Former Sen. Steve Johnson Looks at CD-4

It especially hurts Diggs Brown

The only other viable "candidate" from Larimer County.

Of course, Diggs hasn't been helped by the fact that the "Draft Diggs" organizer and wannabe COS Andrew Boucher has been screwing up his own city council campaign.  

"At times one remains faithful to a cause only because its opponents do not cease to be insipid." - Nietzsche  

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by: twas brillig @ Fri Apr 03, 2009 at 19:55:54 PM UTC

Zero chance

For obvious reasons (at least to most insiders), Johnson would have a very tough time getting out of a primary.  

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by: Commenter @ Fri Apr 03, 2009 at 21:20:03 PM UTC

I disagree.

Last November, Steve received thousands of more votes than John McCain in Larimer County. He is very popular there with a strong long standing base of support. He is well liked in Weld County and, if he runs, he will run well in the Longmont area too.  

Larimer, Weld and Boulder counties contain 85% of the votes in the 4th CD, so geographically he is from the population center of the district.

He may have some trouble with the fanatics in the party but he will certainly have an excellent chance to receive the nomination and an excellent chance in the general election.  The other Republican candidates are either inconsequential or throwbacks to Rep. Musgrave.

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by: Republican 36 @ Fri Apr 03, 2009 at 22:09:16 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

We're talking about the Primary

Not the general.  He would be a very tough general electin opponent.  But getting out of the primary?  Good luck.  Lots have tried and all have failed since Hank Brown held the seat.

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by: Craig @ Fri Apr 03, 2009 at 22:30:44 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

I don't disagree completely but I think Steve

is in a better position than others.

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by: Republican 36 @ Fri Apr 03, 2009 at 22:36:19 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

But those are the people who win primaries

In today's Colorado GOP

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by: Colorado Pols @ Fri Apr 03, 2009 at 22:31:08 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

The right-wingers, we mean

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by: Colorado Pols @ Fri Apr 03, 2009 at 22:34:34 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Why do you reply to your comments

when you can edit them?

For clarification, I mean.

"With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censored, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably."

12/15/11 - RIP squeaky duck. You were plush, loved and finally ripped apart after over a year.

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by: droll @ Sat Apr 04, 2009 at 18:33:53 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Terminal RINO-itis?

   Johnson should be adequately homophobic for C.D. 4 but doesn't he have pro-choice proclivities?
  Then again if there are five wing nuts running in the primary (Gardner, Brophy, Lucero, Lundberg, and Schaffer), and they evenlly split 70% of the C.D. 4 Republicans who are fanatical right, Johnson can win the primary with 30%.
  Didn't Jeff Beddingfield get at least 30% when he ran against Musty a few years back?

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by: One Queer Dude @ Fri Apr 03, 2009 at 23:47:58 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Brophy isn't running...

he's going to endorse Gardner and Schaffer is done!

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by: A-bob @ Sat Apr 04, 2009 at 16:49:57 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Not enough

Even if he has pro-choice tendencies, I'm pretty sure Johnson will not be adequately homophobic for a Republican primary in CD-4.  

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by: Commenter @ Sat Apr 04, 2009 at 21:19:11 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Not sure about these observations

I am pretty sure that Johnson is pro-life, but not a militant about it.

And, I am pretty sure that he is about the last Republican office holder that can be accused of being homophobic.

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by: abraham @ Sun Apr 05, 2009 at 20:20:11 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

I don't recall Johnson ever voting for any of the GLBT civil rights bills

   If I'm mistaken and I missed something, please let me know by citing the year and bill.
  I don't recall him voting for expanded hate crimes protection or employment non-discrimination.  And I don't believe he supported S.B. 200 in his last term in the Senate.
  In his defense, Johnson may not have said some of the outrageous stuff that those clowns Renfroe and Lundberg have said, but he's backed up their positions with his votes.
  Al White and Ken Kester are about the only Republicans in the state Senate who support equal rights for gays, lesbians, bisexual and transgendered folks.

