I would like to officially declare this guy's candidacy dead:
http://www.denverpost.com/...
On Wednesday, as Republican gubernatorial nominee Bob Beauprez toured Colorado to "build unity," a video surfaced that Democrats say shows his divisiveness.
The video shows Beauprez in a speech to the Denver Rotary Club in 2010 making comments that echo those that hurt Mitt Romney's challenge to President Barack Obama two years later.
"I see something that frankly doesn't surprise me, having been on Ways and Means Committee: 47 percent of all Americans pay no federal income tax," Beauprez said in the video. "I'm guessing that most of you in this room are not in that 47 percent — God bless you — but what that tells me is that we've got almost half the population perfectly happy that somebody else is paying the bill, and most of that half is you all."
He indicated Democrats had reasons to keep it that way.
"I submit to you that there is a political strategy to get slightly over half and have a permanent ruling majority by keeping over half of the population dependent on the largess of government that somebody else is paying for," Beauprez said.
Colorado Democratic Party Chairman Rick Palacio, who alerted The Denver Post to the clip on YouTube, said the comments fly in the face of Beauprez's "Unity Tour," which featured his running mate and former GOP primary opponents.
"If he's talking about unity, this is a funny way to show unity with Coloradans," Palacio said. "He must be talking about unity with other Republicans, because he didn't say anything about anybody else."
Reached while traveling, Beauprez's campaign stood by the remarks.
His campaign manager, Dustin Olson, said Beauprez had been talking about the same things on Wednesday's tour: creating jobs and opportunities, "about lifting up and creating more opportunity."
"I don't see why it would be controversial to want more people to prosper," Olson said. "We should be focused on building up our economy so more people have jobs and prosper. It is a sad state of affairs when people are in an economic situation where they are not able to pay federal income tax." - Denver Post, 7/2/14
While it's bad enough he doesn't see why his remarks are controversial, he's certainly stupid enough not to realize it's these same type of comments that sunk Mitt Romney's (R. MA) campaign. But what do you expect from an idiotic nut job who also happens to be a bigot:
http://www.dailycamera.com/...
Gubernatorial hopeful Bob Beauprez voiced clear opposition Wednesday to Boulder County Clerk Hillary Hall's choice to issue same-sex marriage licenses, saying: "You don't just tamper with the Constitution arbitrarily."
"I'm with our Constitution," Beauprez said. "The people of Colorado spoke repeatedly in the law of Colorado that marriage is between a man and a woman.
"I think we've made a wise step with civil unions, and I support that," he added. "I'm very much in favor of equal civil rights for all our citizens, but that's very different than as we define marriage in Colorado. The distinction that needs to be drawn here is, whether you like it or don't like it, it is the Constitution."
Beauprez, a Lafayette native and former chairman of the Boulder County Republican Party, made the remarks after a campaign stop on Folsom Street in Boulder, where he was joined by running mate Jill Repella, former primary opponents Tom Tancredo and Scott Gessler and various other state GOP leaders.
"I always believe that while we may not have the registration numbers in Boulder County," Beauprez said, "some of the strongest, most principled conservatives -- people who understand why they're Republicans and why it makes a difference to adopt Republican principles and implement Republican principles -- I think they're found right here."
The roughly 100 in attendance Wednesday heard Beauprez speak of his five-pronged "Liberty's Promise" platform, which revolves primarily around limiting government influence in the everyday lives of Coloradans.
"You ask the teachers, truck drivers, farmers and ranchers," he said. "They'll invariably say, "It's government not just stepping on my toes a little bit, but it's got its boot on my neck." - Daily Camera, 7/2/14
The majority of Coloradans support marriage equality and Governor John Hickenlooper (D. CO) knows that:
http://kdvr.com/...
Colorado Attorney General John Suthers filled a motion with federal court Wednesday afternoon in response to a lawsuit filled in federal court yesterday asking for an overturn of Colorado’s same-sex marriage ban.
The motion asks for courts not to consider the lawsuit pending a Supreme Court decision on the issue in general.
