Best Michelle Malkin Moment After the DNC 2009 | Michelle meets Swastika Guy | Best of Denver® | Best Restaurants, Bars, Clubs, Music and Stores in Denver | Westword
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Best Michelle Malkin Moment After the DNC

Michelle meets Swastika Guy

In February, Ms. Malkin returned to Denver to take part in a rally at the State Capitol against President Barack Obama's economic-stimulus bill. To emphasize the amount of pork in the measure, she assembled sloppy pig's-flesh sandwiches for hungry supporters with her bare hands — how hygienic! — in between posing for photos with Swastika Guy, a protester sporting a sign with the Nazi symbol inside the first letter of Obama's last name. She subsequently suggested that Swastika Guy was planted by progressives to embarrass her — but she didn't really need any help.

Best Michelle Malkin Moment at the DNC

Michelle meets Alex Jones

Fox News contributor Michelle Malkin, a conservative from the really old school (think Genghis Khan), currently calls Colorado Springs home. But she ventured north for the DNC, little knowing that her visit to a Re-create 68 protest outside the Denver Mint would lead to a bizarre confrontation with Alex Jones, self-proclaimed leader of the 9/11 truth movement. "Shame on you, you little monster! You little fascist piece of trash!" he shouted, to the disinterest of assembled police and the discomfort of Malkin, who eventually ran away, Jones in hot pursuit. What a perfect couple.

Best Moment at the Democratic National Convention

Finally getting into Obama's acceptance speech

There were many great moments for Denver during the 2008 Democratic National Convention. But we have to admit that none were as deeply memorable and satisfying as the second we were actually able to plop our collective asses into the plastic seats of Invesco Field at Mile High to hear Barack Obama's historic acceptance of the nomination, exactly 45 years to the day after Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. And it wasn't just because we'd survived an insane, two-mile-long line in the August heat to get into the stadium. It was the realization that, after almost two years of planning, Denver had made it through the gauntlet of security checkpoints, the clogged roadways and the throngs of protesters, and emerged as something new. As Obama stepped onto the stage, the world finally saw the Mile High City we've known all along.

Best National Nod to a Local Institution

Mercury Cafe

Marilyn Megenity's Mercury Cafe is a Colorado institution, beloved both inside and outside of this state. It's also a no-brainer for a left-leaning catalogue of American collectives, co-ops, eco-conscious and alternative businesses, think tanks, coffee houses, favorite leftist anthems and restaurants for locavores, but we were still happy to see that The Nation Guide to the Nation mentions Denver's long-lived, free-thinking hippie outpost not once, but twice. Lauded for its rooftop windmills, organic fare and alternative politics, this Mercury is still rising.

Best New Law

Colorado ASCENT

It's not law — not yet — but Colorado ASCENT, the bipartisan legislation sponsored by state senator Suzanne Williams and representatives Mike Merrifield and Tom Massey, and heartily endorsed by Governor Bill Ritter, is well on its way to becoming the most welcome new law this legislative session. It would establish a statewide concurrent-enrollment plan that gives students an opportunity to earn a college associate's degree while finishing high school. It will also replace several different, and often debated, plans in school districts around the state with a single, uniform program. Let's just hope the kids don't get too much education; they might start questioning how such a bipartisan group ever came up with such a wacky name. For the record, ASCENT stands for Accelerating Students through Concurrent ENrollmenT.

Best New Legislator

Joe Miklosi

We may not like his position on House Bill 1299, which would pledge all of Colorado's electoral-college votes to the presidential candidate who wins the state — but otherwise, we're with Democrat Joe Miklosi all the way. For years, he worked behind the scene, as state director for Progressive Majority, as director of the Democratic State House Caucus for then-Speaker of the House Andrew Romanoff; as chief of staff for then-House Minority Leader Jennifer Veiga; and as a health-care legislative aide for U.S. Senator Howard Metzenbaum. Last year, he decided to run for office himself, and the candidate who bills himself as "not your average Joe" handily won in his south Denver district. In the Statehouse, he's proved himself above average, pushing for such measures as online voting registration and in-state tuition for illegal immigrants — even going on Peter Boyles's show to debate the issue. Now, that takes cojones.

Best News Catchphrase

Gary Shapiro

Every Friday for years, 9News morning anchor Gary Shapiro has shared an upbeat message with viewers: "Congratulations, you made it through the week." But given the state of today's economy, this slogan is more timely than ever. Thanks, Gary. We needed that.

Best Political Blog

Face the State

Not so long ago, the conservative Face the State site regularly battled such well-funded liberal blogs as Colorado Media Matters and the Colorado Independent. But whereas CMM recently shut down and the Independent has been hampered by a significant downsizing, Face the State is scrappier than ever." Brad Jones's creation churns out fresh, original content at a rapid clip, with some items displaying an actual sense of humor — a rarity in political blogging. No wonder lefties have found it difficult to put many marks on this Face.

Best Political Reality-Show Star

Jared Polis, Freshman Year on CNN

Like most reality shows, CNN's Freshman Year features a contrived premise that should stir up tension and drama. Here, it's two totally different members of the House of Representatives going about their daily lives: Representative Jared Polis, the openly gay, extremely wealthy Boulder Democrat, and Jason Chaffetz, a conservative Utah father of three who sleeps on a cot in his congressional office to save money. The show is filmed by the congressmen themselves, using shaky handheld cameras, and highlighted by bad sound, weird music and unbelievably boring plot lines. And yet, as with other reality shows, once you start watching, it's difficult to stop staring. In episode 5, Polis zooms in on the blisters on his feet, a moment that beats his munching of soggy tacos from Episode 4 for pure TV magic, while Chaffetz leg wrestles Stephen Colbert and lists to the songs on his iPod. We can't wait to see what happens — or doesn't — next.

Best Radio Station — Commercial

Indie 101.5

While far too many radio formats have been described as "unique" over the years, the sonic blend offered up by Indie 101.5 truly deserves the descriptor. Music director Whip — our choice for Best DJ in Denver — juxtaposes many of the most interesting current modern-rock acts (the kind that scare off most stations) with alterna-cuts that haven't had all the life sucked out of them through overplaying. The combination is as fresh as it is intelligent. Full disclosure: Indie 101.5 was smart enough to tap Westword's music editor for a regular Wednesday-night show.

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