Given that the average Lincoln Day dinner is populated by GOP faithful, including operatives and activists, and not fly-by-night grassroots supporters organized by the candidate him/herself**, and also given that Douglas County isn't exactly RINO territory, this informal poll says quite a bit. Frazier has the clear ability to draw broad-based support in a fairly conservative county that will be one of the keys to any GOP victories in the state. There are many counties that will play a part in the five state wide elections in 2010 (US Senate, Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Treasurer), but how Douglas County goes, so goes . . .
Initial impressions for this race have yet to be firmly cemented, but GOP voters like what they see in Frazier--one among the next generation of GOP leadership. As mentioned yesterday the hard part will come in spreading that visibility and familiarity state wide, establishing solid policy chops, and raising the campaign dollars necessary to win.
Frazier's speech from Saturday's Lincoln Day dinner:
**an earlier version alluded to Ron Paul's supporters, not to reflect on RP himself or his message, just the tactics of some supporters who occasionally "gamed" online or straw polls
9. Colorado (D): Appointed Sen. Michael Bennet has made a solid debut so far although his wishy-washiness on the Employee Free Choice Act has turned him into something of public punching bag on the right and the left. Bennet, a virtual unknown before he was named to replace Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, is clearly vulnerable in 2010. But, there doesn't appear to be a serious primary challenge in the offing (does former state House Speaker Andrew Romanoff really want to risk his "rising star" status on a race against a sitting senator?) and the Republican field has been slow to take shape. The most likely GOP candidate seems to be former Rep. Bob Beauprez but his disastrous 2006 run for governor raises questions about his political strength. Some within the GOP are excited about the possible candidacy of Ryan Frazier, a 31-year old African American member of the Aurora City Council. (Previous ranking: 10)
The seat could quickly become a real toss-up as Frazier's visibility within the party increases. GOP grassroots activists, many of whom supported Leondray Gholston's successful vice chair candidacy at the state level (Gholston served as Frazier's reelection campaign manager), have identified Frazier as a strong contender for the GOP's 2010 U.S. Senate nomination. They believe that Frazier carries none of the negatives of the other potential candidates whose names have been bandied about for the seat, and argue that he has a greater potential for reestablishing and mobilizing a "big tent" for conservatives/GOP/libertarians in the state. His main task will be in establishing brand awareness across Colorado in the coming months, along with building a sufficient campaign war chest to tackle a contested primary and Sen. Bennet in 2010.
GOP 2010: News From The Grapevine And Why Republicans Should Borrow A Page From The Democrats' Playbook
Face The State has a new report on the "rumor mill" making the rounds within the GOP for the upcoming 2010 midterm election.
The speculation is not unsubstantiated beyond FTS, as SP has heard good things about Aurora City Councilman Ryan Frazier beyond insider comments, with Frazer responding to FTS that "It’s fair to say that right now I’m considering where I can have the greatest impact going forward"--and SP is looking to candidates in the Frazier mold to step up and begin to refill the tattered GOP bench.
Why is this important? The GOP can't win in 2010 (just as the GOP didn't win in 2006 or 2008) by using the same candidates, political operatives, and electoral strategies that worked from 1980 to 2004 any more than the Denver Broncos were able to use the same coaches, players, and playbook from their back-to-back Super Bowl victories in the late 1990s. Just ask Mike Shanahan or Pat Bowlen.
The idea that the normal cursus honorum or "paying your dues" processes that produced the "Contract with America" class of GOP politicians is still viable will only doom a newer generation of conservatives and GOP-leaning libertarians (roughly those 25-45) to wait through potentially more disastrous election cycles in the near future, and forsaking long-term goals to rebuild the party locally and nationally by wanting to avoid stepping on the toes of those who believe that this is "their time." Incumbents of any age and viable candidates of all backgrounds should be given the opportunity to throw their hat into the ring, especially if the GOP wishes to mount anything approaching Howard Dean's 50 state strategy and fellow blogger Joshua Sharf's call to run in every district in Colorado.
