Devil's Advocate

A new year is upon us. It's a good time to take a look back at 2024 and ahead to 2025, the one and only Patty Calhoun, editor of Westword, takes a political tour of the year gone by and makes some predictions for the one coming up.

Is Colorado the new resistance to Trump and federal policies? Will Republicans get "spanked" in 2026? Former GOP Chair Dick Wadhams gives his take on what comes next.

Early in the morning after election night, I sat down with veteran Colorado Politics reporter Marianne Goodland to make sense of the night before. What does it all mean for Colorado?

Weren't we supposed to have flying cars by now? I mean, where is my flying car? Transportation expert Tim Jackson explains that flying cars actually do exist and will become commonplace sooner than we realize.

Can CO2 really be reduced? Is nuclear power in our future? Can it be done safely? Ed Warner is an engineer, scientist, conservationist and philanthropist. He gives to numerous environmental causes. As a scientist, he breaks it down for us.

Communism killed over 100 million people in the last century, yet people still seem enamored by socialism. Ken Pope of the Victims of Communism Museum explains the horror of socialism and today's misunderstanding.

Who keeps an eye on the Colorado Supreme Court? Well, a disciplinary committee and an evaluation committee. Who appoints those committees? Turns out it's the Supreme Court. Convenient, ain't it? Retired Judge Dennis Maes explains the conflict of interest.

Adrian Felix was a democratic operative who decided to leave the Democrat party. Why? Because they weren't socialistic enough. He's an example of the widening split in the party that the media just won't cover.

After a Gallagher repeal election, a bill to fix it during the regular session and then a special session to fix that bill...Is property tax reform now complete? In Colorado, Independence Institute Senior Fellow Joshua Sharf researched other states to find the property tax gold standard.

Ava Flanell is a firearms enthusiast, a firearms trainer, and now a firearms podcast and videocast star. She believes gun owners do a lousy job presenting their side to people who don't own guns.

Kent Thiry is investing his considerable wealth into changing the way Coloradans vote this fall. You'll decide if you want to have a jungle primary followed by rank choice voting. This would upend the way we do party primaries.

Kelly Maher leads an organization called Restoring Standards with the goal of eliminating the extremes of both parties in Colorado. Is that even possible?

Wrap your mind around this. Kids in Colorado cannot be taught about human sexuality until the fourth grade, but they can be taught about homosexuality in the first grade. Pam Benigno from the Independence Institute explains.

Colorado's commitment to 100% renewable energy will result in large scale power outages. Amy Cooke from Independence Institute explains her mantra "buy a generator!".

Are the politics of inclusivity killing consent for women? Rich Guggenheim of Gays Against Groomers explains.

Colorado's deaths from fentanyl overdoses are not just taking place under bridges and in homeless encampments. They're happening right next door to you. Filmmaker Steffan Tubbs brings this Colorado tragedy into the light with his film devastated.

Scientist Roger Pielke did something unforgivable. He questioned the prevailing assumptions of climate science. For that, the Obama administration tried to discredit him, and the University of Colorado pushed him out of his job.

Aron Lam is the only large "L" libertarian holding office in Colorado. As the mayor of the metropolis of Keenesburg, he's on a mission to show that libertarian policy works and that local government might be the best place for libertarians.

Brandon Mark is a large "L" libertarian, so he's gotta be kinda weird, socially awkward, and living in his mother's basement. But he's not. His Free State Colorado Project is having an outsized impact. Shining light on government overreach.

I asked Denver's most successful and longest running talk show host, Mike Rosen what brought him to Colorado in the first place and how the state has changed since he got here in 1970.

The Colorado GOP made 18 endorsements in the recent Colorado primary, 14 of them failed. And firebrand candidates from both left and right were defeated. GOP consultant Dick Wadhams thinks thats a return to normalcy.

Political commentator and KOA talk show host Ross Kaminsky thinks the Colorado GOP is not only out of touch with swing voters, but out of touch with most Republicans.

While the news media is enthralled with national politics, governors and big city mayors, the real power over our lives comes from the over 5000 local governments here in Colorado. Small city Mayor Mitch LaKind of monument understands local government is where the action is.

If you can't trust the media who can you trust? Perhaps it will be citizen journalists who bring the real story. Cory Gaines is becoming the trusted source on Colorado politics through his Colorado Accountability Project.

The Colorado state legislature recently tried to ban all oil and gas operations in the state. That plot failed, but more anti energy bills were passed, and you're gonna feel them in your utility bills soon. Jake Fogleman details them all for us.