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Tuesday, September 5, 2006
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Washington Post: "Ordinary legislation -- not constitutional amendments -- should express the community's view that marriage 'shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman.' To use the Constitution for prescriptions of policy is to shackle future generations that should have the same right as ours to enact policies of their own. To use the Constitution as a forum for even our most favored views strikes a blow of uncommon harshness upon disfavored groups, in this case gay citizens who would never see this country's founding charter as their own.
"Let's look in the mirror. Conservatives who eloquently challenged the Equal Rights Amendment and Roe v. Wade for federalizing core areas of state law now support an amendment that invites federal courts to frame a federal definition of marriage and the legal incidents thereof."
Thanks to Andrew Sullivan for the link.
Category: Denver November 2006 Election
6:08:03 PM 
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Colorado Springs Gazette: "Getting it done means reaching a disposition acceptable to the prosecutor, [District Judge David] Shakes and the defendant. It means avoiding a trial while making sure justice is served. This three-day series goes behind the scenes of the legal system in the 4th Judicial District, which includes El Paso and Teller counties. District Judge David Shakes allowed a reporter into his courtroom, chambers and clerks' office for a week to document the process. If every case went to trial, the courts would be hopelessly backlogged."
Thanks to Colorado Confidential for the link.
Category: Denver November 2006 Election
6:01:10 PM
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U.S. Representative Bob Beauprez is on the attack in the gubernatorial race, according to the Denver Post. They write, "Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Beauprez Monday lashed out at his Democratic opponent Bill Ritter, calling his positions on marriage and abortion 'unthinkable.'
"'He professes to be a devout, pro-life Catholic but then he says two unthinkable things,' said Beauprez, also a Catholic, before walking in a Labor Day parade in Louisville. 'He suggests we should redefine marriage and he says abortions for fetal anomalies is OK with him.' Ritter, who was in Leadville finishing up his 15-month quest to hit every Colorado county at least once, brushed off Beauprez's criticism. 'I have been talking to people all weekend and no one has questioned my Catholicism,' he said. 'They are talking about K-12 reform, transportation and health care.'"
Meanwhile the Denver Post takes apart the ads attacking Bill Ritter's law enforcement record. From the article, "Experts in criminal justice say Republican attacks on Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill Ritter's record as Denver district attorney are inaccurate and misleading. For weeks, Republican nominee Bob Beauprez and the Trailhead Group - a committee backed by big-money Republicans - have been claiming Ritter let too many criminals avoid punishment. At the same time, Trailhead has begun running ads touting the experience of Republican Attorney General John Suthers when he was district attorney of El Paso and Teller counties. But records obtained from those counties indicate Suthers - at least during the final three years of his tenure - sent fewer felons to prison than Ritter. And Ritter's record for locking up felons exceeded the national average by nearly 3 percentage points, according to statistics from the U.S. Department of Justice."
Category: Denver November 2006 Election
6:17:23 AM
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Rocky Mountain News: "The campaign to ban gay marriage is moving toward the November election on two fronts.
The group sponsoring the ballot measure that would define marriage in the Colorado Constitution as a heterosexual union is pushing a grass-roots plan that relies on volunteers and its strongest support base - the state's thousands of churches. Coloradans for Marriage hopes to enlist church leaders to urge congregants to vote for Amendment 43 during 'Marriage Sunday' services on the final two weekends of October. At the same time, the political arm of Focus on the Family, the Colorado Springs evangelical institution, is bankrolling another group that will support the ballot measure through television ads. Focus on the Family Action has poured $500,000 into a political committee called Colorado Family Action Inc. that has already spent more than $200,000 on television ad time for the weeks leading up to the election. Officials at Focus, a key supporter of similar measures that passed in almost 20 other states, won't disclose their political strategy. Focus is tied to both campaigns. It is part of the coalition of Christian organizations that comprise Coloradans for Marriage...