Quick-fix celebrity recruits aside (the often-rumored John Elway, for example), every race should have a viable candidate, even in difficult areas where incumbency or voter registrations numbers are a disadvantage. GOP primaries should not necessarily be avoided, and multiple competing candidates at the bench level should see a wide variety of opportunities given the Democrat Party advantage in governorships, state legislatures, and Congress. There is no reason why the GOP shouldn't be anything but a national party and not simply a regional party of "get-out-the-base" voters, volunteers, and fundraisers. We haven't conceded anything on the core principles of the "big tent"--free markets, smaller government, and individual rights/liberty--so why concede districts just because they are held by Democrats?
The 2010 election in Colorado will feature several state-wide races--Governor, a US Senate seat, Attorney General, Secretary of State, and State Treasurer. Voting in the aggregate matters, especially at the state level in midterm elections, and turning out GOP and GOP-leaning center-right and independent voters will be the key to victory. Renewed interest in local races in typically uncompetitive districts currently held by Democrats will play a huge role in reengaging those voters set adrift by strategies that look to maximize votes in supportive areas while ignoring others in the hopes that the GOP brand will be enough to get folks to vote. President Barack Obama's campaign presciently and effectively--obviously, he is the President--eschewed such a course. Even without him on the ballot in 2010, much of the party infrastructure and institutional knowledge will still be in place, and the Democrats are no doubt hoping that this built-in advantage will discourage any GOP efforts at revamping campaigns off-line or on-line. To do so would be to ignore (forgive the gratuitous Star Wars reference) Admiral Ackbar's admonition--"It's a trap!"
It is still too early in 2009 to endorse those candidates who have formally filed, those who have been mentioned or have shown an interest, and those whose candidacy is merely speculation. But it is not too early to begin reengaging the dispirited GOP rank-and-file, to propose bold new visions for the party, to toss out discredited strategies, to effectively communicate our principles, to avoid becoming a party of "NO!" by offering alternative solutions instead of whining about the other side of the aisle, or to turn into debased imitators of the most vitriolic smear-merchants in the Democrat Party.
Opportunities to perform a true house-cleaning and not simply rearrange deck chairs on the Titanic don't come very often. GOP elites, fundraisers, powerbrokers, political operatives and especially the bench itself is going to be put on notice (as if it hasn't already been in the two most recent electoral abbatoirs)--lead, follow, or get out of the way.
Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar today was nominated to be Interior secretary by President-elect Barack Obama today.
"I look forward to serving as a strong voice for the West and the nation," Salazar said in his acceptance speech.
"I look forward to serving as we take the moon shot on energy independence," he said.
Salazar said as Interior Secretary he would also, "make sure we make wise use our natural resources, including coal, oil and natural gas."
"I look forward to investing in our nation's young people by implementing Barack Obama's youth programs," Salazar said.
Obama noted that one of the priorities for Salazar's tenure would be improved relations between Washington and tribal nations.
"We need more of a nation-to-nation relationship," Obama said. "Ken and I will work to together to make sure tribal nations have a voice in this administration."
Color fellow RMA blogger Steven Nielson unimpressed on that last goal. We can also expect that "wise use" of natural resources, including the vast quantities of Colorado oil shale, will probably mean "unused"--as the numerous articles discussing Salazar's appointment point repeatedly to his opposition of oil shale exploration and production.
The Rockyposted odds on the most likely replacements--including Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, Rep. Ed Perlmutter (CD-7), and former Colorado House Speaker Andrew Romanoff.
The GOP sees an opening in 2010 with the Salazar departure, but will still need to figure out who exactly remains viable on the extremely short Republican bench for both Salazar's Senate seat and a run against Gov. Bill Ritter, and how to avoid the type of ineffective campaigning seen most prominently in Bob Beauprez's failed gubernatorial bid in 2006.
