3rd Annual Tea Party Rally – Denver, CO, April 15th, 2011

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This was the 3rd annual Tea Party tax day rally. On April 15th, Tea Party activists gathered on the west steps of the Colorado State Capitol in an effort to motivate one another to get involved in the legislative process. Speakers included, Matt Arnold, of Clear The Bench Colorado, Ken Buck, former candidate for U.S. Senate, and John Caldara of the Independence Institute.

I would have had these photos up earlier, but my the Comcast outage just got resolved so I could not upload anything earlier.

Moveon.org solidarity protest 2–26-2011

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This was the 2nd solidarity protest this week from the anti-Scott Walker forces. This one was sponsored by moveon.org

Wisconsin Govt Worker Solidarity Protest & Counter Demonstration 2-22-11

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The events in Wisconsin have reverberated through the nation, and Colorado is no exception. Proving that what happens in Wisconsin does not stay in Wisconsin, the SEIU (Service Employees International Union) and local Tea Party activists held what was billed as a “solidarity” rally on the west steps of the Colorado State Capitol.

Depending on which side of the political isle you are on, the SEIU members at this event were either concerned about working families, or they were advocates of Charles Ponzi style economics. The people at the top of the steps were SEIU members while those on the sidewalk near the streets were for the most part Tea Party activists.

The Tea Party supporters chanted phrases like “Scott Walker, Right Choice!” & “Tax payers first!” While the SEIU members shouted phrases like “Don’t drink the tea!” & Wall Street Tool!” & “Kill the bill!”

The event was relatively peaceful (even though it was noisy) and there were no arrests.

Here are photographs from this event

We Are The People Rally – 09/13/2010

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The skies over Civic Center Park in Denver were sunny on September 13th while the We Are the People rally convened. In an economy that leaves a lot to be desired, the goal of this event was to motivate one another to change the faces of Congress in November wth the hope that it will not be the opposite of progress.

At this event, we heard various speakers including Andrew Breitbart & S.E. Cupp among others. The the video from this event can be found somewhere on the web site of the People’s Press Collective

The black male you see waving his arms around interrupted Andrew’s speech and accused everyone in the crowd of being racist. He eventually left the event.

Anti Bailout protest and counter demonstration in Fort Collins, CO / 08-09-2010

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On a sunny afternoon in Fort Collins, Colorado, pro and anti-bailout activists converged at the intersection of Mulberry Street and South College Avenue in Fort Collins, Colorado. These are photographs from the event.

Sarah Palin appearance in Colorado on May 22nd.

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On May 22nd, 2010, at the Magness Arena in Denver, Sarah Palin spoke to a crowd of the curious, the disappointed, and adoring fans.  This appearance comes on the night that Ken Buck received 76 % of the delegate votes at the Republican State Assembly. While waiting outside the arena to enter it, I spoke to a few people who were nervous because they were not sure if Sarah Palin would endorse Jane Norton in her speech. Some ticket holders informed me that if Jane was endorsed, they would boo and walk out in disgust. This never took place.  Jane Norton was never mentioned in the speech.

The general tone of her speech seemed to be catering to the ideals that conservatives favor in terms of less spending and more fiscal responsibility. She also made comparative analogies between Colorado and Alaska in terms of the weather. The crowd erupted in applause on many occasions. I am not sure if this means their nerves were calmed by virtue of no endorsement. That has yet to be determined.

The other people you see in these photos are Dennis Prager and Hugh Hewitt. Admittedly, these photos did not turn out as well as I would have liked them to. I might need a better camera.

May 22nd Colorado Republican State Assembly.

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On May 23, 2010, the Colorado State Assembly convened. What you see in these photographs are the various people running for office along with the delegates. This was the 1^st state convention I have been to. In the process of photographing this event, I sat next to a few people who said it was their first time as well. When Steve Barton spoke (he was running for U.S. Senate, he only got 56 of the delegate votes), he said one of the things he wanted to do as senator was to make marksmanship a part of the education curriculum for kids. Upon hearing this, the couple sitting next to me said they found this alarming. And they happen to be conservative for the most part. I informed them that some states actually do that. Not that this would change their perspective. It didn’t.

The general tone of the rest of the speeches consisted of getting back to the princibles of less government and a desire to end the bailouts and spending that consumes Washington D.C.

These photos turned out better than I thought they would considering the section I was sitting in when I was taking pictures. This event took place at the Budweiser Event Center in Loveland, Colorado.

In all there were 3528 delegates votes cast. The ones who got under 30% were eliminated. It should be noted that for the office of Senator, Jane Norton decided to circumvent the nomination process at the convention and try to gather as many signatures as possible to get on the November ballot.

This is the breakdown of delegate votes at the convention for Senator:

Robert Greenheck 56 votes – 1.59 percent

Cleve Tidwell 522 votes – 14.8 percent

Steve Barton 35 votes – .99 percent

Ken Buck 2701 votes -76.56  percent

May 21st Colorado 2nd Congressional District Assembly.

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On May 21^st 2010, the Assembly for the 2^nd Congressional District convened. At these events, they go through what basically can be described as an elimination process. That is, whoever gets less than 30% of the delegate votes is eliminated from the November ballot. If there is a scenario where one or more candidates gets more than 30 percent of the vote, that means that their name is on the August 10^th (Colorado’s primary date) primary ballot. Someone would then be eliminated on August 10^th.

This event was held at Embassy Suites in Loveland, Colorado. Each room had referendums for their respective districts/jurisdictions.

Some of the candidates you see in these photographs were either eliminated at the District or State Essembly (Dean Madere and Cleve Tidwell, for example)

North Suburban Republican Forum – 5/8/2010

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Yesterday I went to an event billed as a North Suburban Republican Forum and took photos of the event.  The event consisted of various candidates for office giving speeches. The people you see in these photos are Erik Hansen (running for Adams County Commissioner), Mike Sheely (running for Colorado’s 7^th Congressional District), Bob Brancato and Steve Bailey (both candidates for Colorado’s 2nd District), and Dana West (running for Adams County Clerk and Recorder). The majority of candidates expressed a need for fiscal responsibility in terms of how government currently functions.  The candidates for the 2^nd Congressional District expressed optimism in the idea that Jarad Polis is beatable because the voters don’t like the idea of members of Congress spending money like a drunken sailor. Bob Brancato’s 2^nd round of radio and TV commercials are set to hair soon if they have not already started.  Mike Sheely expressed the idea that he has the fire in his belly to run for Congress and help change the current political direction the country is going in. He is targeting the independents because the independent voters are swing voters.  Mike Sheely said he will not ask for 1 dime from anyone until he earns the support of 150 delegates.

May Day protest in Civic Center Park – Denver Colorado 5-1-2010

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I guess a lot of people are pissed off at Arizona.