The Blueprint: How the Democrats Won Colorado (and Why Republicans Everywhere Should Care) [Paperback]

Rob Witwer (Author), Adam Schrager (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2010

Now with an updated epilogue about the 2010 elections.

This is the inside story of one of the most stunning reversals of political fortune in American history. Four years ago, the GOP dominated politics at every level in Colorado. Republicans held both Senate seats, five of seven congressional seats, the governor’s mansion, the offices of secretary of state and treasurer, and both houses of the state legislature. After the 2008 election, the exact opposite was true: replace the word Republicans with Democrats in the previous sentence, and you have of one the most stunning reversals of political fortune in American history.

This is also the story of how it will happen—indeed, is happening—in other states across the country. In Colorado, progressives believe they have found a blueprint for creating permanent Democratic majorities across the nation. With discipline and focus, they have pioneered a legal architecture designed to take advantage of new campaign finance laws and an emerging breed of progressive donors who are willing to commit unprecedented resources to local races. It’s simple, brilliant, and very effective.

Rob Witwer is a former member of the Colorado House of Representatives and practices law in Denver.

Emmy award–winning journalist Adam Schrager covers politics for KUSA-TV, the NBC affiliate in Denver. Schrager and his family live in the Denver area. He is the author of The Principled Politician: Governor Ralph Carr and the Fight against Japanese Internment

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The Colorado turnaround in 2008 was nothing short of phenomenal: a once rock-solid Republican state went Democratic in a big way. And members of both parties are still scratching their heads over what happened. Adam Schrager and Rob Witwer have dug into the question for their book 'The Blueprint: How the Democrats Won Colorado and Why Republicans Everywhere Should Care.' --Political Bookworm Blog by Steven Levingston

About the Author

Rob Witwer is a former member of the Colorado House of Representatives. He has successfully managed six local campaigns and has served as legal counsel to the Colorado Republican party, the governor of Colorado, and several legislative, congressional, and gubernatorial candidates. Witwer practices law in Denver and lives in Golden with his wife and four sons. Adam Schrager covers politics for KUSA-TV, the NBC affiliate in Denver, Colorado. In more than 15 years in the business, he has won numerous broadcast journalism accolades, including more than a dozen Emmy awards. He is the author of The Principled Politician: Governor Ralph Carr and the Fight against Japanese American Internment. He teaches an introductory class on broadcast journalism at the University of Denver.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Speaker's Corner (May 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1936218003
• ISBN-13: 978-1936218004
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 4.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #49,143 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #22 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Politics & Government > Elections & Political Process > Elections
  • #31 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Politics & Government > Elections & Political Process > Political Parties

More About the Author

Adam Schrager is an investigative reporter and producer with WISC-TV, the CBS affiliate in Madison, Wisconsin. He has covered politics for more than 20 years, most recently at Wisconsin Public Television and at KUSA-TV in Denver. Previously, he worked at commercial television stations in La Crosse, Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the 1990's.

Schrager is the author of "The Principled Politician," a biography of former Colorado Gov. Ralph Carr whose stand on behalf of Japanese Americans after Pearl Harbor would cost him his political career. The book led state lawmakers to name the new state justice center after the former Colorado chief executive. His second book is "The Blueprint: How the Democrats Won Colorado (and Why Republicans Everywhere Should Care)," co-authored with former Colorado state lawmaker Rob Witwer. It has been lauded by The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and political figures on both sides of the political spectrum.

His latest book, due out in the summer of 2013, is "The Sixteenth Rail: The Evidence, the Scientist and the Lindbergh Kidnapping." It is a biography about Arthur Koehler, the nation's pre-eminent wood scientist in the early 1930's who ends up tracking the wood in the ladder used to kidnap Charles A. Lindbergh, Jr. to Bruno Richard Hauptmann's attic. Koehler was called the "Sherlock Holmes of our era" by reporters like Damon Runyon and Walter Winchell. Of the new book, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper said, "Industry rightfully spends millions of dollars to stimulate innovation. They should spend some of those millions distributing this book. The modest Arthur Koehler was perhaps the greatest detective innovator of the the 20th Century."

In his career, Schrager has won numerous journalism accolades, including more than twenty Emmy awards. He taught journalism at the University of Denver and at Marquette University and has conducted dozens of seminars on the impact of the media on politics. Schrager has an undergraduate degree in history from the University of Michigan and a graduate degree in broadcast journalism from Northwestern University.

