Why form the RLC of Colorado?

Its an exciting time to be a Republican.  Americans have called on the Republican Party to return to it’s basic principles of protecting liberty, promoting individual responsibility and confining government to its constitutionally mandated duties.

Limited government is always undermined by those in both major political parties who seek to eliminate our choice as consumers, to sacrifice our liberties and to invade our personal lives.  There are many in both parties who recklessly spend tax money and borrowed funds to curry favor with narrow interests and to protect entrenched establishments.

That’s why a group of concerned Republicans have decided to form the Republicans Liberty Caucus of Colorado.  At a time when so much new energy has infused the Republican party we, who stand for liberty and against more spending, have an opportunity to transform the party and our government. But we must organize to win in the electoral system.

As a state chapter of the national Republican Liberty Caucus, we represent a growing movement within the Republican Party that is dedicated to limited government, fiscal sanity, the rule of law and the freedom to choose.

The Republican Liberty Caucus of Colorado will promote these values by:

• Working within the State Republican Party and with conservative organizations to identify, recruit and support candidates for state and local government who hold to our principles.
• Monitoring legislative activity to make elected Republican accountable to the principles on which they campaigned.
• Encouraging our members to participate in the Republican party organization and promoting membership in RLC among party leadership.

This can be a time of growth and renewal for the Republican Party.  Many unaffiliated voters and disaffected republicans share the values of Republican Liberty Caucus but have had very few elected officials to speak on their behalf.  Through our efforts, we will provide them with a political home and make their voices  heard.   We hope you’ll join us!

Republican Liberty Caucus condemns Bob Beauprez’s false Promise

Republican candidate for Governor, Bob Beauprez, is out with a new commercial claiming he will defend individual liberty and constitutional rights.

Sadly, during his time in the US house of Representatives, Bob Beauprez voted for multiple assaults on our liberties under the bill of rights including: allowing warrantless wiretapping, indefinite detention of accused prisoners, allowing hearsay evidence at trial.  He even voted to allow the FBI to continue to collect your personal records, including fire arms sales, without informing you!

Bob Beauprez has claimed that it is the job of government to force its citizens to be “responsible” and buy health insurance.  He even went so far as to compare those who choose not to purchase insurance to someone who walks out of the grocery without paying for his items.

“The good news is that liberty is popular!  The bad news is that, for many candidates, liberty is a slogan for a campaign commercial,” said RLC Colorado Chairman Earl Bandy. “It is indefensible for a man who has supported the worst offenses against personal freedom, of both the political left and the political right, to claim that he will defend liberty.  Bob Beauprez’s ‘Liberty’s Promise’ is an empty promise.”

Liberty Celebration at the Colorado Republican Assemblies.

The Republican Liberty Caucus of Colorado is hosting a happy hour and celebration at the the Colorado Republican Assemblies on Friday, April 11.

Following your Congressional District Assembly, join fellow liberty lovers for socializing, organizing and network building.

Doors open at 4pm. We’ve arranged for drinks and appetizers!  There will also be door-prizes, raffles and discounted RLC memberships!

CB Potts is 1 mile from the Omni Hotel location of the GOP events on Friday, April 11. Your ticket gets you two drink tickets and service from an appetizer buffet.

This is an event you won’t want to miss.

Your paper ticket is not needed.  You have enough work to do that day.  Come enjoy and relax!   Email chairman@rlccoloraodo.com with any questions.

Bill Elder the choice of liberty activists for El Paso County Sheriff

In the heavily contested El Paso County Sheriff’s Office race, there is only one candidate that expresses interest in protecting all rights from an intrusive government. Bill Elder’s message of a government limited by the US and Colorado Constitutions coupled with his plan for transparency and efficiency make Bill the choice of liberty activists for Sheriff in El Paso County.

In signing the Liberty Compact of the Republican  Liberty Caucus, Bill has pledged to promote the freedom and independence of citizens, not the interference of government in their lives; and observe the limited, enumerated powers of our Constitution.

Friends of liberty understand the importance of the entire Bill of Rights and other restrictions the Constitution of the United States and Colorado put on our governments; thankfully Bill Elder does as well.

Bill Elder the choice of liberty activists in the Republican Party

A Statement on the race for Colorado Governor

The RLC of Colorado is not endorsing any particular candidate in the race for Colorado Governor.  We’ve interviewed all the Republican candidates who were in the race as of March 1^st.   Thank You to each of them for taking the time to meet with our board and discuss their philosophy, their record and their approach to the campaign.

