CD-5 Issues Rundown

The Gizzard has a good issues story for CD-5 up today - here. The focus is economics. Let's run it down: To Lamborn, a state senator, it means reducing taxes and regulations that burden small businesses and steering defense contracts toward local companies. $8.5 Trillion Debt and crony capitalism, not a good mix. And our local defense contractors surely follow the bidding process. You saying they need some extra help, Doug? [Lamborn] believes lower taxes benefit everyone. Eliminating the estate tax and making permanent the temporary cuts in the capital gains tax are necessary to allow businesses to survive. Doug's still got his eye on Paris Hilton - and her tax cut. The economic issues are much different for Jay Fawcett: “I’m not sure tax cuts are actually effecting tax reduction," referencing the number of conflicting provisions in the tax code. “That’s why saying, ‘Well, we’ll cut taxes’ won’t work.” And hasn't worked. More Fawcett: Congress also needs to reform the healthcare system to bring down costs to businesses and workers, Fawcett said. A first step would be to pass a law allowing employees who move between companies to take retirement savings accounts and health care plans with them, he said. Common sense. No frills. No bias to the super-rich. For those who questioned whether Jay is a real Dem, there's your answer. [Lamborn] suggested he could help to guide contracts to local defense businesses if given a seat on the House Armed Services Committee. Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert recently told Lamborn he would work with House leaders to get him that post. Denny: gone by Wednesday. Nice try Doug, a good politicians would have seen that coming a mile away. [Jay] Fawcett wants to leverage Department of Defense money coming to the area to diversify the economy. He thinks the Pikes Peak region can become a hub of light manufacturing through companies working on experimental aircraft and other military needs, he said. There's more, but I think you get the picture. Benefit portability - Modern and Progressive. More tax cuts = Ghost of Reagan. As much as Doug loves him, Reagan passed one of the largest tax increase in history when he saw he had blown out the U.S. budget. I don't think Doug would have an original idea if Abu Gonzales waterboarded it into him. This is the choice: same old failed or questionable policies from R's; new ideas and a change of course from D,s. Seems pretty obvious to me. Let's see how voters take their civic responsibility. As always, I'm an optimist (Crossposted at SquareState.).

(* SO-SO = Same Old Same Old)

Rocky Mountain News Covers the CD-5 Debate

The Rocky, with snarky comments by Me!

The once "safe" Republican congressional seat in Colorado's 5th District officially swung into play Thursday night as Democratic challenger Jay Fawcett and state Sen. Doug Lamborn waged their first one-on-one debate for retiring Rep. Joel Hefley's seat.

Oops. Bad start there Dougie-boy.

At one point, Lamborn snapped at a heckling audience member, "Excuse me sir, why don't you just shut up."

Eh? I'll give him a pass. He's under a lot of pressure lately.

The seat held by Hefley for the last 20 years has never gone to a Democrat since its creation in 1972, but a bitter Republican primary has divided the party, and Hefley refused to endorse Lamborn, who he said ran a "dirty" campaign.

I thought ol' Hef said "sleazy". Let me check. Yes, it was "SLEAZY".

Fawcett, a retired Air Force combat veteran and Air Force Academy graduate has exploited his credentials in a district laden with military personnel. He quickly made his experience an issue Thursday night debating Lamborn, who never served in the military.

Whoa, I thought Republicans supported the military. Maybe not.

Fawcett urged withdrawal of U.S. troops to the borders of Iraq to block the incursion of foreign fighters, training Iraqi forces to take over the country's defense, and intense diplomacy with neighboring countries to establish stability in the region.

Sounds like an honest to God plan to me. I thought Republicans said we had no plans? I'm getting confused by their, um, rhetoric now.

Fawcett also chided Lamborn repeatedly over his pledge to "never raise taxes" while proposing continuation of the Iraq war, funding shortfalls in veterans' benefits and health care, controlling illegal immigration, and developing new water storage projects for Colorado.

"That sounds like a pretty big expenditure of public funds," Fawcett replied.

"Where are we going to get the money for that if we don't raise taxes?"

