Today is Thursday, May 17, 2012

Not Categorized

Up to 80% of small employers will be forced to drop health insurance under ObamaCare

By 2014, almost all small employers that offer health insurance to their workers will be forced to drop those plans because they don’t meet standards for health insurance set by ObamaCare, according to report released late Friday by the White House. See page 50.

Under three scenarios, 

Jane Norton demands Michael Bennet disclose all he knows about W.H. job offer to Andrew Romanoff

Republican U.S. Senate candidate, Jane Norton, is calling the White House’s job discussions with Democrat Andrew Romanoff a job offer and bribe, and she is demanding that the would be beneficiary of the bribe, appointed Senator Michael Bennet, disclose all he knows about the job offers. In a press release republished below, the Norton campaign tries to hang the back room deal making on Bennet. As usual, the coverup attempts seem to be a bigger problem for Romanoff, Bennet and Obama than the supposed crime of playing politics as usual.

Richard Blumenthal shows that beneath white lies are major character flaws

Smart voters refuse to support politicians who blatantly tell little white lies and cheat on their wives. Voters  know that behind the little lies are major character flaws. All politicians fudge the truth one way or another, but when leaders like Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton, Al Gore and Barack Obama blatantly lie, you know that they shouldn’t be trusted or elected.

The Richard Blumenthal case is a prime example, as an editorial, The other Blumenthal scandal; Vietnam deception reflects his public character, in today’s edition of The Wall Street Journal points out. After the New York Times exposed the Connecticut attorney general’s lies that he served in Vietnam, the Journal’s editorial writer took another look at his record, and it’s not pretty. 

As expected, the Journal quickly uncovered a pattern of prosecutorial abuse and political favoritism in Blumenthal’s office. He put innocent people out of business, turned them into criminals and ruined lives with outrageous charges in an effort to promote his political career. And he protected Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) when the Senator’s sweetheart mortgage deal with Countrywide put him in danger of being prosecuted. But the court of public opinion forced Dodd into early retirement, and Blumenthal is running for his seat.

The Journal’s editorial concludes

Much like [former NY Governor Eliot] Spitzer’s cavorting with prostitutes while he was New York’s chief law enforcement officer, Mr. Blumenthal’s Vietnam fabrications reflect a larger problem with his public character. Rather than apologize for imagining a war record, the AG copped only to “a few misplaced words” that he said were “totally unintentional”—and he even held his news conference at a Veterans of Foreign Wars hall.

Mr. Blumenthal’s Vietnam problem is all too typical of a sense of entitlement and impunity that has built up over many years of exercising vast power with little restraint. This is not the kind of character that will change Washington.

Beware of politicians who cheat on their wives and are frequently caught telling white lies. They’ll cheat you, too, if you elect them to public offices.

Republicans have slim chance to take over Colorado House

Ben DeGrow says Republicans have a slim chance to take over Colorado’s House, but, he warns, a lot can change between now and the election.

Why would a Grand Junction activist charge Dan Maes with improprieties?

A Republican activist from Scott McInnis’ home town of Grand Junction is trying to create doubts about Dan Maes’ integrity only a couple of weeks before the GOP’s May 22 state convention. I don’t think the charges pass the smell test. Even though McInnis’ campaign may not be behind the complaint filed with the Secretary of State, the charges make McInnis look bad, not just his gubernatorial primary opponent, Maes. The Denver Post reports:

The complaint filed by attorney Erik Groves to the secretary of state focuses on two in-kind donations totaling $567.69 by Publication Printers Corp. and mileage reimbursements paid to Maes totaling $8,675 and reported during the fourth quarter of 2009.

Moderating comments

To prevent spam, I’m moderating comments. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Limited posting while on vacation

Due to slow internet service and other activities, posting will be limited for a couple of weeks.

Colorado’s Steve Schreiner running for National Rifle Assn. board

Steve Schreiner, a volunteer lobbyist for the National Rifle Assn., and a long-time fighter for the 2nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, is running for the board of the NRA. And he’s picked up an important endorsement. A Vietnam War veteran and a winner of the Silver and Bronz stars, Schreiner has a strong following among Colorado NRA members. Members must cast their votes by April 25.

Kathleen Conti will challenge Rep. Joe Rice in Colorado house district 38; Rick Gillit drops out

Littleton Republican Kathleen Conti will challenge Democrat Rep. Joe Rice in state house district 38. Rick Gillit, a member of of the Englewood city council, has dropped out of the race for the GOP’s nomination to challenge Rice. Conti owns a small business.

