Get ready for a beast of a snowstorm
Snow total predictions for Colorado here: Probabilistic Snow Forecasts for Colorado
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Just One Thing: Ken Buck Resigns
We already knew that Rep Ken Buck (R-CO CD4) was not running again. He hastened his exit yesterday by announcing that he's resigning next week.
At the moment it makes very little difference to the GOP House majority.
Before they could only lose 2 votes and still pass a bill (that got a party-line vote with every member voting.) And now, with Ken leaving...they can still only lose two votes.
The reason is that they were up by 6, now up by 5, but a tie is a loss. So if up by 6 and they lose 3 a bill fails. So they can only lose 2. Now, up by 5, they can still lose 2 because it can't be a tie (if everyone votes yea or nay.)
Where it would make a difference is if they lose one more (or Dems gain one)...then it would be down to the GOP only being able to lose one vote.
AND: There are vacancies in Congress right now. As they get filled, then missing Ken could make a difference if the next one is filled by a Democrat, which is actually likely next month. So for a while, until another vacancy is filled by a Republican (likely in May and June), the GOP will probably only be able to lose 1 vote because when it's down to a 4-vote majority after April then losing 2 would cause a tie which is a loss (per House rules) when trying to pass a bill.
Why did he resign? Guessing he has few friends inside the Beltway and it's probably rather miserable for him there. I mean, really, And I take him at his word that the descent of the GOP into principle-free right-wing populism is probably soul-crushing to watch up close. To watch some people whom you've known and maybe even respected a bit completely change themselves to pander to a politician who functions more like a cult leader. Think, for example, of Elise Stefanik and Nancy Mace and maybe even Tim Scott.
Would not be surprised to hear Ken announce a gig on CNN or MSNBC, but I've thought that for many months and it's pure speculation.
As for replacing him in the interim before the next Congress, a special meeting of a party "convention" will choose the nominee (and the Dems will have basically the same process) for a special election to take place on June 25, the same day as the GOP primary election to choose the nominee for November's general election. I suspect that party insiders don't favor Lauren Boebert, but that's just a guess; I think they'd be leaning toward either Deborah Flora or Jerry Sonnenberg, both of whom strike me as fine choices. Boebert wants the party to pick someone for the special election who isn't running for the general election, in order to avoid giving a boost to one candidate: Lauren Boebert says special election triggered by Ken Buck's resignation is 'swampy' and could 'confuse voters' (msn.com)
Some are theorizing that Ken did this when he did it on order to hurt Lauren Boebert's chances of winning CD4, where she has decided to run because she believes she'd lose in her current district, CD3.
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One More Thing: Sure, file your homeowners insurance claim late
Last week, by a 4-3 vote, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that property insurers must honor claims made by homeowners even if the claim was made past the deadline specified in the insurance contract unless the insurance company can show that the late filing impeded their ability to investigate the damage. The majority said the homeowner shouldn’t be penalized due to being unaware of damage, such as if a hailstorm damages a roof but the homeowner doesn’t find the damage for more than a year. They added that insurance contracts already favor the insurer and they shouldn’t be able to deny on a technicality. The dissenters said that homeowners have a responsibility to check the condition of the home and this decision could make homeowners insurance more expensive or harder to get. Tough call, but I think I’m with the dissenters.
Colo. justices make it easier to file late homeowner claims | Courts | coloradopolitics.com
Today's Guests
Robert H. Bork, Jr., is the President of the Antitrust Education Project. We'll discuss the FTC warning landlords not to try to "price fix" rents by using an algorithm: Price fixing by algorithm is still price fixing | Federal Trade Commission (ftc.gov)
We'll likely also spend some time on the Kroger-Albertson's proposed merger.
FTC Challenges Kroger’s Acquisition of Albertsons | Federal Trade Commission
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Chris Cuomo of NewsNation (formerly of CNN) joins me today to discuss his fascinating extended conversation with Tucker Carlson. I think it showed a lot about both of them. I learned some interesting things about both of them. I and I like them both better after seeing it. Chris's show airs at 6 PM MT weeknights, right after Leland Vittert's also-excellent show.
Chris Cuomo questions Tucker Carlson over Jan.6, Putin interview (newsnationnow.com)
Cuomo, Carlson discuss Jan. 6 and political division (newsnationnow.com)
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Not 100% sure this will happen but we're aiming to have the president of the Colorado State Senate, Steve Fenberg (D-Boulder), on to talk about a bill that's getting a lot of (negative attention):
Colorado lawmakers advance bill to sidestep transparency law - Axios Denver
Colorado Open Meetings Law for the General Assembly | Colorado General Assembly
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Paula Sarlis is President of the USMC Memorial Foundation, served in the Marines during the Vietnam War, and is a Gold Star Wife.
