February 01, 2013 01:51 PM UTC

Away from "people who are paid to be angry," Gessler says he's got an agreement on mail ballots, but is it true?

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• by: Jason Salzman

Aspen's <a href="http://www.kdnk.org/story.cfm?id=1359581730222" target="_blank">KDNK radio</a> reported this week on a visit from Secretary of State Scott Gessler to Glenwood Springs where Gessler hoped to get feedback from locals on how the last election went for them.

KDNK reported that Gessler was "getting away from the usual talking points and what he called 'people who are paid to be angry.'"

KDNK didn't ask Gessler if he was also getting away from people who are unpaid and angry, but maybe a reporter can put that question to our Secretary of State once he returns to Denver.

Trouble is, Gessler probably lumps reporters into the "paid-to-be-angry" category of people, given that he thinks <em>The Denver Post</em> has been on a <a href="http://bigmedia.org/2012/10/19/with-radio-host-raising-nary-a-peep-of-objection-gesser-says-stories-about-his-reimbursements-are-petty-stuff-and-post-is-on-a-jihad/" target="_blank">"jihad"</a> against him, and Gessler is a <a href="http://bigmedia.org/2012/02/21/catch-your-breath-mainstream-media-gessler-doesnt-like-you/" target="_blank">frequent critic</a> of <a href="http://bigmedia.org/2011/10/24/gessler-apparently-thinks-mainstream-media-and-the-left-are-one-and-the-same/" target="_blank">professional journalists</a> (but talk radio hosts, not so much).

KDNK reporter Erik Skalak reported Gessler's comments on a 2011 lawsuit Gessler filed against Denver County Clerk and Recorder Debra Johnson. A judge ruled against Gessler, allowing Johnson to send election ballots to voters who had skipped the last general election.  <a href="http://www.kdnk.org/story.cfm?id=1359581730222" target="_blank">KDNK reported:</a>
<blockquote>"I  think the judge was just wrong in his analysis," Gessler told KDNK. "I really do. That said, you know, so the Clerk and Recorder in Denver and I have sort of  been the two people opposing one another. And I've been in conversations with her for a long time, ever since the lawsuit, even before the lawsuit, on how we can sort of find a way to move forward on that. <strong>And I think we've hammered out a solution. So even though we're still at the District Court Trial, if we're able to get this solution through the State Legislature, the issue will probably ultimately go away."</strong></blockquote>
KDNK didn't get a comment from Johnson, and I'm hoping reporters will join me in finding out if this solution is real–or just more Gessler loose mouth.