“We hope and believe that if granted, today’s motion will help end the divisive, costly, and now unnecessary litigation regarding same-sex marriage in Colorado,” said Solicitor General Dan Domenico.
The motion cited the ruling by the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver overturning a gay marriage ban in Utah. That decision was stayed by the court pending an appeal.
“Because the Utah decision will not go into effect until the higher courts, including the United States Supreme Court, have had a chance to decide the question, Colorado (and other states) must wait for that final decision. In other words, the legal debate about this question will be suspended in Colorado as we await finality from the 10th Circuit or U.S. Supreme Court,” Domenico said.
While Suthers acted in coordination with Gov. John Hickenlooper asking for a delay in issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples until a Supreme Court decision, it did reveal a split in each party’s thinking.
According to the filing, Suthers, a Republican, believes the ruling by the 10th Circuit of Appeals was “incorrect.”
Allowing same-sex couples to receive marriage licenses before a Supreme Court decision “would invite a race to the clerks’ office, result in irreparable injury to the State, licenses issued under a legal cloud of uncertainty, and undermine the predictable and standard judicial process for testing the constitutionality of state laws,” the motion said.
Gov. John Hickenlooper and the Denver County Clerk and Recorder both went on the record in the motion saying they agree with the 10th Circuit’s ruling. Denver is part of a state court case and the clerk and recorder’s office says if the state judge “finds that Colorado’s same-sex marriage ban is unconstitutional and issues his decision without a stay, (which Denver supports), we will issue marriage licenses until it is.”
“Today, we joined with the Attorney General and the county clerks in Denver and Jefferson counties to ask the federal district court in Colorado to declare the state’s gay marriage ban unconstitutional and to stay its ruling until the U.S. Supreme Court addresses this issue,” said Governor John Hickenlooper.
“We understand there is frustration with the lengthy judicial process, but waiting until the legal process is finished will ensure that marriage licenses issued to same sex couples are not clouded by uncertainty. We hope the U.S. Supreme Court will take this matter up quickly. Equality for everyone can’t come soon enough,” Hickenlooper said. - KDVR, 7/2/14
Hickenlooper sounds pretty confident about the ruling and wants to make sure it stands. Hickenlooper also recently sat down with Katie Couric to talk about Colorado's great experiment:
http://www.thecannabist.co/...
Of course they discussed Colorado’s groundbreaking marijuana “experiment,” as Hickenlooper has called it. The also talked about Colorado’s tax revenue, youth prevention measures, marijuana edibles and keeping pot from leaving Colorado, among other topics at the Aspen Ideas Festival, presented by the Aspen Institute and The Atlantic.
“What would you say to the governor of Washington (Gov. Jay Inslee), in terms of how to handle this, and things that maybe you wish you had done differently?” Couric asked.
“Things like the edibles, and making sure you limit the dosage per edible,” Hickenlooper said. “They’re going to learn from our mistakes every way they can.
“As we try to figure some solution to this cash/banking conundrum, they’re not only watching us but also trying to help us with that. So, we’re kind of partners, right? Our staffs talk on a regular basis and are trying to figure out, how do we navigate this together?”
There was also this inevitable question, which Couric tossed out in the middle of the discussion: “Since it’s became legal in the state of Colorado, have you been partaking?”
Hickenlooper paused, took a sip of water, waited a beat, and then shook his head. “No,” he said with a grin. - The Cannabist, 7/1/14
Colorado tilts blue and is changing but we can't take anything for granted. Especially with nut jobs like Beauprez and Reps. Mike Coffman (R. CO) and Cory Gardner (R. CO) running for re-election and for U.S. Senate, we have to make sure Colorado Democrats come out to the polls and defeat these extremists. Click here to donate and get involved with Hickenlooper, Andrew Romanoff (D. CO) and Senator Mark Udall's (D. CO) campaigns:
http://www.hickenlooperforcolorado.com/
http://markudall.com/
http://www.andrewromanoff.com/