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by: One Queer Dude @ Sun Apr 05, 2009 at 23:47:10 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

If he can reach the general,

he'll be a strong candidate, as he is thoughtful and moderate by anyone's reckoning.  His support of Ref C, and serious heavy lifting in the Senate to help citizens pass legislation protecting their ground water from contamination from uranium mining near Ft. Collins/Greeley (HB 08-1161) will not be forgotten by moderate D's (like me) and independents.  

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by: Lovelander @ Fri Apr 03, 2009 at 22:36:10 PM UTC

If he gets out of the primary...Johnson wins

I like Betsey, and am a hardened D, but Johnson has too much appeal amongst unaffiliated for incumbency to make up for the built in disadvantages in CD4 for Ds.

However, the COGOP hasn't shown any ability to think strategically and I think there is little chance he gets out of the primary.

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by: Doppleganger @ Fri Apr 03, 2009 at 22:50:46 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

I wouldn't be too sure

Everyone acts like the demographics for this seat have not changed over the last 8 years. And everyone acts like having an [R] is superior to a [D] for people in the middle.

I think Steve would be a tough opponent, but I think Betsy beats him. But it will probably be close. (Or maybe not - did anyone think she would beat MM by 10 points?)

Where all the cool kids will be on Saturday - Code War!

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by: DavidThi808 @ Sat Apr 04, 2009 at 07:23:24 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Steve could be a good challenger.

Lots of experience, not a wingnut. The district has shown that it is not far right. If I were Markey I'd worry a lot more about Steve than, say, Tancredo moving to the district.  He would do the district well.

"Politics determines who has the power, not who has the truth." Paul Krugman, 9/2010

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by: parsingreality @ Fri Apr 03, 2009 at 23:01:37 PM UTC

Doesn't he also post here?

or is repjohnso someone else?

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by: redstateblues @ Fri Apr 03, 2009 at 23:07:30 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

I doubt John S.

has ever read a blog, much less post. John is really old school.  

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by: Thorntondem @ Fri Apr 03, 2009 at 23:28:47 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

No

I meant Steve Johnson. I think he made his account when he was still Rep. Johnson.

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by: redstateblues @ Fri Apr 03, 2009 at 23:44:10 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Oh...

my bad. I thought you were referencing Rep. John Soper when you said "repjohnso". I was scratching my head because, as we both know, John lives in CD-2 and is a dem. I guess I need to get with the program.

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by: Thorntondem @ Fri Apr 03, 2009 at 23:53:10 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

I always think that's him too,

but the comments usually don't scream Steve to me.  Unless he recently got really pissed off.

Anyway, I'm not sure that there were accounts in early '03.

"With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censored, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably."

12/15/11 - RIP squeaky duck. You were plush, loved and finally ripped apart after over a year.

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by: droll @ Fri Apr 03, 2009 at 23:54:02 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Yeah, that's him...

or, at least the blogger pretending to be him.  :)

When he had a heart attack 2-ish years back he posted a thank you to folks on here that wished him well, IIRC.  But droll is right, there's definitely a disconnect from Steve the blogger and Steve the reasonably normal guy.  It's a little strange...

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by: Dabee47 @ Fri Apr 03, 2009 at 23:59:52 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

The shining example of R's

In a perfect world people like Steve Johnson would become the mold for the future of the GOP.  I think he could eventually win this seat, just not sure if the timing is right.

But heck, go for it Steve!  

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by: Aggie @ Sat Apr 04, 2009 at 04:00:30 AM UTC

What do you expect when

the site has this in its head:
<meta name="generator" content="Yahoo! SiteBuilder/2.6/1.6.0_01">
?

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by: davebarnes @ Sat Apr 04, 2009 at 12:59:25 PM UTC

Did you notice

that post about Johnson was from mid February, when in fact Ken Buck was still talking about running for the 4th?

But through the magic of the Internets, it's still current!

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by: RedGreen @ Sat Apr 04, 2009 at 19:53:05 PM UTC

johnson

Too progressive for a district in which the Rs are conservative, pro-life, anti gay, anti government.

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by: waltzeswithdog @ Mon Apr 06, 2009 at 01:48:43 AM UTC