Mike Farrell -- an actor turned anti-war activist and humanitarian -- will speak on several panels addressing war and violence during his first trip to the University of Colorado's Conference on World Affairs. The 60th annual conference begins today.
"People don't get a full discussionof the issues anymore," Farrell said. "Conferences like this offer an opportunity for them to get in on a different point of view."
There will certainly be a great deal of viewpoints at the conference from being adamantly against the war to zealously opposing it, and all viewpoints in between.Every spring for the last 60 years, moonbats from around the world have gathered at CU-Boulder's Conference on World Affairs to hold forth on a variety of subjects--from art to science to politics and even philosophy.
This year will be no different, as the following schedule "highlights" reveal. These represent less than a third of the overall schedule, and include some of the most clearly out-in-left-field panels topics and panelists. Even the most innocuous subject matter devolves into some sort of anti-conservative, anti-capitalist, America-bashing diatribe by the panelists themselves--heaped upon by the indoctrinated students (Ward Churchill produced some of the best and the brightest!) and Boulder hippies that comprise the audience, all while maintaining the appearance of intellectual earnestness under the guise of university sanction. This is Recreate 68's target audience, and chief recruiting station for Denver's Democratic National Convention.
Just try saying anything positive about America. Or capitalism. You may just be lucky and escape the room intact. Be prepared for copious name-calling (whenever they don't understand or can't refute your argument) and hissing. Lots of hissing.
So, who'll be attending? Among the most prominent this year, activists Jello Biafra and Mike Farrell (M*A*S*H):
Best known for his eight years on M*A*S*H and five seasons on Providence, Mike Farrell is also a writer, director, producer, and author of a memoir, Just Call Me Mike: A Journey to Actor and Activist.
Beyond his prolific work in the entertainment industry, Farrell has traveled the world for the last 25+ years as part of prominent international human rights and peace delegations. Destinations have included El Salvador, Nicaragua, USSR, Paraguay, Chile, Israel, the Occupied Territories, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Czechoslovakia, Somalia, Kenya, Croatia, Bosnia, Cuba, Rwanda, Zaire, Tanzania, Costa Rica, and Honduras. This work led to his helping establish the Southern California Committee of Human Rights Watch, where he served as co-chair until 2004. His opposition to the war in Iraq resulted in his having co-founded Artists United to Win Without War.
A life-long opponent of the death penalty, Farrell has “seen too many death rows.” President of the board of Death Penalty Focus since 1994, he speaks, debates, writes extensively, and coordinates campaigns for individuals across the country facing execution. He is currently involved in an international effort to establish a worldwide moratorium on the death penalty.
Columnists from The Guardian. A former U.S. Senator from Colorado, Tim Wirth. And tons of activists. Heck, you can't even get a speaking gig at this event without the word "activist" somewhere in your resume. The only Republicans or conservatives present (CU President Bruce Benson, former Congressman Bob Beauprez) have been allowed to moderate a panel or two. Don't be surprised if they become the focus of the panel's ire, and get trashed in the process.
This is the People's Republic of Boulder, after all.
