Anti-green group crows about squashing ‘radical environmentalist’ Newt Gingrich in CPAC straw poll

A nonprofit anti-clean-energy lobbying group active in Colorado politics is taking credit for derailing the presidential aspirations of former Republic Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich at last week’s Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington. American Tradition Partnership (ATP), a 501(c)4 “dedicated to fighting environmental extremism,” has ties to Western Tradition Partnership, a group that has targeted numerous Democratic candidates in Colorado dating back to 2008. Increasingly, the groups are targeting Republicans seen as too moderate on environmental and energy issues.

In GOP abortion bills, DeGette, Pelosi see opportunity to rally public opinion

Colorado U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that the series of Republican anti-abortion bills introduced in the House this month presents pro-choice lawmakers with an opportunity to shed light on the motivations driving such bills. They said that, given the facts, the mainstream American public and complacent lawmakers will not only rally against these specific bills but also more readily stand guard against similar future efforts to cut back on women’s rights.

Boehner takes over as House Speaker, kisses Pelosi

Outgoing Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi took to the dais Wednesday and passed the gavel to Republican Speaker John Boehner. The 112th Congress begins. Riveted twitterati guessed at the minute the emotional new Speaker would weep. He did seem to mist up briefly during Pelosi’s introduction. Then he did something noble and brave: He kissed and hugged the former Speaker, like a man unaware that at least one Republican politician in this country lost an election in part because digital evidence betrayed the fact that he once hugged President Obama. No kissing even! Maybe a new era truly has begun.

Latino Republicans court GOP defector Hasan

Conservative Latino organization Somos Republicans, which has battled the rise of what it sees as bigoted, big-government positions on immigration among Republican leaders, is courting high-profile Colorado Republican Party defector Muhammed Ali Hasan. The group Monday asked Hasan not to become a Democrat, as he announced he would do last month, but to work with Somos Republicans and its supporters to “change the Republican Party from within.”

As lawmakers wrangle, Americans voice strong support for unemployment extension

Although progressive activists and Democratic U.S. House members hate the Obama-Republican deal on taxes and unemployment extension, the American people like it, according to a Washington Post/ABC News poll, especially the unemployment extension part, which will see insurance benefits extended for a year as the economy steadily recovers but adds few jobs. Respondents to the poll favored the unemployment extension by more than a two to one margin.

Colorado GOP loses Hasan

Muhammad Ali Hasan, a member of the wealthy and influential Colorado Republican Hasan family and a past state House and treasurer candidate, said he is switching parties. Speaking at the University of Colorado-Boulder on his experience growing up Muslim in the American West and later in conversation with the Colorado Independent, Hasan said he is ending his affiliation with the party for the bigotry he believes has shaped Republican politics over the last year. The FOX News regular and founder of Muslims for Bush said he met recently with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the controversial Democratic leader won him over.

Udall blasts Obama tax-cut deal and its $900 billion in debt over next two years

Democratic Sen. Mark Udall late Tuesday issued a fairly pointed rebuke of President Barack Obama’s deal with Republican leaders to extend all the Bush-era tax cuts.

Obama defiantly defended the deal in the face of what The New York…

Top economists plead case for unemployment insurance extension

Today Congress must decide on whether it will extend unemployment insurance benefits for millions of out-of-work Americans. Republican lawmakers have resisted extension, in part making the argument that unemployment insurance is becoming welfare and extending it will increase the…

Tied to tax debate, unemployment benefits likely to lapse

Democrats in Washington are catching on to the idea that they can’t capitulate to an extension of Bush-era tax rates for the rich without at least demanding something in return, and an extension of federal unemployment benefits, set to expire…

Saletan: Election was all about health care and Republicans lost

Slate columnists and self-described “liberal Republican” (read: former Republican) Will Saletan wrote that Speaker Nancy Pelosi won and the Republicans lost the midterm elections. He makes a pretty good case, too.

Majorities come and go. Health care…