Tuesday, October 11, 2005

Western Primary? This is very cool news. The Western Democrat writes, "It's official, the Western Primary is born!" They're pointing to the Senate Site. It'll be New Mexico and Utah for now. The date is February 5th, 2008. Coyote Gulch will be watching closely out here on the rooftop of America. Westerners share a healthy disdain for big government. Note all the blue counties in New Mexico and up and down the Rockies from the 2004 Presidential Election. The region offers a good test of policy with a mix of urban, suburban and rural lifestyles. Oval Office 2008: "More good news for Rudy Giuliani with this Fox News poll conducted by Opinion Dynamics at the end of September." Political Wire: "David Yepsen reports Sen. John Kerry was back in Iowa over the weekend. While it goes against the conventional wisdom, Yepsen uses his column to make the case for another Kerry White House bid in 2008." Category: 2008 Presidential Election 5:48:11 PM

Ritter for Governor? Bill Ritter is doing just fine raising dough for his run at Governor, according to the Colorado Pols. They write, "Fundraising reports are finally starting to trickle in. In an e-mail sent to supporters, Democrat Bill Ritter announced that his campaign for governor would report about $460,000 raised in total. Ritter raised $164,000 in Q2, which would mean that he pulled down about $300,000 in Q3. That probably isn't enough to make him competitive with the Republican candidates for governor (Republican candidates will almost assuredly raise more than any Democrat for governor), but it is enough to keep him in sight -- particularly since Marc Holtzman and Bob Beauprez are going to be spending a lot of money fighting each other." Category: Denver November 2006 Election 5:32:03 AM

Harriet Miers for Supremes? Harriet Miers' nomination is fueling much speculation about the current status of the Democratic and Republican parties. Here's a post from The Moderate Voice asking, "Will Miers confirmation battle nudge party realignment?" Category: 2008 Presidential Election 5:22:57 AM

In-Stream Diversions Here's an article from the Denver Post about kayak parks [October 11, 2005, "Recreational use becomes water fight of New West"]. From the article, "Kayak play-parks - stretches of foaming whitewater that enthrall both boaters and spectators - have become the cherished attractions in more than a dozen Colorado towns. Two professional paddlers in Buena Vista are building an entire community around a planned play-park. But the jumbles of boulders in rural waterways are now more than the proverbial golden egg for communities fighting for a sliver of Colorado's $8.5 billion tourism economy. They embody a New West vs. Old West fight over water and how evolving economies and communities grow." Howling At A Waning Moon: "Evidence of warming seen across the west." Category: Colorado Water 5:07:43 AM

Referenda C and D The Denver Post fact checks the Yes on 3A ad [October 11, 2005, "AD WATCH | "Yes on 3A"]. From the article, "Denver Issue 3A is a tax increase that should raise at least $25 million a year to fund 'ProComp,' which is a new pay system for teachers in Denver Public Schools. The program, earlier called 'pay-for- performance,' will not give all teachers a raise. Under ProComp, teachers must earn raises in one of several ways, which could include teaching at a designated 'hard to serve' school, completing professional development hours or meeting student growth objectives. Meeting those goals could include boosting their students' Colorado Student Assessment Program scores." It looks like local TV stations are going to cash in on this year's election, according to the Denver Post [October 11, 2005, "Both sides in C, D debate agree TV ads pay"]. From the article, "The debate over Referendums C and D is getting pretty lucrative for Colorado TV stations, which are reporting more than $1 million in campaign-ad buys. Some stations, saying they don't have to report buys for state-issue campaigns, are not releasing their figures. A year after the Bush-Kerry presidential race heated up in Colorado, resulting in an unanticipated windfall for TV stations in the state, their sales departments again are loving politics" Environmentalists are lining up to support Referendum C according to the Rocky Mountain News [October 11, 20005, "Environment groups endorse Refs C, D"]. Here's an editorial from the Colorado Springs Gazette in support of Referendum C. They write, "On balance, however, we think a five-year suspension of TABOR refunds will give the state the fiscal breathing room it needs to sort itself out and prevent Draconian cuts in essential services. If supporters of the measure squander this opportunity - if they don't take dramatic action to get the state's fiscal house in order - not only will Colorado soon be back in the same mess, but angry voters will exact retribution, as they should." Category: Denver November 2005 Election 5:00:24 AM

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