Western Conservative Summit 2012, Centennial Institute's third annual rally on the right, drew 1500 delegates for a stellar speaker lineup at the Denver Hyatt on June 29-July 1. From Glenn Beck's opening speech to the closing call to action by Dick Morris, it was a weekend to remember. See details and order DVDs at www.westernconservativesummit.com.
Romney coming on strong
Mitt Romney seems more likely to win the White House as economic woes dog Obama, says John Andrews in the June round of Head On TV debates. Maybe; but both candidates must give us something to vote for, not just against, objects Susan Barnes-Gelt. John on the right, Susan on the left, also go at it this month over congressional races, year-end tax hikes, the Syrian crisis, and Aurora's corporate welfare. Head On has been a daily feature on Colorado Public Television since 1997. Here are all five scripts for June: 1. OBAMA FALTERS AS ROMNEY GAINS
Susan: This fall’s presidential race is shaping up as one of the most negative, least substantive in decades. Neither your guy – Willard Mitt; nor mine – President Obama, is talking about vision or priorities for the next 4 years. I want to vote FOR someone. Not against the other guy.
John: Obama tried the vision thing before. Look where that got us – stuck in the ditch economically. Desperate now to change the subject, his priority is divisiveness and fear. Romney’s priority is sound economic policy to put Americans back to work and decisive leadership to restore confidence in the presidency. He will win.
Susan: Romney – the guy who thinks Russia is the biggest threat to America’s security; young people should simply borrow money from their parents to pay for college and believes government power should be limited to the bedroom? Yes, he’s not Obama. That’s not enough.
John: The June economic slowdown is grim news for America’s hard-working families, and for our ill-qualified president, Mr. Obama. Even the liberal media is pleading with him to engage on the economy, but he hasn’t a clue of what to do. Ridicule and personal slurs won’t keep voters from flocking to businessman Romney this fall.
2. CONGRESSIONAL SEATS IN PLAY
Susan: Colorado may see Congressional upsets this November. Historically Republican CD-6 may go to Dem Joe Miklosi. Demographic shifts and missteps by incumbent Mike Coffman could be fatal. CD-3 Incumbent Repub Scott Tipton better get his foot out of his mouth or lose to challenger Sal Pace.
John: What a brilliant idea – electing the entire House every two years. It forces congressmen to pay attention to we the people. As does the two-party system. Even as a Republican, I say thank goodness for Democrats. If Obama carries Colorado, Coffman and Tipton may lose. If Romney does, Perlmutter may lose.
Susan: Dream on! CD 7 is a competitive district and a younger, moderate R might be able to beat incumbent Ed Perlmutter. But Joe ‘I am not a beer’ Coors, ain’t it. Blinded by greed, this experienced businessman lost millions in an investment fund, promising a 75% weekly return. Get real!
John: You’re such fun to spar with, Susan. But I thought the D after your name stood for Democrat, not “derogatory. Pick on the Coors and they’ll never sell you another glass of suds. I repeat: if Obama carries Colorado, Dems knock off Tipton. If Romney wins here, Republicans defeat Perlmutter. Stay tuned!
3. AURORA JILTED ON GAYLORD PROJECT
John: What a fiasco. Gaylord Entertainment has walked away from the Aurora convention complex that had local and state officials shoveling out hundreds of millions in taxpayer subsidies. But Gaylord is not to blame. The whole scam of corporate welfare is rotten to the core. It’s just a Colorado hometown version of Solyndra.
Susan: The massive Gaylord subsidy is a pathetic game of blind man’s bluff. Aurora electeds and state officials chose not to examine public information about Gaylord’s weak financial position, shareholder unrest and poor performance. The bluff was great for a few Gateway property owners – awful for Coloradans.
John: Government has no business picking winners and losers this way. Not in cities, or states, or DC. It is always a net subtraction from wealth creation and higher living standards – always. My Republican friends erred with their bill for a bigger tourism slush fund. Hickenlooper did well in vetoing it.
Susan: If the guv and the legislature turn their hearing aids on, they’ll realize a majority of voters despise this type of special interest giveaway. It’s a zero sum game – pitting local communities against one another at the expense of the whole state. Kill the Gaylord deal and the RTA.
4. US MILITARY INTERVENTION IN SYRIA?
John: Suddenly candidate Obama is playing the tough guy. First it’s drone strikes against Al Qaeda, then it’s a killer virus in Iran. But his amateurish handling of the so-called Arab Spring actually empowered the Islamic radicals. He missed a chance for regime change in Tehran. Should we now attack Syria? No.
Susan: You’re half-right: we shouldn’t attack Syria. Dependence on Mid-East oil has skewed our foreign policy for 50 years. Investment in renewables and an increased focus on resources in Brazil, Canada and the US suggest our marriage of convenience with the mid east may be heading for divorce court.
John: Obama the drone warrior, personally executing suspected terrorists to avoid interrogating them, is a showboat not a statesman. In Libya he boasted of leading from behind. In Egypt he gave billions to the Muslim Brotherhood. US interests are worse off as a result. This bumbler must go. Meanwhile, no war on Syria.
