Here's an opinion piece about last Tuesday's election authored by Governor Bill Owens from the Denver Post [November 6, 2005, "Coloradans say "yes" to economic recovery"]. He writes, "So overall, Tuesday's election was a great success. People throughout Colorado - Republicans, Democrats, unaffiliated voters - set their differences aside and put Colorado first. Around the country, Colorado will be seen as a state that is willing to invest in its future and, more importantly, willing to invest in its people. Colorado is moving forward."
Andrew Romanoff has authored an opinion piece in today's Denver Post [November 6, 2005, "Lessons to remember in wake of C's victory"]. He writes, "If victory has a thousand fathers, Referendum C may have trouble establishing paternity. Was it the glitch-fixing governor or the skydiving mayor who put the ballot measure over the top? Perhaps it was the endorsements of 1,100 organizations, from the Weld County Livestock Association to the Gunnison Council for the Arts. Or maybe it was just Coloradans' common sense. No one can say for sure why Referendum C succeeded. But in the wake of last week's election, several lessons are apparent - and worth heeding. First, bipartisanship works."
Will the coalition around Referendum C last? That's the question being asked by lawmakers, according to the Denver Post [November 6, 2005, "Promising partnership"]. From the article, "Colorado lawmakers have high hopes that the extraordinary coalition they formed to pass Referendum C will have a lasting influence during the upcoming legislative session. Republicans joined Democrats and millionaire business executives lined up with labor-union workers to support the ballot measure that lets the state keep extra revenues estimated at $3.7 billion over the next five years. Voters approved Referendum C on Tuesday. While the group won't continue meeting on a regular basis, they said they have created a fragile foundation for future negotiations."
John Andrews is still attacking supporters of Referendum C and distorting the facts in his column in today's Denver Post [November 6, 2005, "Voters defang the TABOR-toothed tiger"]. He writes, "Opponents of Referendum C counted on voters rejecting a bigger tax bite, $3,100 for the average family in the next five years, under the pressure of high prices for gasoline, home heating, health care and housing. We appealed to people's skepticism that the Democrat-led legislature would use the new money responsibly. Polling even last weekend suggested proponents hadn't made the sale."
Coyote Gulch would remind the former state legislator that the $3,100 figure was thoroughly debunked during the campaign along with the claim that it was driven by Democrats. Mr. Anderson, it's time to get off the talking points and look at what happened. Do the science. We do love the "fact" that you're a "Reagan conservative" while Governor Owens is now a "Bush Conservative." It'll be a while before those wounds heal and that's healthy for our state Republican party.
Bob Ewegen weighs in on Referendum D's defeat last Tuesday [November 6, 2005, "Voters cancel state's credit card"]. He writes, "Caldara, in contrast, fought the third and fourth letters of the alphabet from the git-go. But he believes that D's defeat in what he calls a 'split decision' still means the state can build new highways on a pay-as-you-go basis. 'By defeating Referendum D, we just took away the state's credit card. They can still build new roads, they just can't borrow the money,' Caldara said. That's the same position Gov. Bill Owens and transportation chief Tom Norton are taking - that the voters want better highways as long as they aren't paid for with borrowed money."
The Denver Post editorial staff is singing the praises of State House Speaker Andrew Romanoff and Governor Owens today [November 6, 2005, "Colorado well served by fiscal leadership"]. From the editorial, "The battle for Referendum C was won thanks to inspired leadership from Coloradans to whom we tip our hats for pragmatism and principle. At the top of the list is Gov. Bill Owens and House Speaker Andrew Romanoff. They worked hard to craft the substance of the fiscal measures and campaigned tirelessly to protect Colorado's future. They're not exactly best buddies, but they got the job done even while incurring the wrath of partisans who can't imagine the benefits of bipartisan cooperation."
Here's an editorial from today's Denver Post claiming that the people have gotten back some faith in government and that the Referendum C vote and other revenue issues shows it [November 5, 2005, "Voters invest in local services"]. From the editorial, "While all eyes were on the state revenue battle known as Referendum C, voters were approving more than two-thirds of the local tax issues put before them across the state."
Fred Brown discusses Tuesday's election winners and losers in his column from today's Denver Post [November 6, 2005, "Election's winners and losers"]. He writes, "Sen. Norma Anderson and other centrist Republicans, including Steve Johnson and Nancy Spence, restored credibility for the old-fashioned moderate wing of the Republican Party. For years, "moderate" has been a dirty word in some GOP circles, but they proved that occasional negotiation works better than constant confrontation."
Here's a look at the vote for Referendums C and D from the Cortez Journal - serving the tri-small towns of Dolores, Mancos and Cortez. From the article, "In a mirror image of the statewide vote on C and D, electors of Montezuma County gave state Referendum C a thumbs up in Tuesday's election, but voters said "no" to its companion measure, Referendum D."
Coyote Gulch thinks that Montezuma county may move into a role as a bellwether for future statewide votes. 
Elevated Voices: "The article also discusses the racism and hyperbole behind the demonization of marijuana."
Category: Denver November 2005 Election
7:10:25 AM 
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