The news isn't all bad tonight. A few promising signs emerged in Colorado amongst the Democratic tsunami.

5. Commissioner Kevin McCaskey

Jefferson County Commissioner Bob McCaskey appears to have successfully fought off a challenge from Jason Bane. McCaskey was implicated in a series of Whitewater-style scandals perpetrated primarily by fellow Jefferson County Republicans. Bane is a primary author of ColoradoPols and a key player in the vaunted "Colorado strategy" by liberals to turn the state blue in part by using the internet, he was also a darling of the Colorado "netroots." Bane's apparent loss should make Republicans realize that there are limits to what the Democrats can do in this state.

4. Sen. Shawn Mitchell

A successful conservative legislator who served as a top surrogate for Bob Beauprez's 2006 gubernatorial campaign, Mitchell was considered a prime target for a liberal pick-off this year. Mitchell rebuffed his well-financed challenger and retained his seat. He is also now a prime candidate for higher office such as the 2nd Congressional District or Attorney General.

3. Rep.-elect Scott Tipton

Most expected Scott Tipton to succeed in his bid to replace Ray Rose. Few expected him to win in a landslide in a decidedly anti-Republican election year. Tipton's knockout punch against Democrat Noelle Hagan has all but guaranteed him his House seat as long as he wants. More importantly, Tipton proved his pull among independents and Reagan Democrats and has set himself up as the next "superstar" of the Western Slope.

2. Rep.-elect Laura Bradford

Bernie Buescher was next in line to succeed Andrew Romanoff as the Democratic Speaker of the House. Laura Bradford has put the kibosh on those dreams. Bradford remains slightly ahead of Buescher, although it appears likely that the race will be headed to a recount. With Anne McGihon, Andy Kerr, and Paul Weissman already being rumored to be jockeying for Speaker of the House; Bradford may have lurched the Colorado House Democrats to the left and out of the mainstream.

1. Bill Ritter's 2010 Opponent

Bill Ritter's reputation was already in shambles. The resounding rejection of Amendments 58 and 59 completely shattered it. Ritter had so much invested in Amendment 58 he even put forward "Colorado Promise Scholarships" named after his 2006 campaign theme. Granted that Republicans don't put up a pro-bailout Republican, the biggest winner tonight may have been Bill Ritter's eventual 2010 opponent.

(- promoted by Rocky Mountain Right -)

Ouch. Jason Bane, democratic golden boy and writer of ColoradoPols which has slowly declined from a somewhat respectable site with gossip on both parties to a mirror for Progress Now press releases, has been snubbed by The Denver Post in his race for Jefferson County Commissioner:

After interviewing the major party candidates and evaluating their records, The Post endorses Kevin McCasky for a second, four-year term in District 2, the county's central area. We also endorse Treasurer Faye Griffin in northern Jeffco's District 1.

The Post goes on to elaborate on their surprising Bane snub:

The second race is a closer call because McCasky must share some of the blame for the misdeeds perpetrated by Congrove and former county attorney Frank Hutfless.

But at the same time, McCasky has acknowledged he made mistakes, a refreshing step in politics these days, and continues to work hard to solve the county's transportation problems. He supports Gov. Bill Ritter's task force's call to increase state transportation spending by $1.5 billion a year.

Having a high-profile Republican like McCasky fighting for better transportation funding might give the legislature and Ritter himself the political cover they need to seek such funding increases.

Well, he can always go back to posting press releases for Progress Now. Or videotaping stuff for the SEIU. That's fun too.

Despite the wishes of ColoradoPols (also known as the Mark Udall for Senate/ ProgressNow Press Office), the NRSC is going to continue to play a role in the state on behalf of Bob Schaffer and will be running this ad starting next week:

Sorry, Jason Bane. Maybe ColoradoPols can take a break from spreading misinformation about the Senate race and go back to promoting posts from "anonymous" users attacking JeffCo Republicans for a while.

Rocky Mountain Right was mentioned in the current issue of Westword in an article about Coloradopols.com founder/ JeffCo County Commissioner candidate/ SEIU hack Jason Bane:

Turns out, though, that Bane's latest job has stirred more nasty chatter. Specifically, ToTheRight charges him with concealing his association with the Service Employees International Union, an organization much in the news these days. Note that SEIU is heavily involved in Colorado WINS, a coalition of labor groups eager to put all 32,000 state workers under the union umbrella — a controversial measure with links to a union-friendly executive order signed by Governor Bill Ritter and the impending Democratic National Convention. On top of that, a recent item on the RockyMountainRight.com site alleged that Bane spends his days "videotaping Republicans during committee meetings" at the state legislature, presumably for nefarious purposes.

