Free Republic

From:michael@huttner.orgTo: michael@huttner.orgDate: 2010-07-16 01:34Subject: how we just changed an entire Governor's race in 48 hours--without any fingerprints Dear Investors & Key Advisors, Wanted to send you a quick update... As you may have heard with the hard work of the folks at ProgressNow Colorado as part of Colorado¹s ³communication hub² they dug up weeks ago and carefully passed on information to the mainstream media on how the leading GOP candidate for Governor, former Congressman Scott McInnis plagiarized a report he provided on water policy for a foundation in Colorado. In the past 48 hours, McInnis and the entire Republican party...

It’s official. Media malpractice combined with disgruntled Muslim Republican family- who later defected to the Democrats- caused the GOP to lose the governor’s race in Colorado in 2010. The Colorado Supreme Court’s Attorney Regulation Counsel issued a report last week clearing the top Republican candidate of unsubstantiated charges made by the Denver Post and the Hasan family at the end of the campaign. The charges influenced the outcome of the election.A scan of the report can be found on Complete Colorado.  Sadly, the report came too late to give Republicans a real choice on who their nominee for governor would...

In the races for both governor and senator, the GOP is doing its best to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. If Colorado is a bellwether of national political fortunes, as many believe, then Republicans will be . . . well, they’ll be screwed. Unless some unlikely and unforeseen things happen, any chance of the GOP’s retaking the governor’s mansion in November was eradicated last Monday when erstwhile Republican Tom Tancredo announced that he would jump into the race on the Constitution party’s ticket. That party’s platform includes, among other, um, robust right-of-center positions, retaking the Panama Canal. Tancredo...

Former U.S. Representative ... A Republican running for governor of Colorado says he'd pursue an Arizona-style immigrant crackdown if elected. Republican candidates nationwide are talking about the Arizona law. Also Wednesday, a Republican running for governor of Minnesota called the law "a wonderful first step" on a St. Paul radio station. Texas Republicans have also vowed to copy the law.

Amazon’s move to drop its Colorado associates so soon after Gov. Ritter signed a new law creating a so-called “Amazon tax” is regrettable – but not shocking. There were plenty of signals that repealing a tax exemption for online retailers would face legal challenges and possibly just such a move as Amazon launched today. The Post editorial board was among critics who warned the new law looked awfully problematic for such little gain . John Hickenlooper missed a golden opportunity in not weighing in on this tax. Score one for McInnis. Suddenly he looks like the prescient one while Denver’s...

You should never annoy a cop. As a working lawyer in the suburbs with a criminal docket, it has been my sad experience over the years to have clients who insist on going to trial for a misdemeanor crime. At trial, it is my guy’s word against the cop’s. The jury hears the defendant’s pitch and then hears from the cop. The cop is simply doing his duty. He isn’t out to get anyone. The client wants to get off of the rap for the crime he has committed. The party’s motives come into play. My experience is that the...

Gov. Bill Ritter is planning an 11 a.m. press conference Wednesday at which he is expected to announce that he will withdraw from the race for governor, numerous sources close to Ritter confirmed tonight. The governor's office made calls to the Colorado Senate president and Speaker of the House to ask about their availability to attend the press conference. At the same time, Washington, D.C. blogs were reporting that Ritter would drop out of the race for governor. Repeated calls for comment to Ritter's staff and communications director were not returned tonight. The governor was said to be making calls...

State Sen. Josh Penry intends to drop out of the race for governor. Penry, 33, of Grand Junction, is facing former U.S. Rep. Scott McInnis and Evergreen businessman Dan Maes for the Republican nomination. But Penry has been meeting with people today to let them know he would leave the race. One source said an announcement was imminent and that Penry met with McInnis Monday morning to inform him of the decision. Penry explained he was leaving the race for "personal reasons," the source said. Penry collected about $400,000 in his first quarter of fundraising, coming in second to McInnis'...

A small group of local residents has a vision for a portion of the Colorado River that includes shaded places to rest and a return to the native ecosystem. It’s a dream the 80-some members of the Friends of McInnis Canyons hope others will share. For too long, invasive tamarisk trees have dominated the riverbanks along the 25-mile stretch between the Loma boat ramp and Utah’s Westwater section in Ruby Canyon and Horsethief Canyon. As tamarisk beetles work to kill the water-guzzling species, an effort is under way to replant Freemont cottonwood trees to help return the area to its...

Former congressman Scott McInnis took the first major step in his gubernatorial bid Wednesday, filing paperwork with the Colorado Secretary of State’s office to create his campaign committee and begin raising funds. “We need to strengthen taxpayer protections, not tear them apart,” he said. “And we need a climate where Colorado is once again a magnet for small business and entrepreneurs, not a state that demonizes companies that offer family-sustaining jobs — and revenue.”