We encourage our members to do their own research and consider the strengths and weaknesses of each of the candidates.  We trust them to make the decision that best meets their individual criteria and application of our shared principles.  We suggest that the following candidates, in no particular order, are worthy of consideration for their support at upcoming assemblies and in the primary.

Greg Brophy

Greg was the winner of our straw poll conducted on the eve of the caucus registration deadline.  He has attended a couple of our events in addition to the interview.

Greg has a solid grasp of the philosophy of liberty and demonstrates, most of the time, the ability to govern with those principles.   He does seem to occasionally have a soft spot for green energy projects and government managed growth that cause him to vote against principles.  His history of support for personhood would be used against him by the media and the Hickenlooper campaign in a way that might be hard to overcome in a statewide race.

Greg has a quirky combination of rural farmer and electric car driving Colorado personality that would compete well against Hickenlooper’s pretended goofiness.  Greg has shown that he pulls no punches and would be a tough fighter in the general election.

Tom Tancredo

Tom is a great campaigner and a happy warrior.   He is a known quantity who speaks his mind.  We were proud to stand on the Capitol steps with Tom when he announced his support for Amendment 64, to allow adults access to recreational cannabis.

Tom is fantastic on most issues, but on some issues he misses badly.  During his time in the US Congress he voted in favor of the Patriot Act and TARP.  In the wake of the Columbine shooting he also supported certain gun control legislation.   And of course there is the immigration question.  There is a great deal more to Tom than this one issue.  His campaign would like to move beyond it, but many of his backers continue to make it the key to their support.

Tancredo has high negatives among general election voters and in the Republican party. This may bedue to his third party run in 2010 and support for marijuana legalization.  He is also the last guy that the party establishment wants to see get the nomination.

Steve House

Steve is a longtime activist and first time candidate.  Steve is an accomplished businessman in the healthcare field, which gives him good credibility against Hickenlooper on the pivotal issue if 2014.  Steve has exhibited a great talent in uniting Republicans as Chairman of the Adams County GOP and has been welcoming to liberty groups.

Steve is clearly looking to deemphasize the social issues and talk about managing the state as a business.  Though he speaks the language of liberty, on some issues his thought processes turns away from principles and towards utilitarianism.  He might tend to weigh the greater good against individual liberty, without regard for the proper role of government.  This is often seen in those who approach government from a managerial perspective.

Regardless of the outcome of this race we expect to see Steve again.   He is one to get to know and keep an eye on.

Scott Gessler

Scott has won high marks for his time as Colorado Secretary of State from various factions in the Republican Party.  In almost all instances Scott has been fair and seeks to unite the party.   He is a Republican’s Republican and tends to view many issues through that partisan lens.

He has been attacked with various ethical complaints, though the extent to which these can be used against him is questionable.  Polling shows Scott is perceived negatively by a significant percentage of potential voters but his negatives are much lower than Tancredo’s.  He has good name recognition and strong support among Republicans.

There are other candidates who are perceived as “establishment” who show a disregard for the grassroots and the caucus process.  That is not the case with Scott.  His campaign has been aggressive about getting Republicans to participate.  This is a healthy strategy for our party regardless of the outcome of this race.

You can expect Scott to be very aggressive in a general election.  His moniker of “Honey Badger” has been well earned.

John Hickenlooper

There is a strong case to make against Hickenlooper for anyone who loves freedom and understands constitutional fundamentals.  His support for gun control legislation, higher taxes and green energy burdens placed on rural Colorado earn him disdain from traditional Republicans.

For those of us who emphasize personal freedom his record on liberty and federalism is terrible.  He actively opposed the legalization of recreational cannabis despite his party’s platform support for the measure.   When Amendment 64 passed anyway, his first reaction was to seek permission from Washington DC rather than to implement the will of people in accordance with the Colorado Constitution.  He also signed a bill giving federal agents the power to enforce local laws and temporarily detain citizens without arrest.

We hope that the Republican Nominee for Governor will highlight this litany of abuse and be a leader for grassroots liberty in the party and in Colorado.

Tim Neville is a strong defender of limited government

Some good news!

I am so happy to be able to tell you about Tim Neville and his race to return to the Colorado Senate in SD16.

You may remember Tim from his time in the Colorado state senate in 2011 and 2012.  He was rated as a Taxpayer Guardian by the Colorado Union of Taxpayers.  He also received an “A” rating from the Principals for Liberty for his legislative record.  The powers that be drew him out of his district during reapportionment, a sure sign of his effectiveness.

