Is Colorado's Caucus System Obsolete?

As a member of the Douglas County Republican Party, it is my job to support the caucus system, and the candidates that are selected by the process. However, it would seem that the caucus system is not resonating with the voters.

Consider CD-6 - The seat being vacated by Congressman Tom Tancredo (who did not go through the caucus process himself)

The CD-6 selected two candidates: Ted Harvey with ~55% of the vote, and Steve Ward ~45% - State senators both.

However, in the march towards the August 12th Primary, polls are indicating that the two candidates achieving the most success are the two who opted to petition on to the primary ballot instead of participating in the caucus process. Rocky Mountain Right has provided polling information showing the race in CD-6:

Ballot................. (Raw)..... %

Ted Harvey.........(186 ).....11.0%

Steve Ward.........(141)........8.4%

Wil Armstrong.....(548).......32.5%

Mike Coffman......(570)......33.8%

Undecided............(239)......14.2%

*Note - These numbers were released by the Armstrong campaign-Bruce Donisthorpe of BWD Global managed the survey

Being a member of the party in Douglas County, I often hear two sides to the argument regarding caucus and assembly. In Douglas County we love our elected Republicans - and they all support the caucus system. However, some of these elected officials petitioned on, opting out of the assembly process during their initial run. This alone resonates with the anti-assembly crowd.

The question is, then, does the caucus system give the best candidate? Do the party activists know more about who is best set to serve the people, or has it simply become a "get in line and wait your turn" process?

I was discussing this very issue with a fellow Republican party member a little over a week ago, and he was adamant that the assembly process is doing little more than wasting money of the county party. So is this true?

In a district, such as 6th congressional, where upwards of 40% of the electorate are new to the area within the last 4 years, a caucus system supports more of an "old hat" mentality - that is, those who have been involved for a number of years and are long-term activists in local politics. Petition candidates play to that 40%, introducing them to the change they represent in the area, often informing them that even though they have missed out on the local process, they still have a voice in the primary. It is this fissure that creates the divide in local politics, even though it plays to their strength with the masses.

So, are candidates that are vetted by the old hats better for the people, or do we embrace candidates that rely more on name recognition and general election campaigning - working the people - to represent our district?

With a system that seems to be providing great candidates, but little more boost than "top-billing" in the primary election, one has to wonder if the system is obsolete. Has Colorado outgrown the assembly?

We will surely see in 2 weeks.

Doing the Right Thing - Being Human

Politics is a battlefield... That goes without saying. It is the most vicious game that one can participate in. There seem to be little rules, no clear fouls, and the out-of-bounds seems non-existent.

So why do we do it... why do we blog on political issues? Why do we run for office, or why are we involved in political parties?

Each and every person can provide a very different answer. Some seek glory, some seek social change, some seek to simply protect the constitution. There are some who see it as their civic duty, some who see it as a career.

No matter what your motivation, there seems to be an aspect that has gone missing... that is the human element.


It is widely understood that we (the masses) are no longer considered citizens, rather consumers. We are no longer concerned citizens, we are poll results. We are seen as mindless drones in need of political ads to sway us, or commentating to change our vote.

Wake up, readers... we are not mindless drones, and we cannot allow ourselves to be 'led out to pasture' by media, political ads, etc. We must demand that our politicians NOT consider politics as "business as usual"... we must demand the human element!

Take the time, as a political leader, to reach out to me as a human being... I am not talking about making a political ad about living with your mother in an attempt to SEEM more human, I am talking about reaching out in a different way... a way that is off the beaten path of politics... engage the people on a personal level...

Treating every "voter" as a human being... what a concept.

Reaching out to us means showing your soft underbelly... it is hard as a politician... but it is real. And that is what the people crave... real change, real ideas, real emotion, real heart, and real people... people from their own ranks... A candidate with something that the others are missing... the human element.

Heartbreak and Chaos in the Rocky Mountains

The Colorado Rockies... the fluke that brought hope and heart-ache to the Mile-High city... After an amazing streak to come from 4 1/2 games back in the wildcard, going 21 of 22 to make it to the world series, the Rockies fell to the baseball Juggernaut called the Boston Red Sox.

For better or for worse, I saw a football city become a baseball town overnight, and I loved every minute of it. Originally from Seattle, which is a baseball town indeed, it was odd to see a half filled stadium and fans that did not know how to cheer... enter the winning streak, and viola! It was like being in baseball heaven...