The article continues in regards to the RMR posting:

As for the videotaping rumor, it's definitely going around: Republican state rep James Kerr from Littleton says colleagues have told him they've seen Bane at hearings, camera in tow. But Bane says he only taped a single hearing, and he did so to capture testimony by state employees for a Colorado WINS video, not Republican gaffes.

Click here to read the full article at Westword. As Joshua Sharf points out at his blog, Westword linked to Rocky Mountain Right's frontpage instead of the specific item they were referring to. If you would like to read the post authored by RMR diarist "Mr. DNA" that was referenced in the article, click here.

(- promoted by Rocky Mountain Right -)

It is well known in Colorado political circles that Jason Bane is not an upstanding citizen and his current campaign for Jefferson County Commissioner is a perfect reflection of that fact. Don't believe me, just look here: 

http://www.votebane.com/?About_Jason_Bane

One would think that Jeffco voters would find it interesting that Bane is a founding member of an extremely liberal Web site. But there is no mention of that within the meaningless platitudes that constitute his campaign bio. Voters may want to know that he is heavily involved in disgraceful smear campaigns against Republicans across the state. They may want to know that he has practically ruined the campaigns of fellow Democrats like Jared Polis with his dirty tricks and underhanded tactics. But you will find no mention of that anywhere on his campaign site. What are you running from Jason?

Voters may also find it interesting that Jason is a political hit man for big labor. It would be very hard for him to deny that fact when he is often seen with SEIU lobbyists, and why else would he spend his days videotaping Republicans during committee meetings.

The Jason Bane file is long and horrid yet he refuses to include any of his proud accomplishments in his campaign for public office.

Jefferson County voters deserve better. Since Bane refuses to tell them the truth, it is up to the many Republicans that he has smeared over the years to tell Bane's story.

(- promoted by Rocky Mountain Right -)

ColoradoPols.com, which has long claimed to be "non-partisan", is spinning out of control this week with it's attacks on Republican State Senators.

Today, ColoradoPols accused Sen. Shawn Mitchell of being a racist with absolutely no proof. This kind of race-baiting is shameful and the union-run ColoradoPols didn't offer so much as an apology after their false claim had been debunked.

We're hearing about an exchange in the Colorado Senate this morning that culminated in apparently-racially charged words from Republican Sen. Shawn Mitchell to Senate President Peter Groff.

Numerous people have confirmed that this exchange took place, but as the first comment below indicates, this could have been said/heard in a different context than it was intended. We will update, one way or the other, as we learn more.

ColoradoPols' smear was completely false. Sen. Mitchell was not even talking to Sen. Groff but to Sen. Gordon. Se. Mitchell posted his explanation immediately and there is even an audio tape that reveals what actually happened floating around.

 What Really Happened
Hey Pols, Shawn Mitchell here. You're being misled by someone with an agenda. Here's what happened. During a debate on medical malpractice insurance, I mistakenly attributed a comment by Peter Groff instead to Ken Gordon. Each of them started in instantly with the jokes, along the lines of "I'm taller" or "I'm better looking." Since one is tall, young, and black, and the other is short, middle-aged plus, and white, I made a quick jab at absurd humor and said, "Well they all look alike to me," referring to Democratic leadership.  In case your informant is unaware, Groff is Senate President and Gordon is Majority Leader. So, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but you can chill the scandal siren.

Jason Bane, the proprietor of ColoradoPols and current Democratic candidate for JeffCo commissioner, needs to offer an apology immediately for this smear attack. It has no basis in fact and is an outright lie and attack. These accusation are libelous, pure and simple.

Earlier this week, ColoradoPols posted a diary to their front page attacking Sen. Tom Wiens for daring to launch a website on a policy issue. One can only imagine that had a Democratic Senator done the same thing as Wiens, they would have been hailed by ColoradoPols as an American hero.

The moral of the story is that Republicans should avoid ColoradoPols at all costs. They are not bipartisan or neutral in any way, they are a tool of the Democratic Party. They engage in smears and slander against Republicans on a daily basis. Even SquareState, a similar website for liberal activists, may be friendlier territory for Republicans since they at least eschew ColoradoPols-style anonymous smear campaigns.