October 30, 2008 06:06 AM UTC

McInnis Speaks out against the Good Old Boys that Hijacked the Colorado GOP

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• by: gopstudent

Even a casual political observer can see that there are many problems within the Colorado Republican Party.  As Bob Schaffer and Dick Wadhams face an inevitable defeat, Colorado continues to go Blue on every level. The NRSC has abandoned all hope in Musgrave country and John McCain will likely have to kiss our electoral votes goodbye while Barack Obama hums “Hail to the Chief” to a relatively easy victory on Tuesday.  Now is the winter of our discontent (to borrow a line).

But what happened?  In just four short years Colorado Republicans have managed to completely lose control of a solid Red State.  It would be easy to blame Bush’s policies or just a general swing of the public opinion pendulum for the transformation.  But as illustrated by the heated response to former Congressman Scott McInnis’ recent comments, the problem seems to be more internal and self-defeating than anything else.

McInnis’ comments were not a shot at Conservatives, but an observation of the facts and the situation on the ground.  The Colorado GOP has completely neglected to sway independent voters.  This should have been a relatively simple task considering that the Republican nominee for president is one of the more moderate Republicans in the U.S. Senate.  However, instead of taking into account the necessity to appeal to independent voters and even moderate Republicans and Democrats, the good old boys of the Colorado GOP decided to nominate Bob Schaffer and then run a smear campaign.  The problem is that while Schaffer and Wadhams were attacking Udall for being a “Boulder Liberal,” Udall was discussing the issues and appealing to moderate and independent voters.  And while the Party’s resources and Chairman were diverted to the self-serving Schaffer cause, state Republican candidates suffer defeats across the board.

Wadhams gambled by focusing Party efforts on arousing the far-right base and nominating his friend Schaffer.  This gamble has not paid off and come next Wednesday Republicans will be singing the blues in Colorado.  On the other hand, McInnis put Party above self-interest when he had the foresight to see that the battle for Allard’s seat would be contentious enough between Republicans and Democrats, without first dragging Republicans through a bloody primary with Bob Schaffer.  And because of his appeal to independent voters and his conservative record, McInnis would have had a much better shot at beating Mark Udall than Bob Schaffer.  

McInnis’ comments infuriate the good old boys because they are not yet free from their failing efforts to spin and cover their costly decisions.  It is time for the Colorado Republican Party to redefine itself and get in touch with mainline conservative values that appeal to more than just the fringe.  The Party needs to bring back the McInnis’s of the world and leaders who understand that there is more to winning than just appealing to the radical base.  So as the voters put the final nails in Schaffer’s coffin on Tuesday, it would be wise of the Party to throw Wadhams, Andrews and the rest of the good old boys in there with him.