against him, his declaration that he is the next f—-ing “state representative” or his barbs aimed at his GOP peers? (11 a.m.*)
—> The debate over outgoing Speaker of the House Andrew Romanoff’s plan to permanently eliminate parts of the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights and Amendment 23 will be fascinating, because it will pit Romanoff against state Sen. Josh Penry, R-Grand Junction. Say what you will about the ballot measure, but these politicos are two of the sharpest leaders in government today. This, on paper, promises to be an awesome debate. (1:15 p.m.)
—> Finally, we would be remiss if we did not mention the debate between Steamboat Springs Democrat Ken Brenner and Hayden Republican state Rep. Al White. White has proven himself an able debater — perhaps a “master debater” in his own words — and will be matched up against Brenner, who is no political neophyte and should provide a suitable counterbalance to White. (8:45 a.m.*)
All of the debates, of course, are worth a look. (After all, who would have predicted the fireworks at the 2006 debate between Rep. Ray Rose, R-Montrose, and Democrat Brian Ahern?) That said, these four look promising on paper.
*These times are according to an early version of the debate schedule.
* * *
The organization, according to Club 20 Director Reeves Brown, is still building its debate-moderator roster.
Brown could only confirm that former Colorado Municipal League President, Mesa County Commissioner, Grand Junction City Councilman and 3rd Congressional District candidate Jim Spehar will moderate the debate between Congressman John Salazar, D-Colo., and Republican candidate Wayne Wolf.
*Club 20 gubernatorial debate, Spehar photos from The Daily Sentinel archives.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Post your comment |
AG releases amicus brief in high court’s mill levy freeze case
Attorney General John Suthers and his office have filed a “friend of the court” brief with the Colorado Supreme Court in the pending case on the constitutionality of Gov. Bill Ritter’s mill levy freeze.
Suthers’ amicus curiae brief is consistent with his office’s legal opinion on 2007’s Senate Bill 199: It constitutes a tax increase that required a vote under the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights.
Here are some excerpts from the attorney general’s legal brief:
[…]
[…]
[…]
* * *
We found the references to 2008 ballot initiatives fascinating. We’ll see how that plays into the Colorado Supreme Court’s much-anticipated ruling on this matter.
*Suthers photo from The Daily Sentinel archives.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
Romanoff nets early endorsement
Speaker of the House Andrew Romanoff, D-Denver, received a boost this weekend from The Denver Post, which pitched the term-limited state lawmaker as a suitable replacement for soon-to-be outgoing Secretary of State Mike Coffman:
“Romanoff’s first key decision after being elected speaker in 2005 showed the kind of vision and fairness that would serve Colorado well as its chief elections officer. Noting that Democrats hadn’t controlled the House since 1966, Romanoff opted to retain most of the existing legislative staff — even though they had been appointed by his Republican predecessors to patronage posts.
“Romanoff knew that replacing these experienced GOP veterans with deserving Democrats might help his standing in his party — but at the cost of losing the expertise he needed to run the House smoothly. His decision to retain most of the Republican staffers ensured the session would run smoothly.”
[…]
“Finally, as presiding officer of the House, Romanoff has treated the Republican minority with fairness and respect.
“His record of integrity, bipartisanship and simple decency make him the obvious choice to serve Colorado as our next secretary of state.”
* * *
If there was any doubt before, this endorsement should solidify Romanoff’s standing one of the most viable replacements for Littleton’s probable next congressman.
Then again, we would like to see Senate Majority Leader Ken Gordon, D-Denver, take his pitch back to the airwaves. Remember his shark ad from his 2006 race against Coffman? Allow us to refresh your memory:
*Romanoff photo from The Daily Sentinel archives.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
Thousands ask: Bill who?
Six percent of registered voters reportedly have never heard of Bill Ritter.
If that’s not the scariest nugget of a recent poll on the governor’s approval rating, I don’t know what is.
Granted the poll was of “registered voters” and not “likely voters,” but that’s fairly terrifying that 6 percent of the state’s nearly 3 million voters — around 179,000 — don’t know the guy that signs and vetoes bills.
*Ritter photo from The Daily Sentinel archives.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
How the West was won, according to Ken Salazar
U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., thinks ideas, like those promoted by Barack Obama, can win the West. So much so, in fact, he wrote an op-ed column The Los Angeles Times published today. His column focuses on the frustration westerners have felt with Washington and how that along with ideas of “hope” and independent thinking have contributed to the rise of Democratic leaders in Colorado, Montana, Wyoming and elsewhere:
“To find the real story of Western Democrats’ success, you have to get beyond Denver, Albuquerque and Las Vegas to the farms, fields and rural communities that have been ignored by the White House for the last seven years. These Democrats have found their voice in these areas, developing common-sense solutions to bridge the gap dividing the parties. These are the communities that, in the presidential race, can tip Colorado’s nine electoral votes.