Susan: So you think putting American troops in grave danger on the ground, in brutal combat with insurgents and suicide bombers makes more sense than strategic – and highly successful – targeted drones? That’s a joke. Right? Why don't we simply go back to cannons and swords?
5. TAXMAGEDDON & DEBT CEILING LOOM Susan: Once again, our ridiculous excuse for a governing body – the United States House of Representatives – is engaged in the phony charade over the debt ceiling and tax increases. Set against the fragile world economy – most of these ideologues should go home and find REAL work!
John: Speaker John Boehner and the Republican House are absolutely correct in getting started this summer to head off a killer tax hike and more unwise borrowing that will occur this winter unless Congress acts. It’s good policy to help that fragile economy, and good politics to frame the choice for voters.
Susan: Partisan Russian roulette is no way to calm anxious investors and business people, uneasy about what’s happening in Europe and fed up with the shenanigans of politicians. Both parties should embrace Simpson / Bowles and come up with a balanced long-term approach to investment and debt reduction.
John: According to Obamanomics, an Armageddon array of tax increases on Jan. 1 and another Greek-style trip to the Chinese debt window is just what business needs. Except business doesn’t think so. Hence the awful economic numbers in May. Employers are already hunkering down. Make the Democrats sweat this one out, Mr. Speaker.
Brian Davidson for CU Regent
I will vote for Brian Davidson in the Republican primary for CU Regent. After earlier endorsing Matt Arnold, whom I still consider a friend, I must now withdraw my endorsement. Arnold's erratic and evasive handling of the Arapahoe email fraud is a forfeiture of trust. We need a higher standard of judgment and probity in our elected officials than what he has demonstrated.
It saddens me to take this action, because Arnold has significant potential for public office. But so does Davidson, and his potential is ready to realize now. With the other candidate, who can be sure?
Government hostility to religion keeps mounting
(Denver Post, June 3) The Founders wouldn’t believe it. The Colorado Court of Appeals says the governor may not proclaim an official day of prayer because of a clause in the state constitution prohibiting that “any preference be given by law to any religious denomination or mode of worship. This novel interpretation would come as a surprise not only to the governors who have issued such proclamations dating back many years, but also to the authors of that very constitution, who declared in its preamble their “profound reverence for the Supreme Ruler of the Universe.” They couldn’t have intended the religious preference clause to become a barrier to state action encouraging Coloradans to seek that Supreme Ruler’s favor. Good to know that Gov. John Hickenlooper has directed Attorney General John Suthers to appeal the ruling to the state Supreme Court, which should surely overturn it based on logic and precedent.
But wait; did I say “surely”? When it comes to religion and politics, church and state, nothing is sure any more. Also headed for the state Supreme Court is an ACLU challenge to Douglas County parents using their own tax dollars to educate their own children in (horrors) faith-based schools.
Meanwhile at the legislature we’ve seen both political parties consider divorcing the legal definition of marriage from its time-honored theological definition. The rationale for gay civil unions was put this way by Hickenlooper: “We don’t believe we should legislate what happens inside a church or place of worship, but government should treat all people equally.”
Leaving aside the vexed question of how the law recognizes different kinds of couples, look what the governor is saying in that sentence BEFORE the comma. He implies that government’s power over you and me stops only at the church door. This echoes a theme from President Obama, whose speeches always refer to “freedom of worship,” not “freedom of religion.”
What’s the difference? Freedom of religion includes the individual right of conscience in conduct outside of church – exactly what secular theocrats are trampling on with the HHS mandate for Catholic and evangelical institutions to provide drugs for contraception or abortion, in violation of their allegiance to God.
“The Supreme Ruler of the Universe,” you see, is no longer acknowledged as a reality under the dominant liberal consensus. He, or it, is now treated as just an outmoded notion which backward folk are allowed to preach about in their sanctuaries – but to whom they must no longer render homage by public word or deed. That homage is now supposed to be Caesar’s alone.
Where is all this leading? For over a millennium and a half, ever since the Emperor Constantine in 312 A.D., Christians in Europe and eventually America have been accustomed to friendly treatment by civil government. But that is over, over there, and may soon be over with here.
The Church of State, as my Colorado Christian University colleague Kevin Miller calls it in his important book “Freedom Nationally, Virtue Locally,” is setting up as the one and only religious establishment. I won’t say get used to it, because we never should. It must be fought.
But we who honor the God of the Bible had better gird ourselves, for this will get worse before it gets better. We’d better study the persecuted church, thriving in China and Africa; our own time may be coming. We must realize, as the Founders knew, that America is not in the Bible. Americans are, however. It holds vast wisdom and warning for us.
As the Constantinian settlement – itself quite unscriptural – passes away, a good place to start would be Jesus’ own rule: “Render to Caesar, render to God.” That balance, the only safe harbor for faith and freedom, was lost in Christendom centuries ago. It is now ours to rebuild.
