'76 Blog

What is called in the law a Scotch verdict, an agnostic shrug of "not proved," is my sad and reluctant conclusion about next week's Republican primary for Governor of Colorado.  At present I cannot support either of the two candidates. I was intrigued with the businessman-outsider persona of dark horse Dan Maes, and went so far as to float the case for him in my Denver Post column last Sunday, posted here as "Maes and the Medicine."  But as the evidence mounts, I deem the case very insufficient. Dan Maes is not ready for prime time and seemingly not who he has claimed to be.  Scott McInnis has seen too much prime time, and Colorado is not ready for who we know him to be.  Which is regrettable for two public-spirited Coloradans, fundamentally decent men with devoted families -- and even more regrettable for our state, which so urgently needs the limited-government leadership a qualified Republican could provide right now.  Where does this leave us on the morning of August 11 when one of these two is officially the GOP nominee?  Attractive and viable options are slim to none. A ticket-replacement maneuver is imaginable but unlikely.  A plurality victory for Constitution candidate Tom Tancredo is also unlikely; Tom is my friend but won't get my vote.   Are we looking at a handshake from outgoing Gov. Bill Ritter to incoming Gov. John Hickenlooper next January, Democrats retaining power against all odds after botching things so badly the past four years?  What a pity if it comes to that.

('76 Editor) Tune in tonight, Thursday, Dec. 17 at 7pm on 710 KNUS in Denver and streaming at 710knus.com, when Centennial Institute presents the Republican finalists for Governor of Colorado, Scott McInnis vs Dan Maes. Recorded at Centennial's candidate forum on Nov. 3 and edited to reflect Josh Penry's exit from the race. McInnis leads incumbent Bill Ritter by 48-40 in the latest poll. What does the potential next governor have to say for himself? What makes Maes, the dark horse, run? Video highlights of both the Governor and Senator forums.

(Denver Post, Dec. 6) All that is covered shall be revealed, promises the Good Book.  It’s the perfect motto for America’s open society.  Secrets are fools’ gold.  Leaks will out.  Thanks to a leaker at East Anglia University, we now know climate change isn’t cooking the planet after all.  Climate alarmists are cooking the data. Meanwhile in Colorado, leakers are heating up the governor’s race.  A week after the election, someone scooped Josh Penry’s plan to end his candidacy against Gov. Bill Ritter. A week later, someone else scooped Scott McInnis’s plan to unify Republicans around an issue contract.  I’ve got this week’s leak. A confidential memo from inside the McInnis campaign showed up under my doormat. The authors call themselves the Skunk Works.  The address line says, “Eyes Only: Mighty Mac,” and the subject reads: “The Carter Question and the Treaty of Fifth Avenue.”  This is pure journalistic catnip, Pulitzer-quality stuff.  Let me quote: “Boss, to say you had a good November would be like saying Elway could pass a little.  Last month was terrific.  Overnight you’re the consensus nominee, endorsed by past and present GOP icons from Owens to Tancredo to Penry, and your Platform for Prosperity puts Republicans on offense with all three big issues – jobs, jobs, and jobs.  Plus the platform’s tough stance on taxes, spending, illegal aliens, and crime erases your Washington taint as an ex-congressman.  “Ritter is now the one weighed down with Beltway baggage and on the defensive for his linkage to an Obama stimulus that didn’t stimulate.  With total jobs in Colorado actually below 2006 levels, you can score big next fall with the old Jimmy Carter question on whether voters are better off than four years ago.  Obviously not, so it’s time for Mac at quarterback. “But since our job as Skunkers is to pipe in reality, not spin flattery, here’s the other side.  With this new platform appearing to be written for you by powerful rivals, you’re in the awkward position of Nixon in 1960 when his issues were dictated by Rockefeller.  Divisions over the so-called ‘Treaty of Fifth Avenue’ helped defeat the ticket.  We need to change the 2010 story line, and fast. “The potential winning message of the Platform for Prosperity is threatened by party grumbling and PR vulnerability.  Pundits, both left and right, scoff that our agenda is too vague to attract swing voters. Many of the GOP faithful are saying we prefer insider manipulation instead of inclusiveness.  Some worry that you won’t run hard on the platform, or fight for it if elected.  What’s the McInnis response? “To quiet the complaints on process, do three things.  Hold grassroots platform hearings with Republicans across the state.  Let assembly delegates choose your Lieutenant Governor, possibly Dan Maes.  And gain endorsements from Bob Schaffer and Bob Beauprez at whatever cost, finally healing the breach from your ’06 and ’08 jabs at them. “As for issues, Skunkers say go full throttle. Dramatize your platform with specifics.  For job creation, pledge to zero out the corporate income tax.  Colorado would boom!  Roll out ballot issues to fortify TABOR and to let health insurers from any state write coverage here. Dare the legislature next spring to pass a top-10 list of prosperity bills.  Call for voting down at least one member of our constitution-shredding Supreme Court, perhaps labor hack Michael Bender. “Remember, Boss – McCain lost the presidency partly because millions of people feared his moderate mushiness would doom American conservatism if he won.  If we don’t catch the wave of tea parties and townhalls, that could be your political obituary as well.  But channel your inner Palin the next 300 days, and Ritter’s job is yours!”