Monday, April 7: 1102 Bush Legacy: Too Early to Tell, Too Late to Matter 1103 Teste Women: Why We Fear Women in Power 1104 America's Reliance on Immigrant Workers 1105 Privatizing War: Blackwater, et al. 1500A PLENARY The New "New International Economic Order" 1504 College Athlete = Indentured Servants 1601 The Orgy of Corporate Greed 1602 Surviving Contact with Extraterrestrials--[so you too can exact revenge at the end of a movie, Independence Day-style] 1701 RADIO BROADCAST Metro - Cuba After "W" and Raúl 1702 Resistance to America's Cultural Colonization 1703 The Candidates on Iraq: The Silence is Deafening 1802 LIVE BROADCAST Air America The Rachel Maddow Show 1804A PLENARY Keep Your Grubby Mitts Off My Constitution
Tuesday, April 8: 2103 The EU: Dissing American Dominance 2106 Do You Believe in Magic? 2201 The Death Penalty on Trial 2304 Poverty American-Style 2402 Censorship: Who, How & Why 2403 Science: Who's Afraid of the Future 2605 Torture: When the Unthinkable Becomes Acceptable 2606A AL SMITH MEMORIAL PLENARY Exploring Dystopia: Nuclear Holocaust 2701 2008 Election: Don't Screw This Up, America 2702 Exporting Cookie-Cutter Democracy 2706 Waging Peace--[militantly, of course] 2802 Separation of Art and State
Wednesday, April 9: 3000 LIVE BROADCAST A Public Affair - The Obama Phenomenon: A Post-Racist America? 3101 Latin America: Viva Change!--[Guaranteed to be a Che t-shirt, somewhere in the room] 3104 Men, Sex and Power 3105 Republicans: It's My Party and I'll Cry If I Want To 3108 The Impact of the Religious Right 3202 Iraq: We'll Pull Out in Time. Honest. 3203 Mythologizing the Past: FDR, JFK, MLK, Reagan 3303 When Kids Go to Jail 3505 Bench the Eagle: The End of the American Empire 3506 Global Warming Is Eating Up Our Food Supply 3600A PLENARY wwjd (What would Jello do?): Magic Solutions to All the World's Problems 3705 The Real Reasons Iran Is the Next Target 3801 Three Billion Reason$ for Campaign Finance Reform 3805 Bill O'Reilly and Rupert Murdoch Can SoundByte Me 3807 North Korea: Small Place, Big Noise
Thursday, April 10: 4200A MOLLY IVINS FREEDOM FIGHTIN' MEMORIAL PLENARY Bomb, Bomb, Bomb, Bomb, Bomb Iran 4201 Hollywood: Setting or Reflecting American Values--[After yet another failure of an anti-war movie, I'm guessing neither] 4404 Hip Hoppers, Beatboxers and Punk Rockers: A Battle Cry for Social Change 4502 Post-Petroleum Economics 4503 Dude! Where's My Constitution! 4604 Film and the Aesthetics of Brutality 4702 National Service Should Be Mandated--[Bringing back the draft, moonbat style] 4704 Feminism: The New F Word
Friday, April 11: 5102 Energy Conservation is a Waste of Energy 5103 Every Joke Is a Small Revolution 5104 It's the End of the World as We Know It 5105 A Woman's Right to Shoes 5106 Democrats: It's My Party and I'll Cry if I Want To 5107 Gun Violence: The Madness Affecting America 5201 If the Rest of the World Could Vote for U.S. President... 5303 American Education: A Rising Tide of Mediocrity 5304 Advice for the Next President 5307 Evangelical Atheism 5403 Green Goes Nuclear 5501 Ban Tobacco, Legalize Marijuana 5502 Fundamentalism and World Conflicts--[how much you wanna bet this panel completely ignores Islam, or equates it to rabid Christian fundamentalists?] 5504 Death to Innovation: Patents and Copyrights 5507 Third Party Spoilers
If you've got some time, head up to Boulder for a little "reeducation."
Slapstick Politics Exclusive: John McCain Press Conference In Denver
“We have united our party. We are now going to have to reenergize our party, and energize them for a very, very tough race this November”--Sen. John McCain
Updated and bumped . . . scroll for analysis . . .
Sen. John McCain, flanked by former Congressman Bob Beauprez, Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave, Senate candidate Bob Schaffer, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, and Sen. Wayne Allard
Exclusive to the blogosphere, at least. Your humble Slapstick Politics was invited to cover the John McCain press conference today as part of the RNC's eCampaign Division outreach. Having new media incorporated into the campaign represents quite a leap forward, at least for the GOP.
Also there, Jeremy Pelzer of PolitickerCo.com, a bookmark-worthy independent online source of political news in Colorado.
