FILED: Former State Rep. Judy Solano Files to Replace State Sen. Lois Tochtrop

Published on February 13, 2013 by

UPDATE: Of course, the real question – will Solano heed Tochtrop’s warning about gun control?  As we noted earlier, The Colorado Observer quoted Tochtrop as warning Democrats in swing districts that they “have to be very careful to vote their district’s sentiment” on gun control.  If Solano’s past behavior is any indication of future, we’re betting she ignores tips to moderate.

Former Democratic State Representative Judy Solano, who represented State House District 31, yesterday filed to replace State Senator Lois Tochtrop in Senate District 24, a district that is considered fairly competitive by some political insiders.  Tochtrop, who serves as the Senate Assistant Majority Leader, is term limited as a Senator.

Solano is a former teacher who received her largest donations in 2010 from unions, according to Ballotopedia.  Specifically, her four largest donors were the Food and Commercial Workers union, Colorado Education Association, Colorado Professional Firefighters union, and Service Employees International Union.  Adding to her liberal street creds, she’s a member of the embattled Adams County Democratic Party, the Colorado Education Association, the Colorado Environmental Coalition, the National Education Association, and the Sierra Club, Rocky Mountain Chapter, among others.

And, Solano is no ordinary liberal.  She sits on far left of the liberal spectrum as demonstrated by her quiet embrace of Proposition 103, which would have killed nearly 120,000 jobs in Colorado.  Solano also stood with her SEIU union goons brethren in a “solidarity protest” at Colorado’s State Capitol against reforms that Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker hoped to enact.

While Solano perhaps is best-known for her education legislation, her lesser-known votes would have spelled trouble for Colorado’s middle class families.  For example, she’s voted to increase vehicle registration and insurance fees as well as to increase utility bills in the name of green energy initiatives, which have worked out so well in Colorado (ahem, Abound).  And, then there are her votes that reveal her legislative love for trial lawyers and obsessive hate for home builders….

What does this all mean?  It means that 2014 is just another step closer.  Game on.

 

WHEN UNIONS STRIKE: SEIU Forgets Its Own Role in Cost of Living

Published on November 22, 2012 by

SEIU marches on behalf of workers who want nothing to do with the union

On Wednesday, the busiest day for Thanksgiving travel, Service Employees International Union has stalled travel at one of the busiest airports, Los Angeles International Airport with thousands of protestors.  SEIU has accused Aviation Safeguards, a company that employs 450 sky caps, airplane cabin cleaners, and airport security workers, has violated Los Angeles’s living wage ordinance.  The company denied the charge, according to Fox News:

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DIVIDE AND CONQUER: SEIU to Blitz Colorado, Florida, Nevada with Pro-Obama Ads Aimed at Minorities

Published on October 25, 2012 by

As the first term of America’s first post-racial presidency winds down, a curious thing is happening:  Obama supporters are rolling out ad campaigns aimed directly at racial and ethnic groups, including black and Hispanic voters.  Yesterday, the Wall Street Journal announced that SEIU had secured a $250,000 ad buy to run Spanish language ads in Colorado, Florida and Nevada.

Here is just one example:

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BIG SPENDERS: Which Party Is the Party of the Rich Again?

Published on October 9, 2012 by

Despite the left’s insistance that the Republican Party is the party of the rich, a newly released tool by I-News Network (a theoretically nonpartisan organization) shows that’s simply not accurate in Colorado.  In fact, Republican donors did not even break the top five donors according to this list of top donors who have given from 2007 through 2012.  As liberal CU professor Sandra Fish noted in her Daily Camera article:

“Corporations and billionaires — and their extravagant contributions to the presidential campaigns — have drawn the most national attention this year in terms of campaign financing. But in Colorado it is the same handful of wealthy Democrats and the labor unions continuing to play a steady hand.”

