Obviously we mostly cover Colorado politics here. We sometimes delve into the silly, and every so often there's something so grabbing, so powerful, that despite it having little to do with Colorado, it bears some exposure here too.
Kos said this ad for Missouri senate candidate Claire McCaskill hit him like a ton of bricks. And yes, while Missouri is a few states over, stem cell research is important to Congresswoman Degette and we all know who here in our almost square state opposes it.
It is a criminal offense to use false advertising attacking a candidate. Jay Fawcett needs to file a criminal complaint with the El Paso County Prosecuting Attorneys Office. It is a slam dunk case, but I get the feeling they are afraid to go down this road, my opinion is what do they have to lose? but everything to gain! Imagine the free press of Jay walking out of the courthouse holding a press conference after the filing and having Lamborn pull down his ads. A republican friend of mine who was involved with the GOP primary campaign got in touch with me and told me they did not pursue the criminal case against Lamborn because they felt it would have been disaster for republicans to go against a fellow republican criminally, but instead went the second route of having a lawyer contact the media outlets to take the false attack ads down, which they did. Everyday Lamborn runs his false attack ads against Fawcett without us fighting back hurts, I believe Jay would hold the moral highground here to file the criminal complaint since the public already knows thru Hefley what a sleazy and dishonest person Lamborn is.
George W. Bush today signed the Military Commissions Act which was supported by all of the Republicans in Colorado's Congressional delegation, and Democrats Ken Salazar and John Salazar.
The bill eliminates recourse to the courts for torture and other violations of the Geneva Conventions, pardons U.S. government employees who violated the Geneva Conventions, ends all penalties for some violations of the Geneva Conventions, and suspends the writ of habeas corpus for non-citizens declared to be enemy combatants by the President. It changes none of the flawed procedures for determining if someone is an enemy combatant, and allows people so detained to be tried before military tribunals and sentenced to death based on hearsay and information obtained through torture after 9-11 and before 2006, on charges that have never previously been recognized as war crimes.
The bill can only hurt the war on terrorism by undermining the moral authority of the United States and by emboldening people who hate freedom to act likewise.
Even more sleazy is what Lamborn is doing in his campaign fundraising letter/emails. As Cara DeGette reports today over at CoCo:
In the latest dust-up over exactly which of his former Republican opponents has endorsed state Sen. Doug Lamborn’s congressional bid — and whom has not — Jeff Crank is calling on his onetime foe to “get his campaign manager under control.”
Crank, a former aide to retiring Rep. Joel Hefley, narrowly lost to Lamborn in a bitterly contested six-man primary race. Crank says he doesn’t appreciate how campaign manager Jon Hotaling has characterized the Republicans who are upset over the outcome of the election as “Hefley and a handful of Crank supporters.”
However, Hotaling had to backpedal when at least two of the Republicans — John Anderson and Duncan Bremer — denied they have even been contacted by the Lamborn campaign seeking their support. Colorado Springs Mayor Lionel Rivera has not returned phone calls seeking comment; the fifth candidate, Bentley Rayburn, appeared at Lamborn’s primary campaign party to congratulate the winner.
Yet Colorado Confidential has obtained an e-mail, pasted below, from the Washington D.C.-based fundraising arm of the Lamborn campaign, sent out on Aug. 21, claiming that all five of his primary opponents — including Crank — have endorsed Lamborn.
There's more. Read the whole thing.
Oh, Dishonest Doug. What would Jesus think of your "false witnesses"?
Springs residents could elect a real leader who isn't beholden to the fanatics at Focus on The Family, Democrat Jay Fawceet
“I have been a Republican all my life, but we have just gotten to the point where we may need a change,” said Shannon Abote, an Arvada resident ... on Monday morning.
Well, as noted by Troutfishing @ DailyKos, you recycle another wedge issue, of course, that directly motivates your least motivated base at the moment. Especially if the members of that base feel betrayed, disappointed, and are waking up to the fact that poltics and religion are not the same thing.
OK, Jay has just put an " IN YOUR FACE" to the "don't bother with that race, you can't win" crowd. Over at Colorado Confidential they just posted this diary that just about blows the doors off the House races. What, perchance, am I talking about?
How about a Whitman Poll (Yeah, those guys) that gives the following simple facts:
again, someone help me with the link thing please.
Hefley says that he spent 8 years fighting sleaze in DC, and would've been able to get behind any of the other republicans in the primary. He won't officially endorse Fawcett, but could see himself VOTING (emphasis mine) for Fawcett.
I love the brisk fall air, it's so cleansing . . .
Gazette just posted an update here - has been posted over at dKos here
Best quote:
“I feel that he ran the most sleazy, dishonest campaign I’ve seen in a long, long time, and I can not support it,” Hefley said in a telephone interview. He is in Oklahoma for a cousin’s funeral.
There is no good way Republicans can spin this news. But spin and spin they will. What else do they have after 6 years of George W. Bush and his Crony Capitalists?
As you probably already know by now, today marks the one year anniversary of the US House passing Diana DeGette co-authored legislation to allow more federal money to be spent on stem cell research. Her bill passed with bipartisan support: 238 Yeas, 184 Nays. But since the right-wing base loves to Focus on the Fetus, Bill Frist has let the bill lie dormant in the Senate to protect Bush.
