http://www.andrewromanoff.com/ en Copyright 2010 2010-07-28T23:44:52+00:00 http://www.andrewromanoff.com/blog/entry/defending-seniors-and-the-truth/ http://www.andrewromanoff.com/blog/entry/defending-seniors-and-the-truth/ -by Andrew Romanoff For the second time in a week, my opponent has attempted to mislead the citizens of Colorado (1). Here are the facts: I oppose the privatization of Social Security. I said so in the vote I cast in the state legislature (2), and I renew that pledge now. The resolution my opponent cites has nothing to do with privatizing Social Security; in fact, it specifically urges Congress NOT to cut Social Security benefits (3). My leadership on issues of concern to seniors earned me 100% ratings from AARP, the Colorado Senior Lobby, and the Colorado Gerontological Society (4). 2010-07-28T22:44:52+00:00 http://www.andrewromanoff.com/blog/entry/and-in-this-corner-/ http://www.andrewromanoff.com/blog/entry/and-in-this-corner-/ -by Berrick Abramson When is a debate not a debate? The producers at KBDI, a public television station, tried for more than six months to schedule a debate between Andrew Romanoff and Michael Bennet.  The debate took place yesterday -- minus one of the candidates.  The role of Mr. Bennet was played by an empty chair. 2010-07-28T19:34:46+00:00 http://www.andrewromanoff.com/blog/entry/commitment/ http://www.andrewromanoff.com/blog/entry/commitment/ -by Andrew Romanoff For as long as I can remember, my family has shared a commitment to public service. My father's parents owned a small grocery store in Schenectady, New York; they lived in an apartment above it.  They helped many of their customers -- fellow immigrants -- endure the war years, offering them food on credit and forgiving the loans. My mother was a social worker.  Her father traveled around the world with Project Hope, bringing medical supplies to children in Africa, Latin America and southeast Asia. 2010-07-27T19:34:53+00:00 http://www.andrewromanoff.com/blog/entry/a-premier-statesman/ http://www.andrewromanoff.com/blog/entry/a-premier-statesman/ -by Patricia Barela Rivera The last week has brought more good news to our campaign, including endorsements from one of Colorado's leading newspapers and a new grassroots group: Firefighters for Romanoff. The Greeley Tribune said Andrew Romanoff has the experience and the "know-how" to navigate a complex environment in an especially contentious climate.  In the Tribune's words, "Romanoff is a man who knows how to get things done."  The Tribune joins the Colorado Springs Independent, which called Andrew "potentially one of the premier senators and statesmen of this generation." 2010-07-26T17:27:57+00:00 http://www.andrewromanoff.com/blog/entry/inevitable/ http://www.andrewromanoff.com/blog/entry/inevitable/ -by Patricia Barela Rivera It was inevitable. Losing altitude, our opponent is lashing out.  Unable to defend the money he takes from the oil industry or the big Wall Street banks -- or the votes he casts in their favor -- Sen. Bennet is instead attacking Andrew's character. That's the way Washington works:  Ignore.  Distract.  Attack. We will fight back -- not by engaging in the same type of gutterball tactics, but by sticking to the facts.  And the facts, from financial reform to energy and the environment, are on our side.  Tellingly, the opposition does not dispute a single fact in Andrew's advertising -- because they can't.  That's a big difference in this race: While Andrew confines his arguments to the truth, his opponent practices the politics of personal destruction.  Colorado deserves better.  America deserves better. 2010-07-21T14:20:34+00:00 http://www.andrewromanoff.com/blog/entry/had-enough/ http://www.andrewromanoff.com/blog/entry/had-enough/ -by Berrick Abramson Our opponent has spent nearly five million dollars -- most of it from out-of-state donors and special-interest groups -- promising to change the way Washington works.   Unfortunately, not everyone in the campaign seems to have gotten the memo. Yesterday, Sen. Bennet's campaign manager sent out a fundraising plea calling Andrew Romanoff deceptive, irresponsible and disingenuous.  And those were just the nicest words in an appeal to end "negative campaigning"! Here's the catch: In a 500-word character assassination, there's not a shred of evidence -- not a single instance of the "half-truths" or "character assaults" the Bennet campaign complains about.  We have seen a steady stream of personal attacks in this race -- from our opponent's spokesmen and surrogates.  (Take yesterday's email, please.) 