In case you were wondering who the top donors in Colorado might be, here are the top five, and few are surprising:

  1. Rep. Jared Polis has given an unbelievable $8,420,886 in 644 donations (533 candidates and 111 committees).
  2. Tim Gill has given $3,683,894 in 358 donations (256 candidates and 102 committees).
  3. Pat Stryker has given $3,016,722 in 266 donations (196 candidates and 70 committees).
  4. Rep. Ed Perlmutter has given $1,065,772 in 202 donations (104 candidates and 98 committees).
  5. Rep. Diana DeGette (dean of our delegation, in case you’ve forgotten) has given $967,062 in 152 donations (71 candidates and 81 committees).

We would have liked to create a chart for this, but it’s fairly pointless since there is not one single Republican donor in the top five.  Here is what the top five donors have spent in Colorado (keep in mind, this all goes to the left): $17,154,336.

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ROMNEY LEADS IN COLORADO TV BUYS

Published on October 3, 2012 by

Denver-area TV buys have shifted in Romney’s favor.

CU journalism students (CU News Corp), guided by CU-Boulder journalism instructor Sandra Fish and Laura Frank, executive director of the I-News Network, have been examining ad contracts for the four Denver TV stations to see who’s buying political ads. I added Obama-side and Romney-side spending to see who was leading in the spending wars.

Sandra Fish clarified that CU News Corp reports spending dates by when the station has a contract, even though the actual ad may air at a later date. 

This spending shift validates my prediction that Obama’s TV dominance was not durable.  See my ColoradoPeakPolitics post.

What this means is that Romney should begin to move up in the polls here in Colorado. The shift will not be as stark as the 61% for Obama to 70% for Romney in ad purchases, due to pre-buys, but eventually the fact that Obama had spent much of his campaign cash before Labor Day (and voters don’t recall those ads) should mean Romney has the advantage as Election Day nears.

TV buys do influence polls. See the report, including summary, here. Dominating the television air waves appears to shift the polls 6% to the side that’s dominating. And TV ads lose their influence with voters within two weeks.

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WHO’S AFRAID OF JOE COORS JR? Democrats In Colorado Fear The Freight Train Of The Coors Campaign

Published on September 24, 2012 by

Ever since the specter of a Joe Coors campaign for Congress first came to light, Democrats have done their level best to insist that Coors stands no shot at winning. Telling a much different tale about the threat Coors poses to incumbent Democratic Congressman Edwin Perlmutter is the $1 million dollars two liberal outside groups have spent in recent weeks attacking Joe Coors on television.

Put simply, Democrats are frightened of the electoral freight train that is the Coors campaign.

Joe Coors can spend big, has sky-high name ID and appears to be generally liked by all reporters who meet him. That, and he’s challenging Perlmutter in a district that’s nearly half brand new to both candidates.

A year ago, virtually no one would have said that Perlmutter was at risk of a serious challenge in 2012, seeing that he walloped Ryan Frazier by 11 points in the Republican wave year of 2010.

How quickly the tides have turned.

After Nancy Pelosi’s House Majority PAC dropped $500,000 attacking Coors, the Democrat mouthpiece blog Colorado Pols laughably tried to convince their readers that the race would be over now, suggesting the terribly-produced spot by House Majority PAC would be a “Coup de Grace.”

“…what we hear from Democrats is they want this race relegated to sideshow status as quickly as possible so they can focus on pickups elsewhere in Colorado…”

Turns out relegating the CD7 race between Coors and Perlmutter to sideshow status didn’t happen, forcing public sector union AFSCME and the SEIU to drop another $500,000 attacking Coors.

Colorado Pols’ truly pathetic spin got even worse this weekend, claiming “Joe Coors’ candidacy won’t survive” a story by Lynn Bartels in the Sunday Denver Post.

Wishing doesn’t make it so, Pols.

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SUPPORTING RAPISTS’ RIGHTS: Coors Campaign Slams Perlmutter’s Record In Devastating New Ad

Published on September 19, 2012 by

UPDATE: Eli Stokols reports on proof Perlmutter knew that the bill to allow child victims of sexual predators testify on closed-circuit television was constitutional, but still decided to vote for rapists’ rights anyway.

