Denver – Capital of Medical Marijuana

The Queen of the Plains and the capital of the Rocky Mountain Empire is about to become the headquarters of medical marijuana distribution. More than 500 dispensaries have sales tax licenses in Denver. All of Los Angeles has limited licenses to 70 sites. The entire state is dealing with the issue. Already, there are 23,000 Colorado applicants, up from 4,700 in 2008.

Colorado is one of a number of western states that have active pro-marijuana lobbies, permissible ballot procedures and sympathetic electorates that have adopted medical marijuana ballot issues.


One mid-western state, Michigan, allows use, along with several New England states (Vermont, Maine and Rhode Island – New Jersey and DC are pending).

Because of federal restrictions, most states had no real regime for sale and distribution. Once the Obama administration announced it would stop enforcement of federal law, a commercial rush to distribute marijuana for allegedly medicinal purposes began. The public is shocked by the abuse of the law by irresponsible physicians and the apparent inability of legislators to address the issue.

Politicians should not confuse the public’s desire to allow medicinal use, and even to not make marijuana criminal enforcement a high priority (in Denver) with the desire to see large-scale wholesale distribution with multiple sites, including in their neighborhood.

(See Denver Post article)

Pick Your Poll: Bennet Wins, Loses Close, Crushed

Scott Rasmussen’s automated polls have come under increasing criticism from Democrats (see a recent defense in the Wall Street Journal). His Colorado polls published since September of last year have shown Republicans in the lead for governor and senate.

His latest Colorado Senate poll showed Republican frontrunner Jane Norton up 12 points over Democrat Michael Bennet. Norton leads Andrew Romanoff by the same amount.


Bennet rapidly countered by releasing his pollster’s latest data only showing him three points behind Norton. Also, a recent Daily Kos poll (liberal political website) shows Bennet ahead by one point.


The usual explanations for different polling results involve a long list of possible factors, including simple statistical variation. Most discussion at this point in campaigns focuses on sample and weighting techniques. Rasmussen’s trademark approach, preferred by conservative blogs and talk show hosts, uses sampling and weighting techniques producing a likely voter model designed for an off-year election, like 2010. The approach is especially restrictive, and includes more Republicans than more broadly drawn samples of registered voters. Arguably, the approach may offer a better preview of November 2010 than a less restrictive approach. However, it also is not a description of current voters’ views, but a subset of voters who more dependably turn out.

It may be more accurate to describe the current senate race as closely balanced between the Republican and Democratic frontrunners.

RTD and the Great Tax Increase

It is clear the RTD Board recognizes the challenge ahead is to make visible progress on the FasTracks proposal within the revenue stream it was provided in 2004.

Unfortunately, the FasTracks concept, created by the previous RTD general manager and adopted by much of the region’s political and business community was mostly a sham. Too many decisions were based on election politics and not on analysis of what was justified or could be afforded.

Getting back on track will take more than just more of the same election promotion, which unfortunately is the current proposed strategy by boosters and their consultants. To actually win public support, RTD should:

• Not discuss a tax increase until the economy gets to a sustained level of growth to both relieve the pressure on residents’ discretionary income and to have real-time verification that revenue increases from current tax levels will not be sufficient for a more fiscally realistic project.

• Have a serious evaluation of every line as justified by use and not just politics of 2004, which was an economic world ago. Would buses be a better answer in some corridors?

• Is it possible that a proactive governor and metro legislative leadership would insist that any new tax revenue (if needed) be shared between metro transit and roads to achieve some real relief of traffic congestion and not just a political trade-off?

(See Denver Post article: FasTracks backers seek cash and Denver Post editorial)

2010 Starts With Republican Advantage

The first week in January radically changed the Colorado gubernatorial race and affected the entire Democratic ticket. The surprise withdrawal of Governor Bill Ritter led to the likely nomination of Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper as the Democratic standbearer.

A new Rasmussen poll shows Colorado Republicans retain an advantage, first measured in September, in the U.S. Senate race. It also indicates Scott McInnis’ advantage against Ritter has transferred to the leading Democratic nominees in the governor’s race, but the lead is smaller against John Hickenlooper.

Republican frontrunner Jane Norton maintains her lead over U.S. Senator Michael Bennet and his challenger Andrew Romanoff.


Rasmussen polls tend to lean toward Republicans because they are weighted based on a low turnout model, and Republicans are more likely to turn out. The approach reflects an assumption – reasonable, but not certain – that the 2010 midterm election will be a lower turnout, and Republicans will be a higher percentage of total voters in 2010 than in the 2008 presidential election.

Colorado’s Extraordinary Decade From Backwater to Battleground

The Denver Post’s New Year’s edition carried my retrospective on the last decade in Colorado.

• Colorado swings from presidential campaign backwater to battleground
• Colorado shifts from dark red to purple to deep blue in six years
• Does the swing state swing again? Colorado Democrats now play defense

Bennet - Running Behind Norton

U.S. Senator Michael Bennet has failed to make much of an impression with Colorado voters – hence, is subject to the vicissitudes of the national Democratic Party, which is fairing poorly today. In a new statewide poll, he loses to little know former Lieutenant Governor Jane Norton.

Rasmussen polls are known for tight voter-intention screens and weighing that make them more conservative. But, in 2010, that approach is prudent. Voter turnout will be down. Democratic enthusiasm is at a low level while Republicans are more unified and enthusiastic than in recent years.


Bennet is only slightly ahead of Andrew Romanoff, who also loses to Norton.

As mentioned, Bennet has a weak favorability impression with a high negative.

Bad Timing

On the same day Stephanie Villafuerte dropped her bid to become Colorado U.S. Attorney, Rasmussen Reports published a poll showing Governor Bill Ritter’s approval rating still below 50 percent and losing to Republican rival Scott McInnis 48 percent to 40 percent. Ritter’s approval has been below 50 percent for a year, and that is the second poll showing him losing re-election.


The Villafuerte controversy was largely created by the decision to nominate her for U.S. Attorney – another in a long list of political missteps by Bill Ritter.