But baseball comes with high AND low points... and getting swept in the World Series is a very low point!

However, there is hope for the Rockies... the increased name recognition and appeal will bring more money to the ball club, and maybe, just maybe, we can afford some solid pitchers!

And now the chaos... Tom Tancredo has announced that he will not seek re-election in the Colorado House District CD-6... my district. This brings chaos because every state senator in the district is jockeying for this seat, which will leave a number of state senate seats up for grabs... This means that a number of state representatives are looking for that promotion and will surely put their names in the hat, leaving state representative seats in question.

As if 2008 wasn't going to be hectic enough, now Douglas county (and other south of Denver counties) are going to be scrambling to not lose any more seats to the liberal democrats.

Tom Tancredo has been a beacon of conservative hope in Colorado, and his absence will surely be felt nationally and locally.

My hope is that he throws his name in the hat for the Colorado Senate seat and challenges Bob Schaffer in the primaries. This could be the key to beating Mark Udall, and maintaining a 1-1 Democrat/Republican split in the Colorado US Senate. Or perhaps, due to his extended bid for the White House, he will hold off on a Senate run in an attempt to unseat liberal Ken Salazar in 2010. Either way, I say "RUN TOM RUN!"

Republican Candidates Debate... The winner is...

Duncan Hunter, In my humble opinion. Duncan seems to have shown up to this debate with an aire of confidence, strong leadership, and excellent communication. After one of the last debates I had predicted that he would be the next to drop from the stage... however, he was surely digging his heels in tonight and sending a strong message...

What was the message? It was that 21% of Republicans STILL don't know who their candidate is... so it is still anyone's game!

The rest of the debate was interesting.

Ron Paul was given his "rant" time, and continues to get "boos" from the crowd. The thing that I love best about Paul is his staunch reconstructionist stance! If we had more conservative leaders who were more concerned with the constitution than the front page of the WSJ then we may have a Federal Government that is more in line with the visions of the Founding Fathers!

Sam Brownback made an interesting statement regarding the biggest problem with our future economy... when everyone else is concerned about China and trade deficits, Sam recognizes that the biggest problem is an uneducated workforce, with no work ethics... the cause, the destruction of the home.

Tom Tancredo did what he does best... and that is talk about illegal immigration. He is the strongest in the debates when he comes right out and lets everyone know that regardless of the question you are going to ask, he is going to talk about illegal immigration.

Fred Thompson made his debate debut... and it was about what I expected. The first hour seemed pretty scripted and patchy. He seemed to be trying to recall his talking points from his debate prep. I did not hear anything of substance from the Senator, which is seemingly his forte... speak, but say nothing... I think that he has a lot to prove in the coming debates... otherwise no one (still) is going to know where he stands on the issues.

Romney seemed more polished than usual, but seems to have begun attacking both Rudy AND Hillary. Breaking Reagan's 11th commandment can prove to be a negative to the campaign. Though when you are bashing liberals, it is hard to draw the line for RINOs.

Rudy continues to show that his policies will be a continuation of Bush policies. For anyone who understands that Bush has become a polarizing figure for the Republicans, it is curious to me why a candidate will almost come out and say that they are for the continuation and expansion of Bush policies. Rudy is also coming down harder and harder on Iran, and had some interesting things to say about the region.

John McCain, who enjoyed a bump in the polls following a HUGE win in the last debate will not see such an increase in the numbers this time. I was sad to see that John McCain changed up some of his lines... it was funny to be able to predict his debate answers after 5 debates. One thing that always concerns me about picking a president is picking a healthy president. McCain, being the eldest candidate, had several occasions in which he was unable to hear the questions.

And Mike Huckabee... Mike may have been given the least amount of airtime of all the candidates. Of course this is nothing new, as the spotlight usually rests on the "front-runners", however as of late the lines are beginning to blur for who is ACTUALLY a top tier candidate. In fact a poll was just released that shows Huckabee within 2% points of Romney nationwide amongst Republican voters. Huckabee is third in Iowa behind Romney and Thompson. And yet the early line of who is considered "top tier" is still in place.

Forgive my rant.

Mike Huckabee did another great job in answering the debate questions. As always he was an eloquent speaker, and let his conservative colors fly. He finally got some serious time to discuss the Fair Tax, which no other Republican candidate fully embraces (besides Hunter). I am a huge advocate for the Fair Tax, and I love listening to the candidates who truly understand the importance of REALLY FIXING our tax system.

