And another one bites the dust: Democrat Ritter drops out of Colorado guv bid
They’re dropping like flies.
Or rats jumping ship.
Pick your creature.
First, Democrat Sen. Byron Dorgan announces his retirement tonight.
Now, Democrat Gov. Bill Ritter of Colorado is bowing out of his re-election bid. Via the Denver Post (h/t Kim Priestap):
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 to other Democrats, informing them of the decision.
Polls have shown that Ritter is trailing Republican and former U.S. Rep. Scott McInnis in the race.
Methinks the Villafuerte taint played a role.
***
Colorado blogger Ross Kaminsky weighs in on the post-Ritter picture for GOP gubernatorial candidate Scott McInnis and the anticipated Dem field:
So, my handicapping of a race between Scott McInnis and the Democrats are as follows:
1) John Hickenlooper beats McInnis by 5%.
2) McInnis beats Ed Perlmutter by 8%
3) McInnis beats Ken Salazar by 4%
4) McInnis beats Andrew Romanoff by 7%And if the rumor is false and Ritter does run for re-election, I think McInnis wins by 8%.
So, as I said earlier, if I were the GOP, I’d hope that John Hickenlooper finds, yet again, a reason not to run for governor.
Finally, as for Bill Ritter, don’t forget that he was one of the earliest big-name supporters of Barack Obama in Colorado. It would not surprise me if we see him get offered a position, whether a real job or something more ceremonial, by the Obama Administration, especially if it becomes clear that his withdrawal was orchestrated knowing that Hickenlooper would run to succeed him.
CBS4Denver adds:
Ritter did not return phone calls seeking reaction. Sources said Ritter called a news conference on Wednesday to announce his decision. A spokesman for Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., said she and Pat Waak, the state Democratic Party chairmwoman, would call a meeting of senior elected officials from Colorado on Wednesday to discuss how to go forward as a party.
Reaction from Republicans was swift.
“What a dramatic turn of events. He was a very weak incumbent and he wanted to get out on his own terms,” said Republican Party Chairman Dick Wadhams.
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Now to get rid of Denver mayor Hickenlooper…
Where did i put my laughing bag?
That’s makes three Dem governors that could run but aren’t – Wisconsin Gov. Jim “Craps” Doyle (WEAC/HoChunk-For Sale) and the placeholder Kansas Gov. Mark Parkinson.
Next: Scott Brown into Ted Kennedy’s senate seat, and “Coupe” DeVal Patrick out of the Mass. Governor’s office…
Do not rejoice. The Republicans are equally bad in their own way. That being said, can a candidate running on the Republican ticket help turn this country around? Yes – only if we hold their feet to the fire. Can a Democrat? Hell no. Republicans and Democrats are akin to Moses’ Pharaoh: For the first few curses, Pharaoh hardened his heart. For the last, God hardened his heart. Got it, Republicans? You darn sure better get on your knees and then fall on your face before the Almighty …confessing your evil-doing while wearing sack-cloth and ashes. Humble yourselves and be true servants of Liberty!!!
Quitter?
It only matters if these folks (particularly Dorgan) would STOP trying to ruin the country before they leave office. After all, that’s why they’re leaving, they know they’re ruining the country (state, etc.), but it’s just not that important to them (and tar and feathers await them if they try to get re-elected).
Too-shay!
Quite frankly these ‘drop outs’ are unsatisfying. I want to see them take it like they’ve been giving it to us.
Nevertheless, good riddance and thanks for nothing.
Ditto to Jet Jaguar’s sentiments.
I swore after 2008 I would never vote for another RINO or moderate. I don’t demand 100% agreement, but at the same time I can’t support a candidate who’ll drive the national bus toward the cliff at 30 mph instead of 70 mph. Direction is part of velocity, so if you’re “sort of” in the destructive direction, it doesn’t matter what speed you’re going, you’ll still get there eventually.
This should be sending a message but it will not. Dim leadership and 0bowma could care less, they are getting their legacy bill and nothing else matters.
