Gregory Carlson

First off, I would like to thank everyone for a great year.  We accomplished many things and made some significant improvements over previous years.  We built this awesome new website, hosted several candidates as guest speakers, and even raised more money than all other chapters–including the State Board–combined!

Jess Johnson, Vice Chairman

So with that said, I am pleased to announce the results of our chapter elections held earlier this evening.  Current chairman Gregory Carlson was unanimously reelected for the 2010-2011 school year, and we couldn’t be luckier to have someone like him at the helm.  Likewise, Jess Johnson, currently serving as Treasurer, was elected as Vice Chairman, and Christopher Collins and Amanda Markert, each of whom played a prominent role in our victory in the eSwarm fundraising competition earlier this year, were elected as Treasurer and Secretary, respectively.

Several of us will still be here and staying active throughout the summer, so if you’re interested in getting involved in a campaign or helping the College Republicans, please let us know.  We are more than happy to help you with that.  Otherwise, we look forward to seeing you next semester.  We’re going to make an impact on the 2010 elections so that we can celebrate a Republican sweep in Colorado!

Thank you again for your role in making this year a success, and good luck on finals!

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This Saturday, College Republicans from across the state will be attending the annual Colorado Federation of College Republicans (CFCR) State Convention.  The purpose of this meeting is to conduct the official business of the CFCR;  chiefly, electing new state officers for the coming year.

President of the College Republicans at CU-Boulder Gregory Carlson will be seeking election as Secretary of the state federation.  Our chapter has been allotted 12 voting delegates by the Credentials Committee.  If you are interested in becoming a voting delegate to the convention, please let us know immediately.  We encourage each and every one of you to join us.  There will be many like-minded students from across Colorado, as well as candidates for virtually every federal and statewide office.  This is a unique opportunity to meet current and future leaders of Colorado and the Republican Party.

Check-in for this event begins at 8:30am, and the Call to Order is at 9am.  We will be meeting for a car pool outside the UMC at 7:30am.   Please let us know ahead of time if you plan to be there so we can make sure there is room for everyone.  We will break for lunch around noon, and the convention will last until about 2pm in the afternoon.

An explanation of the process Nancy Pelosi and Democrats are using to take away your healthcare.

The Senate’s health care reform bill will likely be taken up (sort of) by the House this weekend, and the following amendment has been proposed to prepare the legal challenge that will very likely ensue should the House “deem” the Senate’s bill passed.  I encourage all of you to read it and make sure you understand just how badly Barack Obama, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, and the Democrats in Congress are shredding the Constitution in order to impose the single most destructive bill to the American Republic in at least the last half century.

START OF TEXT OF THE AMENDMENT:

Unprinted Amendment No.___ .

Intended to Proposed by Mr. _________.

Viz:

Add at the end of the bill the following new Section:

“Sec.___ . a) Inasmuch as Sections Five and Seven of Article I of the United States Constitution mandate a certain process for the enactment of a federal law and do not allow a measure to become a law by “deeming” it passed by either House of Congress, it is the Sense of the Senate and its judgment that the House of Representatives is required by the Supreme Law of the United States, to vote directly and up or down on H.R. 3590 in order to send that measure lawfully to the President, if, and only if, it shall have been approved by a majority vote of each such House taken on an identical measure; and, more particularly, it is the Sense of the Senate that, in conformity with Article I of the Constitution, the House of Representatives, unless the measure is returned to the Senate with an Amendment by the House, must vote directly on the language sent to it by the Senate precisely as it was duly enrolled at the direction of the Senate by its Enrolling Clerk, certified as an Act of the Senate by the Secretary of the Senate, and thereupon transmitted by the Senate’s Messenger to the House Chamber while the House of Representatives was in actual Session.

b) It is the further Sense of the Senate that the exact words that the Senate caused to be enrolled on parchment and taken by messenger to the House of Representatives, constitute the sole document and the only document upon which Members of the House can lawfully cast their vote, whether Yea or Nay, under the process expressly mandated by the United States Constitution; and it is also the Sense of the Senate and its judgment that to do otherwise by “deeming” rather than voting would void any purported enactment, deprive it of the force of law, justify disobedience to it, and cause irreparable violence and harm to our system of government and its fundamental law through fraud, deception, abuse of power, and usurpation of the civil rights of the People.

c) This Section maybe cited as the “Congressional Voting Rights Resolution.”.

END OF AMENDMENT TEXT.

Tonight, thousands and thousands of Coloradans came out to caucus for their preferred candidates.  It was only the first step in the long road that will ultimately allow the parties to narrow down their candidate fields for the primary election, but an important one nonetheless.

First of all, we would like to say ‘thank you’ to all of the College Republicans who came up huge at the last minute by overseeing caucus locations!

Now, what can we take away from tonight?  It appears that Ken Buck eked out a VERY narrow victory statewide in the Senate straw poll, pulling in 38%, while Jane Norton also received approximately 38%.  Tom Wiens was selected by 16% of caucus-goers.

For the Governor candidates, front-runner Scott McInnis was able to stave off a win by opponent Dan Maes, receiving 60% of the vote to Maes’ 39%.

It appears that Buck and Maes, both considered huge underdogs, have struck a chord with their more conservative message.  It will be interesting to see how things proceed from here, though you can be sure that none of the major candidates will consider March 16th the “knockout punch” in their respective races.