Former Congressman Scott McInnis has officially entered the 2010 gubernatorial race with little fanfare... The secretary of state's office confirmed that the Republican turned in his paperwork Tuesday afternoon. McInnis has traveled the state building support for his campaign in recent weeks and launched a phone campaign.

Former Governor Bill Owens' three children are inviting people to a meet-and-greet for former Republican congressman Scott McInnis, who's thinking about running for governor. McInnis served in the U.S. House for six terms. He and a fellow West Slope Republican, state Sen. Josh Penry, have expressed interest running for governor next year.

Democrat Bill Ritter rode an anti-Republican sentiment into the governor's office in 2006, but a new poll suggests he might have a much harder time in his re-election bid. In the survey of 1,050 likely Colorado voters, Ritter's disapproval ratings are higher than his approval ratings among all voters, including Hispanics and the most crucial bloc of all in Colorado politics: unaffiliated voters. Ritter ... most likely will face one of two Grand Junction Republicans next year: former Congressman Scott McInnis or Senate Minority Leader Josh Penry. The poll shows McInnis beating Ritter, 48-41, and Ritter barely edging Penry, 40-42....

Former Congressman Scott McInnis has been saying for weeks that it's too early to announce whether he's running for governor next year, but privately he's telling his friends: "I'm in." McInnis made that clear when he schmoozed with fellow Republicans at a state GOP dinner and committee meeting over the weekend, and in talks in recent weeks. "He told me he was in," said state Rep. Ellen Roberts, R-Durango, after talking to McInnis on Friday night at the GOP dinner. "I said great. I've known Scott for years, and he certainly has a strong presence," Roberts said. State Rep. Scott...

ARLINGTON, Va. -- Rep. Shelly Moore Capito , R-W.Va., former Virginia Governor and Senator George Allen, former Congressman Scott McInnis , R-Colo., and RNC Chairman Mike Duncan will announce on Wednesday the McCain-Palin campaign's Coalition to Protect Coal Jobs, a nationwide group including members of Congress, state government and other leaders. Organizers said the coalition will help spread the message about the importance of clean coal technology and the advantages of tapping the country's vast coal reserves. As part of John McCain's "all of the above" energy plan, the Lexington Project, clean coal will be a strong component of the...

Former Grand Junction Congressman Scott McInnis said Delta County Commissioner Wayne Wolf’s decision to vie for the Republican nomination for outgoing Sen. Wayne Allard’s seat could be bad for the party. McInnis, who was briefly the only Republican candidate in the 2008 Senate race, said Wolf’s candidacy could prove more of a “distraction” than an asset for the Colorado GOP next year. “I think he’s a fine guy,” McInnis said. “I’m just worried at this point that a primary is going to serve as a distraction to the primary target, which is Mark Udall, and that the Republicans, in order...

Former Rep. Bob Schaffer (R-Colo.) said Saturday at a Lincoln Day Dinner that he would run for U.S. Senate in 2008... Speaking at a small dinner in Teller County, Schaffer told a crowd of about 100 ... “He announced that we were the first to know that he is a candidate,” said County Commissioner and former county Republican Party Chairman Bob Campbell. Campbell added that Schaffer said a formal announcement and release would be coming at a later date. Current Teller County Republican Party Chairman Mark Sievers also confirmed Schaffer’s announcement: “He did say that. He was unequivocal.”

Scott McInnis, the former U.S. representative from western Colorado, drew fire for his work for an energy company just as he filed papers declaring his potential interest in the U.S. Senate. McInnis, a six-term representative, on Monday filed papers for his exploratory committee for the Senate seat being left vacant in 2008 by fellow Republican Wayne Allard. Front Range-based ProgressNowAction on Tuesday attacked him as “McLobbyist” and derided his actions as a lawyer for EnCana, one of the two biggest drilling companies operating in the Piceance Basin. The assault was similar to one launched six years ago by Allard supporters...

Ex-congressman files paperwork, says unity is key. Former Colorado Rep. Scott McInnis took a first formal step Monday toward running for the seat being vacated by U.S. Sen. Wayne Allard... The Grand Junction Republican announced he is forming an exploratory committee and has filed necessary paperwork. He said he does not expect to make a formal announcement until later this year. "We're at the very beginning of this,"... McInnis said he is starting to assemble a campaign... McInnis has been mentioned as a possible candidate for the seat since Allard announced in January that he would keep a term-limit pledge...

A spokeswoman for presumed 2008 U.S. Senate candidate Scott McInnis said Tuesday the former congressman hopes to avoid a messy, divisive primary in the vein of 2006’s primary battle between Republican gubernatorial hopefuls Bob Beauprez and Marc Holtzman. Susan Smith, a spokeswoman for the former Grand Junction congressman, said McInnis was hoping the party will unite behind his candidacy. “The concern is that it would cause further damage to the party,” Smith said of a primary. “We want to learn from the past couple election cycles.” McInnis, who has all but formally announced his candidacy, could find himself pitted against...