2010-07-19T22:03:05+00:00 http://www.andrewromanoff.com/blog/entry/beyond-dissent/ http://www.andrewromanoff.com/blog/entry/beyond-dissent/ -by Andrew Romanoff “I firmly believe with all my heart,” Tom Tancredo declared yesterday, that “the greatest threat to the United States today, the greatest threat to our liberty, the greatest threat to the Constitution of the United States, the greatest threat to our way of life, everything we believe in -- the greatest threat to the country that was put together by the founding fathers -- is the guy that is in the White House today.” Rep. Tancredo’s words drew cheers at a Senate rally for Ken Buck. (Mr. Buck said, “Tom tends to exaggerate sometimes.”) 2010-07-09T18:40:24+00:00 http://www.andrewromanoff.com/blog/entry/were-on-the-air/ http://www.andrewromanoff.com/blog/entry/were-on-the-air/ -by Bill Romjue We’re winning the ground game.  Now you can help us dominate the airwaves. Andrew’s first television ad aired yesterday, thanks to the generosity of supporters like you.  Now we need the resources to reach as many voters as possible.  Each second of air time on the local evening news costs approximately $30. Please contribute $30 to buy one second, $300 to buy 10 seconds -- or even $900 to fund an entire 30-second spot. As the only candidate in this race who refuses to accept special-interest money, Andrew will be accountable to his constituents.  That’s the way democracy should work. 2010-07-08T19:41:42+00:00 http://www.andrewromanoff.com/blog/entry/act-now-before-midnight/ http://www.andrewromanoff.com/blog/entry/act-now-before-midnight/ -by Berrick Abramson I hope you saw the endorsement Andrew earned from President Bill Clinton.  We've received an amazing response over the last 24 hours.  Hundreds of supporters are joining our grassroots campaign.  I urge you to do the same -- before midnight tonight.  Our fundraising quarter ends in just eight hours.  We're asking you, in honor of our 42nd President, to contribute $42, $142, or even $1,042 right now.  2010-06-30T23:15:20+00:00 http://www.andrewromanoff.com/blog/entry/join-president-clinton/ http://www.andrewromanoff.com/blog/entry/join-president-clinton/ -by Bill Romjue Yesterday, President Bill Clinton joined a growing list of Democratic leaders in support of Andrew Romanoff’s candidacy for the U.S. Senate.  Now it’s your turn. At midnight tonight, the last full fundraising quarter of this primary cycle will come to an end.  But there’s still time to act.  Honor our 42nd president -- and support our next senator -- by contributing $42, $142, or even $1,042 before midnight tonight. President Clinton calls Andrew Romanoff “one of the best legislative leaders in the United States” -- the same conclusion that Governing Magazine and so many voters have also reached.  “Colorado is far better off today because of Andrew Romanoff’s leadership,” President Clinton wrote.  “America will be too.” 2010-06-30T15:14:07+00:00 http://www.andrewromanoff.com/blog/entry/i-support-andrew-romanoff/ http://www.andrewromanoff.com/blog/entry/i-support-andrew-romanoff/ -by Bill Clinton I first met Andrew Romanoff in 1992, when he was a student at the Kennedy School of Government and I was a candidate for President.� Four years later, I was running for a second term, and he had just been elected to his first -- as one of Colorado's representatives on the Democratic National Committee. I was proud to carry Colorado in 1992, but you should be even prouder of what Andrew Romanoff did to turn the state blue.� He worked harder than anyone in Colorado to put Democrats in positions of power -- and to use that power to benefit every single citizen. Andrew led the effort to win a majority in the Colorado House of Representatives for the first time in 30 years, and to keep that majority for the first time in more than 40 years.� He built the largest Democratic majority since John F. Kennedy was President.de} 2010-06-29T18:34:21+00:00 http://www.andrewromanoff.com/blog/entry/who-runs-washington/ http://www.andrewromanoff.com/blog/entry/who-runs-washington/ -by Patricia Barela RiveraOur opponent is at it again. He’s back on television with ads paid for by the most powerful special interests in America.  His commercials ought to say “Brought to you by BP” or “Courtesy of JP Morgan.” Our fundraising quarter ends at midnight on Wednesday.  That means our grassroots campaign has just 60 hours to match the opposition’s corporate machine.  Join us by contributing $60, $160, or $600 right now. 2010-06-28T17:54:21+00:00 http://www.andrewromanoff.com/blog/entry/put-andrew-on-the-air/ http://www.andrewromanoff.com/blog/entry/put-andrew-on-the-air/ -by Bill Romjue I've got some good news -- and a challenge. First, the good news: The more people hear about both candidates in this race, the more they support Andrew Romanoff.  That's why Andrew doubled his lead from the precinct caucuses in March to the county assemblies in April, and why he picked up another five points at the state assembly in May. The opposition dismissed the 23,000 Democrats who participated in the caucus process as "party activists."  (We value their commitment and welcome their support.) The same camp spent millions of dollars to lose the state assembly by 21 points -- a defeat they then defined as a victory because it came on Andrew's "home turf."  (We assume they mean "Colorado.") Help us expand our turf by investing $50, $100, or $500 right now. 2010-06-21T19:03:27+00:00 http://www.andrewromanoff.com/blog/entry/bucking-big-oil/ http://www.andrewromanoff.com/blog/entry/bucking-big-oil/ -by Andrew Romanoff One of the worst disasters in American history has left our nation heartbroken and angry.� In the U.S. Senate, however, it's business as usual. It's been nearly two months since an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon sent millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.� And it's been almost a year since the House of Representatives passed a bill to move the United States in a different direction: to reduce our reliance on fossil fuel and accelerate our transition to renewable energy. In the meantime, the Senate has done... nothing of the kind.� Legislation that would curb greenhouse gas emissions has languished for months.� The upper chamber seems determined to earn its reputation as the place where good ideas go to die.ode} 2010-06-16T19:13:41+00:00 http://www.andrewromanoff.com/blog/entry/my-birthday-wish/ http://www.andrewromanoff.com/blog/entry/my-birthday-wish/ -by Cap Caplan  I’m celebrating my birthday this weekend, and, aside from a grandchild, I can’t think of anything I’d like more than to see my son in the U.S. Senate. My age is not (yet!) an issue in this campaign, but I can tell you this: I was 24 when Andrew and his twin sister Hilary were born.  Will you invest $24, $240 or even $2,400 in honor of my birthday and my soon-to-be-senator son? I couldn’t be prouder of Andrew.  He has dedicated his life -- as my parents and I did -- to helping people in need.  (Click here to learn more about Andrew’s legacy of service.) 2010-06-11T20:22:50+00:00 http://www.andrewromanoff.com/blog/entry/our-sputnik/ http://www.andrewromanoff.com/blog/entry/our-sputnik/ -by Andrew Romanoff Half a century ago, the technological success of a foreign government shocked Americans into action. Today, the technological failure of a foreign corporation can produce the same effect.In 1957, the Soviet Union sent a satellite into orbit around the Earth.  In 2010, British Petroleum sent an oil slick through the waters of the Gulf. A NEW APOLLO PROGRAM This spill should be our Sputnik.  We need what Congressman Jay Inslee and others have called a new Apollo program for energy independence.  As Tom Friedman has written, this is our generation's "moon shot." 2010-06-11T16:37:38+00:00 http://www.andrewromanoff.com/blog/entry/the-backbone-express/ http://www.andrewromanoff.com/blog/entry/the-backbone-express/ -by Andrew Romanoff The Backbone Express made its maiden voyage last week.  Our new (well, pretty used) campaign van is taking my team and me to more than 100 communities across the state over the next 10 weeks. Contribute $50, $100, or even $500 to bring the Backbone Express to your town. We launched our tour at a coffee shop in Longmont, before visiting an organic farm in Kersey, an energy-efficient home in Centennial, a health-care center in Colorado Springs, and two dozen other sites between Greeley and Pueblo.  Our goal: to celebrate the success of Colorado’s hard-working families and entrepreneurs -- and to remove the roadblocks that stand in their way. 2010-06-07T20:43:41+00:00 http://www.andrewromanoff.com/blog/entry/a-sacred-charge/ http://www.andrewromanoff.com/blog/entry/a-sacred-charge/ -by Andrew Romanoff Today we honor the brave men and women who sacrificed their lives in our nation's defense.  We cherish the freedom they secured at so high a price. To those who have fallen, we should extend our thanks -- and to their survivors, our support -- not only on Memorial Day but every day.  As General John A. Logan wrote in designating this occasion in 1868, "Let us in this solemn presence renew our pledges to aid and assist those whom they have left among us, a sacred charge upon a nations gratitude the soldiers and sailors widow and orphan." 2010-05-31T12:24:57+00:00 http://www.andrewromanoff.com/blog/entry/the-results-are-in/ http://www.andrewromanoff.com/blog/entry/the-results-are-in/ -by Bill Romjue  The results are in: We won! Andrew Romanoff captured more than 60 percent of the vote at today’s Democratic State Assembly, leaving our opposition with little more than 39 percent to show for its multi-million-dollar advertising spree. Please contribute $60, $160, or even $600 to help us build on our success! 