The entire press conference, unedited:
Part 1:
Part 2:
If YouTube is acting up, the video is available at Sevenload: sevenload.com One of the questions from the conference will continue to follow McCain throughout the election--how can he mend fences with the conservative base who isn't particularly enthralled with their presumptive nominee, and appeal to Republicans in the Rocky Mountain West who overwhelmingly selected Romney over McCain in the primaries? And what about that old Reagan coalition--is it dead?
McCain knows that his strength--if it can be called that--lies in his projection of the "maverick" theme he has so carefully cultivated, while making sure that he also projects some semblance of acknowledgement of the concerns within his party over areas where McCain is believed to have strayed. The new term "McCain-ocrats" has been put forth as the new column of supporters, coming primarily from the Democratic ranks fed up with their destructive Clinton-Obama primary, as well as center-left leaning independents who might not usually even give the GOP candidate a look, but will now since the nominee is McCain.
With Colorado's rapidly increasing unaffiliated voting bloc soon to surpass the state's registered GOP voters, McCain's nomination could put more of that segment in play--or at the very least stem the tide of tilting Democratic that has delivered almost every recent state and federal level election in Colorado to the Democrats. Democrats need the help of independents to beat their GOP counterparts who enjoy a large voter lead, and anything that prevents a landslide split (60-40 for Democrats and higher) will at least ease those concerns.
Romney did win Colorado's GOP caucus, but the caucus itself was open to registered Republicans only. Had center-right independents, libertarians and conservative Democrats been allowed to vote, it is not clear that Romney would have received comparable results (and given McCain's 1st amendment issues with campaign finance reform, this might not have helped with some of these voters). Now, however, the nomination is settled and Republicans and conservatives alike are rallying to the GOP nominee's side, as they were at this press conference and subsequent fundraiser. Just a little over a month ago, Bob Beauprez and Sen. Wayne Allard were behind Romney during a campaign stop, arguing that he was the best candidate for Colorado and the party. This is politics, however, and as soon as the Democrats finally settle on their choice for the White House, there too will be calls for "bridging gaps" and "coming together."
So when the Democrats and the left target Senate candidate Bob Schaffer for comments he made about Sen. McCain last year that appear critical, ask them how they will handle their party's own squabbles, name-calling, and vitriol. If Schaffer can't offer his opinion and then change/modify/alter it, then it will be tough (even for Democrats) to see either Obama or Clinton offering their support for each other, once the nomination is decided. And the attacks we've seen between those two this primary season make any tension between Schaffer and McCain pale in comparison.
As for uniting the conservatives--social and fiscal conservatives and their center-right, libertarian allies--McCain has a tall order ahead. He does enjoy the benefits of receiving the nomination early, and the ability to make policy, introduce legislation, and continue (at least) a non-offense campaign that might make some of the early defectors at least open to looking at him again. He can also help himself with a strong conservative VP choice, and many have speculated that the duo seen here, McCain and Romney, might be the eventual GOP ticket. The disadvantage to a long road to November is the possibility of committing a serious gaffe or proposed policy choice that just confirms voters' suspicions about where McCain's true loyalties lie.
Bottom line, McCain is the nominee. Once voters outside of the Dems really pay attention to either Clinton or Obama, they may just be scared enough by their socialist/liberal/progressive agendas to give the senator a second look. Just look at McCain's favorability rating versus either Clinton or Obama. His favorability has been increasing, and is now holding steady in the mid-50s.
Exit question: with the Democrats so deeply embroiled in and embittered by the Clinton/Obama struggle, and McCain up on both candidates in some polls already, will the Dems be even more inclined to lash out come this fall, or watch helplessly as a small percentage of their faithful defect to McCain and potentially give him victory? In the battleground states, these margins may prove the critical difference in the electoral vote count in November.
Two 2008 Republican presidential winners arrived in Denver Thursday: John McCain, the presumptive nominee, and Mitt Romney, the overwhelming Colorado caucus winner.
Their goal: to rally Republicans behind McCain in a state where he won only 19 percent of caucusgoers and most major GOP leaders backed Romney or Rudy Giuliani.