Uh-oh. Logic. The cryptonite to Republicans' Robotic pronouncements. That's hardly fair, Jay.

Now, go read the rest, if there's any doubt who won the debate. Or who is more qualified for this seat.

GOP Ped Franchise Goes Local

Read the disgusting details here.

And NO, it's not really a GOP franchise - it's the hypocrisy of a political party that has claimed they are morally superior to the other for far too long. And beat them over the head with it

It's the hypocrisy of candidates who claim God is on there side yet stay silent when sexual predators are exposed in their midst.

It's the hypocrisy of a "leader" who criticizes a cartoon character yet doesn't want to politicize a scandal born, bred, and enabled entirely within the Republican Party.

It's the HYPOCRISY, Stupid!

Eric Christen's Obsession with Skin Color

Eric Christen, the soon to be recalled member of the District 11 School Board was on Joseph Michelli's show last night in a purported debate over whether the Racist Moron, Eric Christen, should be recalled.

Joseph played along since no one from End the Chaos would or could be there. I think I now know why.

But 16,443 - valid signatures were signed for Eric Christen's recall. So we know Eric is in for the fight of Steve Schuck's life.

Eric was in rare form. He talked about the "brown" and "black" kids failing. He talked about the "white" kids. He didn't say what color had to do with your educational poetential.

He neglected to mention "yellow" or "red" skinned kids. Should they feel left out of Eric's world view, or lucky?

He talked about evil teachers unions. I have yet to meet a teacher (and I've had 2 kids go from K through 12 in D-11) who did not want my kids to succeed and who did not go way beyond the call of duty in their commitment.

He talked about Teh Gays, and outside money, and agendas, and vouchers.

The one thing he didn't talk about was how he will improve the management and oversight of Colorado Springs' largest school district. Nor wow will he make sure our kids are ready to survive this world.

How could he those issues when he's completely ignored them?

That's whey there's a recall. And I'm glad mine was one of those 16,443 signatures.

We see how Republicans who only see things "black and white" have hurt our nation.

Do we want to keep one on the D-11 board too?

CD-5: Fawcett Hits the Air with "Honor Bound"

Dobson Goes Nukular

There is no doubt in my mind that these guys want all war, all the time, Armageddon, and anything else that will prevent their louse unethical candidates from getting their butts kicked this November.

There isn't even a word for it............

CD-5: Doug Still Won't Debate - House Seat Trending D

Doug Lamborn is going to run on "low taxes". I guess $8 Trillion in debt is OK for this fiscal conservative.

He still won't debate the candidate with superb military experience who's turned this into a race.

Will the same old Republican tactics of dealy, deny, and disrupt work on CD-5's voters?

I think they're smarter than that:

Given the importance of this election to my generation’s future, I began making preparations for a debate at Colorado College on Oct. 12 between the two aspirants, with my school’s president, Richard Celeste, extending invitations to both campaigns. Fawcett responded in the affirmative shortly thereafter but Lamborn declined, citing complications with his schedule. The Republican nominee’s decision to cut and run from a debate at Colorado College reinforces a dominant view held by students that politicians ignore their views, but it also deprives us of the opportunity to make an informed voting decision.

If Lamborn is truly unable to dedicate a mere hour to discuss important issues to our commonly overlooked demographic, how can he expect our support in the voting booth on Nov. 7?

Blake Narendra

Colorado Springs

The race is slipping away from Republicans.

Will they treat our voters like mushrooms - keep them in the dark and feed them b.s.? Or will they respect the democratic process and the requirements of citizenship?

Bob Beauprez: Running on fumes

Typical of most races this year it is Democrats who have candidates with the strongest ideas. It is Republicans who are running on fear and innuendo, slime and smear. They should have accomplishments to spare; after six years in the driver's seat there should be a rash of goals met and surpassed.

They don't.

Both Ways Bob Beauprez is a case study of this failure of leadership: he's using an old (Rovian) playbook and the prefab smear of illegals to try to beat a better thinker and a better public servant in Democrat Bill Ritter.