This takeover of the process in spite of public opinion and even party members quitting is corruption at the highest level.
Even if the Dems/RINOs “do” what is detested by conservatives and those who are beginning to “see the light”, it is far, far from over with, Ladies and Gentleman.
Remember that.
Bingo. I’m only interested in candidates who will obey their oaths to follow the Constitution and are serious about national security.
Tea Party causalities …
Sorry, I just can’t get too excited about all the rats jumping….not with such shocking ignoramuses like Steele at the RNC.
GOP chairman doubts Republicans can retake House
.
Don’t start the victory dances yet!
The dems are clever enough to realize that the next election is going to be very rough on incumbents.
This is most likely just a way of dodging the axe.
With no incumbent in place for the Republicans to blame, the dem party has a MUCH better chance of holding on to their party seat count.
Individual seat holders are expendable.
The dems will present a lot of crap about doing things differently from the last guy … and the Republicans will have a near insurmountable uphill battle to capture the abandoned seats.
The repubs will have to equate the two demo-bastards as fellow party members to say that it is just more of the same crap … but will consequently then have to differentiate themselves as a party … which almost nobody right or left will believe.
No.
This move of abandoning candidates is actually fiendishly clever on the part of the dems, and is likely, in addition, to fool republicans into over-confidence … a huge plus for the left.
It is chess, and they are sacrificing pawns in order to hold territory. It is the right move for the dem party and the left.
My bet … their replacements will be even more leftist than the bastards leaving.
The dem plan … to hold the party seat count and move both houses further left. And this tactic is looking good from that point of view.
Gird your loins and start thinking fast and clear.
It is going to be a hellacious fight to get rid of the commie bastards we have in DC and their go-along-to-get-along idiot buddies on our side of the aisle.
These rats are just jumping ship to save having to spend money on a losing campaign.
joeblough is correct, and it looks like Dodd is following along.
Always look behind the obvious. Remember, these people are masters at kabuki.
Buh-bye now.
I’m not too fond of McInnis, I met him a couple of months ago. He says all the right things, but has a bit of used-car salesman about him. However, he’d be better than Ritter any day.
Too bad Penry didn’t stay in the race, he was the real conservative candidate.
I agree with many of you who will not be jumping for joy with this news. Not that this isn’t good news, but the Republican Party is just so damn lazy and stupid. They could have beaten BLOOMBERG had they’d run someone against him! They are WEAK and chicken. They’re not blue they’re yellow.You can’t blame it all on the media’s obvious blackballing of any Republican ideas and true Conservative candidates. The Party is to blame here from Federal to State and Local levels. The RNC has convinced themselves that they can’t win in certain districts and/or states and refuse to put ANY resources into those arenas whether those resources are actual candidates or money. New York is RIPE for the picking with BOTH Senate seats up (Gilibrainless’s seat is up for the rest of Hillary’s term and Shmucky Schumer’s seat is up). The New York Governor’s seat can be had by anybody willing to go after it. It is inexcusible that those posts aren’t being sought vigeruosly at this point in the campaign. With these seats and seats in Conn. and Mass. also ripe for a party change, the entire Democrat Party can be toppled. The North East is their corner stone. Attack. Attack. Attack.
I was fencer in high school. Saber. My school’s team was undefeated for years. We were feared throughout the country. Ramapo High School in Franklin Lakes NJ. Because of our reputation we would get many of the world’s top fencers come to our school and talk to us. The winningest Saber fencer (who sadly past away a few years ago) said that his victories were due to his conviction to always attack and never retreat. Period.
Let’s back some hard nosed, determined conservatives and take this country back. Let’s make 2010 a year that has it’s own chapter in history books.
God is Sovereign! There is hope for Colorado yet. Now to do something about The People’s Republic of Boulder…
Now it appears that Dodd won’t be running either. Now if we can get more to see that they are out, come election time, and get them to quit….
