(In the final days of an election, there is so much information from so many races, it's difficult to stay on top of every story and understand the subtle dynamics often at play on the ground. Thankfully, we have an expansive 50-state blogosphere to match our 50-state strategy. Over the last two weeks of the campaign, we've asked leaders of the state blogospheres to provide insight into late developments and share the stories of their states in a series we're calling "Listening to the Locals." SusanG)
Can Colorado really have it all this year? We’re finally a swing state, not that that’s a good thing when you turn on the TV. We hosted all of you for the DNC Convention. Yesterday over 100,000 people turned out for Barak Obama in Denver (local pics) and another 50,000 in Fort Collins. For almost two years now we’ve had a reasonable (though not perfect) Democratic Governor in Bill Ritter. Though, with arguably more experience than Sarah Palin, we still laughed at the possibility of him being a possible pick for the Democratic ticket. Congressman Mark Udall is now expected to defeat uber-conservative ex-Congressman and Jack Abramoff Marianas Island pal Bob Schaffer for the US Senate race. We just might hold onto our majorities in the state house and senate, too. If there’s a not so shiny part in all of this, we have a bazillion evil stealthy ballot measures to deal with and some might pass. (Obama rally pics and more below the fold)
Everyone one has been looking to the Squarer State (tip – Wyoming’s western border has about a 2 degree slant) as the bellwether, harbinger of the apocalypse, what have you, ever since we were able to elect a moderate Democrat to the US Senate in 2004. Keep in mind, Senator Salazar was a key supporter of Alberto Gonzales and one of 14 to block the use of the filibuster. Four of the biggest funders of Democratic and progressive politics in the state are called the Four Horsemen of the [their] Apocalypse by our local conservatives. It’s their funding of progressive infrastructure that still has the likes of Fred Barnes foaming at the mouth about our ability to call them on their abuses of power. This is of course hilarious when the folks doing the complaining themselves have well funded right wing think tanks with full exposure in print, broadcast, and local cable media.
In the US Senate race, we’ve had Dick Wadhams return to Colorado after helping Virginia Senator George "Macaca" Allen lose to Jim Webb. Schaffer has been heavily damaged by multiple scandals. The biggest was his work on behalf of Jack Abramoff to defend the sweat shops of the Marianas Islands that go hand in hand with a healthy sex trade, forced abortions, and guest workers even barred from attending houses of worship. However, a steady barrage of 527 attack ads on Udall has limited Schaffer’s cratering. It’s perhaps only in the last few weeks of the race that Schaffer’s continued calls for tax cuts, how great oil companies are, and free market healthcare that have finished him off. Schaffer’s over-caffeinated debate style doesn’t help either. Thus, it’s not surprising this race is ranked a 4 on the GOP death list.
With Udall vacating his House seat, we saw a three way primary including State Senate President Joan Fitz-Gerald and internet millionaire and member of the Four Horseman club Jared Polis. With parallels of the Clinton/Obama primary fight, we had an experienced insider with establishment backing competing against a well funded, upstart, outside the box minority (Polis will be the first openly gay man elected in Colorado). Can you guess who won? Hint, he's being congratulated by Congresswoman Degette in the adjacent photo. The difference was that Polis was able to pour millions of his own money into the campaign. While this did allow him to blanket the air waves, the money was also spent on creating a massive field program. Despite a Republican name on the ballot, Polis is spending his time helping other candidates campaign.
Of course, the house race now on everybody’s minds is in the 4th between Marilyn Musgrave and former Salazar staffer Betsey Markey. Musgrave has recently come under fire for her ties to a string of Bush Administration staff attending campaign events in 2006 with public funding. Of course, that hasn’t stopped Musgrave from attacking Markey about a scandal with no there there. It’s the only thing she can do to distract from her scandals, a record of voting against the troops, and pursuing the narrow extremist gay-bashing agenda with the Defense of Marriage Act. This race is also ranked a 4 on the GOP death list.
Now onto the ballot measures.
Amendment 46 is Californian Ward Connerly’s misleadingly worded attempt to eliminate affirmative action programs from state government and universities. Despite signature gatherers openly lying about the meaning of the amendment, lawsuits to challenge it ultimately failed. There is a fear that just like in California and Michigan, Amendment 46 will pass.
