This is another repost, as some of you may know. I am reposting in the light of new information, and a lack of response to the previous repost. Last time some woman, slouise147, and IrishWitch refused to listen to any attack on Lamm. So, I have added links to more attacks on her, written by Colorado Democrats.
Here in this following quote, is what Emily's List had to say about Lamm:
Democrats have an excellent opportunity to capture a Republican-held open seat, Colorado's seventh district -- and former high school teacher Peggy Lamm is the strongest Democrat to do it. An accomplished community activist, Lamm has served in the state legislature, as a consumer advocate, and as chair of the Colorado Commission on Higher Education. She came to statewide prominence as co-chair of the panel that investigated allegations of sexual misconduct in the University of Colorado's football program. Now Lamm is throwing her considerable energy into a winning congressional campaign. She's a natural on the campaign trail. "Lamm is, quite simply, hard not to like," noted political prognosticator Stuart Rothenberg of the Rothenberg Report. "After talking with her for 10 minutes, you get the feeling that you've known her for years."
With registration almost evenly split among Republicans, Democrats, and independent voters, the seventh district is being targeted by both parties, guaranteeing that this will be one of the most closely watched House races of 2006. Lamm faces a well-connected, well-financed former state senator in the August 8 Democratic primary; if she wins, she will have to regroup immediately to campaign against an opponent hand-picked by the Bush White House.
In addition to serving on numerous boards and commissions, Lamm was until recently executive director of Bighorn Action, a Colorado nonprofit dedicated to increasing citizen participation in public affairs. Born in upstate New York, she moved to Kansas after her father, a World War II veteran, died in an accident on the job. After a series of brain surgeries left Lamm's mother disabled, she and her three siblings took care of her, getting by on Social Security survivors' benefits. Her mother's family instilled in her a love of education, and she followed the family tradition by becoming a public school teacher.
The Political Situation
Encompassing suburban Denver and a huge swath of rural Adams County, Colorado's seventh district is the most competitive in the nation and has been called the seat most likely to change parties by Washingtonpost.com political writer Chris Cillizza. According to the Rothenberg Report, this seat poses "a potential headache for Republicans -- and an excellent opportunity for Democrats." The Democratic performance (the percentage of general election voters who have historically voted Democratic) is 50 percent. GOP Rep. Bob Beauprez, who is running for governor, barely defeated Democrat Mike Feeley in 2002 by a margin of 121 votes.
John Kerry won more votes than George W. Bush among seventh district voters in 2004; Al Gore barely edged out Bush in 2000. Democrats now have nearly 6,000 more registered voters in the district.
The Republican standard-bearer is Rick O'Donnell, who ran against Beauprez in the 2002 GOP primary and has indicated he will raise millions for his 2006 campaign. O'Donnell got a head start on his fundraising goals when Vice President Dick Cheney came to Colorado in October 2005 to help him raise an estimated $100,000. An establishment conservative, O'Donnell worked for think tanks run by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (former chair of the Republican National Committee). O'Donnell is backed by the Club for Growth, anti-tax Republicans with proven fundraising strength.
Before she can face O'Donnell, Lamm must defeat Ed Perlmutter, a Denver attorney and former state senator with strong ties to the oil and gas industries. Perlmutter, who described himself as "a pretty conservative individual," attended Promise Keeper meetings and voted to give $21 million in tax breaks to mining interests while making it harder to strengthen Colorado's clean air laws; cosponsored legislation the Denver Post dubbed "an oil industry dream bill"; and belonged to the Colorado Gas and Oil Association, which supports the Bush administration's plan to drill for oil in Colorado's Rocky Mountains.
Lamm knows how to win uphill battles: she ousted a right-wing GOP incumbent to win a seat in the Colorado state House in 1994. Her history of community service, including a strong record on education and choice, make her a good fit for this district. It's worth noting that Democratic women hold a majority of the House and Senate districts overlapping this congressional district's boundaries. Lamm leads Perlmutter in recent polling, but lags behind the well-connected lawyer in fundraising. The climate is right for her to take this seat over for Democrats -- but she needs immediate support to raise $2 million to overcome Perlmutter's fundraising advantages in the Aug. 8 Democratic primary and prepare for battle with a Republican Party desperate to hold this seat.