And just in case you’re wondering, the appointed incumbent Democratic Senator Michael Bennet was actually trounced in the Democratic Senate straw poll, losing by a 51%-42% count to former Speaker of the Colorado House Andrew Romanoff.  Most pundits have criticized Romanoff for an apparent lack of message, and an all-around poorly run campaign.  They have also noted how severely under-funded he is to be challenging an establishment candidate with all the luxurious benefits of incumbency.  However, he was expected to do well (perhaps not as well as he did) in the precinct caucuses because of his widespread, motivated base within the Colorado Democratic party.

The one major thing I would note is that this huge upset win comes in spite of the fact that Bennet has received a full endorsement from Barack Obama, and has been playing up his liberal credentials.  This is especially true on health care reform, an issue with which he has advocated the use of reconciliation to pass legislation that includes a public option.  Perhaps you can call it anti-incumbency, perhaps it means the Colorado Democratic party is shifting to the right, and perhaps it’s Obama’s reverse-Midas-touch.  I’m most inclined toward the latter, but I’ll let you be the judge.

Check out ColoradoCaucus.com for up-to-date results on the Democratic caucus straw poll, or ColoGOP.org for the Republican caucus straw polls.

The Colorado Daily is reporting that the CU Board of Regents is set to vote on a 9% tuition increase for next year.  The meeting is scheduled for tomorrow (Wednesday).  It is unclear how the votes will shake out.  In recent years, tuition increases have been approved.

Republican Tom Lucero (CD-4), who is currently running for the United States House of Representatives in Colorado’s 4th Congressional District, has been one of the most reliable votes against tuition hikes.  Democrat Michael Carrigan (CD-2), who represents the district in which Boulder resides, has been a supporter of increases, but says that this year his vote will depend on his perception of whether or not the University is “sharing the pain” of the students.

Although the issue of tuition increases is on the agenda, a vote may be delayed for some time.

From the Colorado Daily:

The University of Colorado regents are holding a just-announced meeting Wednesday to discuss and possibly vote on a 9 percent tuition increase for students on the Boulder campus.

“The intent is to vote on tuition,” said Regent Tom Lucero, who would not yet say how he’d vote. In past years, Lucero has voted against tuition increases but has been in the minority.

The administration is proposing a 9 percent tuition increase for in-state students, said CU system spokesman Ken McConnellogue. For CU’s College of Arts and Sciences, which charges $6,153 for in-state tuition this year, a 9 percent increase would translate to an extra $554.

Read the whole thing here.

If you’ve been paying attention to politics, even loosely, for the last year (or even the last month or two), you know the political landscape has become much more friendly to conservatives than it was during the 2008 elections. But if you weren’t aware of the extent to which this is true, you need only watch the latest campaign ad from Blanche Lincoln (D-AR). Remember–she isn’t in the midst of a general election. She is running this ad to appeal to DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY VOTERS.

The Conference on World Affairs is hosting its annual Dean Reed Peace Prize essay contest.  First, the good part:  There is a $1,000 prize for the winner.  Now, to CWA for the details:

TOPIC: “Peacemaking Redefined”

The Conference on World Affairs is proud to announce this year’s DEAN REED PEACE PRIZE ESSAY CONTEST, open to all undergraduate students at the University of Colorado at Boulder.  The $1000 prize will be awarded to the best essay on the subject “Peacemaking Redefined.”

Essays should be 8-10 pages in length and show a breadth and depth of both knowledge and research in addressing the essay topic.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS: Monday, March 29, 2010 by 5pm at the Conference on World Affairs office, 1344 Grandview Avenue, UCB 465, Boulder, CO 80309-0465.

For more information on this year’s Dean Reed Peace Prize, contact Graham Gerritsen:

Office: 303.492.2515
Fax: 303.492.3934
E-mail: cwapress@colorado.edu
Website: www.colorado.edu/cwa

Keynote Speaker Dr. Robert Kaufman

On April 7th, the Boulder County Republicans will be hosting their annual Lincoln Dinner.  This event begins with a cocktail and social hour as well as a silent auction, followed by a semi-formal dinner.  ”After five” attire is suggested.  The dinner will feature candidates for various offices in 2010 as speakers, as well as a keynote speaker.

MAKE YOUR RESERVATION

This year’s keynote speaker is Dr. Robert Kaufman, a political scientist specializing in American foreign policy, national security, and international relations.  He is also the author of In Defense of the Bush Doctrine:  Moral Democratic Idealism & American Grand Strategy.

MAKE YOUR RESERVATION

Entrée selections include Mushroom Tortellini (Mushroom tortellini served with a light basil cream and truffle essence) and Tuscan Chicken (Chicken breast stuffed with ricotta cheese, sun dried tomatoes, and spinach, finished with a pesto cream).

MAKE YOUR RESERVATION

The cost for this event is $57.50 per person.  Reservations are due by March 27th, at which point the cost will increase and additional reservations will be subject to availability.  Priority seats with VIP hosts (candidates, retired elected officials, etc…) are also available at a price of $75 per person.

MAKE YOUR RESERVATION

Former Congressman Bob Beauprez (CO-7) will serve as Master of Ceremonies.  The event will be held at the Millennium Harvest House in Boulder.  Please contact us with questions.