The Republican Party was founded on radical ideas... and it is only on radical ideas that we are going to survive.

The Fair Tax is the ONLY way to save the American economy for the lower and middle class, and help ensure that the economic ladder is not missing the middle class rungs.

As well, it was great to hear candidates discuss Energy Independence... The best ideas, again, are the most radical. We need fast change, sweeping reform, and a new understanding of energy. Free markets be damned... This is one place where I would agree with a candidate like Bill Richardson (I know, I know)... we need drastic changes... mandatory market shifts to renewable resources. We live in a time where oil is not the only medium, yet oil has become so powerful that it demands that it is the currency of the world... Remember, Silver used to be the US standard before Gold... but alas, a radical change... and we are all the better for it!

In all, the debate did a good job of touching domestic issues. Still no discussion about education, and not the right kind of discussion about health. The audio was poor quality, and the moderation was almost as bad as Wolf Blitzer's...

But it gave us another data point...

God Bless.

Straw Poll Results, and the new field of GOP candidates

For starters, congratulations to Mike Huckabee and Tom Tancredo for incredible finishes in the Iowa Straw Poll! Mike's 2nd place finishing was needed to give his candidacy the legitimacy it deserves in the main stream... of course the contest is being downplayed because Rudy-the-Elite and Sinking-Ship-McCain were not participating.

What this does show is that of the "other" candidates, who spent about 1/10th of what Mitt Romney spent, we could bring in very strong support.

The results are as follows:
1. Mitt Romney –32 percent
2. Mike Huckabee – 18 percent
3. Sam Brownback – 15 percent
4. Tom Tancredo – 14 percent
5. Ron Paul – 9 percent
6. Tommy Thompson — 7 percent
7. Fred Thompson – 1 percent
8. Rudolph W. Giuliani – 1 percent
9. Duncan Hunter – 1 percent
10. John McCain (less than 1 percent)
11. John Cox (less than 1 percent)
The vote totals for the top three:
Mr. Romney — 4,516 votes;
Mr. Huckabee — 2,587;
Mr. Brownback – 2,192

What does this mean to the field of GOP candidates?

As I predicted after the Iowa Debates one week ago, Tommy Thompson was one of the first to take the fall and withdraw from the race. His campaign was convinced that they would have a strong second place finish in Ames... but after a poor 6th place showing he made good on his promise to leave the race - leaving us with his blunt candor: "I'm outta the race"

Of course my prediction was that Duncan Hunter would be the first to go, and with a 9th place finish tallying less votes than Rudy and Fred Thompson (about 150 total votes), I am sure that it was a waiting game to see how the other less than favorable candidates reacted. Within the next few days, I would expect to see Mr. Hunter also withdraw.

Mike Huckabee's stellar 2nd place finish has motivated his base to move forward and continue to push past the other candidates, joining the front-runners.

What is troubling is that the numbers that Brownback was able to muster have done more to motivate his base as well... so the "Holy Warrior" will most likely fight on, bringing his bag of dirty tricks along with him.

And the biggest winner of the poll was Congressman Tom Tancredo, with a 4th place finish. I am on the Team Tancredo mailing list, and the campaign is buzzing with excitement over the finish... I don't blame them! I wonder how many more debates Tom will spend in the wings of the stage? Well, with the field dwindling before the next debate, maybe he will be put to the side... But his strong message on border security and ensuring that America is a safe, English speaking, American-first nationalist place to live will continue on.

The funny thing is that I think that McCain's finish about where it would have been in Iowa even if he HAD spent some of his blown $25 million there... with his constant snubbing of Iowa, I am confused as to why they even let him into the state!

As for the results, farewell Sir Thompson. Your candidness will be missed. And may I be the first to say to you, Sir Hunter, thank you for support of the military, and best of luck to you in your future endeavors.

Here is to the new, leaner list of GOP Candidates...

God Bless

Sea to Shining "Si" - part II

It looks as if Congressman Tancredo was on the same wavelength as me! Keeping the pro-illegal crooks on their heels, Tom Tancredo is in the final stages of writing an immigration reform bill that rejects amnesty... His presidential website also has a good outline of what the bill includes... though I say that it falls short of the knock-out blow, I think Tancredo is doing a great thing here in keeping the crooks off balance!

Go get'em Tom!