The Issues
"I am running for Congress because we need strong leaders to fight for affordable health care, protect the right to choose, and ensure that all working Americans earn a livable wage," says Lamm. "I have a long history of fighting for what's right, even when it's difficult or politically unpopular."
As a former teacher, Lamm will make strengthening our nation's public education system her top priority. She will fight to fully fund the No Child Left Behind Act and promote initiatives to provide mentors for novice teachers, reduce student-teacher ratios, and improve teacher training programs. "Strengthening math and science curricula will allow our country to better compete in a global market," Lamm says.
A working mother, Lamm understands the challenges families face balancing responsibilities and supports federal efforts to help families with health care, child care, education, a livable minimum wage, and affordable transportation. But Lamm's understanding of how government can be a force for good comes from her own childhood, when her family relied on Social Security to get by after her father's tragic death. "We could not care for our mother alone," she recalls. "We knew how lucky we were to live in this great country where we had Social Security survivors' benefits. America made that small investment in our little, ragtag family, and now we are all thriving taxpayers, fulfilling our part of the social contract of this generous nation."
The national debt "has hamstrung our economy and stifled healthy growth," says Lamm, who will work in Congress to end the Bush deficits and balance the budget. "Sustaining tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy and shipping our productivity overseas is starving our middle class of good jobs and necessary health care," she asserts. Lamm will support fair trade policies that level the playing field between the U.S. and global competitors. Her fiscal priorities include creating a fair tax code, executing a safe exit strategy from Iraq, establishing energy independence, and investing in education.
"Having grown up in a military family with a deep sense of patriotism, I definitely believe that there are values worth fighting and dying for," Lamm says. "My father was a veteran of World War II and the Korean War, and my brother served 20 years in the 82nd Airborne and fought in the first Persian Gulf War." But, Lamm notes, "while military strength remains essential, real security requires more effective and sustainable approaches." She supports increasing funding for intelligence gathering and favors diplomacy "to address the root causes" of global threats. The nation's foreign policy priorities should be devising an exit strategy for removing U.S. forces from Iraq; containing nuclear threats posed by Iran and North Korea; and honestly tackling the nation's immigration problem. "We need a national energy policy that gives us independence from oil-producing nations," she adds. "America's worldwide priorities should not be dictated by the cost of a barrel of oil."
The first thing Congress can do to ensure full civil rights for all Americans is to renew the Voting Rights Act, Lamm asserts. "It's unbelievable that we still need to codify any legal American's right to vote, but we do, and we must," she says.
Lamm supports putting more police on the streets to fight crime, along with increasing access to early childhood education, drug courts for nonviolent offenders, and alternative youth sentencing. Securing ports and borders; coordinating emergency communication among federal, state, and local authorities; and training emergency personnel are necessary to ensure public safety.
"The use of the hospital emergency room for basic health care is costly and a waste of resources," says Lamm, who favors placing a greater emphasis on preventive health care. She supports the Wired for Health Care Quality Act, full funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program, and tax incentives for small business owners to provide coverage for employees. Lamm supports expanding stem cell research to find treatments and cures for life-threatening diseases.
The best ways to eradicate poverty are to invest in education and jobs, expand access to continuing education for adults, and help families find affordable child care and transportation, Lamm believes.
A strong environmental advocate, Lamm will fight in Congress to establish a national energy policy that promotes alternative fuel sources, boosts energy efficiency, and reduces America's dependence on foreign oil. She supports congressional efforts to preserve open spaces, endangered species, and national forests, and fervently opposes the Bush administration's efforts to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling.
"I support reproductive freedom -- from the literal notion that every child should be wanted and loved, to covering the health and safety of a woman's body, to understanding that this question is not one that ought to be decided by our government at any level," Lamm says. She will be a reliable pro-choice vote in the U.S. House.