Tim unites the best in the various groups and teams fighting to get the government out of our lives.  He has a unique ability to articulate the conservative principles of individual freedom in a broadly appealing way because he understands the role of government.

We know that Tim’s return to the Colorado senate will be a big step forward in our fight for freedom.

You can resist the RNC #powergrab

The RNC has just passed (in the same kinda way that an executive body passes legislative rules) amendments to the party rules that will attempt to bind the Colorado delegation to the 2016 national convention based on the results of an unscientific and non binding straw poll.  How do you fight back? Take the following resolution to YOUR precinct caucus on March 4. Get is passed by your county convention. The Grassroots must take our party back!  RLCCO RNC Rules Resolution

“Liberty is Popular” among Republican caucus goers.

Republicans who plan on attending the  March 4^th precinct caucus are united on three core principles; personal freedom,  fiscal conservatism, and federalism according a straw poll conducted by the Republican Liberty Caucus of Colorado.  Over 400 respondents who plan on attending caucus answered our unscientific and non-predictive straw poll.  The purpose of this fun poll was to encourage voters to register as Republicans in time to participate in the Republican Party Caucuses and educate Republicans on how to advance liberty through the caucus process.

Principles

While participants are split among their choice for candidates, it is clear that Republicans across the ideological spectrum are united on three core principles.  First they want to be free.  80% want the party platform to affirm the 4^th amendment and reign in the NSA.  84% want a Governor who will maximize personal freedom in Colorado.  90%! want a US Senator who will protect our rights.

Secondly they want fiscal conservatism.   73% want the party platform to call for an audit of the Federal Reserve.  79% want a governor who will reduce spending and keep taxes low. 85% rank spending and the budget as a “Very Important” factor in their decision which candidate to support for Senate.

Finally they want Federalism, with the states and the federal government operating in their appropriate spheres.  82% of would be caucus goers are looking for a Governor who will defend Colorado from Federal encroachment.  While 81% want the party to call for overturning Common Core and return responsibility for education to the states.

Other issues were ranked as less important than “Beating the Democrat” (55%).  45% want to see a Constitutional convention, 44% rank eliminating sanctuary cites and enforcing immigration laws as very important.  While taking a stand for a strong foreign policy is very important to 38% of poll takers, preserving traditional family values gets 37% of that vote.

Going to Caucus

Only 60% of caucus goers plan on becoming delegates to their county conventions and the state assembly.  These meetings are where the rubber hits the road for determining who will be on the Republican Primary ballot.  Those who do not plan on becoming delegates either place outsized importance on a public relations poll or aren’t familiar with the process.

Similarly more than 80% want to amend the party platform while fewer than one in five plan on carrying a resolution to do so.  While 73% want to overturn the 2012 RNC rules and return power to the grassroots, only 31% plan on running for a PCP position so that they can vote at their county central committee meetings in 2015 and make that happen.

In the weeks ahead the RLC will post more information on caucus process and the organizational structure of the Republican Party at www.rlccolorado.com to help caucus goers better a better understanding of making changes in the party.

Governor

Among participants in our survey, State Senator Greg Brophy was the runaway winner for Governor.  His campaign knew what to do with an on line straw poll,  share!  His supporters demonstrated the passion and networking ability to deliver 38% of the vote for 1^st place to their candidate.  Tom Tancredo took 17% and Scott Gessler 16% of the most preferred vote.  22% ranked “someone else/ don’t know” as their first choice.

In scoring overall preference, on a scale of 5 to 1, with 5 being most preferred and 1 least preferred, Greg Brophy scores 3.76 due to the very low number of respondents who give him least preferable.  Scott Gessler scores 3.12 while Tancredo Scores 2.82.  This is largely due to the 28% of poll takers who ranked Tancredo 5^th out of all options.  Someone else/ Don’t know scores 2.57.

Of those who rank Brophy number one, 44% ranked Scott Gessler as their second choice, while Steve House and Tom Tancredo each take 23%.

Senate

On the Senate side, our poll takers generated a very close result.  One would call it a statistical tie, but its a straw poll!  State Senator Owen Hill takes, 39% of the vote for most preferred.  Weld County District Attorney, Ken Buck takes, 38%.   The preference scores show a somewhat wider margin, Senator Hill scores 3.04 on a scale of 4.  Ken Buck scores 2.93.  Amy Stephens scores 1.86.   *Owen Hill has been endorsed by RLC USA PAC for US Senate.  The PAC has identified this race as one of two key races in the country where liberty Republicans can be advanced to the US Senate.

