Coyote Gulch

Thursday, July 14, 2005

Democrats to Woo Mormons?
New West: "How will the Democrats ever manage to lure a sizable amount of Western voters into its fold? The puzzling question was being posed by higher ups in the party long before the 2004 presidential election. But as Democrats take a deep breath, reevaluate and try to gain power on local and national levels, the Western vote looks more tantalizing than ever before. And for the first time, many Democrats are publicly discussing pursuing the LDS, or Mormon, vote as a way to win the West."
Western Democrat: "The Brian Schweitzer media machine marches on."
Category: 2008 Presidential Election
8:33:56 PM

DeGette Scores $18 Million (for water)
Diana DeGette: "U.S. Representative Diana DeGette (D-CO) today announced $18 million for important wildlife habitat, recreation, and stream improvements along the South Platte River in Central Denver and the authority to store more water at Chatfield Reservoir to help address future Front Range water needs," via DemNotes.
Category: Colorado Water
8:19:46 PM

Here's the text (pdf) of today's State of the City Address.
I had heard of most of the projects and efforts the Mayor mentioned today. This is cool for a city employee, it means that the administration is getting the word out.
It was great to rub elbows with friends from around the city, including Coyote Gulch's favorite librarian.
8:03:02 PM

Kourlis or McConnell for Supremes?
The Denver Post looks at Rebecca Love Kourlis and Michael McConnell as possible nominees for the U.S. Supreme Court. Both are westerners with Colorado ties.
From the article: McConnell, a University of Utah law professor who serves on the Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, is said to be on the White House's "short list" of candidates. Just how short that list is is anybody's guess.
"A constitutional scholar, he's well-regarded by conservative activists for his anti-abortion stance and amiable personality. His critics, however, have scoured his previous rulings and writings and worry he'd try tearing down the wall between church and state.
"Kourlis' name is new to the game. Sen. Ken Salazar, one of a handful of Democrats approached by the White House to talk about the process, submitted her name for consideration this week.
"Appointed to the Colorado Supreme Court in 1995 by Democratic Gov. Roy Romer, Kourlis is a moderate conservative with a reputation for being a consensus-builder.
"Kourlis, the daughter of the late Gov. John Love, also served as a district court judge, water judge and practicing attorney after graduating from Stanford law school."
Here's a link to prior coverage of Michael McConnell. Ralph's link is broken. I hope that he'll be back online soon.
Prior coverage of Rebecca Love Kourlis here and here.
Stygius: "Anybody looking for a roundup of MSM-does-Rove articles will be thrilled with Dan Froomkin today. The Wall Street Journal and MSNBC report on their WSJ/NBC poll showing trust in Bush's honesty is plummeting. I wonder if the American public has ever been in a similar situation, where it favored sticking in a war while expressing little confidence in their president's conduct of it."
The Moderate Voice: "In a season where virtually every news story seems to have something to do with heightened polarization, it was a refreshing change to read about this seeming olive branch extended by the White House."
Category: 2004 Presidential Transition
6:23:30 PM

$ for Democrats
The Denver Post is reporting on fundraising numbers for Rutt Bridges and Bill Ritter [July 14, 2005, "Dems list governor-race funds"]. From the article, "Former Denver District Attorney Bill Ritter so far has out-raised Cherry Hills Village millionaire Rutt Bridges in the race for next year's Democratic gubernatorial nomination. Ritter, a political veteran, has snagged $164,383 in contributions, compared with the $131,754 raised by Bridges, who has no experience in elected office, according to figures through June that both campaigns released Wednesday."
Category: Denver November 2006 Election
6:20:50 AM

Aligned Self-Interest?
Denver Water sat down with west slope water interests yesterday to discuss solutions to lessen the effects of the Front Range ~~water grab~~ moving water across the Great divide, according to the Denver Post [July 14, 2005, "W. Slope group, Denver dip toes in water talks"]. From the article, "While tight-lipped about the proposal's details, the two factions did meet at a restaurant on Keystone's summit to talk about how an agreement might usher in a new era of Colorado water negotiations. Over time, relations across the Continental Divide have soured as Front Range consumption of Western Slope water has grown to about 200 billion gallons a year, according to a recent study. 'The time has come in Colorado to surpass parochial interest in ways to solve area-wide problems,' said Chips Barry, Denver Water's manager. In late May, the Western Slope coalition presented Denver Water with the proposal, which covers a variety of long-standing disputes ranging from financial compensation for future projects to ways of dealing with future problems."
Category: Colorado Water
6:16:48 AM

Referendum C
David Harsnayi weighs in against Referendum C in his column in today's Denver Post [July 14, 2005, "Dems' take on taxes gets a C or D"]. From the opinion piece, "Romer was, of course, not only beyond the rhetorical pale, he was confused (Nazis were socialists, after all) and pathetically off the mark. TABOR passed that year - and between 1995 and 2000, Colorado ranked first in gross-state-product growth and second in personal-income growth. In addition, by capping spending, TABOR saved Colorado from the ruinous predicament California and many other states experienced through the recent economic downturn. But let's be honest. The fight over TABOR has always been about more than spending or leaky faucets at the local elementary school. It's about ideology. If fiscal conservatives were forced to travel on dirt roads and send their teenage kids to roofless schools where compulsory algebra lessons were given on an abacus, they would still press for tax cuts and fiscal responsibility. I'm conservative enough to admit it."
It's interesting to note that he frames his argument in political party terms when there is no such gulf. Many Republicans (Governor Owens) and business interests are backing the referendum.
Category: Denver November 2005 Election
6:07:44 AM

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