Coyote Gulch

Saturday, October 2, 2004

2004 Presidential Election
Spending on spanish language ads is way up this election cycle as the candidates finally realize what we've know for a long time in Colorado. Hispanic voters are a large well of potential votes for any candidate, they vote, they are independent minded, and they remember promises. Here's a short article on the subject from Rocky Mountain News [October 2, 2004, "Spending on Spanish campaign ads surging"]. From the article, "Spanish-language campaign advertising has hit record highs in the Bush-Kerry contest, according to the Hispanic Voter Project at Johns Hopkins University. Most of that advertising has been in Colorado and other states where the race is close and the Hispanic population is large.The New Democrat Network, a "527" group that can accept unlimited campaign contributions but isn't officially affiliated with any campaign or party, has spent $3.2 million on Spanish language TV ads this election season, the report found. Kerry's campaign has spent an additional $1 million through mid-September, more than the Gore-Lieberman campaign and the Democratic National Committee combined spent in 2000, the report said. The Republican National Committee has spent $435,000 on Spanish advertising and the Bush campaign has spent more than $3 million on ads aimed at Hispanic voters. Bush spent $2 million on Spanish language advertising in 2000."
Is this the year that we in the west will determine the outcome of the Presidential election? Bill Richardson thinks that it is, according to the Denver Post [October 2, 2004, "West seen as key to election"]. From the article, "Calling Colorado the state that can swing the presidential election, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson stumped for the Kerry/Edwards ticket in western Colorado on Friday. Richardson, one of the country's most influential Democrats and a politician mentioned early in Sen. John Kerry's campaign as a possible running mate, told a crowd of about 100 Kerry-sign-waving Democrats at Mesa State College that Colorado is 'the battleground state in this election. As Colorado goes, so goes the election,' Richardson said."
Coyote Gulch is not sure that 9 (historically red) electoral votes will be as important as Ohio (20), Pennsylvania (21), or Florida (27). I do however accept the challenge from New Mexico's govenor and will continue to try to inform Coloradans and get them to the polls.
Electoral-vote.com: "Survey USA has polled over 20,000 people in 14 states and 21 cities to ask who won the first debate. In 11 states and 15 cities Kerry was the clear winner. In 2 states and 6 cities, Bush was the clear winner. Colorado was a tossup. Ominously for Bush, the 2 states that said he won the debate are Texas and Oklahoma, which he has in the bag already, but the states that gave Kerry the win include Oregon (by 19%), Maine (by 18%), Pennsylvania (by 22%), Arkansas (by 12%), and most significantly Florida (by 24%). American Research Group has now produced more details on its post-debate poll. Not surprisingly, practically all Democrats thought Kerry won and practically all Republicans thought Bush won. But among independents, Kerry won by 19%. Gallup's lead story today is entitled 'Kerry Wins Debate.' According to Gallup's poll, 53% of the people interviewed felt Kerry won and 37% felt Bush won."
John Zogby: "The debates will take on a special significance this year. The stakes are extremely high. Will Mr. Kerry be able bridge the likeability gap? Can he find his bumper sticker messages to make his point to those who want a change? Will he be able to put the President on the defensive on the war, health care, the economy, etc. without appearing to be bullying a leader that Americans seem to like? And can he make a connection with the war in Iraq spinning out of control and a squandered opportunity to pursue Osama bin Laden with full global support by alienating long-time US allies and dissipating US troop strength? Will the President be able to force Mr. Kerry on the defensive by revealing the Senator[base ']s changing positions? Can he do as he did successfully during the Republican National Convention by effectively linking his leadership on the war on terrorism with the ongoing war in Iraq? Can he finesse the three debates by just showing himself to be a plainspoken guy next door?"
Makes Me Ralph: "Colorado Latino/as are moving more towards the Democrats, as they see more of John Kerry and rally around Ken Salazar. Democrats are talking the issues--Jobs, Healthcare--that affect Latino/as while Republicans continue to grandstand on immigration and social conservatism."
Andy Lester: "George Bush as programming project leader." Thanks to Will Parker for the link.
Blogs For Bush: "Truth be told, Kerry exceeded expectations, but when it came to substance, he came up short."
9:02:45 AM

Denver November 2004 Election
Monday is the last day to register for the November 2nd election. Here's the link to Denver's sample ballot. Start studying now!
Things are getting heated between Ken Salazar and Peter Coors, according to the Rocky Mountain News [October 2, 2004, "Senate ads provoke sharp responses"]. So much for Salazar's Code of Principles. I guess Peter Coors didn't sign the pledge. Does that give the Attorney General the right to drop the gloves? Sure, this is politics and negative attacks work to a certain degree.
8:51:28 AM

Colorado Water
Here's a story from the Rocky Mountain News about the digging of the Grand River Ditch [October 2, 2004, "110-year-old ditch an engineering wonder"]. From the article, "More than a hundred years ago, a lingering drought and water shortages threatened to strangle the livelihood of the farming pioneers on the northern Front Range. So a group of farmers, engineers and bankers from Greeley and Fort Collins trekked deep into what would become Rocky Mountain National Park, looking for water to save their way of life. They found a plentiful supply high in the Never Summer Mountains, but getting it to their farms seemed almost impossible. Still, they had to try. In 1894, undaunted by the isolation, the spring blizzards, the summer mosquitoes and the altitude of more than 10,000 feet, this hardy group of Russian and German immigrants began what would become years of backbreaking labor."
The Rocky Mountain News is starting a series called The Last Drop detailing the strain on mountain waterways from Front Range water use [October 1, 2004, "The last drop"]. From the article, "For more than a century, flatlanders have built ditches and tunnels to turn much of the westbound Colorado River headwaters east over the Continental Divide. It's no longer enough. Urban water utilities, wrestling with drought and a booming population, are scrambling for what's left of the cool, clear Fraser River in Grand County, the Blue in Summit County, the Eagle in Eagle County and the Roaring Fork in Pitkin County. For months, the utilities have negotiated quietly but intensely for new supplies. Yet headwater counties, facing shortages of their own, want the water, too. Without innovative deals and compromise, Coloradans could lose the very mountain landscape that defines the state. The series: Monday: Grand County; Tuesday: Summit County; Wednesday: Pitkin County; Thursday: Eagle County."
Here's a short article about the effect of diverting water from the high country from the the Rocky Mountain News [October 2, 2004, "High-country economy thrives on water"]. From the article, "Here, water is everything. It helps lure skiers and anglers from around the world. It helps employ about 26,000 resort and recreational workers. It helps Vail and Breckenridge maintain their ranking as the first and second most-popular ski areas in the nation. And it helps generate more than 6.85 million skier visits a year in the four Colorado River headwater counties."
All is not well in Animas-La Plata land, according to the Denver Post [October 2, 2004, "Group aims to halt work on reservoir project"]. From the article, "An environmental group has asked the Colorado state water court to halt construction on the Animas-La Plata water project in southwest Colorado, which is $162 million over budget and less than 20 percent complete after years of planning. The Citizens Progressive Alliance, in its motion last week, said that water rights owed to the Southern Ute and the Ute Mountain Ute Indian tribes were settled by acts of Congress in the 19th century. Animas-La Plata was built largely to settle the two tribes' claims to water."
Here's an article from the Cortez Journal about a proposal from John Salazar over farmers selling their water to other basins.
8:35:23 AM

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