Here, in this quote, was how Perlmutter described himself.
A Lifelong Resident of the 7th Congressional District Perlmutter
A lifelong resident of Jefferson County in Colorado's 7th Congressional District, Ed is a product of public schools. Ed graduated from Jefferson High School in Edgewater and graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 1975. Ed worked his way through law school as a laborer on construction projects.
A Family Man
Ed married Deana in 1980 and they are the proud parents of three daughters - Alexis (24), who works for "Grassroots Democrats", Abby who graduated from Wheat Ridge High School in 2005 and is currently attending the University of Northern Colorado and Zoey (14) who is a freshman at Wheat Ridge High School.
A Community Servant
An active member of our community, Ed recently led the successful mill levy effort to improve Jeffco Public Schools. As a busy dad, Ed has been involved with PTA's, Booster Club's, the Applewood Community Church, and with coaching the "Angels", Abby's competitive softball team.
Ed is a Trustee for the Midwest Research Institute (the primary operator of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory located in Golden), and a former Board Member of the National Jewish Medical & Research Center.
First Democrat Elected in Nearly Three Decades to Senate District 20
In 1994, Ed became the first Democrat elected in nearly 30 years to Senate District 20 located in the Wheat Ridge/Golden area.
In 2000, Ed helped lead the successful Democratic effort to takeover the Colorado State Senate for the first time since John F. Kennedy was President. Ed also was a co-chair of the Kerry Campaign in Colorado, and has consistently supported Democrats and built up the Democratic Party in the 7th District.
Accomplished Leader in Colorado State Senate
In the State Senate, Ed was the Chair of the Bi-Partisan Renewable Energy Caucus, and was elected by his colleagues as the President Pro Tem of the Senate during the 2001 and 2002 Session. Ed was recognized for his leadership in carrying legislation promoting renewable energy, consumer protection and responsible growth.
Among the many awards Ed received while in the Senate are:
Legal Aid Award for Equal Justice Under the Law
American Institute of Architecture award "Colorado Legislator of the Year"
Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry award "Business Legislator of the Year"
D.A.R.E. Man of the Year
Jeffco Education Association Friend of Education
United Veterans Committee "Legislator of the Year"
Colorado Humane Society Distinguished Service Award
The AARP Outstanding Legislative Service Award
University of Colorado School of Law "Distinguished Alumnus Award"
Some of you more scrutinizing readers are going to be wondering why I did post Lamm's description from her website. Well, it's because it's woefully inadequate, and Emily's List had a more detailed one. Before I really get into how this campaign is being run, and is being stupid, and ruining our chances to win this let me show Perlmutter's two page long list of endorsements, and why not Lamm's also, because all she had was a citizen's endorsement page, signifying that she has not been endorsed by one other important person, or powerful organization but Emily's List.