Right, jump for joy at their skipping town after burning it down. Too bad they didn’t leave last summer!
James Greenidge
Queens NY
Good for Colorado! Strike up the music.
Good riddance to Ritter, but if that clown Hickenlooper becomes governor, then Colorado is lost!
IMHO, McInnis is not a flaming liberal like Hickenlooper, but he is pretty much a “front range rino”, and no friend of farmers and ranchers. Once again, the lesser of two evils.
What has happened is our liberal democrat senators from areas where the constituents aren’t as far left as Pelosi’s are turning into suicide senators. After giving up hope and with nothing to lose, they are free to blow the American way of life to smitherines and ram bills like Demcare, Cap n’ Trade and amnesty for illegals down America’s throat.
Dung beetles abandoning the big ball of #%&* they themselves created.
Just remember this, though, it will be far easier to re-mold a RINO into more conservative images than it is to mold a Demoncrat into a thinking human being. With a weakened Bella-Pelosi at the helm (and without Reid at the rudder), there are far more opportunities to regain common sense.
Cancer leaving its host.
There are just not enough Tancredos to go around.
Chris Dodd will announce today he will not seek re-election. All of this proves they know the American people do not favor the legislation they are cramming down our throats. They know it. They vote for it anyway because for whatever other reasons, (Chris Dodd has known ethical problems) they won’t be re-elected anyway. RATS!
Do you have actual evidence of this or are you merely stating this as unproven theory? I have yet to see any evidence of this in fact being true in the real world.
Very well said.
I might add – and only selfish people don’t fight NOW to change direction. Many of them operate under the mantle of “at least so and so is not as bad as a D”. There are several who post here who use that logic all the time and they get rather agitated when we call them on it.
Thomas Lifson of American Thinker says Dodd will announce today he is not running for reelection.
Mrs. Nail49 said last summer that the Dudd would use his “illness” as an excuse to not run. Bring out the popcorn!
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2010/01/democrat_electoral_prospects_w.html
The rats are scurrying for the dark recesses.
They don’t want to be booted out by voters so they’ll toss in the towel to save face.
Perhaps where there are conservatives with potential, we’ll also see some RINO’s bow out. I’d like to see Snowe take a hike.
Newsweek threw out Haley Barbour as the anti-Obama possible conservative candidate for 2012.
Another ditto to Jet. Can we just have a do-over for all of them?
Too late to undo healthcare. Too late to undo the cardon tax coming our way. Too late to undo the new debt ceiling. Too late for too many things the liberals have rammed up the rear ends of our grand children.
You’ll want to add Chris Dodd to the ranks of the rats running down the ramp into political oblivion.
By the way, Glenn Beck said the other day that he knows someone working on something bigger than the ACORN scandal. The ACORN thing flopped a little because people weren’t tuned in and the media pushed it aside, but people ARE starting to tune in. I have “Reagan Democrat” (blue collar, trade union, which I do see as better than “service” union or “public employee” union because there’s a skill involved in the training) types of friends who’re starting to say stuff like “WTF? I thought you were crazy last year but you were right”
Is it possible that Dodd, Dorgan, Ritter, et al know that there’s a tsunami coming (other than what’s already out there)?
Not too late on the carbon tax. We have a better chance of stopping that totally ridiculous bill. We cannot, must not, concede on that or anything else.
The Communists have virtually won all their political and personal financial goals. To stay on now only risks the possibility of prosecution for corruption and treason. Out of sight out of mind.
We need to strenghten the Constitution first with regard to term limits and the budget and then begin prosecution of these criminals soon after. They cannot be allowed to skate away. I still believe as a matter of law and strategy the States attorneys general are critical to this process.
The Dodd retirement is bad news for you guys.
Blumenthal is running for the Dem’s and he is VERY popular in CT.
It does however, mean that they will ned to find someone new to run against Lieberman, but that is a little further down the line.