“Where I am from in Colorado’s rural San Luis Valley, one of the poorest parts of the country, people are eager for someone who will support family farms, lead a renewable-energy renaissance in rural areas, fight for the middle class and deliver on healthcare reform. They want energetic, responsive, pragmatic leadership.
“In many Western communities, the frustration also comes from feeling like an afterthought in Washington’s policies. The resentment toward the administration’s consistent disregard for Western wisdom has reached a boiling point. From federal money grabs of state mineral revenues, to oil and gas development in valuable hunting and fishing areas, to false promises on oil shale, Washington has come to see the West as a means to an end.
“In 1980, when Westerners felt they were at the skinny end of Washington’s whip, they turned to Ronald Reagan. Today, facing a different type of Beltway bullying, Westerners are turning to Democrats to stand up for their land, water and way of life.”
Salazar’s views that the West is winnable for Democrats certainly conforms with the nonpartisan Cook Political Report’s projections and Pollster.com’s aggregate polling data.
But is he right about Democrats’ chances over the long term? That’s for other more prescient seers to say. Let us know what you think in the comments section.
Salazar photo from the Associated Press.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment |
Debates loom in HD55 contest
While all eyes are on Denver and next week’s Democratic National Convention, there will be two figures in Mesa County politics preparing for two events that could set the tone for their chances in November.
Roughly one week after Barack Obama closes out his party’s national convention, Republican Laura Bradford and Democrat Bernie Buescher will meet in their first two debates.
Though their debates will be of a lower profile than other upcoming debates, including the meeting of Republican Bob Schaffer and Democrat Mark Udall at Club 20’s fall “main event,” the Buescher-Bradford debates likely will provide us a window into the direction of their electoral contest or at least how they will play in public beyond their “safe,” home crowds.
Debates, after all, have shaped House District 55 races of the past:
—> During the 2004 fall Club 20 debate, in response to a question from Buescher, Republican candidate Shari Bjorklund’s said her conservative principles outweighed her Western Slope principles. The following day’s Daily Sentinel declared: “Republican Shari Bjorklund said Saturday that conservative ideology trumps Western Slope parochialism when it comes to choosing leadership in the state House.”
—> During the 2006 fall Club 20 debate between Buescher and Republican Bob Caskey, the latter’s comment that implementing a “fair tax” would be “very easy to do,” became fodder for liberal 527 committees to blame him for wanting higher taxes on, well, everything. (Click here to hear part of one such ad.)
—> During an Oct. 31, 2006, debate, the Buescher-Caskey race exploded from a policy debate into a charged back-and-forth, with Caskey openly adopting a 527’s accusation that Buescher endorsed taxpayer-funded sex change operations for prison inmates. (Predicting such a move, Buescher brought along his colleague, Rep. Buffie McFadyen, D-Pueblo West, a lawmaker well versed in corrections and prison law in Colorado, to hold a press conference before the debate.)
The debates mentioned above either altered the course of the election (the first two examples noted above) or the public’s perception of at least one of the candidates (the third example).
Though Buescher’s public record and Bradford’s public comments to-date likely will color the public’s perceptions of both candidates, these debates could play an even larger part in determining the outcome of their contest. Neither candidate should be content to sit on his or her hands and not prepare for these debates.
What do you think?
*Buescher, Caskey, Bradford photos and newspaper clipping from The Daily Sentinel archives.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
Udall critical of McCain’s comments on river compact
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Mark Udall has joined his GOP opponent in piling onto Republican presidential candidate John McCain’s recent comments on the 1922 Colorado River Compact.
In an interview with The Durango Herald, Udall said: “On this issue he couldn’t be more wrong. Nothing is more crucial for Colorado than water, and I oppose any suggestion that the federal government should get involved in how we share it with Arizona, California or any other state.”
*Udall photo shot by Political Notebook.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
Coffman to stay until after election
Colorado Secretary of State Mike Coffman has effectively confirmed that Gov. Bill Ritter will get to install his successor after the November election. The alternative, as one GOP operative recently described, was forcing the seat to come up for election this year through a prompt resignation.
Coffman told The Pueblo Chieftain last week: “The thing I’ve committed to is to see Colorado through this next general election, this presidential election. What I plan on doing is, probably starting between the middle of this month through the end of October, do an inspection tour of every county in the state to make sure that they are ready for the presidential election.”
*Coffman photo from the Associated Press.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
Endorsed by Jesus Christ?