Endorsements
Ed Perlmutter is Proud to be Endorsed by:
U.S. Senator John Kerry
Former Governor Roy Romer ('88-'99)
Former U.S. Senator Gary Hart ('76-'88)
Denver Mayor (`83-'91) and U.S. Secretary of Transportation, Energy Federico;a ('93-'98)
State Senate President Joan Fitz-Gerald
Former State Senate President Stan Matsunaka ('95-'02)
Former Speaker of the State House Ruben Valdez ('75-'76)
2002 7th Congressional District candidate and State Senator Mike Feeley ('93-'00)
2004 7th Congressional District candidate and Jefferson County DA Dave Thomas ('92-'04)
ORGANIZATIONS AND LABOR UNIONS
AFL-CIO
Airline Pilots Association (ALPA)
Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU)
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)
The American Postal Workers Union (APWU)
Colorado Credit Union League (CCUL)
Colorado Education Association (CEA)
Colorado Professional Firefighters
Colorado Trial Lawyers Association (CTLA)
Colorado Veterans for America
Communications Workers of America Local 7777 (CWA)
Denver Theatrical Stage Employees Union Local 7
International Longshoremen's Association
International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers
International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Locals 1886 and 47 (IAM)
International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Ship Builders, Blacksmiths, Forgers and Helpers
International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT)
Keeping America's Promise (Senator John Kerry's PAC)
Laborer's International Union
League of Conservation Voters (LCV)
Mountain West Regional Council of Carpenters
National Air Traffic Controllers Association
National Association of Letter Carriers Local 47 (NALC)
National Postal Mail Handlers Union Local 321 (NPMHU)
National Association of Postmasters (NAPUS)
National Rural Letter Carriers' Association (NRLCA)
Office and Professional Employees International Local Union #5
Plumbers Union Local #3
Professional Airways Systems Specialists (PASS)
Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
Sheet Metal Workers Local 9
Social Service Federal Credit Union
Teamsters Local 537
Transportation Trades Department
Transport Workers Union of America
United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW)
United Pilot's PAC
United Transportation Union
STATE LEGISLATURE
Senator Bob Hagedorn
Senator Betty Boyd
Senator Moe Keller
Senator Sue Windels
Senator Lois Tochtrop
Representative Nancy Todd
Representative Debbie Benefield
Representative Cheri Jahn
Representative Gwyn Green
Representative Anne McGihon
Representative Rosemary Marshall
Representative Terrance Carroll
FORMER MEMBERS OF THE STATE LEGISLATURE
Senator Pat Pascoe ('89-'03)
Representative and Senator Dave Wattenberg ('83-'01)
Representative and Senator Polly Baca ('75-'87)
Representative and Senator Bob Martinez ('75-'87)
Representative and Senator Bill Thiebaut ('87-`03)
Representative and Senator Gloria Tanner ('85-'99)
CURRENT AND FORMER COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
Frank Weddig, Arapahoe County
Alice Nichol, Adams County
Elaine Valente, Adams County ('89-'05)
Betty Miller, Jefferson County ('93-'97)
CURRENT AND FORMER COUNTY OFFICIALS
Former Adams County Sheriff Bill Shearer
Jeffco School Board Member Scott Benefield
Adams County Assessor Gil Reyes
Adams County Coroner James Hibbard
CURRENT CITY OFFICIALS
Ken Fellman, Arvada Mayor
Aaron Azari, Arvada City Council
Larry Beer, Aurora City Councilman
Elbra Wedgeworth, Denver City Council
Carol Boigon, Denver City Council
Michael Hancock, Denver City Council
Doug Linkhart, Denver City Council
FORMER CITY OFFICIALS
Butch Hicks, Westminster City Council
Sam Dixion, Westminster City Council
RTD BOARD
RTD Board Member Dave Ruchman
RTD Board Member David Rose
RTD Board Member Bill McMullen
DNC NATIONAL COMMITTEE MEMBERS
DNC National Committeeman J.W. Postal
DNC National Committeewoman Debbie Marquez
Former DNC National Committeeman Andy Boian
LETTERS OF SUPPORT
Senator John Kerry Endorses Ed
Carol Abel praises Ed's environmental record in response to attacks from his opponent's backers.
Denver City Councilwoman Elbra Wedgeworth endorses Ed and praises his support of the African American Community
Members of the GLBT community send letters of support to Ed's campaign
Former State Senator Pat Pascoe sends a letter of support
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has a non-endorsement policy but has chosen to contribute to the Perlmutter Campaign through their political action committee.
"I am proud to say we are on our way to electing pro-public education candidates in this year's election. The CEA candidate recommendation process began April 8. Association leaders from around the state interviewed candidates for Governor and for Congressional District 7 who completed our questionnaire. CEA's Fund for Children & Public Education voted to recommend Bill Ritter for Governor and Ed Perlmutter for Congress, CD 7 ." See the entire letter from the Colorado Education Association by clicking here.