Amendment 48 is another misleading amendment to try to ban abortion. To force rehearing Roe v Wade, 48 would define "personhood" as beginning at conception. The amendment is so extreme even Bob Schaffer opposes it. The measure would create such a legal nightmare that the pill, stem cell research, even the treatment of ectopic pregnancies would be defined as murder. With the help of a pro-bono attorney associated with the campaign to defeat Amendment 48, SquareState was able to file suit against the "egg-mendment" for campaign finance violations. While the fine of $150 didn’t knock them off their game, it did make them spin their wheels to defend themselves.
Disclosure: My wife Julie is working full-time on the campaign to defeat this amendment.
Some of you may have thought I don’t know how to count, but Amendments 47, 49, and 54 need to be mentioned together. They are all designed to weaken unions in a state that already has very low union membership. Amendment 47 openly lies in its ballot language that it would ban mandatory union membership. This however, has been illegal since 1943 in Colorado, and 1947 at the Federal Level. 47 seeks to eliminate a unique second union vote in Colorado that if ratified by a 75% supermajority can require non union members to contribute to the union bargaining rights they too enjoy. 49 would ban state governments from using automatic payroll deductions to pay state worker’s union dues. 54 is written to bar sole source government contractors from contributing to political causes. However, the way it’s written automatically includes all public employee unions.
In a last minute compromise a number of Colorado businesses joined with labor to defeat these extreme constitutional amendments in exchange for removing four other ballot measures that would have required companies pay for 80% of worker’s healthcare, required just-cause termination, allowed for criminal charges in case of executive fraud, and expanded protections for abuses of workmen’s comp. Disclosure: I’m working part time to defeat Amendments 47, 49, and 54.
While there are a number of other ballot measures in the good column, Amendment 59 seeks to "de-Bruce" TABOR, allowing taxes collected that exceed the TABOR limit be spent on K-12 education. Douglas Bruce was the architect of the Tax Payer’s Bill of Rights that has so hamstrung spending in Colorado. It would be fitting that in the year he was kicked out of the state legislature by his own party, we could also correct his other big error.
Co-editor of SquareState, Aaron Silverstein, will fill in the details on the local races:
Democrats may still be just slightly in the minority statewide, but the political conversation is changing. Before, the only voices heard were those of the conservative newspapers, mega-church pulpits, and rightwing think tanks. Now a rich ecology of voices are pushing back, and progressive candidates who understand the net are starting to rise up the leadership ladder. Democrats have almost entirely erased the registration differences, and Colorado is starting to elect actual progressives.
Blog friendly rising stars include the term limited Speaker Andrew Romanoff and Senate Majority Leader Ken Gordon, both of whom are on the short list to be Colorado's next Secretary of State. Filling their old slots in the Assembly are people like Colorado netroots hero Morgan Carroll who is moving up to the State Senate from a leadership post in the House. Rep. Carroll knocked on doors in her swing district with a clear progressive message, and was originally elected with the help of people who split tickets between her, George Bush and Tom Tancredo. Rep Carroll was also the first recipient of funding from our SquareState Small Donor Committee.
State Senate candidate Joe Whitcomb not only contributes to the local blogs, but is a regular face with groups that organize online and engage offline, such as Drinking Liberally and the community service organization Democrats Work. Whitcomb's race is tight but winnable, and it is a pick up that would have been impossible a few cycles ago that is a coin flip today. Joe doesn’t know it yet, but he and another State Senate candidate Evie Hudak are receiving the rest of the money in our Small Donor account.
In a seat that would have gone to a Democrat yesterday, but will go to a better Democrat this time is House Candidate Joe Miklosi. Miklosi spearheaded the Colorado office of Progressive Majority (whose parking lot you were standing in if you visited the Big Tent during the convention.)
They are just two of what looks like a wave in Colorado this year. Part of what continues to change the map for these and other candidates is a web of blogs, online progressive organizations, and watchdogs of the media and ethics. Even without the dozens of Obama offices dotting the state, Colorado was already far more organized this year than ever before. We are going to sprint to the end, but the feeling here is that you can expect nine electors and a second Senator headed towards DC.
Finally, our Small Donor Committee is unique among of the local and state based Actblue pages. According to state law, we can accept up to $50 per citizen per calendar year but have to do this with our own merchant account. We’re very grateful for ActBlue's assistance in bringing this unique funding structure online.
Read: SquareState.net
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Pics from yesterday's Obama rally in Denver. More here.
We had rock star seating standing. Click for larger images.
Yes, that's Senator Salazar in the reflection of the teleprompter.