2010-05-22T23:27:45+00:00 http://www.andrewromanoff.com/blog/entry/the-revolution-that-began-last-night/ http://www.andrewromanoff.com/blog/entry/the-revolution-that-began-last-night/ -by Bill Romjue The results of last night's primary elections point to one overriding truth: Democratic voters throughout the country are very angry. They are angry about a political system controlled by corporate interests and they are furious with their own party leaders in Congress who have been unprepared or unwilling to take on those interests, despite the overwhelming mandate they got to do just that from the electorate in 2008. The corrosive effect of massive amounts of corporate cash showered on lawmakers could not have been more obvious in recent weeks, and the voters know it. 2010-05-19T18:32:27+00:00 http://www.andrewromanoff.com/blog/entry/too-big-to-exist/ http://www.andrewromanoff.com/blog/entry/too-big-to-exist/ -by Andrew Romanoff If a firm ever becomes "too big to fail," it was too big to exist in the first place. That was the premise Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Ted Kaufman (D-Delaware) presented to the U.S. Senate last week.  Financial institutions should not be allowed to take on too much risk and then force the government to bail them out. The Federal Reserve's longest-serving leader, Kansas City bank chief Tom Hoenig, made the same point.  "If we don't institute rules now to contain leverage," he told a Congressional subcommittee, "another crisis is inevitable." Stand up for real reform. 2010-05-13T13:40:34+00:00 http://www.andrewromanoff.com/blog/entry/offshore-drilling-disaster-tied-to-weak-oversight-strong-lobbying/ http://www.andrewromanoff.com/blog/entry/offshore-drilling-disaster-tied-to-weak-oversight-strong-lobbying/ - Three Key Steps to Minimize Future Risk -by Andrew Romanoff Every day, 200,000 gallons of crude oil are spewing out of the damaged wells from British Petroleum's sunken offshore drilling rig, the Deepwater Horizon. The oil slick is now the size of Delaware — and growing. Analysts are only beginning to calculate the economic and environmental consequences of this blowout in the Gulf of Mexico and along the Gulf Coast. Industries such as fishing and tourism stand to lose tens of billions of dollars, from Texas to Florida. The fishing industry alone employs over 40,000 workers in the Gulf States, with revenue totaling more than $3 billion annually. 2010-05-13T00:56:43+00:00 http://www.andrewromanoff.com/blog/entry/gaining-ground/ http://www.andrewromanoff.com/blog/entry/gaining-ground/ -by Bill Romjue First things first: Thank you. Last week, you answered our call.  On Friday, more than 225 Coloradans accepted the challenge from a group of our most generous donors.  The result: We raised $30,000 in a single day. Click here if you missed the deadline but would still like to contribute.  Your donation of $50, $100 or $500 will help us build on our momentum. 2010-05-06T14:52:13+00:00 http://www.andrewromanoff.com/blog/entry/match-goldman-sachs/ http://www.andrewromanoff.com/blog/entry/match-goldman-sachs/ -by Andrew Romanoff Last January, I described the way Wall Street's gamblers work: You sell mortgages to people who can't afford them, resell them at a profit, and then make even more money by betting that they'll fail. Two weeks ago, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission charged Goldman Sachs with fraud for doing exactly that. Goldman executive Fabrice Tourre sold derivatives that were designed to fail, then bragged about his success in conning "widows and orphans" into buying these "Frankenstein" inventions. Earlier this month, I called on my opponent to return the $6,300 he took from the executives of Goldman Sachs. He refused. I called on him to explain why the Senate Banking Committee accepts money from the industries it is supposed to regulate. He refused. I've called on every candidate in this race to stand up to the special interests and turn down their contributions. So far, I'm the only candidate who has taken that stand. So today I'm turning to you. If our opposition won't return Goldman's money, we'll match them -- dollar for dollar. Contribute $50, $100 or even $500 to help us raise $6,300 today! 2010-04-29T03:02:07+00:00 http://www.andrewromanoff.com/blog/entry/beyond-debate/ http://www.andrewromanoff.com/blog/entry/beyond-debate/ -by Bill Romjue "I respect my opponent, and I will support him if he wins the Democratic nomination." Those were the words with which Andrew began the senatorial debate at Colorado College on Friday night.  He made the same pledge when he started this race, and he's repeated it dozens of times since then.  Andrew made that promise not because he expected his opponent to reciprocate, but because he means it. "Respect" is not a word you could use to describe the opposition's response.  