Sheriff Obama? Not so much
The President has failed on national security and can't credibly campaign as a tough guy, says John Andrews in the May round of Head On TV debates. Just the opposite, replies Susan Barnes-Gelt: in eliminating bin Laden and removing Qadhafi, Obama has proved the strongest commander-in-chief since FDR. John on the right, Susan on the left, also go at it this month over Romney's chances, Denver's budget woes, and how to help the homeless. Head On has been a daily feature on Colorado Public Television since 1997. Here are all Four scripts for May: 1. SHERIFF OBAMA? NOT SO MUCH
John: Obama was deservedly condemned by left and right after he crudely politicized the anniversary of Bin Laden’s death. This president has failed on national security. His swagger is unconvincing as well as tasteless. He has dangerously slashed our defenses. He has been weak against Iran’s nuclear ambitions and the Muslim Brotherhood.
Susan: President Obama has consistently performed on National Security. In four years, Obama has foiled several attacks on the US, killed the 9/11 master-mind – Bin Laden - and dozens of key operatives, eliminated Quadafi and begun an orderly withdrawal from Afghanistan. He’s the toughest commander-in-chief since FDR.
John: I got the talking points. Now let’s be real. FDR knew who the main enemy was, mobilized massively and gained victory over the Axis. Reagan knew his main enemy, rearmed, and won the Cold War. Obama seeks to disarm. He doesn’t want victory. He’s clueless about our enemy in Iran.
Susan: I sincerely hope Willard and the Wing-nuts make the President’s foreign policy the centerpiece of their campaign. Doing so serves a dual purpose: reengages lefty libs who worry Obama’s caved to the generals and proves beyond reasonable doubt that Romney desperate and hopelessly out of touch.
2. ROMNEY GAINING BY THE DAY
John: Challenger Mitt Romney has the White House worried, and with reason. The former governor has economic savvy and leadership that the former professor can’t match. GOP rivals are closing ranks with Romney, while key Democratic voting blocs are underwhelmed with Obama. November will be close, but the incumbent’s in trouble.
Susan: Which Romney? Anti-auto bailout Romney, now taking credit for US auto rebound? Innovative Gov. Romney author of the first public healthcare program? Entrepreneur Romney who made a fortune in the US, but has untold investments abroad? Conservative Romney? Moderate Mitt? Liberal Willard? Who is that masked man?
John: Cute, Susan. Sort of Jon Stewart in a skirt. But the problem for you Democrats is that it’s very hard to win an election like this one, where the incumbent seeks a second term amid economic distress and looming war clouds. It’s a referendum on Obama, and Romney is gaining by the day.
Susan: It’s a long, long while from May to November – which is good for Romney who’d better figure out who he is, what he stands for and why. Obama continues to face challenging times: a lackluster recovery, uncertainty abroad and the public’s disgust with politics. But . . .you can’t beat something with nothing.
3. SHOULD DENVER RAISE TAXES?
Susan: Denver Mayor Michael Hancock must address structural problems in Denver’s operating budget. Fixed expenses – largely personnel driven – are increasing faster than revenues. He should standardize employee health care and pension formulas before raising taxes. He must chose between pleasing and making long-term decisions.
John: Susan, we’re meeting minds again. It worries me. Running leaner on public employee pay and benefits is the right answer, even though unions will push back. Raising taxes will only make Denver a less desirable place to live and do business. It’s the wrong answer. Can I hold you to that?
Susan: Absolutely NOT! Denver’s taxes are among the lowest in the region. Efficient government and capital investments are necessary to maintain and enhance the City Denverites have built through generations. But before raising taxes and fees, the mayor must focus on more than re-election, and set measurable outcomes and priorities.
John: America is drowning in taxes, spending, regulation, entitlements, debt, unfunded pension obligations, yada yada yada, next stop Greece. Denver’s on that train. If Hancock and the council are smart, they’ll get off the train and make the city a magnet for economic growth. Step one: No new taxes.
4. TOUGH LOVE FOR STREET PEOPLE Susan: Denver’s Mayor approved a tough anti-loitering ordinance - aimed at controlling the explosion of homeless, occupiers and summertime drifters overtaking downtown, Civic Center and the river. Though well-intended, it should have been thoroughly analyzed prior to being jammed through the City Council.
John: Sometimes common sense overtakes political correctness, even with a bunch of liberals like this mayor and council, and you just want to cheer. I’m still pinching myself that Hancock would lead the way and do this. Denver has shelters and compassionate programs aplenty. Enough with the street camping.
Susan: That’s the problem. Good for Hancock for making a tough call. However Denver doesn’t have the shelters, outreach workers, police resources or partnerships to mitigate this growing dilemma. Time will tell if the city is able to meet the expectations of compassion and control this bold ordinance promises.
John: Step one is to think about it differently. Street people used to be called vagrants, emphasizing their chosen behavior. Political correctness now calls them homeless, emphasizing victimhood. Some are victims, but many chose the streets. Denver now offers one less incentive for that dead end. The camping ban is tough love.