“If Bennion Spencer wasn’t the Democratic candidate in Utah’s 3rd Congressional District, he’d be working on publishing a book he wrote about how Jesus might vote — and he recently said he thinks the son of God would vote for him.”
Yeah, that’s the first paragraph of a recent Salt Lake Tribune story.
Here’s the second: “‘I think he would,’ Spencer told The Tribune, although he later backed away and said he couldn’t say for sure how Jesus would vote.”
Darn it. I would have loved to see that endorsement on Spencer’s Web site.
Seriously, though, converting Utah’s 3rd Congressional District from Republican to Democrat would be even more amazing than Jesus converting water to wine.
*Statue photo from the Associated Press.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
Schaffer strongly criticizes McCain’s water compact comments
Colorado’s Republican U.S. Senate candidate responded forcefully Friday, condemning Republican presidential candidate John McCain’s comments that he would like to see the 1922 Colorado River Compact reopened.
Republican Bob Schaffer said: “Over my cold, dead, political carcass. Senator McCain has a long list of bold and splendid ideas that make him a superior candidate for president. This isn’t one of them.
“The compact is the only protection Colorado has from several more politically powerful downstream states. Opening it for renegotiation would be the equivalent of a lamb discussing with a pack of wolves what should be on the dinner menu.”
*Schaffer photo from The Daily Sentinel archives.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
Ken Salazar backs Hagan in HD58
Following in the footsteps of his older brother, U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., has endorsed Democrat Noelle Hagan in her run to replace outgoing state Rep. Ray Rose, R-Montrose:
“With her local government experience and reputation for bipartisan approaches to problem solving, Noelle Hagan is an ideal candidate to represent House District 58 in the Colorado state Legislature,” Salazar said in a statement. “I endorse her candidacy and urge the citizens of Delta, Dolores, Montrose, Ouray, Montezuma and San Miguel counties to elect Noelle Hagan as their state representative.”
Allow us to simply repeat what we said in late July about John Salazar’s endorsement of Hagan: “Democrats endorsing Democrats is not news, per se. Such endorsements are noteworthy but should not be seen as unexpected events.”
Hagan will face Republican Scott Tipton this fall.
*Photo provided by Hagan.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
McCain: Times change, water compact also might have to
Republican presidential hopeful John McCain told one of my colleagues at The Pueblo Chieftain that it might be time to renegotiate the 1922 Colorado River Compact, which governs water sharing between seven western states.
“I don’t think there’s any doubt the major, major issue is water and can be as important as oil. So the compact that is in effect, obviously, needs to be renegotiated over time amongst the interested parties,” McCain told The Pueblo Chieftain. “I think that there’s a movement amongst the governors to try, if not, quote, renegotiate, certainly adjust to the new realities of high growth, of greater demands on a scarcer resource.”
He added: “Conditions have changed dramatically, so I’m not saying that anyone would be forced to do anything because I’m a federalist and believe in the rights of states But at the same time there’s already been discussion amongst the states, and I believe that more discussion amongst the governors is probably something that everybody wants us to do.”
As John Redifer, a member of the Colorado Water Conservation Board and a political science professor at Mesa State College, told Political Notebook, this was a quixotic position for someone working to convince the toss-up state to back him in November: “I wonder if he is running for president of the United State or for something in Arizona when he makes those statements.”
What do you think?
*McCain photo from the Associated Press.
Latest comments
Mike:
I promise not to wear the “sports coat on acid.” It’s really a rather subdued black and tan plaid that takes on a life of its own and channels Jerry Garcia when pictured on web pages.
Jim
... read the full comment by Jim Spehar | Comment on Looking ahead: Club 20 debates Read Looking ahead: Club 20 debates
The best debate should be between Udall and Schaffer. Won’t be easy for Schaffer to hide behind Wadhams there. But you are right about Bradford and Hasan. Should provide some good laughs. Republicans putting those two in front of a crowd reminds me of my
... read the full comment by Gary | Comment on Looking ahead: Club 20 debates Read Looking ahead: Club 20 debates
Democrats never really win an election, in as much as the GOP really p** its swing voters off and gives the election to them.
A whole lot of people understand that religion drove the Taliban and that scares a lot of people when they see the GOP
... read the full comment by Bob | Comment on How the West was won, according to Ken Salazar Read How the West was won, according to Ken Salazar
Yep, someone does need to check their facts. EnCana is a Canadian company. Even their name says that, a combination of energy and Canada. And as the company splits their oil and gas divisions next year, which will remain foreign companies, all EnCana
... read the full comment by Gary | Comment on Both sides of tax battle financed from outside Colorado Read Both sides of tax battle financed from outside Colorado