I agree. Much of this can be rolled back or shut down via the courts. All the more reason to press for constitutional reform to hamstring a runaway federal government. The Founders certainly never contemplated malfeasance and base criminality on such a scale as we are now witnessing.
We need big victories in 2010 and 2012.
Yes. Hard to gloat over this. Getting rid of Dodd does not mean CT is going red. They’re just changing horses.
Good riddance, and take Michael Bennet with you!
Excellent post.
That thought crossed my mind, also – but, I give you all due credit.
Essentially, the socialists are abandoning (or shooting?) their battle wounded, instead of carrying them along as encumbering, unnecessary baggage.
Sorry…not a serviceman; but, that appeared to me to be the best analogy/metaphor.
Joeblough: conservatives, traditionalists, America-lovers, and the GOP had better think about the points you raise and strategize accordingly.
I’m surprised they didn’t “throw out” John McCain’s name again. It worked for the Left last time. Barbour is an unsavory RHINO they would love to run against.
RINO
You guys are right on. This is a chess game and the Dems are winning, a war of attrition, and if Conservatives don’t act decisively we will be checkmated easily. Then forget about any legal or constitution remedies. Pack your bags for the gulag baby.
Dexter- I agree with you. Ritter is a chicken, but he can still do a lot of damage before next November just as the rest of the ship jumpers can and there will be no accountability. They can vote and/or take any kind of bribe they want. McGinnis is worse than a Denver Rino. When he was in congress he had his wife on the “payroll” amoung other shady dealings. I was quite disappointed when Penry bowed out. Not sure if I can bring myself to vote for McGinnis. As was said above, the lesser of two evils.
once the repubs come out to start meeting and greeting the people, IT’S TIME TO REMIND THEM OF WHO THE HELL THE BOSS IS! just like last august, go to town halls and convince them that being a democrat light is not acceptable. we are on the wrong track, as someone above said continuing on that track but at a sower speed still gets you over the cliff. the next congress must for the first time in history ACTUALLY CUT THE BUDGET, NOT JUST CUT THE GROWTH IN THE BUDGET. GOVERNORS MUST ALSO CUT THEIR STATE BUDGETS, AND QUIT SEEKING THE FEDS TO PICK UP THE OVERBUDGET MESS THEY ARE IN.
Unless you live in North Dakota, because that’s where we are putting it. If you already live there, we will allow you to move to South Dakota for time already served.
If the GOP in Colorado really had a pair, they’d work on getting Colorado Taxpayer Bill Of Rights (TABOR) architect Douglas Bruce as their nominee for Governor.
ConservativeRus – I was basing my premise on the fact that the RINO’s have little backbone, thus making them moldable to the way the political winds are blowing – if the wind blows hard enough, the RINO Tree can fall – don’t know if it actually will or not, but I have had it with voices not being heard. Maybe a RINO’s hearing is better than a donkey’s? Don’t know.
Living here, I haven’t noticed the supposed popularity of Blumenthal. Not saying he won’t win, but he’s annoyed plenty here.
Na, na, na, na – na, na, na, na Goodbye, Goodbye…now we Coloradans have a job to do to get the rest of these sleazy dems and other incumbents out of office. I’m afraid Ritter will be back looking for a congressional seat in DC.
At the end of the day, Ritter not running again doesn’t really matter. A year from now we’ll be inaugurating a new big-government governor, be it “Republican” Scott McInnis or some other tool.
If Hickenlooper (who I actually quite a lot) runs, he could win. He’s lib but a business man and pragmatic politician (whose wife champions causes of illegal immigrants as a lawyer.) I wouldn’t trust him not to toe the party line in Washington DC, but he might actually make a decent, though more lib than I’d like gov. On the other hand, I really don’t like Scott M. Oh dear. (Neat) person or (better choice for a more conservative) party (jerk?)
Whoops, should be,
Nixoid on the Douglas Bruce for gov thingie. He’s a bigger jerk than McGinnis. Bill Owens would be good and could probably win again but could run again? And, he seems to have dropped out of politics.