He and his wife live with their three kids in Madison.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 29 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars How strong is the Democrats' grip on Colorado? We're about to find out. April 12, 2010

By Eli Stokols

Format:Paperback

Across the country, Republicans are excited about their electoral prospects this November and poised, it would seem for a comeback. But, at least in Colorado, that may not be a forgone conclusion, however strong the national political headwinds are blowing in the GOP's direction. The reason: the Democratic infrastructure built over the last seven years by a band of deep-pocketed progressives -- an infrastructure that, through creative and coordinated fundraising, messaging and get-out-the-vote operations, has, over three consecutive election cycles from 2004 to 2008, shattered the GOP's iron-clad grip on political power in what had long been a reliably red state. It's a stunning and well-crafted story from authors Rob Witwer, a former Republican state representative, and seasoned political reporter Adam Schrager, a story-teller second to none. The Blueprint takes you behind the scenes, inside the smoke-filled rooms at the pivotal moments, and up close with the major players. It's a politico's page-turner, an insider's account of how a few determined Democrats turned Colorado blue; and it comes just months ahead of this fall's midterm elections, sure to be a telling test of whether or not their "blueprint" will be strong enough to keep it that way.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Why Colorado matters, no matter your party... November 29, 2010

By PubliusDB

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

If you walk away with nothing from this book, and from this review, it should be this: by using data, organization, and money, there are political operatives out there manipulating how voters think about their candidates, and not necessarily with accurate information.

Without a doubt, the book is what it purports to be: a blueprint for the Democratic strategy to successfully turn Republican leaning states, districts and offices over to Democrats. And it's already worked. Democrats, in what was in 2002 one of the reddest states of country, now control the state House and Senate, both US Senate seats, the Governors mansion, and five of the seven Congressional seats. Further, as the authors, Adam Schrager and Rob Witwer, argue, it's a plan that is being exported to other states, and even being used nationally, to take down Republicans everywhere.

So what's the secret? How do Democrats turn a conservative state into a left leaning Democratic stronghold? Tom Tancredo, former Republican Congressman, summed it up nicely:

"It doesn't matter if you are running for the state legislature or the president of the United States. Brilliant organization, unlimited resources, and the effective use of technology all in the hands of bright people who are driven more than just simple ideology create the most formidable campaign strategy imaginable."

And that's exactly what happened. Conceived as a project by several millionaires--and not just your garden variety millionaires, but including dot-com millionaires with a penchant for data manipulation and a surplus of cash--the Colorado story is that of a small cadre of intelligent individuals bypassing the traditional political parties to orchestrate an ambush on Republican office holders that flipped Colorado to the Democrats. Using huge influxes of cash channeled through shadowy 527 non-profits, Democrats used data collection methods to target vulnerable and marginally successful Republicans with vicious mailers and only marginally true television advertising. Republicans never saw it coming, and it wasn't until almost six years later that they started to pick up the game. Using a method of directing donations to candidates and non-profits categorized as 527s under the IRS tax code, Democrats were able to hide the actual amount of money being spent to attack Republicans, pool from wealthy donors nationwide, and target only a few swing votes to turn elections in several states.

It's a brilliantly executed strategy, and one I am sure that every politico wishes he had conceived. The tools are available to anyone who will organize them and that is willing to raise and find the money.

As for a read, the book moves fast and feels like an extended magazine piece, full of quotes and interesting anecdotes. However, it's probably better designed for a political wonk than for the average reader.

As I stated at the outset, the scary aspect of the book is the ability of these operatives, infusing enormous amounts of money, deft and witty campaign messaging (read: attack ads and mailers that smear candidates), and highly organized grassroots management, can, and are, winning elections, and not necessarily on the merits of their candidates.

Fascinating read. Pick it up. Or borrow it from me.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars It reads like a novel! April 10, 2010

By F. Allen

Format:Paperback

If you are looking for some political science-oriented tome to help you get to sleep at night, this is NOT the book for you! Witwer's and Schrager's "THE BLUEPRINT" starts off with a bang and is a page turner all the way through. But be careful...this is not some mindless vacation tote; it is a play-by-play account of a political tectonic shift that likely will be remembered as a significant tactical addition to any serious political party's playbook. And its honest detail will jar even the most jaded politics aficionado's sensibilities.