As you can see, despite the downright blatant lies spread by Emily's List, Perlmutter is the preferred candidate of Colorado Education, and Veterans. They, in they're description of Lamm, try to push her education back ground, and the fact her father was a WWII veteran. That past hasn't helped her win the endorsements of either group. And why not, Perlmutter has excellent relations with Colorado veterans, and Colorado Education, even earning an award from Jefferson County.
Allow me to expose another blatant lie on Peggy Lamm's part. She, and some of her supporters, Irishwitch, have been adamantly saying that Perlmutter is an anti-environment corporatist Democrat who represented big business. Well first of all, why does he have the endorsement of the League of Conservation Voters if he's anti-environment and Lamm isn't? Also, to Irishwitch and Lamm supporters, while Perlmutter was in the State Senate, the League of Conservation Voters named him an `Environmental Hero'. Also, I can't help but wonder, if Perlmutter such a Corporatist, big business Democrat, why has every union in the district endorsed him over Lamm? Just some food for thought, as well as this quote which I took straight from his website.
Protecting the Environment
We have an opportunity in the 2006 election to elect a new Congress that will work to conserve our natural resources and protect the environment. The Bush Administration, backed by a rubber-stamp Republican Congress has spent the last six years devising ways of eliminating environmental regulations, opening up more public lands to oil and gas development, weakening the Endangered Species Act, and placing corporate interests ahead of the public interest.
We need to change the direction America is headed, but to do that we need a new Congress. Specifically, we need a Congress that will:
Make a significant commitment to energy independence by doubling our support for renewable and sustainable energy.
Expand the workforce at the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL).
Strengthen instead of weakening the Endangered Species Act.
Protect ANWR and other special places from development.
Increase wilderness and pass a BLM wilderness bill in Colorado and Utah.
Fight the Bush Administration's efforts to weaken NEPA and other federal laws that preserve public involvement in the environmental protection process.
Make climate change and global warming a policy priority.
Increase the budget for our National Park System and other conservation programs in the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management.
Mandate higher Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency (CAFÉ) standards.
These are just a few of the policy items that a new Congress needs to put at the top of their agenda next year. And I hope to be a voice for these important changes.
As a state legislator for eight years I earned a reputation for taking on difficult environmental problems and finding solutions. I worked in the State Senate to improve land-use regulations, strengthen clean air and drinking water laws and support additional open space. I also led the fight to stop the NIKE Corporation from ruining Table Mountain in Jefferson County, and worked to create a comprehensive growth management plan for Colorado. When I wasn't supporting Roy Romer's vetoes, I was fighting the bad proposals coming from his successor, Bill Owens. For my efforts, Colorado Conservation Voters named me an "environmental hero" for my work in the State Senate, and my average CCV score for the five years they rated state legislators was 88%. Environmental leaders in Colorado like Maggie Fox-Udall, former State Senator Pat Pascoe, State Senator Moe Keller, Congressman Mark Udall's District Policy Director Doug Young, Chuck Malick and Cathy Carlson are supporting my campaign.
And just to satisfy you that Perlmutter is completely pro-choice, another quote from his website:
I worry that a woman's right to reproductive freedom is in jeopardy in this Nation. And when elected I will be a strong voice for a woman's right to reproduction freedom. There is no room for the government in decisions between a woman and her doctor.
Now, I really don't like Lamm, maybe it's because she's been running an ultra-negative, Republican style, swift boating campaign against Perlmutter, tossing constant negative attacks based on lies. Or maybe it's because she endorsed conservative pro-life governor Bill Owens for governor in 2002, who recently vetoed a bill to require pharmacies to carry the Morning After Pill, and who opposes Stem Cell research, (let Emily's List mull that over). Owens was popular and won reelection by a large margin because Economically conservative Democrats liked his policies a great deal. So, why would Lamm betray her own socially liberal ideals, well one, she must be fairly economically conservative, making her the pro-Corporatist Democrat not Perlmutter, and two, she was trying to get a job from Owens. Maybe I don't like Lamm because she is spamming voters, has a vehicle registered in Boulder County which is not in CO-07, and had to change her voter registration just to run here. Or the fact that she would likely lose to well funded Rick O'Donnell, especially since her one bit of political experience is a few terms in the Colorado House, in a House district that is not even partially in the Congressional district she is currently trying to run in. Maybe I don't like her because she releases a poll showing her beating Perlmutter 2:1, and that poll is found so inaccurate that a local paper decides not to do a story on it, (it showed Lamm beating Perlmutter by 20 percentage points in his home county, Jefferson, where he served two terms as a State Senator, and has long been a community activist). However, Survey USA just released it's own poll showing Perlmutter beating Lamm by twenty points.
