May 24, 2012 07:15 AM UTC

Mike Coffman, it's time to take your ball and go home.

• 3 Comments
• by: jeantinley

As a Republican, I have voted for you before, thinking I was preserving fiscal conservatism. But I never will again. There were many reasons to dislike you before, such as your voter purges, anti-women and anti-gay voting record, and smarmy personality. But your behavior in Elbert County and since then surpasses all of them.

We are fortunate, in America, to have free speech as part of our Constitution. But your edifying use

of that right has come back to bite you, and rightfully so. Granted, you were busily pandering to teabaggers, and the man who recorded you apparently thought he was helping you.  

What I see now is a small-minded, bigoted birther. I don’t see a brave Marine. I don’t see transparency. I don’t even see you, since you have

been in hiding for the past week, only sneaking off to private fundraisers. I see someone robotically repeating an obviously lawyer-mandated response to Kyle Clark’s questions. I see a weak apology that is clearly a CYA move. I see someone who isn’t sorry about what he said, but sorry that he got caught.

I REALLY don’t see a man who is fit to return to Congress as a representative of the people of Colorado. Many people rolled their eyes at Arizona’s Bennett desperately seeking a reason to keep the President off the ballot, but it can be generally acknowledged that Arizona’s leadership is apparently not mentally stable.

Colorado, however, despite pockets of intolerance, has a highly educated populace. You have demonstrated no knowledge of your new constituents, and your glib insult to the President by regurgitating right-wing birther nonsense shows your lack of suitability for Congress.

Intelligent voters are tired of the CO GOP. We were revolted by Frank McNulty’s civil union bill  shenanigans, and Don Coram choosing to shill for votes rather than support his own son. We were disgusted by SM-003, Colorado’s very own version of the Blunt Amendment. We were repulsed by Chris Holbert’s attempt to attach an anti-abortion measure to the budget, and his subsequent childish refusal to sign it. We laughed at the very poor turnout for Ted Harvey’s little religious freedom gathering or whatever it was, on the day of the well-attended Planned Parenthood rally.

And now, you are the latest face of GOP intolerance and ignorance in Colorado. I’m sure that you, and everyone except Don Coram, are hoping that all will be forgotten by election time. I can assure you that it will not. We are embarrassed by Colorado Republicans, and it’s time for you to go.