"Paul's campaign has been careful to avoid bashing homosexuals, instead emphasizing that 'marriage needs to be protected.' The campaign also will feature a pageant queen. Former Mrs. Colorado Sheri Engstrom, of Evergreen, has volunteered to publicly campaign for the initiative. Rep. Kevin Lundberg, R-Berthoud, is urging supporters of a failed ballot initiative - one that sought to deny domestic partnerships legal recognition - to help the Amendment 43 campaign. Not all churches and religious groups support Amendment 43. An organization called Colorado Clergy for Equality in Marriage is campaigning against it. So are the proponents of Referendum I, a ballot measure that would allow gay couples to register as domestic partners and receive many legal rights and responsibilities given to married couples. Sean Duffy, executive director of Coloradans for Fairness and Equality, said his group will try to explain Amendment 43's full impact...
"The November ballot will include two measures related to gay couples: Amendment 43 - Would define marriage in the Colorado Constitution as a union between one man and one woman. Sponsored by Coloradans for Marriage; Referendum I - Would create a state law to allow gay couples to register as domestic partners and then receive many legal rights and responsibilities - such as medical decision-making for partners - given to married couples. Sponsored by Coloradans for Fairness and Equality."
Category: Denver November 2006 Election
6:10:56 AM
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The Rocky Mountain News has a short article about "The Four Millionaires," Jared Polis, Tim Gill, Pat Stryker and Rutt Bridges, who've helped Colorado Democrats gain control of the state legislature. From the article, "Since 2004, Republican politicians have worried about four wealthy Democrats who have poured millions into state elections. Their names wouldn't be familiar to average Coloradans - two of them avoid the limelight and rarely grant interviews - but every GOP operative in the state knows who they are...
"A disparate group of self-made entrepreneurs and heirs to family fortunes, the four wealthy Democrats have helped spark a resurgence for the Democratic Party in Colorado. They worked together closely in 2004 and helped to fund the Democrats' takeover of both houses of the state legislature for the first time in decades. All of them will be heavily involved in state politics this year, too...
"Bridges says he'd like to see 527s 'eliminated from the face of the Earth,' but says Democrats will continue to have to use them to face down Republicans. 'I don't believe in unilateral disarmament,' said Bridges, who adds he would support publicly financed campaigns as an alternative. In response to the four millionaires, Republicans set up their own 527, the Trailhead Group. 'We can't afford to become irrelevant,' said Alan Philp, director of Trailhead. 'It would be hard to believe even a few years ago that Democrats would be the party of wealth and resources and the Republicans would be the little guys trying to scrape things together.' However, Trailhead has rounded up support from its own collection of millionaires, including Pete Coors and Bruce Benson. Jared Polis says he won't be giving any money to 527s this year, but he has been hosting fundraisers for Democratic candidates up and down the ticket. He thinks Democrats are increasingly appealing to Colorado's large number of unaffiliated voters...
"Republicans like Philp often say the Democrats' resurgence is because of the new money, but Ciruli thinks the four millionaires are just a part of the equation. Democrats have been making gains in other states in the mountain West, and Ciruli says they're benefiting from anxiety over the economy and the often bitter splits between moderates and conservatives in the GOP."
Category: Denver November 2006 Election
6:04:24 AM
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Here's a look at Janet Rowland, Bob Beauprez's running mate, from the Rocky Mountain News. They write, "Beauprez's announcement last month kicked off a firestorm of controversy that went nationwide. Rowland has been roasted and ridiculed on blogs and the Internet for comments she made earlier this year comparing homosexuality to bestiality. 'There were a lot of names suggested to us,' said Beauprez's campaign manager, John Marshall. 'Our intent here is not to please Republicans. The intent is to try to find someone who is qualified to do the job and who brings a lot to the table. That is Janet Rowland.' One factor, Marshall said, is that Rowland lives outside the Front Range. She's from Grand Junction, while Beauprez is a Boulder County native who moved to Jefferson County in 2002 to run for the 7th Congressional District seat. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill Ritter is from Denver, as is his running mate, Barbara O'Brien, the former head of the Colorado Children's Campaign."
Category: Denver November 2006 Election
5:56:58 AM
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© Copyright 2006 John Orr.
Last update: 10/1/06; 8:44:18 AM.
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