CO-Gov: Dem leads

[Moooooo]

Rasmussen:

Bill Ritter (D)    40%
Bob Beauprez (R)    33%

Bill Ritter (D)    41%
Marc Holtzman (R)    28%

Gary Lindstrom (D)    36%
Bob Beauprez (R)    37%

Gary Lindstrom (D)    35%
Marc Holtzman (R)    33%

[Yates]

This should be a notice to the Democratic Party that pro-life candidates should be nominated in moderate states.

[TheresNoMoney]

This should be a notice to the Democratic Party that pro-life candidates should be nominated in moderate states.

That's some faulty logic there. John Hickenlooper, who is firmly pro-choice, would be a stronger candidate than Ritter.

I also read that Ritter assured Democrats that he won't criminalize abortion as governor. Democrats did not get fully behind him until he made that promise.

By the way, Colorado is a strongly pro-choice state (61% to 34% in last SurveyUSA poll).

[Yates]

I have been proven wrong.

[Moooooo]

I have been proven wrong.

No, you're somewhat right.  The point still remains that Ritter was forced to alter his position on abortion to gain the support of liberals.

In some states, pro-life democrats are unacceptable.

[Ben.]

This should be a notice to the Democratic Party that pro-life candidates should be nominated in moderate states.

That's some faulty logic there. John Hickenlooper, who is firmly pro-choice, would be a stronger candidate than Ritter.

I also read that Ritter assured Democrats that he won't criminalize abortion as governor. Democrats did not get fully behind him until he made that promise.

By the way, Colorado is a strongly pro-choice state (61% to 34% in last SurveyUSA poll).

True it’s a libertarian leaning state but Ritter and Casey are both examples of strong pro-life Democratic candidates who the party should have been more ready to support in the past… thankfully it seems that the almost fascist attitude of some on the far left of the party which saw Robert Casey bared from speaking at the ’92 DNC and other pro-life Dems marginalised and discriminated against is receding these days, a good thing for the Democratic Party.

I wish abortion wasn’t politicised as it is, not in that it shouldn’t be an issue but its just destructive for one party to be 90% pro-life and the other 90% pro-choice and each largely intolerant of the other… its one of the many issues which is destroying civil politics in the USA.  

[TheresNoMoney]

No, you're somewhat right. 

Not in this case.

Maybe for other states, but not Colorado. No Democrat who will criminalize abortion is going to win in a pro-choice state like Colorado.

Ritter instead will look for ways to reduce abortions (which is the common sense policy).

[TheresNoMoney]

True it’s a libertarian leaning state but Ritter and Casey are both examples of strong pro-life Democratic candidates who the party should have been more ready to support in the past… thankfully it seems that the almost fascist attitude of some on the far left of the party which saw Robert Casey bared from speaking at the ’92 DNC

Oh god, not this lie again. Casey was left off the DNC Speaker list in 1992 because he didn't support Clinton for president, not because he was pro-life.

But keep repeating that lie if it makes you feel better. And that "fascist" comment makes you look like a real jackass.

I wish abortion wasn’t politicised as it is, not in that it shouldn’t be an issue but its just destructive for one party to be 90% pro-life and the other 90% pro-choice and each largely intolerant of the other… its one of the many issues which is destroying civil politics in the USA.

It is an issue that affects the civil rights of 51% of the population! If you were a woman, would you want the government controlling your reproductive decisions??  I think its hard for most men to really understand and empathize because it doesn't directly affect them.

[Ben.]

True it’s a libertarian leaning state but Ritter and Casey are both examples of strong pro-life Democratic candidates who the party should have been more ready to support in the past… thankfully it seems that the almost fascist attitude of some on the far left of the party which saw Robert Casey bared from speaking at the ’92 DNC

Oh god, not this lie again. Casey was left off the DNC Speaker list in 1992 because he didn't support Clinton for president, not because he was pro-life.

But keep repeating that lie if it makes you feel better. And that "fascist" comment makes you look like a real jackass.

I wish abortion wasn’t politicised as it is, not in that it shouldn’t be an issue but its just destructive for one party to be 90% pro-life and the other 90% pro-choice and each largely intolerant of the other… its one of the many issues which is destroying civil politics in the USA.

It is an issue that affects the civil rights of 51% of the population! If you were a woman, would you want the government controlling your reproductive decisions??  I think its hard for most men to really understand and empathize because it doesn't directly affect them.

It not just about a “woman’s reproductive rights” (how very detached that sounds)… its about the rights of the potential human being a woman is carrying in her womb and how the rights of both the mothers and that child can be accommodated.

Simply because an individual has the power of life and death over another does not mean that they have the right to exercise that right without references to the rights of that individual.

