Coyote Gulch

Thursday, June 24, 2004

2004 Presidential Election
Senator Kerry leads President Bush in Ohio according to a recent American Research Group poll. The numbers shake out this way: George W. Bush, 43%; John Kerry, 49%; Ralph Nader, 2%; Undecided, 6%. Thanks to the Daily Kos for the link.
Taegan Goddard: "Here are the latest polls on the presidential race: Pennsylvania - Kerry 44%, Bush 43%, Nader 7% (Quinnipiac); Ohio - Kerry 49%, Bush 43%, Nader 2% (American Research Group); Florida - Kerry 47%, Bush 46%, Nader2% (American Research Group)."
USA Today: "Of six measurements for predicting the outcome of presidential contests, all with excellent track records, each signals a clear outcome in November. The problem is, they're pointing in different directions." The article lists the six measurements (that's a stretch) as, the economy, advantage Bush, voter approval, advantage Kerry, wartime president, advantage Bush, Republican wins and Ohio, advantage Kerry, Democrats not doing well in the South advantage Bush, Prededential demeanor, advantage Kerry.
Senator Kerry and President Bush are in a dead heat, according to a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll released today. From the article, "Looking at the presidential race, the poll found a tie among likely voters: 49 percent for Bush and 48 percent for Kerry. When poll respondents were asked to consider independent Ralph Nader, the breakdown was: 48 percent for Bush, 47 percent for Kerry and 3 percent for Nader." Thanks to TalkLeft for the link.
6:06:15 PM

Denver November 2004 Election
Secretary of State Donetta Davidson ruled that the first State Contstitutional Amendment proposal, for November, Amendment 34, will be on the ballot. It's was written by Freda Poundstone and State Representative Jerry Frangas and deals with homeowners being able to sue builders, according to the Rocky Mountain News [June 24, 2004, "Home buyer proposal makes ballot"]. From the article, "The measure would give home owners the right to pursue a lawsuit against builders for alleged defects without first having to go through a process with the builder to try to address and repair the problems. Frangas said he was elated with the news, but predicted there would be a major fight against it by opponents in the weeks ahead. Rick Reiter, a spokesman for Coloradans for Responsible Reform, the group opposed to the measure, said it was unlikely that his organization would file a court challenge to Davidson's ruling. But he vowed a vigorous fight against a ballot proposal that he said was unnecessary and would only create more problems. He said the law Poundstone is fighting merely gives home builders the first right to fix a defect before a lawsuit is pursued. It works for everyone, he said."
Peter Coors and Bob Schaffer squared off in a debate yesterday, according to the Rocky Mountain News [June 24, 2004, "Drinking age debated"]. Both are hoping to win the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate from Colorado in the upcoming August 10th primary. From the article, "Schaffer, who says he has the only record in the Senate race of cutting taxes, acknowledged he had voted for various increases, including gas taxes and professional license taxes. He never got around to the why. Coors, in his strongest frontal attack on Schaffer since the campaign's onset, later sent out a news release outlining four measures where he contended Schaffer had voted as a Colorado state senator to increase taxes or fees...The candidates' ideologies fell in line Wednesday on issues such as opposing amnesty for illegal immigrants and opposition to abortion or same-sex marriages."
Here's the coverage from the Denver Post [June 24, 2004, "Candidates in search of an issue"]. From the article, "On Wednesday, Pete Coors and Bob Schaffer participated in another non-debate, this time before the Arapahoe County Republican Men's Club, where the candidates wrangled over crucial topics like amending the legal drinking age and number of children sired (Coors 6, Schaffer 5). Though it resembled an echo chamber more than a debating hall, no one present could deny that Schaffer had his way with Coors." More Post coverage here [June 24, 2004, "Coors light on facts about northern neighbor"] and here [June 23, 2004, "Differences emerge as GOP Senate candidates debate"].
Also from the Rocky this morning, "The Colorado Democratic Party has set up four debates between its U.S. Senate candidates Mike Miles and Ken Salazar. Times and locations are still under discussion. Dates and locations: July 2, Fort Collins, 600 KCOL-AM; July 23, Denver, KDBI-Channel 12; July 23, Grand Junction; Aug. 3, Denver.
5:37:39 AM

Colorado Water
Denver Water will not ease water restrictions despite the recent spate of rainfall, according to the Rocky Mountain News [June 24, 2004, "Wet week doesn't wash out restrictions"]. From the article, "Customers were able to turn off their sprinklers and take a break from hauling hoses around during the rains, so reservoirs are 83 percent full, he said. However, runoff from the winter snowpack is about half of normal, which means storage reservoirs may be as full as they're going to get for a while."
5:28:25 AM

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