But Coors’ campaign spokeswoman, Michelle Yi, says that defense doesn’t hold up and points to audio recordings on the Coors campaign website of Perlmutter at a hearing being informed that the bill under consideration was constitutional.

“As a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Ed Perlmutter heard at a hearing on Feb. 7, 1996 that in 1990, the Supreme Court of the United States had ruled that closed-circuit television were indeed constitutional,” Yi told FOX31 Denver. “During Second Reading of the bill on Feb. 14, 1996, Perlmutter was also informed that the Office of Legislative Legal Services issued a memo that stated the Colorado Supreme Court had also ruled that “the defendant’s rights under the Confrontation Clause were not violated.”
“The real insult is that Ed Perlmutter thought he knew more about the Constitution than the Supreme Court of the United States and the Colorado Supreme Court. Unfortunately for Ed Perlmutter, there is no statute of limitations on extreme votes.”

The issue of rape has been used already this cycle to smear pro-Life candidates for the Legislature, but now the issue is rearing its head on a Congressional campaign. Only this time, rape is actually at the center of the policy dispute.

The campaign of Congressional challenger Joe Coors is out with an ad slamming incumbent Democrat Congressman “Extreme Ed” Perlmutter for his votes that would protect rapists and force child victims of sexual abuse to face their abusers in court.

Check it out here:

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THEY SAID WHAT? Senate Dems Name Fundraising Levels After Fireworks

Published on July 5, 2012 by

A week or so ago, we rolled our eyes when a partisan web site needled the Colorado Republican Party for hosting a mini-golf tournament at which teams who donated $10,000 would have an elected official play on their team.  The guest blogger wrote, dripping with sarcasm, “the Colorado Republican Party will demonstrate their (btw, their should be “its”) accessibility to and compassion for the American middle class”. 

But, we did a double take when we received an invitation on July 2nd to attend the 2012 Senate Post-Session Event “Star Spangled Banner Happy Hour” on July 31st at the Glenarm Rooftop.  The State Senate Democrats, clearly the paragon of sensitivity and compassion, have named their sponsorship levels after fireworks – Uncle Sam, Statue of Liberty, Bottle Rocket, and Firecracker. 

As everyone knows, fireworks are banned throughout the state right now because of the high fire danger, and um, the many wildfires that have damaged or destroyed homes, threatened lives, and decimated our beautiful landscapes. 

Perhaps, State Senate Dems, you’ve heard of the Waldo Canyon Fire that destroyed over 350 homes in Colorado Springs or the High Park Fire that burned over 87,000 acres and more than 250 homes?  Or, perhaps ANY of the other fires that have been ravaging our state? 

All sarcasm aside, there are thousands of people who lost a tremendous amount with the fires that have swept through Colorado – we’ll keep them in our thoughts and prayers.  And, we’re sure that the Coalition for Colorado’s Future, a 527, would certainly be willing to donate part of what it raises through this event to the victims of fires in Colorado, right?  RIGHT?

Also, be sure to thank the top sponsors of this event – the unions, including AFL-CIO, AFSCME (Association of Federal, State, County, and Municipal Employees), AFT (the teachers arm of the AFL-CIO), the Colorado Education Association, the Colorado Trial Lawyers Association, and SEIU, for putting on such a thoughtful and, dare we say, “compassionate” fundraiser.


 

TOUGH WEEK: Unions Handed A Heavy Load Of Defeat, Again

Published on June 23, 2012 by

It's been another tough week for unions, especially coming only two weeks after their epic loss to Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker. This week their losses come in the form of a Supreme Court smackdown and a Denver Post editorial slam.

On the Supreme Court smackdown, per the Associated Press: 

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that unions must give nonmembers an immediate chance to object to unexpected fee increases or special assessments that all workers are required to pay in closed-shop situations.  

