Republican Dan Maes, the 2010 GOP nominee for Governor (it still feels weird to write that) is apparently not letting his bygones, uh, be.
We didn't have a chance to get to this earlier in the week, but didn't want to forget to mention it. On Tuesday, Maes sent out a long note to supporters and people who "want the truth" detailing his continued anger at Tom Tancredo, Steve Durham, Bob Beauprez, Josh Penry, etc., etc. We were forwarded Maes' "newsletter" as it appeared on a Facebook page, and we've included the entire missive after the jump.
The 2010 election is old news, certainly, but it's interesting to read Maes' detailed account of some of the events leading up to his nomination for Governor, as well as his calling out a handful of Republicans individually:
Bob Beauprez - you broke my heart. You mentored me and you called me from Chicago right after the assembly to congratulate me personally. Your radio commercial was a betrayal to me and conservative voters.
Freda Poundstone - you called me 4-5 times a day, even at 7:00 AM on the weekend to snoop around while acting like you supported me. Shame on you. You gave 300.00 to another candidate and told him not to cash it until after his election. The games you played.
Josh Penry - you were a hired gun that could not hit a target. Your political capital is gone except in parts of GJ and with some of your cronies.
Greg Brophy - you sell out to whomever Penry tells you to.
Ted Harvey - be thankful for your strong R base in Douglas County. Their loyalty to you is admirable and your loss for chair has been your chastisement.
Click after the jump to read the full "newsletter," complete with references to The Christmas Story, Men In Black and a sermon about giving forgiveness 77 times.
Reporter Allison Sherry of the major Denver newspaper is out today with a story you knew was coming sooner or later: GOP Senate candidate Ken Buck has officially abandoned Amendment 62, the so-called "personhood amendment," claiming he 'did not understand' that it might actually ban certain forms of birth control. Having given the measure his steadfast support throughout the primary election, Buck's campaign now says he will vote against it.
Buck also now says that he will not introduce a constitutional amendment overturning abortion rights, as he told voters during the primary he would. And Buck even backed off his prior position on an abortion litmus test for nominees--pro-choice would not ipso facto mean "disqualified" now. He has not, apparently, changed his position that abortion should be illegal even in cases of rape or incest; these specific policy applications are merely where the issue is forced to the surface.
But it's no less of a turning point in this campaign, folks, indeed this could be the big one that throws all the other incidents of Buck's flipping-flopping and dishonesty, from the democratic election of U.S. Senators to abolishing the Department of Ed, Social Security and Medicare being "fundamentally against" what he believes, or a national sales tax--all of them--into unbearably sharp relief for the voters. Bob Beauprez earned the nickname "Both Ways" over far less. This all strikes us as a significant strategic error on the part of Buck's campaign. The lessons from the Beauprez campaign, and prior to that, the John Kerry 2004 Presidential run, remain fresh in our mind; it's always more dangerous to look like a "flip-flopper" than any one or two specific policy stances can ever be.
Buck has abandoned so much more than Beauprez ever did, so much of what he used to stand for, it begs the question: is there anything left of the Ken Buck who won the primary?
It's time for another edition of "Worst Week in Colorado," where we ask Colorado Pols readers who it is who had the worst week in Colorado politics.
Previous winners (or losers) include Republican Party Chair Dick Wadhams and former GOP Gubernatorial candidate Scott McInnis. Our nominee this week is the Colorado Republican Party and Establishment in general, for its shamelessly apparent attempts to discredit Gubernatorial nominee Dan Maes and force him out of the race so that they can appoint someone else.
We had no problem with the GOP trying to get Maes out of the race prior to the Primary, or even soon afterwards, but this week the process took on a whole new level of desperate absurdity. If they can't get Maes to agree to any sort of plan to bow out of the race, they could at least try to do it a little quieter while not openly poking in the eye the hundreds of thousands of Republicans who, for whatever reason, did vote for him in the Primary.
Who, or what, else would you nominate for "Worst Week in Colorado" this week?
THURSDAY UPDATE #6: The Wall Street Journal puts Dan Maes' name in lights again, accorded the no-small honor of Quote of the Day:
Enjoy the ride, Mr. Maes. Whatever happens tomorrow, he's writing his poetry and the newspapers are printing it.
THURSDAY UPDATE #5: FOX 31's Eli Stokols Tweets from today's debate:
THURSDAY UPDATE #4: This is all becoming really very silly. Former Senate President, and Republican right-wing standard bearer, John Andrews issued this statement this morning:
This morning I called Dan Maes to withdraw my endorsement and urge him to end his candidacy, for the public good. As a conscientious Republican who earlier voted for Dan, I cannot support a manifestly unfit nominee. He has flunked his job interview with the people of Colorado in the weeks since Scott McInnis faded. The party should cut Maes loose if he does not resign the nomination. I intend to write in a vote for Jane Norton for Governor. [Pols emphasis]
Jane Norton? This makes perfect sense. Try to kick out someone who won the Republican primary in order to replace him with someone who lost a primary election of her own. We've absolutely reached the point where this is causing more harm than good for Republicans, whether or not they can convince Maes to withdraw.