From Paula:
I will be celebrating my 75th birthday and what would have been my 55th Anniversary by Skydiving to Salute my Iwo Jima buddies who are turning 99 or 100 this year.
We are dedicating all we do this year to these greatest of the Greatest Generation! My fellow Board member Matthew Hays will be jumping with me.
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Other Stuff
The "Gender Pay Gap" is nonsense: Yesterday was Equal Pay Day
The ‘Gender Pay Gap’ Is a Myth That Won’t Go Away - WSJ
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Really, the Robert Hur (Special Counsel who investigated President Biden's mishandling of classified material) hearing had just a little something for everyone but not enough to make it worth anybody's time. We learned a few more details around the margins but probably nothing we wouldn't have learned from just reading the transcripts of Biden's interviews with Hur.
Biden Didn't Remember Classified Documents, Transcripts Show (dailysignal.com)
8 Takeaways From Robert Hur’s Testimony on Biden Docs, Memory (dailysignal.com)
As I said, the transcript was really enough: Transcript from documents probe contradicts Biden's account of exchange with Hur over son's death - ABC News (go.com)
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This is a bad story but a great last line: Monster gator lurking in golf-course pond bites off fisherman's hand (nypost.com)
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It's not just the result that's worth considering, but also (as noted in the article) the incredible fear-mongering of the headlines at the time: ‘Laissez-Faire’ Sweden Had the Lowest Mortality in Europe From 2020–2022, New Analysis Shows - Foundation for Economic Education (fee.org)
There are (as you'll note in some of the more intelligent comments to the tweet below) potential confounding factors. (Low levels of COVID testing is NOT one of them because Lomborg reports all-cause deaths.) These can include that the rich countries did better than the poor countries, so maybe lower death rate is based on better medical care. Sweden had a high (but definitely not the highest) vaccination rate. Apparently, the northern countries have fewer situations where elderly parents live with younger families, so maybe the elderly who are most at-risk had less exposure in the Nordic countries for that reason. (That was suggested to me on Twitter, and I included the tweet below.) Still, while I'm not capable of doing the analysis, I suspect that even after for controlling for the things one might control for, Sweden will have had better results during and just after COVID than other countries because they didn't adopt a one-size-fits-all policy, and made people more responsible for their own well-being.
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In case you thought RFK Jr is a serious person or serious candidate: Aaron Rodgers and Jesse Ventura Top RFK Jr.’s List for Vice President - The New York Times (nytimes.com)
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Yes, it does: Finding some hostages as victims of sexual violence doesn't justify Israeli attacks, UN envoy | AP News
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This is brutal and frankly I don't recommend that you watch. In short, a large 15-yr-old black girl beats up a smaller white girl. The attacker smashes the victim's head on the sidewalk repeatedly and the victim has serious head injuries and might not survive. Meanwhile, the school district puts out a statement about "bullying and fighting". It should have been about criminal mayhem and attempted murder. The attacker should serve a couple years in jail and have a finger cut off. Then two more fingers cut off if she does something like this again.
Teen girl's head bashed into concrete in brutal, caught-on-camera brawl (nypost.com)
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There is ZERO purpose to this law other than to raise the cost of owning a firearm so that people will choose not to. I think that it's unconstitutional to require a payment (even if for insurance) to engage in a constitutional right. Like a poll tax, for example. Firearm Liability Insurance Requirement | Colorado General Assembly
And this is closer to having a legit purpose but still really designed to harm law-abiding gun owners: Concealed Carry Permits & Training | Colorado General Assembly
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I think this is backwards thinking. I think there is upside to black students if they’re enrolled in colleges in a system where people know they got there by merit, whether academic, athletic, both, or some other merit, rather than by political race-based favoritism. NAACP urges student-athletes to reconsider Florida colleges after state eliminates DEI programs | AP News
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I love this, from the Washington Free Beacon:
During (his interview by Special Counsel Robert Hur), Biden revealed a remarkable feat: He hit a target hundreds of yards away with a bow and arrow during a visit to Mongolia in August 2011.
"I’m not a bad archer," Biden said, after referring to Mongolian archers as "gorillas." "But … I hit the goddamn target."
A video uploaded by the Obama administration of the occasion shows Biden shooting a bow into an empty field. The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
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Some fascinating history: Samurai Who Weren’t Japanese - Foundation for Economic Education (fee.org)
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Today's Videos
First time someone's made the shot in 10 years...it's A NEW CAR!!!
Auburn student makes a 94-foot, length-of-the-court putt and wins a car | AP News
World record for longest tug-of-war is nearly 1/3 of a mile
Watch: Longest distance tug of war spans 1,694 feet in Wales - UPI.com
Partying at Club Daddy