Gov. "Blue Ribbon" Bill Ritter Vows Own Decision On Salazar Replacement By Asking For Your Input

Yesterday, it looked like Gov. Ritter was finally up to the task of making his own decision on who to appoint for open Senate seat left by Sen. Salazar's appointment to Obama's cabinet:

"In the coming days, I will work thoughtfully, deliberately and quickly to identify a successor," Gov. Ritter said. "With the economy in crisis and many other important issues facing the next Congress and the new Obama administration, Colorado must have the best talent at the U.S. Capitol."

But this is Gov. Ritter we're talking about, so of course there will have to be outside input--from all of us:

Gov. Bill Ritter (D-Colorado) wants to hear from you on the topic of who he should select to replace Sen. Ken Salazar (D-Colorado). Salazar will be resigning his seat shortly to become the country's next Secretary of the Interior. Colorado law gives Ritter the sole power to select a replacement senator who will then be up for election in 2010.
. . .
The e-mail address for people who want to send in their suggestions is: ussenate.comments@state.co.us.

"He wants to be able to see what people are saying and thinking," said Ritter's communications director, Evan Dreyer, in a telephone interview with 9NEWS. "This is an important position at a very important time in our state's history and in our nation's history. The economic challenges alone are daunting and it's important to Governor Ritter that all people, all across Colorado, have an opportunity to provide their thoughts and opinions."

Governors have been given the power to appoint replacements to the Senate, unlike the need for special elections in open Congressional districts (which we could see if either Rep. Ed Perlmutter or Rep. John Salazar are tapped for Sen. Salazar's seat). The governor will obviously be appointing a Democrat, so who should non-Democrats favor in the short-term going into the 2010 election? In other words, who is the weakest Dem candidate in the field?

Leave your suggestions in the comments.

Official: Salazar At Interior

With an ambitious set of goals:

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 Rocky posted 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.

Colorado Democrat Party State Convention

“We are going to mop the floor with John McCain”--Rep. Diane DeGette, D-Denver

If you're interested in what our friends across the aisle are doing at the Colorado Democrat Party state convention, the folks at Colorado Confidential are team-blogging the event:

Day 1

Day 2

They also have some photos, a roundup of the invited state party bigwigs (Gov. Ritter, Congresswoman DeGette, Rep. Salazar and Sen. Salazar, Senate candidate Rep. Mark Udall, Rep. Perlmutter, and Clinton groupie and campaign manager Terry McAuliffe-stirs a bit of controversy with Clinton vs. Obama speech), and an update on two anti-war protestors arrested for leaving the "Free Speech Zone".

Not My Tribe, the blogging home of one of the arrested protestors, features a local Colorado Springs news bit on the anti-war protestors' plans on using this weekend's festivities as a "dry run" for Denver's Democratic National Convention in August.

There was also a moment of silence in Sen. Ted Kennedy's (D-MA) honor.

Other highlighted quotes (via The Rocky Mountain News):

Even before the event opened at 10 a.m. today, the crowd was on its feet as various slogans ran across huge TV screens at the World Arena:

“Right now, Marilyn Musgrave is shopping for moving vans.”

“Right now, Bob Schaffer is still trying to figure out what a Colorado mountain looks like.”

But the loudest whoops and hollers were reserved for this one:

“Right now, Tom Tancredo is serving up his last term in Congress.”

In the Denver County area, three Clinton supporters held up signs that read “Yes” “She” “Will.”

The euphoric atmosphere of the state convention no doubt elicited one of the more interesting comments of the day:

“We are going to mop the floor with John McCain,” promised Rep. Diane DeGette, D-Denver.

More Speculation--State Democrats Support Sen. Ken Salazar As Potential VP

With the Democrat National Convention in Denver and the clear desire by Democrats to appeal to voters in the Mountain Time Zone (and combat likely GOP candidate Sen. John McCain's independent appeal), Sen. Ken Salazar's name has surfaced once again as a potential moderate VP candidate for either of the ultra-liberal Democrat frontrunners (especially Sen. Hillary Clinton), with leading Colorado Dems voicing clear support:

U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) feels that as vice president, Salazar "would be a strong voice" for major issues facing the Rocky Mountain states, said DeGette spokesperson Kristofer Eisenla.

"She thinks with how important ... those issues are in the Rocky Mountain West, we think (a Salazar vice-presidential nomination) is definitely a possibility," Eisenla said.

U.S. Rep. Mark Udall (D-Colo.), the Democratic U.S. Senate candidate, is on board, too.

"Mark knows Ken would make an excellent choice, both as a nominee and as Vice President," said Udall campaign spokesperson Taylor West in a statement. "In addition to the judgment and experience he'd bring to the job overall, he'd also be a strong voice for the West and for rural America."

U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-Colo.) is "not surprised that Senator Salazar is on the short list" for Democratic vice-presidental candidates, said Perlmutter spokesperson Leslie Oliver.

"The senator is a very moderate Western Democrat, and (Perlmutter) thinks that the senator would bring solid Western values to the ticket, whoever the (presidential) nominee is," Oliver said.

Sen. Salazar, for his part, would say "yes" if asked by either candidate to join the Dem ticket in November.

Colorado Democrats Vote To Surrender

To political expediency:

The four Democratic Members of the House of Representatives from Colorado voted in favor of a bill that would require troops to be withdrawn from Iraq within 120 days.

The bill, which is called the Responsible Redeployment from Iraq Act, also sets a pullout date of April 1, 2008.

The measure passed 223-201 in the Democratic-controlled House despite a veto threat from President Bush, who has ruled out any change in war policy before September.

"The security situation in Iraq remains complex and extremely challenging," the administration report concluded. The economic picture is uneven, it added, and the government has not yet enacted vital political reconciliation legislation.

Representatives Ed Perlmutter, Diana DeGette, John Salazar and Mark Udall voted for the measure. The two Republican representatives from Colorado who voted against the bill are Representatives Marilyn Musgrave and Doug Lamborn. Republican Rep. Tom Tancredo from Littleton did not vote.

Colorado's surrendercrats are waving the white flag (they believe on behalf of the troops).