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THURSDAY UPDATE #3: There is a Gubernatorial debate scheduled to be taped today at Noon as a joint production between Colorado Public Television (CPT12) and CBS 4. The debate is scheduled to air at 9:00 p.m. tomorrow, which could be a bit odd if Maes did withdraw from the race.
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THURSDAY UPDATE #2: Moments ago, Dan Maes posted this defiant-sounding update to his Facebook page. Does this read like a man about to pull out of this race?
THURSDAY UPDATE: The Colorado Statesman'sJody Strogoff confirms much of this story in a detailed must-read report this morning: renewed pressure to withdraw, a few days of expressed leeway by the Secretary of State's office should a vacancy committee be necessary, and a twist you may not have expected: Bob Beauprez waiting in the wings?
Check out this absolute gem of a letter to the editor in this week's Colorado Statesman, which is in reference to this column by Aaron Harber. We thought it was a joke until we read who signed the letter:
I beg your pardon! Comparing Scott McInnis and Bob Beauprez is ludicrous. McInnis' problems are the result of character flaws, whereas the political environment and outside factors contributed as much to Congressman Beauprez's election outcome as any policy issues or campaign strategy.
In the many years I have known Congressman Beauprez, never has anyone had the temerity to impugn his character as Mr. Aaron Harber has just done in the July 23 issue of The Statesman.
The anti-Bush climate during the 2006 campaign was entirely different from the present pro-conservative environment - to suggest otherwise is delusional. Congressman Beauprez's integrity is firmly in place, he has not changed his mind on any values issues; he remains pro-life, conservative, and supports family and friends (did you miss Cory Voorhis's letter about the support he received from the Congressman?).
UPDATE:Denver Postreports that the last of the big three candidates besides Hickenlooper--Rep. Ed Perlmutter--will not enter the gubernatorial race. Perlmutter may be pulling his name out of the mix in advance of a Hickenlooper announcement, as many politicians do so as not to look like a second choice. If for some reason Hickenlooper does not run, the most discussed (and strongest) candidates for Democrats are Treasurer Cary Kennedy, Rep. Betsy Markey and former House Speaker Andrew Romanoff. We'd be surprised, however, if Hickenlooper is not the Democratic candidate at this point.
While no public decision has been made as of yet regarding the race for Governor, Colorado Republican Party Chair Dick Wadhams seems to think that Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper will be the Democratic candidate. We've written before that we think Hickenlooper will eventually enter the race, and the state GOP is already trying to get out in front of any potential announcement.
In a press release sent out today, Wadhams calls Hickenlooper "Hickenritter" and speculates that Hick would be identical to Gov. Bill Ritter in several ways. Republicans are obviously concerned about a potential Hickenlooper candidacy, because when he was passed over for Michael Bennet when the latter was appointed to the U.S. Senate last year, they openly stated that Hick would have been tough to defeat in 2010.
I'm guessing John Hickenlooper has name ID that rivals the governor's, maybe exceeds the governor's. I'm guessing that John Hickenlooper has 4:1 favorable/unfavorables statewide. There isn't enough money in the world to peel that down to 1:1 - to where you could maybe beat him.
John Hickenlooper could claim - he won't do it because he's got enough humility to not do it - but he could claim that the DNC was successful in large part because of his efforts to raise the money. He not only has a Rolodex with names in it, they are successful names.
John could raise more money and be more easily elected. His appointment would have taken that seat almost completely off the table. I don't know what John could have done to make it truly competitive. [Pols emphasis]
Here's what Wadhams had to say about Hickenlooper in December 2008, when Hick was being considered as a replacement in the U.S. Senate for Ken Salazar:
Dick Wadhams, the state GOP chairman, conceded that Hickenlooper "is immensely popular as the mayor of Denver" but said "he'll look a lot different after two years of votes in the U.S. Senate."
These two quotes highlight exactly why many observers, including Colorado Pols, see Hickenlooper as such a strong potential candidate. As we wrote in The Big Line, Hickenlooper has great name ID and is a prolific fundraiser, which are probably the two most important qualities you could have as a candidate for statewide office. That doesn't make him a shoo-in for Governor, but at the very least he would enter the race with an advantage over Republican Scott McInnis on both fronts.
Now that 2010 is here (and most of you are back to work after the holidays), it's time to take our look back on the decade that was.
We asked your opinions on what the Oughts Brought, and now it's time to start revealing the winners. We'll be here with this all week, folks, so check back for more categories every day.
Best/Worst Politician and Best/Worst Campaign awards after the jump.
Former Congressman Bob Beauprez will not run for the U.S. Senate, he said in an email to supporters this afternoon.
"Having been presented with the potential to serve in the United States Senate, Claudia and I considered it very carefully. However after significant reflection, I will not be a candidate for the Senate in 2010," he wrote.
His decision leaves four GOP candidates: Weld County District Attorney Ken Buck, Aurora City Councilman Ryan Frazier, Evergreen businessman Dan Maes and Cleve Tidwell of Denver. Last week, the Denver Post reported that former Lt. Gov. Jane Norton is also looking at entering the GOP field.
