April 06, 2012 09:43 PM UTC

Larimer Republican says Friess"may or may not" joke again about birth control at fundraiser

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• by: Jason Salzman

(Because they can’t help themselves or something – promoted by Colorado Pols)

“There may or may not be a joke tonight about birth control,” said Tom Lucero, the master of ceremonies at tonight’s Larimer County GOP fundraiser featuring keynote speaker Foster Friess, who was embroiled in a national controversy after he joked that contraception need not be so expensive because, back in the old days, “The gals put [Bayer Aspirin] between their knees, and it wasn’t that costly.”

Lucero made the comment on KFKA radio’s AM Colorado (at the 36:45 in hour 2), which he hosts weekday mornings.

“I thought it was funny, frankly,” said Lucero, “when he made the joke about birth control in his day and age, and birth control back then was Aspirin. We are going to have a good time tonight.”

Organizers told me last month they had no plans to disinvite keynote speaker Foster Friess, who apologized for the Aspirin joke.

Here’s what I reported on my blog last month:

Asked if the flap around Friess had given him second thoughts about inviting Friess to their fundraiser, Larimer County GOP  Chair Michael Fassi said,  “We’re going to move ahead with Foster Friess.”

Former CU Regent Tom Lucero, who’s the master of ceremonies for the event, told me that Friess’ joke didn’t give him second thoughts about his own involvement in the dinner.

“I think that Foster handled it appropriately,” said Lucero, who’s served as Chair of the Larimer County GOP. “He was  trying for a joke, and it fell flat. It wasn’t the appropriate forum for that particular joke, and we moved on.”

On the radio this morning, Lucero said, “My friend Foster Friess graciously accepted the invitation to come to Colorado.”

Lucero called Friess “an amazing man” who started with nothing and eventually sold his business for $400 million.