Buescher Heads Off GOP Lawsuit At The Pass

by: Colorado Pols

Mon Jan 25, 2010 at 11:23:58 AM MST

Secretary of State Bernie Buescher wants to save the state - and the Republican Party - some time and money.

That's why he's calling campaign finance legal experts from all sides into his office today to find out exactly what the U.S. Supreme Court did in its decision that threw out many of the nation's donor laws.

The Democrat said it's clear his office and the General Assembly have to do something to adjust Colorado law to match the decision, so a promise from the Colorado Republican Party to challenge the state's campaign finance laws that mirror the now-unconstitutional federal ones shouldn't be necessary.

"What we need to know is which portions of the state's Constitution are now no longer enforceable, and what are the four corners of the areas in which the Legislature can act," Buescher said...

Colorado GOP officials said they would sue the state to similarly toss out Colorado's laws, which like 23 other states are virtually identical to the federal rules.

But GOP chairman Dick Wadhams said the party would hold off on its lawsuit if Buescher's idea pans out.

"I wanted to have more time to learn more about the decision, how it relates directly to Colorado and what our options are," he said.

It's better to have a controlled landing for the state's soon-to-be dramatically curtailed campaign finance laws. While opinions may vary sufficiently in the end that a lawsuit is still inevitable, you don't want Ryan Call and Dick Wadhams defining the field of play in advance--good on Bernie Buescher for getting out in front of the issue.

On the other hand, Wadhams sounds uncharacteristically accomodating in this story, doesn't he? He should be, since all Buescher is doing is fulfilling the terms of something Wadhams--and Republicans everywhere--have dreamed about for years.