Of course abortion is a difficult issue! The relative rights of a collection of cells in a woman’s womb in the early part of a pregnancy can seem to have a far weaker claim to civil rights when compared with a recognisable and developing child in the later stages of a pregnancy.

If the issue where simply over a woman’s right to do what she wanted with her body then by that logic right up until birth abortion would be permissible, by a similar logic an individual would also be entitled to do what ever they please to their body regardless of its effect on others, drug abuse, multination etc… the logic of the argument that “it’s a woman’s body” is flawed.                   

[TeePee4Prez]

True it’s a libertarian leaning state but Ritter and Casey are both examples of strong pro-life Democratic candidates who the party should have been more ready to support in the past… thankfully it seems that the almost fascist attitude of some on the far left of the party which saw Robert Casey bared from speaking at the ’92 DNC

Oh god, not this lie again. Casey was left off the DNC Speaker list in 1992 because he didn't support Clinton for president, not because he was pro-life.

But keep repeating that lie if it makes you feel better. And that "fascist" comment makes you look like a real jackass.

I wish abortion wasn’t politicised as it is, not in that it shouldn’t be an issue but its just destructive for one party to be 90% pro-life and the other 90% pro-choice and each largely intolerant of the other… its one of the many issues which is destroying civil politics in the USA.

It is an issue that affects the civil rights of 51% of the population! If you were a woman, would you want the government controlling your reproductive decisions??  I think its hard for most men to really understand and empathize because it doesn't directly affect them.

I love how some conservative Democrats and populist Republicans make Bob Casey Sr. out to be some freaking martyr.  He also let the barn door open for Santorum in 1994 by not supporting Harris Wofford's re-election.  Casey Sr. was an excellent governor on economic policies, but politically he was a douchebag.  Now we have to elect his son to rectify what his old man did in 1994.  Thanks!

Pennsylvania is a marginally pro-choice state, but less than Colorado.  However the pro-life/pro-choice divide also crosses party lines quite fiercely in this state being a lot of pro-life Dems in Western and Northeastern PA and a lot of pro-choice Republicans in Southeastern PA's suburbs.  I do think once we clear Santorum out of the Senate and Specter keels over, the Democrats should in fact pick a solid pro-choice candidate, but one who is against partial birth abortion and favors minor restrictions.  I think enough old school Dems are fed up with Bush and Medicare that they will vote for a pro-choice Dem so long as they weren't militant about it and fairly moderate with the issue.  The only reason Casey is killing Santorum is because of the namesake, not the abortion issue.

[Democratic Hawk]

This should be a notice to the Democratic Party that pro-life candidates should be nominated in moderate states.

Agreed

Dave

[Galactic Overlord]

True it’s a libertarian leaning state but Ritter and Casey are both examples of strong pro-life Democratic candidates who the party should have been more ready to support in the past… thankfully it seems that the almost fascist attitude of some on the far left of the party which saw Robert Casey bared from speaking at the ’92 DNC

Oh god, not this lie again. Casey was left off the DNC Speaker list in 1992 because he didn't support Clinton for president, not because he was pro-life.

But keep repeating that lie if it makes you feel better. And that "fascist" comment makes you look like a real jackass.

I wish abortion wasn’t politicised as it is, not in that it shouldn’t be an issue but its just destructive for one party to be 90% pro-life and the other 90% pro-choice and each largely intolerant of the other… its one of the many issues which is destroying civil politics in the USA.

It is an issue that affects the civil rights of 51% of the population! If you were a woman, would you want the government controlling your reproductive decisions??  I think its hard for most men to really understand and empathize because it doesn't directly affect them.

It not just about a “woman’s reproductive rights” (how very detached that sounds)… its about the rights of the potential human being a woman is carrying in her womb and how the rights of both the mothers and that child can be accommodated.

Simply because an individual has the power of life and death over another does not mean that they have the right to exercise that right without references to the rights of that individual.

Of course abortion is a difficult issue! The relative rights of a collection of cells in a woman’s womb in the early part of a pregnancy can seem to have a far weaker claim to civil rights when compared with a recognisable and developing child in the later stages of a pregnancy.

If the issue where simply over a woman’s right to do what she wanted with her body then by that logic right up until birth abortion would be permissible, by a similar logic an individual would also be entitled to do what ever they please to their body regardless of its effect on others, drug abuse, multination etc… the logic of the argument that “it’s a woman’s body” is flawed.                   

Very true.  And let's also remember that a woman cannot just sneeze and get pregnant.  There are a fair number of steps one must take to get pregnant, so it's not like "Shazam! I'm pregnant! How did that happen?" Obviously, choices were made to get to that point (and I am not talking about cases of rape, those are clear exceptions).

I don't know whether the abortion issue is driving CO voters right now or not, but I personally think the venmous Republican primary is what's causing the Democrats to pull into the lead.  The Colorado GOP just doesn't have it together.