Conclusion

The Republican Liberty Caucus encourages all Republicans to attend caucus, vote in the straw polls, become delegates and update the party platform so that our commitment to freedom, fiscal sanity and decentralized power shines through.   If we can come together on these core principles we will present a united front against the Democratic Party that pushes police state controls, spending without end and a creepy belief in the beneficence of the central security state.

The Affiliation Deadline Straw Poll!

Vote in our Straw Poll!  Here.

No social Hour this month. But we’ll be back in January with some great guests.   For now please participate in our “Affiliation Deadline Straw Poll”.

If you’d like to get involved and you’ve changed your party affiliation (no one would blame you if you did.), you need to re-affiliate as a Republican by January 3rd.  You can change your registration or create a new one here.

As we approach this deadline we want to know how folks feel about going to caucus.  What do you plan to do there?  Vote in the straw poll and head home?  Be elected delegate to your county convention?  Or do  you plan on changing the platform by offering resolutions at your precinct?   Will you make the long term commitment to building a better party by becoming a PCP, with the responsibilities and opportunities that the job entails?

And of course there are the candidates.  Which one has you support and why?  Please participate in our poll and share this link with your friends. https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/RLCCOdeadlinePoll

Results and analysis will be published when the poll closes on January 3.  The deadline for party affiliation.  Get your registration updated today.  For Liberty!

3 Years Changes Things: Active Voter Registration 2010 to 2013

Voter turn out is one of the key tactical elements in any election.  Campaign teams and party organizations will work hard to get out the vote at election time.  This post does not address the question of which party has the better GOTV organization or whose team will be more motivated.  Instead take a look at the changing complexion of active voters from election day in 2010 to today.

The strategic component is for Republican caucus goers and primary voters to consider how changes in the electorate should influence their candidate selection.  It his a mistake to assume that the voting public looks like it did in 2010.  Republican candidates should be pressed to explain how they will win the votes of urban independent voters to secure Republican victory.

VOTERS ARE LESS REPUBLICAN, AND MORE UNAFFILATED:

Among active voters 32.9% are registered Republican, as opposed the 35% in 2010.  While the percentage of Unaffiliated voters has increased from 31% to 34.3%.*

	D	R	U
2010	32.8%	35.3%	31.1%
2013	31.6%	32.9%	34.3%
Change	-1.2%	-2.4%	3.2%

• The number of registered voters has increased by more than 333,000.  Unaffiliated voters make up 193,000 (58%) of these.  Republican registrations make up about 50,000 new voters or about 15%.
• These Independents are concentrated in Denver area, with fully half of them coming from Adams, Arapahoe, Jefferson and Denver counties.
• Since 2010 Unaffiliated voters have surpassed the number of Republicans in Arapahoe, Jefferson, Larimer and Pueblo counties and are on track to overtake the 50,000 Republicans in Weld County.
• Even in El Paso County, Republican registration is up only 3%. While Unaffiliated soared by 22%!  At current rates, El Paso will look like Larimer before the decade is out.

VOTERS ARE MORE CONCENTRATED IN DENVER, LESS IN EL PASO AND SMALL COUNTIES.

Denver county, has added 58,000 active voters, a 21% increase, in the past 3 years.  While Adams has added 32,000 for 19% Growth.  Douglas and El Paso have grown at 13% and 10% respectively. While the more rural counties have grown only at 9%.

The net Result is a 2.2% swing of the vote total away from the Rural parts of the state and El Paso County and INTO DENVER AND ADAMS counties.

			Change in
	2010	2013	Concentration
Adams	169,601	201,825	0.3%
Arap	273,262	313,465	0.1%
Boulder	162,965	180,363	-0.2%
Denver	273,816	332,248	0.8%
Douglas	159,319	179,777	0.0%
El Paso	290,106	318,815	-0.4%
Jefferson	299,174	337,804	-0.1%
Larimer	167,619	191,020	0.0%
Mesa	72,296	78,623	-0.1%
Pueblo	75,280	87,947	0.1%
Weld	113,132	132,115	0.1%
All Others	420,632	456,437	-0.7%
All	2,477,202	2,810,439

The Challenge for Republicans statewide is to recognize these changes.  Can the Republican party (where 20% of GOP voters live in small counties, and 15% in El Paso County) nominate candidate who will not leave a negative impression with these new urban independents?

Will we find the wisdom to pick candidates who express our principles in a way that is inclusive and optimistic?  Liberty is Popular.  “Live and let live.”  Can we make that the honest motto of the Republican Party?

* Source: http://www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/elections/VoterRegNumbers/VoterRegNumbers.html