To show people an example of one of Lamm's lying, distorting ads, as well as how Emily's List has also disgustingly misrepresented Perlmutter's record with their bio on Lamm, let me block quote, (yes another one I'm sorry), a non partisan break down on it from `Reality Check' a series run by a local newspaper.
Many Colorado Democrats watching this campaign firsthand, have noted how inept and conceited a campaign Lamm is running, she sends emails that don't even mention she has a primary opponent. Outside of Emily's List, which has raised nearly 60% of all Lamm's money, her fundraising has been very poor, especially in the actual district she is running in. And, if you Lamm supporters want links, I came prepared this time. Through lots of browsing, here are some links to you. All of them go to articles written by Colorado Democrats, about this race:
http://headingleft.blogspot.com/...
http://coloradolib.com/...
http://www.soapblox.net/...
http://www.squarestate.net/...
The combinations of factors which I mentioned about, swift boat attacks on a good Democrat swift boat attacks which are based on lies, inept campaign, spamming Democratic voters, vehicle is registered in a neighboring district, endorsing Bill Owens in the hopes of getting a job, and most of all, and this goes right along side swift boating, it's her complete distortion of Perlmutter's great record in the Colorado Senate, where he served as President Pro-Tempore. Perlmutter led the charge that gave Democrats control of the State Senate in 2000, and as you can see above, Perlmutter served as the Chairman of Bi-Partisan Renewable Energy Caucus in the State Legislature. Lamm and her supporters have been trying to sell that Perlmutter is sold out to oil and gas companies, as well as that he's anti-environmental, both are completely 100% fictitious and untrue, they are nasty lies spread by Peggy Lamm. And this leads to my final thought, why is Emily's list helping Peggy Lamm by funding her, and making this primary more divisive and expensive, and in doing so, severely hurting our chances of winning here.
In the July 31 Reality Check, Chohan analyzed Peggy Lamm's attack ad against Ed Perlmutter. His complete notes on the report lie below.
Reporter notes and sourcing:
The new attack ad by Peggy Lamm against Ed Perlmutter has some style and humour, but contrary to its claims, it doesn't always "shoot straight."
"THAT'S PEGGY LAMM. SHE NEVER BACKS DOWN FROM A FIGHT"
First you have to get passed the suspension of disbelief. I mean that's a pretty clean cut crowd to be hanging out at a pool bar shooting stick with Peggy Lamm. Lets get on with the first substantial claim.
"I LED THE INVESTIGATION INTO THE CU ATHLETIC SCANDAL."
This is essentially true. I covered the CU recruiting investigation and CBS4 attended some of the independent committee hearings. Peggy Lamm co-chaired the panel, and helped develop the report that identified problems in the football recruiting program and the management culture in general in the athletic department. The investigation was one of the forces that led to a personnel shake up and policy changes at the university.
"I FOUGHT TELEMARKETERS, AND GOT THE DO NOT CALL LIST PASSED"
This is also True. Peggy Lamm worked as a lobbyist on the no call list for Bighorn Action. According to its Web site, "Bighorn Action is the advocacy branch of the Bighorn Center. As a 501(c)4, Bighorn Action influences and implements public policy and legislative lobbying and ballot initiatives".
For an explanantion of how the no call list was passed, check out Bighorn Center's Web site.
"SO IN CONGRESS, I'LL TAKE ON THE BIG DRUG COMPANIES AND BIG OIL."