The court ruled for Dianne Knox and other nonmembers of the Service Employees International Union's Local 1000, who wanted to object and opt out of a $12 million special assessment the union required from its California public sector members for political campaigning. Knox and others said the union did not give them a legally required notice that the increase was coming.

Translated: No, SEIU, you cannot strong-arm funds from nonmember public sector employees to fund your corrupt election practices.  

The Supreme Court took the case after the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Liberal Pandering, or rather, Appeals ruled the annual notice was enough. The Supreme Court disagreed – and it wasn’t even close – in a 7-2 judgment. Ouch – not only shut down, but with the consent of Justices Sotomayor and Bader Ginsberg. Sotomayor’s opinion was particularly well-written:  

“When a public-sector union imposes a special assessment intended to fund solely political lobbying efforts, the First Amendment requires that the union provide non-members an opportunity to opt out of the contribution of funds.”

This ruling comes on the heels of a Denver Post editorial slam of the Douglas County Federation of Teachers (DCFT) who have gone crying to the labor department because they finally have to deal with a school board whose members' campaigns weren't bankrolled by union interests.

The Post editorial said having the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE) intervene in the contract negotiation between the teachers union and the school board "would be a mistake" because "the state simply has no compelling reason to enter the fray and substitute its judgment for that of a locally elected school board."

Exactly.

Noting that the Executive Director of CDLE, Ellen Golombek, is a former labor official (AFL-CIO and SEIU), the Post hints at the conflict of interest there. 

What they didn't mention is Ellen Golombek has already shown her willingness to act corruptly in the name of her friends in labor unions. A 9News investigation found that Golombek helped line up a $142,000 CDLE contract for a friend who she worked with at AFL-CIO and SEIU. While people waited for hours on hold for answers to their unemployment insurance questions, Golombek was helping her friend pull in six figures of taxpayer money for a job she showed up to the office for only two days in her first month. 

No wonder DCFT is asking Golombek to intervene. 

It's clear the education reform rockstars on the Douglas County School Board will hold the line, demanding the union stops using taxpayer resources to pay for their staff and help collect their campaign cash. So we guess we're looking at even more tough weeks ahead for unions in Colorado…


 

FLASHBACK: Colorado Democrats Rally At Capitol In Solidarity With Wisconsin Unions

Published on June 6, 2012 by

With Colorado Democrats and their allies in the left wing Colorado Democracy Alliance (CODA) suddenly, shockingly silent about the shock waves sent across the country by Scott Walker's win in Wisconsin last night, we thought we'd help remind them how much the race mattered to them before they lost.

Last year, the SEIU organized Wisconsin solidarity protests across the country, including here in Colorado. On February 22, 2011 the left in Colorado gathered on the steps of the Capitol, with over 1000 people turning out. The Tea Party counter-protested, standing in solidarity with Scott Walker's reforms instead. 

And a whole host of House Democrats turned out at the protest, including many who are now in competitive re-election races. And of course, the union goons behaved as, well, goons do.

Rise and report:

Rep. Max Tyler (D-Lakewood), Rep. Daniel Kagan (D-Denver), Rep. Andy Kerr (D-Lakewood), Rep. Nancy Todd (D-Aurora), Rep. Pete Lee (D-CO Springs), Rep. Sue Schafer (D-Wheat Ridge), Rep. Rhonda Fields (D-Denver), Rep. Matt Jones (D-Louisville), Rep. Sue Ryden (D-Aurora), Rep. John Soper (D-Federal Heights) and Rep. Judy Solano (D-Thornton).

Also spotted at the rally was Rep. Ed Casso (D-Commerce City). The Senate was in session during the protest, otherwise we’re sure plenty of them would have gladly stood alongside the SEIU and the rest of the now-losing side of the Wisconsin fight.

In case any Democrat tries to say last night didn’t matter, just remember, before they lost, it was like the most important election EVAH.  

 
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