Tom Munds reports,

Conti has an extensive business background. She built two successful businesses over the past two decades and now is a principal associate for SMM Foods. She and her husband operate their office out of her home while the manufacturing facility is in Golden.

The Republican challenger and her husband Ralph have lived in the Denver metro area for years and moved to Littleton in 2007. They have two sons, Andrew, 20, and David, 18. 

Conti said she has been active in grassroots movements more than in the regular Republican Party events. She also has been active in the community. Her activities include a trip as a volunteer to help the Haitian earthquake victims.

Why aren’t Scott McInnis, Dan Maes and John Hickenlooper coming up with creative solutions?

This morning’s Denver Post editorial complains, Candidates for governor are short on answers. That’s for sure.

I’ve been following this gubernatorial campaign and the debate over what to do about taxes, spending and the budget deficit pretty closely.

What amazes me is not only that Scott McInnis and John Hickenlooper are refusing to take the risk of offending contributors to their campaigns and other special interests by offering real solutions for the state, but the deeply underfunded GOP candidate, Dan Maes, is basically following the same strategy.

From three guys who are promising to lead the state, we’re seeing no creativity, no risk taking and no straight talk. McInnis and Hick are waiting for each other to make the first move. They’re playing chicken. Each wants to attack the other. Negative ads work.

Maes is appealing to Tea Partiers, etc., but I can’t figure out why they would pick him over the other two, because he agrees with McInnis on virtually all issues and promises to do things that probably are politically impossible because they require cooperation from the General Assembly.

McInnis is counting on out working Maes and HIck. He apparently thinks the anti-Obama Democrats tide will carry him to victory in November regardless of what he doesn’t say.

Hick is counting on strong support from the hard left base. He apparently thinks he can charm independents into putting a tax and spend Democrat in the Governor’s mansion despite the fact that he’s an Obama-Bennet-Romanoff and DeGette Democrat.

Maes is hoping that the Texas election, which gave 19% of its primary vote to an underfunded Tea Party Republican candidate for governor last week, will be replicated in Colorado and will allow him to win more than the 30% of the state convention votes he needs to get on the August 10 primary ballot. He apparently thinks that if he does well at the convention, the campaign contributions that so far are not going his way suddenly will. He ought to talk to Mike Miles, an underfunded Democrat who did well at his party’s state convention and was crushed by Ken Salazar in the August primary.

Bottom line. None of these guys knows what the economy will do, what kind of tax revenues to expect next year or how to fix the state’s budget without raising taxes and cutting spending. Like most Americans, they’re frozen in place and silenced by their uncertainty and fears of the unknown.

The question is, could Maes, McInnis or Hickenlooper win next November without telling voters what  he will try to do to fix the state’s budget? Is hiding your plans from voters a winning strategy?

Obama opens health summit with same old speech

President Obama is opening the health summit with his same old speech. Everyone will be repeating their talking points. Boring, I think. It’s snowing at Keystone and I’m going skiing for a few hours.

Dan Maes opens metro campaign office in Englewood

Republican gubernatorial candidate, Dan Maes of Evergreen, is holding a grand opening reception tonight at 11 W. Hampden Ave., Englewood. That’s at Old Hampden and Broadway. 5 - 7 p.m.

Obama and Palin two peas in a pod, living the American dream

Obama and Palin give great speeches. He uses telepromters. She uses notes. They both appeal to gullibles.

Obama shouldn’t be president, and Palin never should be.

They’re living the American dream. Love it.

Tea Party folks are people who’ve been on the sidelines for decades. They’re motivated by fear. They’re afraid of Obama, Pelosi and Reid. They’re not nuts. They are just folks who have new priorities and the smarts to get involved when they have a chance to make a difference.

On health deform, Obama wants to continue the con, but Americans are on to him. They don’t like the way Washington works. They don’t trust anyone in Washington.

Obama’s floundering. In 2008, he was the Lakers. In 2010, he’s the Nets.

I originally posted this on Politico.com this morning.

 

Colorado Political event calendar updated

This week’s Colorado Political Events Calendar has been updated. More updates are welcome. Also see calendars on candidates’ and county parties’ web sites. I haven’t attempted to duplicate the calendars at Liberty Events, the Colorado Republican Party or the Colorado Democratic Party. Scott McInnis, Dan Maes and Cleve Tidwell have busy calendars this week. Ken Buck and Jane Norton apparently are on the phone raising money.

Can Denver’s Democrats carry Andrew Romanoff to win over Michael Bennet?

Democrat Senate candidate Andrew Romanoff was warmly received at a recent meeting of some Denver Democrats while his opponent’s wife failed to make much of an impression. Lede graphs from the Cherry Creek News: