Colorado Politics, News and Inside Information

Gee - Thanks, Rocky

As we’ve already commented here and here, the Rocky Mountain News has apparently finally caught on: Beauprez is in the race for Governor.

Beauprez stopped short of making a formal announcement, but confirmed that he is putting together a team for the campaign to succeed Gov. Bill Owens, who is term-limited.

"We're moving forward," Beauprez said. "I've been fairly candid that I don't plan on taking any steps backwards.

At Least They're Not Your Legislators

And for another edition of "At Least They're Not Your Legislators," we take you to Boulder, where hugging has been banned at Centennial Middle School. No, really. From 9News.com:

Centennial Middle School administration says there is too much hugging going on and it's gotten out of control. The students are not happy about it.

"I mean, how are you supposed to say 'bye' to your girlfriend?" Centennial Middle School eighth-grader Noah Hahn asked the Boulder Daily Camera.

The school has officially banned hugs in the hallways. Students say administrators have asked them to high-five instead.

What if you break the rule and engage in illegal hugging? Do you get suspended? What would that call to the offending kid's parents sound like? "Uh, Mrs. Johnson, your daughter has been suspended for hugging another child at school."

We should encourage Boulder residents to elect the Centennial principal to the state legislature, just to see if a statewide ban on hugs would result. Talk about needing a new jail.

The Rumble in El Paso

There seems to be a shake-up brewing in El Paso County.

State Representative Lynn Hefley has been answering the question concerning a potential run against fellow Dave Schultheis (for S.D. 9) with “I’m considering it.”

Her reasoning: Schultheis is quickly becoming a “one issue” legislator, she better represents the District, and the rumors concerning Joel’s impending retirement are “nothing but fabrications” (meaning since he has a job, she wants one, too.)

Joanna Conti Dropping Out of CD-7 Race

It sounds like Joanna Conti is dropping out of the race for CD-7 and will make an announcement soon.

This doesn't change anything in CD-7 on the Democratic side. Conti never had a chance to make it out of a Democratic primary, much less win a general election, and it didn't take her long to figure that out. Still, it's better that she drops out now than try to plug away for another few months.

Conti apparently hasn't decided on who she will endorse once she officially drops out, and while her support won't do much for Peggy Lamm or Ed Perlmutter where money or votes are concerned, it could make a small PR difference. If she endorses Perlmutter, then he can say that two candidates dropped out of the race to endorse him. If she endorses Lamm, it doesn't really matter other than to prevent Perlmutter from making that claim.

Chicken a la Dan Caplis

Several weeks ago when Congress was debating so-called tort reform legislation (which really should be called the Corporate Immunity Act), you could tune into KHOW many an afternoon to hear the always self-impressed Dan Caplis decrying "frivolous lawsuits." 

True to the hypocrisy inherent in his right-wing ideology, we learn today that Caplis has launched his own frivolous lawsuit against Glenn Spagnuolo for publicly revealing that Caplis assaulted a "pregnant woman of color" during a 1977 mini-riot he participated in as a CU student. 

Spagnuolo says the incident is well-documented and other witnesses saw Caplis engage in what his Focus on the Family soul-mates would call child abuse (i.e. attacking an unborn child).  According to Caplis, the lawsuit is filed under seal.  However, Spagnuolo's comments about Caplis were recorded at a pro-Ward Churchill rally and played repeatedly on Peter Boyles' radio show on KHOW. 

If Caplis is truly justified in his secretive lawsuit against Spagnuolo, why is he hiding its contents?  Or, is Caplis just trying to intimidate and silence Spagnuolo through "frivolous lawsuit abuse," not unlike his on-the-air bullying of CU for failing to silence Churchill?  Funny how Caplis' CU past is returning to haunt him in his anti-Ward Churchill crusade.  Or, to paraphrase Ward Churchill, Caplis' CU chickens are coming home to roost.   

The Need For Spell-Check

If you’ve ever actually written a home-made picket – you know just how difficult it can be to correctly space your letters and punctuation. 