Bob's is not a good bet this year.

While Republicans have shown us only failure after failure - globally, nationally, locally - Democrats have had to fight to make their case - and they've made it. They've fought to clear the fog of our debilitated discourse. They've had to fight a coordinated media storm that the Republicans had been perfecting for 30 years.

As the media storm was perfected with Clinton, it was overplayed with Bush.

That fight is now nearing its end. It doesn't seem like much now. All the techniques and strategies of the right have been identified and exposed.

But it will take a generation to clean up the mees they enabled both at home and, much more importantly, abroad. Voters are fed up with innumerable Republican failures - is there a computer that can count that high? That fetishized "values voter" has seen through the looking glass and is repulsed at the view: so many worthless promises - so many vain protestations over "ethics" and "morals" - so much faith in leaders who play them for fools election after election.

And one big question: are all the powerful, elected, moneyed and noisy officials really representing their values?

Our Democratic candidates have history on their side, a freshness of ideas, vibrancy of purpose, a dagger of truth and, pardon my French....

The Knowledge that we can't possibly fuck things up as bad as Republicans have these last six miserable years.

Republicans will project their very own fears on our nation and state. They'll try to intimidate our citizens into voting that fear, into playing it "safe" again. But the fumes of their hatred won't take them much further. They've played out....they're sputtering....running on empty....with fuel for just one more drive.

Their indignation will refuel itself one day, the folly/tragedy of our history will repeat. Then we'll have that fight over again and have to fight it one more time.

CD-5: Will Lamborn-R Ever Stand for What's Right?

Ah Doug, caught on the badass, sharp and painful horns of a dilemma:

This past weekend, House Speaker Dennis Hastert visited Colorado Springs to campaign with Doug Lamborn and raise money for his race. At the same time, the Washington Post was breaking the story that Hastert had admitted knowing a year ago about inappropriate contact between Republican Congressman Mark Foley and a young boy serving as a page for the House.

Reports that Speaker Hastert knew about Foley's predatory actions, yet covered it up and left children to fend for themselves, have led even many national conservatives to call for Hastert's immediate resignation.

But Doug Lamborn, who was campaigning with Hastert as this national scandal was exploding, has said nothing.

Tell him to stand up for what's right, finally:

http://www.ProgressNowAction.org/HastertResign

Family Research Council Using DC Page Scandal to Bash Gays

It's modus operandi of these hateful bigots like Dobson, Perkins (both), and the FRC:

Family Research Council President Tony Perkins noted that so many people -- Republicans and Democrats -- are "shocked" by former Representative Mark Foley's sexually explicit instant messages to a teenage boy -- a House page at the time.

But we shouldn't be shocked, Perkins said: "This is the end result of a society that rejects sexual restraints in the name of diversity. If our children aren't safe in the halls of Congress, where are they safe? Maybe it's time to question: when is tolerance just an excuse for permissiveness?"

No, actually this problem is a result of the House Republican Leadership knowing about this exact problem and doing nothing about it.

Perkins said both political parties need to be more serious about protecting children from sexual predators. "We need public policy in our country that protects marriage, respects parental authority and aggressively polices boundaries around our children," he said.

Protects marriage from adultery, alcoholism, gambling, physical abuse, and those 2 guys down the street? Ask Tony Perkins, or Tom Young at MSNBC.

Bush to visit with Both Ways Bob Wednesday

They got a lot in common..........



Low polls being the most obvious.......

Pic submitted by Marshall Collins, Aurora, Colorado.

Do-nothing Doug Lamborn Downgraded

Doug has been downgraded by Congressional Quarterly (part of the vast left wing media conspiracy, no doubt).

They say:

It is serious resentment engendered by their nominee, state Sen. Doug Lamborn, during his hard-hitting campaign for the Aug. 8 primary that has made the open-seat race less than a slam dunk for the Republicans in the overwhelmingly conservative 5th — a south-central Colorado district (including Colorado Springs), where President Bush took 66 percent of the vote in 2004.

Lamborn went negative on Crank, with backup assistance from the conservative national group the Club for Growth, which endorsed Lamborn.

