Focus On "New Energy" As Denver Braces For Barack Obama's Stimulus Bill Signing; Protests Planned

**Update 4: Pig Roast!

**Update 3: Slapstick Politics along with colleagues from Peoples Press Collective and Rocky Mountain Alliance will be teaming up with Michelle Malkin, a featured speaker at the Denver event, to provide comprehensive live coverage of the anti-stimulus protest

From Jon Caldara at the Independence Institute:

$30-THOUSAND DOLLAR A PLATE PORK ROAST
Rally will highlight opposition to President Obama's “stimulus” bill
HUNDREDS OF INDIVIDUALS SIGN OVERSIZED CHECKS REPRESENTING THEIR NEW DEBTLOAD

DENVER, CO – When President Obama signs his so-called stimulus bill in Denver on Tuesday, his stroke of the pen is equal to each American family signing over a $30-thousand dollar check to the government.

“At a time when tough budgeting decisions are being made around the kitchen table, each family in America will soon be 30-thousand dollars deeper in hock, thanks to this legislation,” says Jon Caldara, President of the free-market think tank, the Independence Institute. “Most of that spending should never happen at all, and much of that money will be spent on pork that won't even taste good.”

WHAT: INDIVIDUALS will sign their names to 4-foot wide checks, made out to the federal government in the amount of $30-thousand dollars.

WHERE: WEST STEPS of the State Capitol.

WHEN: NOON

WHO: A coalition of concerned groups and citizens, including

Jon Caldara of Colorado's Independence Institute
U.S. Representative Mike Coffman
Michelle Malkin, nationally-known writer, blogger, and columnist
Former U.S. Congressman Bob Beauprez
numerous other Colorado legislators and dignitaries

WHY: To voice opposition to a government measure that spends more in one bill than has been spent in the entire conflict in Iraq

**Update 2: West steps of State Capitol:

UPDATE: Event details are set. We will begin our press conference at 12:15pm on the West Steps of the State Capitol. Please begin arriving at noon. We have the West Steps until 2pm.

Many speakers have been invited, and we will let you know here when they can confirm. Confirmed attendees are as follows:

Confirmed attendees:

Former Cong. Bob Beauprez

Michelle Malkin FOX News Contributor and founder of MichelleMalkin.com and HotAir.com

Jim Pfaff, State Director of Americans for Prosperity in Colorado; several state legislators

Dick Wadhams, Colorado Republican Committee Chairman

Invited Attendees:

Congressman Doug Lamborn

Congressman Mike Coffman

Before Obama changed his plans to include signing the stimulus bill in Colorado, Colorado GOP Chair Dick Wadhams hoped that Obama would explain how the bill will actually work (via CompleteColorado.com):

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**Update: Message to Obama--"You Don't Know Stimulus":

Americans for Prosperity in Colorado will be holding an event to put light on the theft bill–also known as the “stimulus” bill or the so-called American Reinvestment and Recovery Act–he will be signing in Denver on this Tuesday, February 17 between noon and 3pm.

Many speakers have been invited, and we will let you know here when they can confirm. Confirmed attendees are as follows:

Confirmed:

Former Cong. Bob Beauprez; Michelle Malkin FOX News Contributor and founder of MichelleMalkin.com and HotAir.com; Jim Pfaff, State Director of Americans for Prosperity in Colorado; several state legislators

We will be holding an event nearby at a yet to be determined location at approximately 12:15pm that same day. We will have details shortly, but if you would like to be informed about this important demonstration of force to show Obama to say to him, “You Don’t Know Stimulus,” go to the Americans for Prosperity webpage by clicking here. You will receive an email midday with details.

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"New Energy" and jobs--President Obama is expected to tout these and other benefits during his visit to Denver for the signing of the stimulus bill:

Governor Bill Ritter says it's no accident the President chose Denver for the signing.

"Because of the work we've done in creating this new energy economy, and being able to create sustainable job growth, it provided this template for the administration to say this is what the package is about," said Governor Ritter.

9NEWS political analyst Floyd Ciruli believes President Obama will emphasize job projects. The visit will boost Colorado's political importance.

"It looks like with this opening Presidential visit, that it's (Colorado's) going to stay on the radar screen for the entire four years," said Cirulli.

The Denver Museum of Nature and Science was specifically chosen for its "green" efforts, and Denver chosen as a way to "get away" from the politics in Washington, DC.

Well, Obama may be away from the political battles in DC at an "invitation only" event, but it looks like those in Denver (and Seattle) opposed to this financial and political boondoggle won't let the carefully orchestrated media go unopposed:

I wanted to give the Coloradans some advice for gathering folks there, and believe me, you have the time. I got the permit for the park here on Tuesday, and now look, by Sunday, it is ALL OVER THE PLACE.

-I emailed everyone I knew. I emailed friend’s parents who I knew were Conservative, I emailed my parents’ friends, bloggers, etc.

-I called everyone I could think of, policy think tanks, “movers and shakers” in the Seattle Republican Party, Conservative organizations, college professors, etc. (From this I have forged a relationship with the Chairwoman of the National Black Republican Association who is going to write a statement for me to read, as she cannot get to Seattle on Monday.) I called local Conservative talk radio stations and they have been running it all week.

-I lived and breathed this thing for four days, which did cause me to miss a couple of things here and there, but it is totally worth it.

Basically everyone, you just have to do it. Call up your police station or parks department and ask how you can obtain a permit, and then just start advertising. The word will spread. I am only one person, but with a little hard work this protest has become the efforts of A LOT of people.

To the people who think this won’t help I say this: this protest will not stop the bill. I have no illusions that it could. I’m hoping for a few things though. One, that the Conservatives and Libertarians and Republicans in Seattle can finally meet each other and see they are not alone. There are actually quite a lot of us here, but we are very quiet, and that MUST STOP. We need to show that we exist. Second, we need to show support for the Republicans and Democrats that voted against the porkulus. If they think, for one second, that they made a bad choice, we have no chance to fight. Third, it sends a message to Obama and Pelosi that we are awake and we know what’s happening, and we are not going to take it lying down. It is a message saying, expect more opposition because we’re out here.

There are several different groups planning protests in the true spirit of the Founding Fathers, and we will be posting updates Monday and early Tuesday as those plans become more concrete.