But obviously – CU Students get a lot of practice. Heck, they should probably have it down to a science by now.

Which is why I did a double-take when reading the Rocky this morning; over a story concerning the “firing” of an Environmental Ethics Professor (read: they terminated her contract because she was an ineffective teacher) lays a photograph of students protesting the event – complete with “Impeach Owens” and “Teach the Truth” signs.

And right there – front and center – is a student with a “Don’t Ignor (real small “e”) Us Support Us!” poster. I guess she must have initially forgotten the 'E'.

The Elephant in the News Room

I'd like to be able to reference a news story in this post but I can't, no thanks to the "super-sleuths" in the Colorado press corps. Apparently, I have to get my news about the pro-family Bill Owens (according to the rumors, he is so pro-family that he has two of them) from the kid bagging my groceries at King Soopers. 

Surely, some reporter, maybe even someone at the irreverent Westword, has heard what seemingly everyone in Colorado is talking about.  Normally, I don't like it when reporters pry into the personal lives of public figures. However, when that public figure upholds himself as a scion of wholesome family values, then he is fair game.  Bill Owens vetoes a bill on emergency contraception information for victims of rape, citing the moral convictions of Catholic hospitals as the reason. Never mind that these hospitals accept public dollars and are licensed by the state. 

And where's the Focus on the Family political cult in all of this?  Rather than harassing Ken Salazar's wife they should be asking Bill Owens why he abandoned his.  There's a reason why the Gov. and Frances Owens are separated, but you'll never hear about the reason from the servile Colorado media. And, I know you didn't hear it here first.

Friday Open Thread

There's plenty of new reading material today, so scroll down to get caught up. But if something else is on your mind, say it here...

Introducing "Rebel Dem"

We've added another "regular guest blogger," our completely illogical term for people who you can expect to see posting from time to time at Colorado Pols. You already know Red Hawk, and you used to know Lefty Rivera, but he's gotten too busy to keep up regular blogging.

So, as a counterpoint the conservative pugilist Red Hawk, please say hello to Rebel Dem.

Here's his bio: A suburban dad trapped in a corporate office tower by day, Rebel Dem spends the rest of his time dissecting the GOP's unholy matrimony to religious extremists. In a previous life, Rebel Dem served as a mouthy "hill rat" in Washington, DC only to be reincarnated as a know-it-all campaign hack in Colorado, some years later. Rebel Dem owns an aging canoe and hates country music, mini vans and eminent domain.

The purpose of our guest bloggers is to bring admittedly biased perspectives to Colorado Pols to liven up both the quality of information and the quality of discussion here. We don't have anything to do with what they post and we don't tell them what to say; thus, their words speak for themselves and not for Colorado Pols. Enjoy...

No Face-Off, But Check This Out

No Friday Facial Hair Face-Off today...we're going to take a brief hiatus. But that doesn't mean we don't have exciting news!!!

We've got an great Q&A lineup scheduled for the next two weeks. First off, we thought it would be interesting to get the lowdown on the third-party happenings in Colorado. So on Tuesday, we'll be joined by the Chair of the Colorado Green Party, Dave Chandler. Then on Thursday, the outgoing Chair of the Colorado Libertarian Party, Norm Olsen, will be taking your questions.

Then, on Tuesday, May 10, we've got another reporter willing to answer your questions. Charles Ashby, Denver bureau chief for the Pueblo Chieftain, will be hanging around to answer your questions about the final day (May 11) of the 2005 legislative session. Prior to coming to the Chieftain, Ashby also spent seven sessions covering the state legislature for the Durango Herald. So if you've got questions about politics and issues in Southern Colorado and on the Western Slope, Ashby's your guy.

Here's the schedule again so you can prepare your questions:

Tuesday, May 3: Dave Chandler, Colorado Green Party Chair
Thursday, May 5: Norm Olsen, outgoing Chair of the Colorado Libertarian Party
Tuesday, May 10: Charles Ashby, political reporter and Denver bureau chief for the Pueblo Chieftain.