There would be no unity rally in the wake of the primary. Lamborn’s campaign so angered Hefley that he has refused to endorse the nominee, and was even reported to have briefly considered backing Democratic nominee Jay Fawcett, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel who served in the 1990-91 Iraq war.

Well, there was a unity rally; none but Lamborn looked too happy that he won.

The pre-primary [finanacial] reports filed with the Federal Election Commission showed that Lamborn had outdone Fawcett in total receipts, $411,000 to $196,000, as of July 19. But because Lamborn had to spent much more on his primary campaign — Fawcett was unopposed for his nomination — they were much closer at the time in remaining cash: $70,000 for the Republican to $65,000 for the Democrat. New figures including activity in the year’s third quarter, which ended Saturday, must be filed by Oct. 15.

Jeez, seems Doug can't do much right these days. And he won't dare speak up on the moral issue of the day. No wonder this race is prime for the picking-up.

Ken Salazar's Tortured Logic

The Gazette finally notices the nasty military tribunal bill that our glorious Senator Salazar voted for:

The bill sets up a system whereby those who have been detained can be tried in military commissions or tribunals rather than in civilian courts. It would allow prosecutors to introduce confessions obtained by “cruel, unusual or inhumane” interrogations before 2005 but not afterward. It would immunize government employees who may have violated the 1949 Geneva Conventions on permissible wartime activities or the 1994 War Crimes Act before 2005, but would impose tighter standards on interrogators in the future.

(That's retroactive immunity for Bush's illegal orders - Z)

Our objections to this bill do not revolve around specific provisions, many of which are still shrouded in vague language and governmental secrecy. It is to the idea that a country grounded in the concept of individual rights should think it necessary to suspend time-tested judicial procedures evolved over the centuries to ensure fairness and minimize arbitrary government actions in the name of a vague and ill-defined “war on terror” that could last for generations.

It is characteristic of tyrannical regimes to hold prisoners for long periods without charging them or giving them a chance to prove their innocence. It should not be the way the United States operates.

We have no illusions that treating prisoners in the terror war humanely will induce terrorists to behave humanely. The United States should behave humanely because that is what decent countries do, even in difficult exigencies.

When we depart from such standards, the terrorists have already won.

Thanks, Ken. You've bought into Bush's horrible planning, decisions and his weakness in honoring our constitution. If this was really the "best bill" we could get you shouldn't have voted for it.

Max Cleland Coming Again - this Wednesday!

War hero, military leader and former U.S. Senator Max Cleland will return to Colorado Springs this Wednesday October 4, in support of Jay Fawcett, Democratic candidate for Congressional District 5.

Cleland, a disabled veteran of the Vietnam War who was awarded the Silver Star and the Bronze Star for valorous action in combat, will be a special guest at the Colorado Veterans for America event at the Knights of Columbus Hall.

"Jay Fawcett is a decorated veteran who has the experience and ability we need in Washington, D.C.," said Cleland. "I am proud to support a man who has served his country with such honesty and integrity."

Details on the Colorado Veterans for America forum:

Wednesday, October 4, 2006
7:00pm to 9:00pm
Knights of Columbus Hall
567 Marquette, off Main Street
Security, Colorado

CD-5: Lamborns Accepts Hastert's Pledge, Ignores House Scandal

Dennis Hastert is the Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives. The highest position in that body.

Doug Lamborn is running for the Fifth District congressional seat that encompasses El Paso County.

Lamborn got punk'd by Hastert this past Saturday when he accepted a recommendation to the House Armed Services Committee from Hastert. That'd be if Do Nothing Doug wins, and if Hastert still has a job by then.

But the weird thing about Lamborn's press conference, and the 800-lb. gorilla in the room, was that Lamborn said NOTHING about House Leadership attempts to hide the Foley/Page sexual stalking and nothing about the ethics or principles of his potential mentors in the House of Representatives.

Let me repeat that:

Doug Lamborn said nothing at all about these events.

Yet he claims to be ethical, moral, Christian, and better than most.