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Tom Wiens Buys In

by: Colorado Pols

Sun Oct 18, 2009 at 10:21:46 AM MDT

It has been a long time coming, but the moment is nigh. Former state Sen. Tom Wiens, R-Castle Rock, says he'll announce his candidacy for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate within the next three weeks.
The announcement will end what may be one of the longest unconsummated candidacies in Colorado history.
Wiens - who has said all along that he'd make his official announcement in the late fall - says he'll officially launch his campaign in the first week of November.
"It won't be on Halloween!" the candidate-in-waiting declared with a chuckle. "We wanted everything in place - and we will hit the ground running! It gives us plenty of time to run for the U.S. Senate."
Wiens anticipates raising as much as $8 million for his U.S. Senate bid.
"It'd be tough to beat my Rolodex. In fact, I'll put my Rolodex up against those Washington insiders any day of the week," said Wiens, who added that he has a 100-member campaign finance team.
"We're prepared to put a half-million dollars into the campaign," said Diana Wiens, who mused about the imminent campaign announcement during a reception last Friday at The Pinnacle Club hosted by the Leadership Program of the Rockies. She said she views the investment as start-up capital.

We've been wondering what happened to Tom Wiens in the months since his exploratory committee announced a couple of months ago, but he's always been a strong theoretical contender. We don't consider the GOP primary field to be settled just yet, and we've never once doubted Wiens' ability to raise all the money he needs--he's not kidding about his top-tier Rolodex.

And if "Languid Jane" Norton fails to thrive, and Ken Buck continues to non-factor...?

Colorado Pols :: Tom Wiens Buys In

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Tom Wiens Buys In | 16 comments

A 100-member campaign finance team?

Is he talking about his volunteer finance committee or is he saying he's hired 10 times as many finance people as any senate campaign in the history of the nation?

Non impediti ratione cogitationis.

"Some of the people that wanted to engage me in conversation appeared to have been the losers in the 'Are you smarter than Michele Bachmann contest?'." --Rep. Barney Frank

by: ThillyWabbit @ Sun Oct 18, 2009 at 12:18:37 PM CDT

by: you @ soon

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He'll put his bureaucracy up against those of any "Washington insiders" anyday

I love how these people who have gigantic Rolodexes, 100-member finance committees, and who can write themselves half-million dollar checks claim not to be "insiders." Please.

by: Half Glass Full @ Sun Oct 18, 2009 at 21:35:19 PM CDT

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by: you @ soon

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he's announced that he's going to announce?

Has he reserved a space in front of that Ford dealership in Brighton that Ryan Frazier used last week?
Let's hope this isn't another big let down. Let's hope he doesn't show up with a cardboard box and tells reporters to write down their questions for him.

by: One Queer Dude @ Sun Oct 18, 2009 at 12:29:25 PM CDT

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Non-Profit $$$

Glad to see Wiens once again "Stand in the Gap".

Be on the look out for record burn rate and expenses to voter contact ratio.

Wiens' late filing shows less than half of donations aided military kin
By Mark P. Couch
Denver Post Staff Writer
A state lawmaker Wednesday released the annual tax filing for the charitable group he established, showing only 46 percent of donations went to financially strapped military families.
Sen. Tom Wiens, R-Castle Rock, reported to the Internal Revenue Service that the Stand in the Gap Project collected $119,336 in 2004, passing $54,472 along to needy families.
That's far below the 60 percent to 70 percent of donations that one charity watchdog says should be funneled to programs.
>snip
According to Stand in the Gap's tax form, dated March 15, the project paid $26,750 in compensation to officers and directors and $10,322 in other salaries and benefits.
Wiens contended that salary expenses should also count as direct aid to the military families, which is not the standard measure used by other philanthropies.

by: silverandblue @ Sun Oct 18, 2009 at 14:31:35 PM CDT

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which begs the question......

how long before Languid Jane's minions raise this as a primary issue?

by: One Queer Dude @ Sun Oct 18, 2009 at 18:21:25 PM CDT

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by: you @ soon

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Good for Tom Weins

Glad to hear that he took the initiative to create something to support the war effort. Never met the guy, but I think will be voting for him (for a variety of reasons). I don't see how this could in any hurt him, except maybe in the eyes of some extreme pacifists on the Left.

by: Robert Jordan @ Sun Oct 18, 2009 at 19:54:30 PM CDT

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It'll hurt him bad. Robert

Less than half the money he raised went to military families.

What happened to the rest of it?

by: gertie97 @ Sun Oct 18, 2009 at 20:02:21 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Don't believe everything you read

If I'm not mistaken this Mark P. Couch character (the crack reporter on this story), now works on Ritter's staff. Interesting, since at the time of this article Wiens' was considering a run for Governor.

Coincidence?

Probably not.

by: elleb @ Sun Oct 18, 2009 at 22:14:59 PM CDT

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by: you @ soon

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Nice shit-flinging

And the crack reporter who wrote the devastating story that knocked uber-Republican Bob Schaffer out the U.S. Senate race is now on uber-Republican John Suthers' payroll.

Contrary to conventional Republican wisdom, not all reporters are communists.

Non impediti ratione cogitationis.

"Some of the people that wanted to engage me in conversation appeared to have been the losers in the 'Are you smarter than Michele Bachmann contest?'." --Rep. Barney Frank

by: ThillyWabbit @ Sun Oct 18, 2009 at 22:24:23 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Not on Fox

I know it is hard to believe the media especially if the report is not on Fox, but you should ask Tommy why he shut down the "Fill my Pockets" effort.

by: silverandblue @ Mon Oct 19, 2009 at 01:32:44 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

No Kidding

But that's not even the half of it. The Governor's staff also appears to have infiltrated the IRS and changed the numbers on charity's filings. Actually though, the organization didn't say the numbers were false. Oh no, its even worse, as apparently the Governor has infiltrated the Wiens organization itself!

by: colorado76 @ Mon Oct 19, 2009 at 09:17:51 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Mark Couch is NOT on Ritter's staff.

He went to work for the Department of Revenue about 18 months ago. It's not a partisan position at all.

by: PoliceSquad @ Mon Oct 19, 2009 at 12:12:59 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Glad to see it

The Nutcases deserve to choose which Nutcase represents them.

That extends to Andrew, too.

May the best nutcase win.

When I use lots of words, they always form an analysis (and, while producing high volume, also produce high information-density).
--Steve Harvey, 2009

by: Ralphie @ Sun Oct 18, 2009 at 20:50:11 PM CDT

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How do you pronounce his last name?

"Wee-uns"?
"Weeens"?
"Wi-uns" (kind of like Wayans)?

by: Half Glass Full @ Sun Oct 18, 2009 at 21:37:22 PM CDT

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pretty sure it's Wiens like Weens or like "seems" :)

by: elleb @ Sun Oct 18, 2009 at 22:16:59 PM CDT