Author: Dean Toda
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‘Boulder Liberal’ vs. ‘Big Oil Bob’ for senate seat
Watching Bob Schaffer’s television ads or visiting his Web site, you’d think his opponent’s first name was Boulder. In every television and radio ad, in every mailing, Schaffer’s campaign for the U.S. Senate calls his foe “Boulder Liberal Mark Udall” on first reference and “Boulder Liberal Udall” on subsequent references. Dick Wadhams, Schaffer’s campaign manager…
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Voters on the hook of campaign ads
Call it Christmas in October. Mailboxes around the Pikes Peak region are overflowing with glossy, colorful mailings. But these mailings have a different sales pitch than Land’s End or Toys R Us catalogs, appealing more to fear than acquisitiveness. The aim of these ads is to hook your vote rather than your wallet. If you’re…
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McCain basks in Palin’s showing
PUEBLO • It could have gone down as Sen. John McCain’s first campaign appearance after it became clear he would not be the nation’s 44th president. But buoyed by a bullet-dodging performance by his vice presidential nominee Thursday, an ebullient McCain was back on the campaign trail Friday, telling a town hall gathering here that…
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POLITIGAB: Chamber weighs in on ballot measures
The Greater Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce issued a news release Tuesday saying it held an emergency board meeting in response to “behind the scenes” information that negotiations to remove four “anti-job, anti-business ballot” measures had failed. Gov. Bill Ritter and labor representatives have been discussing a deal in which the measures would be removed…
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Affirmative action once again on the hot seat
“We’re always going to have discrimination,” Ed Jones said. “But you don’t try to be a colorblind society by discriminating, and that’s what this thing was doing. It was discriminating against whites. It was discriminating against everybody else.”Jones, who is black, was talking the other day about affirmative action, the practice of giving consideration to…
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Bipartisan coffee klatsch is a no-go
Down in the Raven’s Nest, it was no contest. It’s a Democratic neighborhood, but Paul Fay, owner of Raven’s Nest Coffee at the corner of Institute and Boulder streets, had listed his debate watch party on johnmccain.com as well as barackobama.com. Perhaps there’d be a little partisan tension.A standing-room-only crowd, maybe 30 people, watched intently…
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End of an era for Colorado politics
Some recalled his 22 years as a state legislator and his term as president of the state Senate. Others spoke of his personal virtues and leadership ability, his mentoring and his friendship. “This state is a better state because of Ray Powers,” said Mike Feeley, who headed the Democratic opposition when Powers was Senate president.…
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Ritter says transportation will be top priority in 2009
As he sorts out his priorities for the 2009 legislative session beginning in January, Gov. Bill Ritter is banging the drum for making the state’s transportation issues Job One. “Transportation is fundamental to economic development,” Ritter said Monday at a meeting of the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce. “When we’re talking about companies coming here…
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GOP patriarch Ray Powers dies at 79
Ray Powers, who never finished high school but rose to become president of the state Senate and patriarch of the El Paso County Republican Party, died Friday. He was 79 years old. His granddaughter, Stephanie Hazelton, said the cause was congestive heart failure. After two years in the state House, Powers served 20 years in…
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13,000 at Obama rally in Pueblo
PUEBLO • A combative Barack Obama brought his campaign back to Colorado on Monday, telling audiences here and in Grand Junction that Sen. John McCain’s promise to change Washington is empty and that Obama is the only presidential candidate in touch with America’s economic problems and ready to do something about them. “In 19 months…