“We have united our party,” McCain proclaimed at an afternoon press conference in the Comfort Inn in downtown Denver. “We are now going to have to reenergize our party, and energize them for a very, very tough race this November.”
Asked how he would win over Romney voters in Colorado to his side, McCain motioned towards Romney and said, “I think that he can do a much better job convincing them than I can.”
Romney made it clear how he wanted Coloradans to vote in November.
“I support (McCain) enthusiastically, endorse his campaign and hope that my friends here in Colorado are just as active in supporting him as they’ve been in supporting other great candidates in the past to make sure that we have the kind of leadership America needs at a trying time,” Romney said. “It’s so critical for us not to be talking about politics as we’re watching the Democrats do and process, but instead to be focusing on the direction of this great land.”
Sen. John McCain arrived in Denver this afternoon to make a few remarks and pick up some campaign cash as a part of his swing through the Western states that have become increasingly attractive targets for Democrats.
But before he could utter one word at the Brown Palace Hotel, Democrats launched a pre-emptive strike — getting state party chairs from Nevada, Arizona, Utah and Colorado to blast the presumed Republican presidential nominee during a conference call.
Leading the charge was Colorado Democratic Chairwoman, Pat Waak — with a little bit of swagger.
“We think John McCain is the best candidate we could be running against as Democrats,” she said.
She cited his campaign cash shortage, his getting trounced by fellow Republican Mitt Romney in Colorado’s GOP caucus by a two-to-one margin and that Democrats have registered far more voters than Republicans in the last year.
The Denver Post had a note on the protestors at McCain's fundraiser following the press conference:
About 20 protesters appeared outside the DAC Thursday afternoon to protest McCain's appearance.
They chanted "stop foreclosures" and "McSame as Bush" and "McShame" as the candidate walked through the small throng and entered the front door of the club.
Nine months after losing his bid for governor, Beauprez, 58, is still recovering from the first major setback in a career in business and politics.
For now, he seems happy and at ease. His friends and family say that's what he needs right now. But they also know he won't be happy drifting for long. . . . When he scans the political horizon, Beauprez says the wind is still blowing against his party.
Beauprez says he's not sure it's time to jump back into politics. After briefly considering a run for retiring U.S. Sen. Wayne Allard's seat, he has thrown his support to former congressman Bob Schaffer.
He won't rule out another run for Congress, though he sounds lukewarm about the prospect of a 2008 campaign. Possibilities would include trying to take back his old 7th District seat from Democrat Ed Perlmutter, or a bid for the 2nd District seat Democrat Mark Udall is giving up to run against Schaffer for Senate.
Marge Klein, former district director for Beauprez's Colorado congressional office, has spoken with him about what it would take to get him back into politics. She said the jury is still out.
"I think there would have to be some awful good polls to show that he could do a very good showing," she said. "I think it's just too soon for him to even really think too much about running again."
Things don't look so good for the GOP these days, so Beauprez would be wise to take some more time off.
However, despite our criticisms of his campaign last fall, Beauprez has a chance to continue to work behind the scenes, endorse candidates, and continue to support the party in ways he did in his days as state chair. There were many successes for the party under his leadership, and he was elected twice (and likely reelected again, had he stayed in Congress). His primary battle with Marc Holtzman exposed tears in the state's GOP, and factional rivalries and loyalties helped increase Bill Ritter's margin of victory.
The focus for the state GOP now should be cultivating new talent for future elections--though we stress that people like Beauprez should not be marginalized in any way. He brings his own brand of conservatism to the table, as most of us do, and should continue to be honored as a member of distinction within Colorado's GOP and an upstanding public servant, not simply remembered as a candidate who lost an election.
Want to contribute? Visit our store for conservative gear for 2008! "A lot of guys yearning for adventure and romance would give their left one to be referred to in print as a man "who identified himself only as 'El Presidente.'" Nobody, for example, is ever going to refer to me as a man who "identified himself only as El Presidente." You bastard."--Drunkablog
