High Noon: Obamacare goes to court, again; Bibi goes to Congress; Colorado chooses party heads

Susan Greene: Hi everyone. Happy March 4, the 226th anniversary of the day the Constitution went into effect. Welcome to our two guest High Nooners — Denver political analyst Eric Sondermann and Lone Tree Libertarian lawyer Elliot Fladen. Thanks both for joining us.

First let’s start with the newsmakers among us. Eric, you’ve been the subject up much email chatter since you posted a comment critical of Patricia Arquette’s equal wage comments during her Oscar speech. Colorado feminists aren’t super happy with you. Has the barrage of criticism changed your position, or not so much? We’re all familiar with the experience of attracting lots of online ire. How has it been?

Elliot Fladen: Eric please say that such feminists should study the basic statistical concept that “correlation does not demonstrate causation” — that would be pure awesomeness.

Eric Sondermann: Thanks so much for bringing that one up, Susan. What would I do without you. The answer is that I’m still here. It started with a real-time tweet and Facebook post on Oscar night as to Patricia Arquette’s remarks and Meryl Streeps demonstrative reaction. I guess I have three reactions now two weeks later.

1) Social media is not an optimal forum for nuanced discussion.

2) I did not – and do not – contest the fact that there is a gender-based pay gap. I simply believe the numbers are overblown and that what remains of that gap owes more to different genders being attracted to different sectors than to overt discrimination.

3) There is a very quick-trigger Listserv among some activists and it went into overdrive that night. So be it.

… And I think you just said that, Elliot.

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Mike Littwin has covered Dr. J, four presidential inaugurations, six national conventions and countless brain-numbing speeches in the New Hampshire and Iowa snow. A rapier wit.

Eric Sondermann is an independent political commentator. He is a regular panelist on Channel 12’s “Colorado Inside Out” on Friday evenings and co-hosts the “Colorado Decides” political debate series co-sponsored by CPT-Channel 12 and CBS-Channel 4. Beyond these television roles, Eric is regularly called upon for his political insight by a laundry list of local and national publications. After nearly 30 years as a leading public relations and public policy consultant, Eric sold his ownership interest in SE2, the firm he founded, to his business partners this past summer.

Elliot Fladen is a former Department of Justice trial attorney and a 2005 graduate of Stanford Law School. He specializes in commercial litigation, government transparency, and construction litigation. Besides testifying on major state ethics legislation before the Colorado State House, stories regarding his work have appeared in the Denver Post, the Colorado Springs Gazette, The Colorado Independent, the Colorado Observer, and the Colorado Statesman. He is also an occasional guest columnist and/or contributor to the Colorado Springs Gazette and The Colorado Independent.

Susan Greene is moderator today. She is a longtime Colorado journalist, a former Denver Post columnist and the editor of the Colorado Independent.

from The Colorado Independent http://ift.tt/1Em06qb
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