The claim about taking on big oil and big drug companies amounts to campaign promises. Lamm's campaign advisors admit there's nothing in Lamm's legislative background at the state level that demonstrates a history of taking on oil and drug companies. Her campaign emphasizes Lamm's history of fighting for consumers, (the no call list, for example) as evidence that she will make good on these campaign promises. (Source: Jim Merlino, Lamm Campaign, Interview with Raj Chohan 7/26/06)
"SO I'LL DO SOMETHING ABOUT ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION, AND FIGHT TO GET OUR TROOPS OUT OF IRAQ"
These again, are campaign promises. For more information on what Lamm has in mind, check out Lamm's Web site.
Here's where the Lamm ad begins its attack.
"UNLIKE MY OPPONENT, I'M NOT AN INSIDER.
Peggy Lamm certainly has established an independent record during her tenure in the Colorado legislature. But to suggest she's any less a political insider than her opponent Ed Perlmutter is a bit of a stretch. She's been a part of the Colorado's political landscape for years. She's a member of one of the most influential political families in Colorado. And a simple look at her campaign donor list shows she has individual and commercial interests supporting her campaign. Here's a link to CampaignMoney.com, and Peggy Lamm's contributors in particular.
"HE'S IN THE POCKET OF BIG DEVELOPERS, WALMART, AND THE BIG OIL COMPANIES"
This set of claims needs some unpacking. The Lamm camp makes the claim about big developers because Ed Perlmutter has done legal work through his lawfirm for companies like Oakwood Homes. Perlmutter also has friends and relatives in the real estate development and homebuilding business. Perlmutter's law firm also has numerous commercial clients including energy companies. As can been reviewed from Perlmutter's donors, a number of real estate and commercial interests including builders and executives from energy companies have contributed to Perlmutter's campaign.
Here's a similar link to Ed Perlmutter's donors.
The argument the Lamm campaign makes is one of guilt by association. They also claim Perlmutter is or was a member of COGA, that's the Colorado Oil and Gas Association. I called Greg Schnacke, exec v.p. of COGA. He said Ed Perlmutter was never a member of COGA, but that Ed did sponsor legislation that COGA supported, regarding the land royalties issue. The bill in question is Colorado Senate Bill 02-141.
What the Lamm ad does not raise, is Perlmutter's legislative history of supporting renewable energy, mass transit and responsible growth. In fact Perlmutter's legislative work earned him an endorsement by the influential League of Conservation Voters. Here's the endorsement from the group's Web site.
WASHINGTON, DC - The League of Conservation Voters (LCV), the independent political voice for the environment, today announced its endorsement of former State Senator Ed Perlmutter for Congress in the 7th District of Colorado, praising his long commitment and proven leadership on an impressive variety of environmental and conservation issues.
"LCV is proud to endorse Ed Perlmutter who we see as an unabashed environmental champion in the United States Congress," said LCV Political Director Tony Massaro. "He knows well that the key to reinvigorating America's economy is the protection of our existing resources and a sustained effort to develop and market new and renewable forms of energy. Ed Perlmutter knows it's American ingenuity and the American work ethic that will solve our energy challenges."
While a legislator, Mr. Perlmutter, a Trustee of the Midwest Research Institute that operates the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, led efforts to approve Colorado's groundbreaking renewable energy initiative as well as helping fashion the approval of a state ballot initiative to dramatically expand the mass transit system in the Denver Metro area. In 2003, he also was at the forefront of the successful effort to defeat "Referendum A," that would have spent billions on counterproductive water projects.
In 2002, Mr. Perlmutter received a 92 percent rating from the Colorado Conservation Voters.
"I am very proud of my long record of fighting for the environment, open space and renewable energy. I plan to take that fight to Congress," said Perlmutter. "We must change our conservation priorities in our Country and have the political courage to do the right thing for our children and grandchildren's future. I am honored to receive LCV's endorsement and I look forward to working with the conservation community when elected to Congress."