Douglas Bruce is someone people vote against, not for.
Another Obummer Dummycrat who was not only very unpopular but a scumbag never fit to be governor. I’ll never understand people in the state of Colorado, who call themselves “independent” but really don’t vote that way. Politicians who call themselves “Dems,” say they’ll be “independent” voices for Coloradans (like Bennett) are really nothing of the sort.
I lived in this state 3 years ago, and recently returned, and nothing has changed. There’s no real sense of self-reliance, especially in Denver and its over-bloated government. I don’t care how much of a “pragmatic politician” he is, Hickenlooper is another Dem politician who doesn’t have the sense any greater being in Outer Space gave him.
The sad truth about Colorado is that there is no true sense of “independence” or “frontier spirit” about it. Coloradans have taken to looking to Washington for the answers instead of looking for them locally. I’m of a mind that, unless my husband and I find really good jobs post-retirement (military) then we can pretty much live anyhere. I hear Alabama might be a nice place for a military couple to retire. I’ve lived there before and they practice what they preach. Their public schools might not be the best but at least they don’t use property taxes to fund schools that don’t work anyway.
Too many libs from the West and the East coasts have relocated to Colorado and have changed its political idenity to the peril of those who lived their entire lives here. It’s too bad. The Rocky Mountains are soothing but the politics and the people not so much.
.
I think we all have to bear in mind that this moment represents a sort of all-or-nothing final battle for the liberals, a sort of progressivist Armageddon.
The liberals, leftists, statists, communists, fascists, call them what you will, are making an all sides assault intended to nationalize a large fraction of the American economy, and clamp down extensive controls over much of the rest.
It is the realization of dreams they have been pursuing since the days of Woodrow Wilson.
And in this particular sense, Obama may indeed be a visionary leader (albeit an evil one) and is undoubtedly seen as such by his party and backers.
He will be demanding nothing less than total dedication and total fealty … right up to and beyond the self-sacrifice of his backers’ political careers if need be.
Listen even casually to his and their language about his presidency and you will see that this must be true.
These people are as serious as cancer and are within sight, indeed reach of their great common goal — the government control of America — and they are blood and bones dedicated to achieving it by any means necessary.
======================
Above all, do not underestimate the dedication, competence or ruthlessness of these people!
Need I remind anybody that in the 1930′s the German Nazis looked like a bunch of stumbling thugs and baggy-pants comics. They were not.
Obama did not defeat the Clinton political machine by being a directionless, stumbling fumble-bum.
He looks like a fool to us, because we keep attributing our priorities and intentions to him. And by those measures he would indeed be a fool.
Our priorities and intentions are not his.
His work lies elsewhere. And what look like failures to us, are from his side a natural negligence toward annoying, low-priority distractions.
================
So ask yourself if the politicians our side is fielding in your part of the woods are equal to the task ahead of them.
These are people who are WAY over-prepared, who have dedicated their lives to a cause, are passionately dedicated and desperately lustful for it’s achievement, and who practically have their fingers on the prize.
They have successfully deceived at least half of the American nation about who they are and what they are trying to do.
They may be hateful, but they know what they are doing and they are fiendishly good at it. Clever as the devil and just as dishonest … and completely confident and shameless.
Is your local representative equal to that encounter?
Are you sending a novice into a major exorcism?
Are you bringing a paring knife to a gun fight?
Look carefully. I beg you.
And ask the cold hard questions.
This is no time for delicate feelings.
You know full well what hangs in the balance.
And here I thought that was Bruce’s appeal. He’s not afraid to offend people. And the incident where he kicked a Rocky Mountain News press photographer while in the Colorado state legislature should have given some improved credibility with the public. After all, who in the press these days doesn’t deserve a swift kick in the backside?
I think Ritter was having a Tiger/Cheetah moment at his press conference. Time for him to dust off the resume and get a real job, he is going to get hosed by some Family law Judge.