Reno Hayek Symposium

Rob Witwer’s article Rocky Ride tells the fascinating story of how Republicans were caught sleeping while independent groups not associated with the Democratic Party managed to convert a Republican state to a Democratic state, up and down the ballot. In essence while McCain-Feingold regulates contributions to political parties and candidates, it ignores non-profit entities even when those entities work together for specific political ends. The article is a must read for those concerned with the direction our current administration is taking the country. I recommend a National Review subscription, http://nrd.nationalreview.com/

 Democratic 

success in Colorado is in large part the result of what 

Stein calls a “more strategic, more focused, more 

disciplined, better financed” progressive movement. 

In hindsight, what Colorado Democrats did was as sim- 

ple as it was effective. First, they built a robust network of non- 

profit entities to replace the Colorado Democratic party, which 

had been rendered obsolete by campaign-finance reform. 

Second, they raised historic amounts of money from large 

donors to fund these entities. Third, they developed a consistent, 

topical message. Fourth, and most important, they put aside their 

policy differences to focus on the common goal of winning elec- 

tions. As former Democratic house majority leader Alice 

Madden later said, “It’s not rocket science.” 

campaigning now consists of paid staff, television and radio ads, 

glossy mailers, and platoons of hired door walkers. 

The shift of political discourse away from candidates and 

towards outside groups has created a tangible change in Col- 

orado’s political culture. Campaigns tend to be more negative