Coyote Gulch

Thursday, July 22, 2004

The State of the City
A Curious Stranger analyses Mayor Hickenlooper's first year.
8:30:55 PM

2004 Presidential Election
Here's the fifth and final article from Mike Littwin's tour of Red/Blue America, from the Rocky Mountain News [July 22, 2004, "Which side are you on? We'll know when election colors map"]. From the article, "The divide is real enough. But it still leaves us with the questions of where it comes from, what it means and whether it is a divide manufactured by politicians, meant to distract us from the real issues before us...But at the same time, Democratic politicians are far more likely to be lockstep liberal, just as Republicans are more likely to be lockstep conservative. The day of the conservative Democrat or liberal Republican is all but over...But, again, it's clear that people tend to listen to those who agree with them and read books that reinforce their beliefs. If you're looking for the divide, proceed to the nonfiction best-seller section of any bookstore. Just watch your step...I happen to think that, regardless of the hype, this actually is an extremely important election. I think the issues are stark. The future of the Supreme Court is at stake. The concept of pre-emptive war should be the centerpiece of this campaign conversation, although unfortunately, to this point, it hasn't been."
Tune in to TalkLeft's coverage of the Democratic National Convention. TalkLeft, the weblog, was developed by Denver-based criminal defense attorney Jeralyn Merritt. Webloggers at the conventions are another first in this presidential election cycle.
Update: Here's a list of the known bloggers covering the Democratic National Convention.
Update: Daily Kos: "LA Times poll out. Here's the story (June numbers in parentheses). Kerry 48 (51) - Bush 46 (44)."
Update: Here's the Rasmussen Presidential Tracking poll. They write, "The Rasmussen Reports Presidential Tracking Polls shows Senator John Kerry attracting 48% of the vote while President George W. Bush earns 45%. The Tracking Poll is updated daily by noon Eastern."
Update: Blogs for Bush: "J. McIntyre over at Real Clear Politics has an excellent analysis of the state of the race for the Presidency at this point. Among the more important points made is the fact that our Democratic friends are growing ever more confident in their man's ability to pull this off - the change from last year when the Democrats were largely sure their quest was pointless to today is remarkable."
Update: Taegan Goddard: "Here are the latest state polls in presidential race: Missouri - Kerry 46%, Bush 44% (Kansas City Star); Florida - Kerry 46%, Bush 46% (Sayfie); Florida - Bush 48%, Kerry 46% (Mason-Dixon); Ohio - Bush 48%, Kerry 43%(Strategic Vision); Florida - Bush 45%, Kerry 44%, Nader 2%; Pennsylvania - Kerry 48%, Bush 38%, Nader 5%."
6:30:56 AM

Denver November 2004 Election
Here's an in-depth look at Mitch Morrisey, candidate for Denver District Attorney, from the Rocky Mountain News [July 22, 2004, "Prosecutor turns to politics"].
Here's an article profiling Attorney General Ken Salazar, from the Denver Post [July 22, 2004, "Salazar takes his lead from the middle"]. From the article, "Salazar - a rare Democrat elected to a top statewide post in the past decade - leads his rivals in the race to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell by aiming for independent voters and a few stray Republicans...As the state's top lawyer, Salazar last year led the effort to defeat Referendum A - a ballot measure he criticized as a 'credit card' for water-storage projects."
6:17:23 AM

Colorado Water
Colorado needs more water projects to cover anticipated growth, according to the Denver Post [July 22, 2004, "Water projects forecast to fall short of needs"]. From the article, "Projects already in the works could supply most of the water Colorado needs for another 2.8 million residents expected by 2030, a state study has found. But the state will run short, even under the best of circumstances, according to the Statewide Water Supply Initiative, a $2.7 million study funded by the legislature in 2003. If all the projects are built and deliver what planners expect, the state could get 90 percent of the water needed for growth. Agriculture, however, will pony up much of that supply, Rick Brown, project manager for the study, said after presenting the latest findings to the Colorado Water Conservation Board on Wednesday in Delta...Under the best of circumstances, the state will have a gap of 15.6 billion gallons between supply and demand by 2030, according to the study. Nearly two-thirds of the shortfall is in the South Platte River basin, which includes Denver, Aurora and most of the fast-growing Front Range. The Arkansas River basin, which includes Colorado Springs and Pueblo, shoulders 24 percent of the shortfall." Here's the coverage from the Rocky Mountain News [July 22, 2004, "Study: Greater efforts needed to preserve water"].
6:02:53 AM

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