Neither is "truthful" or "accurate." In an email yesterday, Sen. Bennet's campaign -- whose supporters handed out flyers before the debate calling Andrew a "fully scripted puppet" -- accused us of playing "political games" and making "baseless, disingenuous attacks."  The evidence?  The email didn't cite any. Join Andrew's call for a better brand of politics. 2010-04-26T20:52:35+00:00 http://www.andrewromanoff.com/blog/entry/proof-positive/ http://www.andrewromanoff.com/blog/entry/proof-positive/ -by Andrew Romanoff Three signs that our campaign is gaining even more Romentum:  We doubled our lead among delegates.  We’re headed to the state assembly next month with a 16-point edge: 57% to 41%.  We’re raising more money.  The last two weeks of March -- following our decisive win in the precinct caucuses -- were among the most productive of the entire race.  The opposition is getting desperate.  That last bit of news is disappointing but predictable.  As our campaign continues to gain strength, the opposition has attacked my commitment to health care, civil rights, campaign finance reform -- all issues on which I have both the strongest record and the most progressive platform.    Click here to keep our Romentum going.  2010-04-22T21:13:11+00:00 http://www.andrewromanoff.com/blog/entry/a-super-saturday-surge/ http://www.andrewromanoff.com/blog/entry/a-super-saturday-surge/ - by Patricia Barela RiveraWe call it�Romentum. Democrats in two dozen counties held assemblies over the weekend, and the results just keep getting better and better.� We won with 57 percent of the vote in Arapahoe County, 59 percent in Jeffco, and 64 in Broomfield.� We doubled our lead in Douglas County and tripled it in Pueblo.� Andrew rocked the house in Denver -- the county that knows both candidates best -- capturing 65 percent�of the vote. It wasn�t just the urban counties that went big for Andrew.� We gained ground in nearly every county in Colorado -- from Montezuma (57%) to Montrose (80%), and from Routt (59%) to Las Animas (91%). The net result: we head to the state assembly next month with�57 percent�of the delegates. Keep our Romentum going by investing $57, $157 or even $1057 today!l_encode} 2010-04-12T15:40:30+00:00 http://www.andrewromanoff.com/blog/entry/youre-the-legislative-expert/ http://www.andrewromanoff.com/blog/entry/youre-the-legislative-expert/ -by Sandy Briggs and Sandy Greenhut "You're the legislative expert." It wasn't the words themselves that came as a surprise; Andrew Romanoff has earned that recognition many times before. It was their source: Andrew's primary opponent. When the senator turned to Andrew at last night's Democratic assembly in Frisco, he acknowledged what most of the audience already knew: "You're the legislative expert." That's one of the reasons Andrew carried Summit County by 24 percentage points -- a 9-point jump from caucus night. It's why Andrew won the statewide caucuses last month and why he's gained so much ground since then -- expanding his support in nearly every county. (Five counties, to date, have given him all of their delegates.) 2010-04-07T00:11:19+00:00 http://www.andrewromanoff.com/blog/entry/midnight-deadline/ http://www.andrewromanoff.com/blog/entry/midnight-deadline/ -by John Morse and Paul Weissmann Today in Colorado, we hold Democratic majorities in both chambers of the state legislature -- the first back-to-back-to-back majorities in half a century.  No one did more to produce this extraordinary opportunity -- or to make effective use of it -- than Andrew Romanoff.  Andrew has worked day and night to turn our state around.  Hundreds of thousands of Coloradans are healthier and wealthier and better educated because of his leadership: 25,000 more children in Colorado can go to preschool or kindergarten; 50,000 more can go to a doctor or a nurse, instead of an emergency room; And 100,000 more students will find it a little easier to go to college. We support Andrew’s candidacy not just because of what he’s already done for Colorado but because of what he will do in the U.S. Senate.  Today we ask you to join us in supporting Andrew at this crucial end-of-quarter deadline. Contribute $50, $100 or even $500 today. The fundraising quarter ends at midnight! 2010-03-31T15:09:10+00:00 http://www.andrewromanoff.com/blog/entry/tireless-in-colorado/ http://www.andrewromanoff.com/blog/entry/tireless-in-colorado/ -by Andrew Romanoff Imagine a Senate that worked. Democrats and Republicans would team up to balance the budget, energize our economy, educate our workforce, curb the cost of health care, protect our environment, and repair our infrastructure. Lawmakers would meet in the open, limit their speeches, and take up-or-down votes. How much is that picture worth? 2010-03-30T17:04:30+00:00