Public opinion polls have shown that the vast majority of Americans support embryonic stem cell (ESC) research. In a recent poll of Americans nationwide, the Genetics and Public Policy Center (GPPC), a non-partisan research institution, found that 67% of Americans approve of ESC research. This level of support was largely consistent regardless of sex, race, age, political affiliation and religion – the only exceptions were fundamentalist and evangelical Christians, yet 50% of them also supported the research.
I think its fair to assume if Kansas support stem cell research 2:1, Colorado does too. So what message did the Colorado delegation send to the House of Representatives for the people? All we must do is look at Roll Call Vote 204:
Republicans
- Marilyn Musgrave (CD-4) - No
- Joel Hefley (CD-5) - No
- Tom Tancredo (CD-6) - No
- Bob Beauprez (CD-7) - No
Democrats
- Diana DeGette (CD-1) - Yes
- Mark Udall (CD-2) - Yes
- John Salazar (Cd-3) - Yes
We're always complaining the Democrats don't stand for anything or they're GOP-Lite. They're never taking a stand. Well, they did one year ago today. And 67% of Americans were on our side.
Stem cell research screams wedge issue for Bill Winter. I mean, the guy gave his kidney to save his sister's life (Reason #13 to vote for Bill). If we had stem cell research, perhaps Bill's sister could have never needed a new kidney, or perhaps even kidneys could be grown. I'd also like to hear Tom Tancredo's answer for voting against it, being asked by Bill Winter at a debate.
Also, Bill Ritter has publicly stated support for this bill. Bob Beauprez is on the record against it.
I was relieved to see Salazar on the right side and a little disappointed in Hefley.
Is the Rocky Mountain News hiding stories the GOP doesn't like?
It seems Hefley is denouncing the so called ethics reform bill as a sham. Hefley after all, kicked off the ethics panel and about to retire, doesn't have to suck up to his GOP masters. However, it usually isn't within a few days that the Rocky would swipe an article. Does this have anything to do with the GOP meeting in the Springs with Ken Mehlman?
Here's the bit Progress Now was able to save before the Rocky put it in the bit bucket
Rep. Joel Hefley, R-Colorado Springs, was among only a handful of Republicans who voted against a lobbying reform bill in the House of Representatives Wednesday, saying it was not the type of "real, meaningful reform" that was needed.
The House narrowly approved the legislation by a 217-213 vote, with only 20 Republicans opposed and only eight Democrats in favor. Colorado's congressional delegation split along party lines, except that Hefley, the former chairman of the House ethics committee, voted "no."
He said the bill did not toughen ethics enforcement, as he had proposed in separate legislation.
"We had a serious opportunity to implement comprehensive ethics reform in the House, but we didn't take advantage of it," Hefley said. "There are some good provisions in this bill, but overall I don't think it goes far enough in providing the real reform package many of us would like to see. Real, meaningful reform in the House must include strengthening the ethics committee and the ethics process."
Karl Rove must be worried about Jay Fawcett, the Retired Air Force Combat Pilot and Democratic candidate for Congressional District 5. From the Rocky:
The White House wants Joel Hefley, the 70-year-old dean of Colorado's congressional delegation to set aside any thoughts about retiring.
Hefley, R-Colorado Springs, said Monday he still has not decided whether he will seek an 11th term in the U.S. House of Representatives or retire at the end of 2006. He said he’ll decide "soon."
In the meantime, Hefley said he received a call from one of President Bush's aides in recent days, urging him to stay in the race.
Bush doesn't care when planes hit buildings in New York, or hurricanes hit New Orleans, but if the Republicans need help politically...
This is an insult to Hefley, a man from a different generation of Republican. As the Rocky story reminds us (and how could we forget), the Bush Administration removed Hefley from his tenure-earned chairmanship on the Ethics Committee for admonishing now indicted former Republican Majority Leader Tom DeLay.
I hope Joel retires. He owes Bush and the GOP nothing.
Apparently Jack Murtha, Dem from Pennsylvania, put a motion on the floor to instruct the conference committee to accept the Senate version of the bill (with the McCain anti-torture amendment), instead of the House version, which did not.
Marilyn Musgrave and Joel Hefley (our favorite rubber stamps) voted against that, taking yet another vote in their support of torture.
Perhaps "Both Ways Bob" Beauprez found his heart--but wasn't there a vote in the House on this a couple weeks ago. If Bob voted for torture then, but is now against--sounds like he's trying to have it... BOTH WAYS!.
Who knows why Tancredo votes the way he does.
All the Dems voted to support Murtha.
Murtha's resolution passed 308-122, with a majority of GOoPs voting for torture.
Update - You'll remember the Senate passed McCain's amendment 90-9 back in October, with Bush-bot and Colorado GOoP Senator Wayne Allard joining the torture caucus.
Here is some more info from Hotline today, passed along by our favorite little birdie:
Rep. Marilyn Musgrave: "It is important for Mr.DeLay to have his day in court before judgement is passed down."
Rep. Joel Hefley: "I'm sorry Tom is caught up in this thing."
Rep. Tom Tancredo: "If he [Delay], at that point [earlier in the summer when Tancredo called on him to give up his leadership post] said, 'I'm going to step down as majority leader,' we would not now be in the position of him being forced to step down" (Sprengelmeyer, Rocky Mountain News, 9/29)
Remember Hefley lost his post on the ethics committee for admonishing DeLay, so we know Joel isn't a big fan. Also, notice Bob Beauprez is not on the list, who MyDD showed is a leader in "Tom's Tainted Team".
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