Tag: Slot 2

In the five years since I first became a reporter, I have worked for two established print weeklies, both of which have gone out of business. Most recently, I was working for an award-winning online news site financially supported by a nonprofit organization, before nearly two-thirds of the staff were abruptly laid off after the election. For young reporters like me, the Internet is the primary medium for news content, and it is already leading to a new and inclusive form of journalism rooted in public participation. Although cynics like to say that the craft is a dead end for both young reporters and veteran writers alike, I think it’s an exciting time to be a journalist.

All this bloviating about the future of the Republican Party and how it should reinvent itself reminds me of a family finally acknowledging that an aged relative has crossed the bar into dottiness: What should we do with the Grand Old Party?

A cynic could argue that the invective sputtered on right wing talk radio is simply entertaining shtick designed to create controversy that attracts listeners and advertisers. Yet to hear the noxious rantings of those most targeted on the AM dial — women, lesbians and gay men — is especially disturbing in context of the 2008 election cycle that broke race, sex and gender barriers on both sides of the political spectrum.

And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help and I will be your president too.”

Ack! It hasn't even been a week since the election polls closed, and Barack Obama’s people are already asking for more money. And they won! The latest arrived in my inbox on Monday, asking for 30 bucks for a “commemorative 2008 Victory T-shirt.”

Whether you’re Democrat, Republican or Mugwump, you look at Tuesday night’s remarkable election results and the nationwide reaction and can’t help but wonder at how far our young country has come — and, at the same time, how long it’s taken.

Thousands of supporters turned out for this year’s Veterans Day celebration in Denver. Some lined the streets to honor men and women in uniform while others congregated at the Veterans' Memorial to mourn lives lost. The one constant at both gatherings — a deep and abiding respect for their service. For more, view the audio slideshow inside.

Colorado voters had a relatively smooth ride in the polling places on Tuesday. But not so for this reporter. I was ejected from a Ruby Hill voting site in Denver, with one election worker threatening to call the police. Why? Because I was trying to do my job.

Two things jump to mind when thinking about the outcome of the Colorado vote: 1. Rep. Doug Lamborn — two years ago a freshman trying to find the Capitol bathroom — is now the Dean of Colorado’s Republican delegation in Washington. 2. Dick Wadhams’ threat to shove a bunch of 30-second ads up Democrat Mark Udall’s ass over a missed vote might just have marked the Macaca moment of his failed effort to get his old pal Bob Schaffer elected to the United States Senate. Such trashy talk underscores what went so utterly wrong for Republicans in Colorado on Tuesday.

A profoundly historic moment unfolded at both the Colorado political parties' election night watch parties. View the photo gallery to capture the highs and lows.