Let's face it: Beauprez isn't running because he looked around, considered various staffers, and finally realized what we'd been saying for a long time. He. Can't. Win.
It's no secret that Beauprez has been wanting to get back into politics since 2006, but he's still way too much damaged goods.
Meanwhile, Jane Norton's Senate bid is basically a lock at this point. Everybody's talking about it. Democrats we've talked to this evening seem awfully confident, like they know something we don't know. That's likely to be the case for a majority of Colorado voters, a good percentage of whom probably think her first name is Gale. Though to be fair, voters could think her first name was "Ken," and it's still a positive for her. Name ID is name ID, especially in a GOP primary--and general election--where nobody knows anybody.
And for all the buzz about "salvation," we kind of doubt Ken Buck sees it that way--and he's probably the one extant candidate we're not writing off yet.
UPDATE: We omitted Cleve Tidwell from our original post. We regret the error. Deeply.
UPDATE #2: Beauprez is a little more up front about it with Politico:
Former Republican congressman Bob Beauprez told POLITICO that he is "leaning towards running" against Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) because he doesn't think any of the party's current crop of candidates can win. [Pols emphasis]
"There's a general sense that our field isn't really set on our side, and Bennet is quite vulnerable," said Beauprez. "We're looking at it -- with an increased sense of urgency."
Look! Something we agree with Beauprez about: The current crop of GOP candidates cannot beat Bennet. But being on the top of the trash heap still leaves you on the trash heap. Beauprez may or may not be better than Buck, Frazier and Cleve, but if he is better, he's not that much better.
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UPDATE: Beauprez tells Lynn Bartels over at Politics West that he isn't definitely in or definitely out. But the most telling quote, perhaps, is this:
Beauprez said he is "asking the questions that need to be asked" as he deliberates about whether to run.
"I don't want to go in assuming everything is just going to work out, somehow, and the team will come together, somehow, and the money will be there, somehow, and at the end of the day we will win, somehow," Beauprez said.
Indeed.
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Following up on a post from Mountain Dem a little earlier, it sounds like Bob Beauprez will indeed run for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate. We hear that Beauprez is telling friends that "he's in" and is already beginning to solicit financial support.
Coming off one of the worst campaigns in the country in 2006, and what many -- us included -- have called the worst statewide campaign in Colorado history, Beauprez would seem to be a poor choice to be the Republican candidate against Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet. But Beauprez does have a deep financial rolodex and should easily be able to outraise both Ken Buck and Ryan Frazier. Whether or not he can convince GOP primary voters that he is not the same disaster that he was in 2006 is another story entirely.
We almost missed this gem from over the weekend, but we're glad we had a chance to share. Check out this story from The Greeley Tribune:
A T-shirt Weld District Attorney Ken Buck is selling was imported from Mexico, just like many of the illegal immigrants Buck battles.
The T-shirts made by Gildan, a Montreal-based textile manufacturer, were purchased through a Windsor graphics shop that pressed Buck's message poking fun at the American Civil Liberties Union's lawsuit on the front and back of the shirts...
...Buck said he didn't initially know where the shirts were made. Just because the shirts were made in Haiti and imported through Mexico, that doesn't mean he should not support a product from there, he said.
He said the insinuation is that he's racist. He is not, he said.
"I vacation in Mexico, I eat Mexican food," Buck said. "I don't dislike Mexicans." [Pols emphasis]
Ah, yes, the oft-tried, seldom effective way to deflect racism ploy of saying "I've been to Mexico!" Former Republican Rep. Bob Beauprez tried using it to disastrous results back in 2005 (remember 'Mexican Time?'), and many other Republicans throughout the years have used the fact that "they've been to Mexico" or "like Mexican food" as irrefutable proof that they aren't, in fact, racist.
Buck is considered a top contender to challenge Betsy Markey in CD-4, but if his handling of this situation is any indication, she needn't be too concerned. We don't know if Buck is a racist or not, but given his ludicrous and insensitive attempts to dispel the charge, we're starting to assume he might be. Either way, we can indisputably determine from these statements that Buck is, in fact, a moron.
To be fair, Buck isn't the only moron to have used this form of "logic" to somehow prove that he isn't a racist. But it's still nonsense. It's no different, for instance, than saying this:
"I can't be a sexist. I have sex with women!"
"I don't hate Jews. I eat kosher hot dogs all the time!"
Or, one of our all-time favorites, "I'm not a homophobe--I work with a lot of gay people."
This logic is ridiculous on so many levels, but particularly if you look at it the other way around. If you don't like Mexican food and have never been to Mexico, does that mean you are a racist?
What if you refuse to eat Rocky Mountain Oysters? Does that mean you hate Colorado?
If you don't have any gay or lesbian co-workers, are you a homophobe? What if you have gay and lesbian co-workers who haven't yet come out of the closet? Are you still okay, then? Or are you a homophobe?
If you're looking for a microcosm of why the Republican Party is still lost in the wilderness, look no further than Ken Buck and "Swastika Guy," both of whom hang out with fellow Republicans who seem completely oblivious to the damage they do to their own images.
