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August 30, 2009 02:34 AM UTC

Penry-The Great GOP Hope?

  • 44 Comments
  • by: ClubTwitty

( – promoted by ClubTwitty)

A friend sockpuppet of mine got this email. It would appear that our ambitious Senate Minority Leader is planning to run as an ‘outsider’ ready to shake things up.  

A GOVERNOR WHO WILL STAND UP TO WASHINGTON

Dear Friends:

My campaign for Colorado Governor has gotten off to a fast and productive start, and I couldn’t be more optimistic about the campaign ahead. People across Colorado are ready for change — the real kind, not the slogan. Colorado is ready for a conservative-reformer who will shake up the “business as usual” mindset in Denver…

 

But Josh isn’t just going to reform Denver.  He’s ready to take on the national Democratic leadership too.

I don’t know about you, but I think Colorado needs a Governor who’s not afraid to stand-up to Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and Barack Obama on the stimulus bill, on cap-and-trade, and on government run healthcare.

…As Governor, I won’t take my marching orders from Washington.

People Teabaggers everywhere should get behind Josh in his quest to restore conservative rule to the state nation:

Now I know times are tough and it’s easy to throw your hands up in disgust over what’s happening in Denver and in Washington, D.C. But as I’ve been telling people across Colorado, now is the time to fight back .

If you’re like me, you’re starting to feel your frustration turning in to motivation. Motivation to roll up our sleeves and find ways to push back and fight for what we believe in.

…The tide is turning. Let’s keep it going. Let’s band together to stand up to Washington and those in Denver who stubbornly take us in the wrong direction.

[All emphasis Twitty].

Warm regards,

Josh

No one can accuse Josh of underselling himself.  But will the majority of Colorado voters really buy into the whole ‘America under siege’ mentality?  

Or, probably stated more more precisely: Will Josh be able to pivot quickly enough if he wins the primary, to appeal to Coloradans concerned more with things the Governor can accomplish?  And not so interested in following a leader of the fringe of the minority party in their imagined revolt against tyranny.

Some have already criticized Josh for jumping from seat to seat in his quick run up the political ladder.  If elected, will he pledge not to run for a different seat before serving out his term?

Or perhaps Penry is The One that congresswoman was talking about…?

Is Penry already considering a run for higher office?

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44 thoughts on “Penry-The Great GOP Hope?

  1. I think Colorado needs a Governor who’s not afraid to stand-up

    His campaign so far has been high comedy, so I would really like to see what he comes up with for his open mic night routine at Comedy Works.

        1. Penry has been high comedy (hypocritical nonsense and tea party radicals) whereas McInnis is more like an episode of spongebob squarepants–or a really lame fart joke.

  2. like Penry is capitalizing on the growing unease with Washington, D.C. to fire up his base and get them ready for a race next year.  

    It provides a pretty nice contrast to Bill “reach around” Ritter’s brand of bending over for Washington.  

    1. Penry’s not running for a seat in Washington DC.

      He’s running to manage the State of Colorado and he’s never managed jack shit in his whole life.

      Let alone made a payroll or held a real job, for that matter.

    2. Penry is capitalizing on the growing unease with Washington, D.C. to fire up his base and get them ready for a race next year.  

      And anyone with half a brain knows it.  

      These fools are disingenuously ignoring that fact because they’re afraid of his ability to win the election.  

      At least Penry’s honest when he’s playing politics.  

      1. to win the primary and in so doing position himself to be creamed in the general?

        The problem the GOP has is that to win the primary you have to appeal to people that are to put it gently – nuts. Then in the general they have to basically say – ignore everything I said in the primary, that was just speaking to my batshit crazy base.

        We don’t have as big a problem on the left with this – our base will vote for a Ken Salazar over a Mike Miles.

      2. why do you constantly call us fools? For someone who battled Steve so vociferously on the topic of condescension, you sure do have a penchant for it yourself.

    3. 2010 can be a referendum on 2008, and no doubt will be.  The question, is what aspect of 2008.

      Running against the winning party in the previous election is a tried and true strategy, and works often in normal election cycles.  Given that Dem leadership in Colorado is going to have to wield a pretty sharp axe –and maybe a tax or two– this spring, there will certainly be some lather to work up on the Right.

      But 2008 wasn’t just about Dems beating Republicans, it was about an economic collapse (due to decades of arrogant denial on both sides of the aisle in DC).  Penry’s advisers can run him on national issues, and have history on their side in doing so.  However, my guess is the coming election goes to the candidate who comes up with the best solutions to our genuine fiscal problems in Colorado, regardless of party affiliation.

      All politics is local, in 2010 more than ever.

  3. Penry wrote nothing about Colorado’s dying higher education system. He wrote nothing about solving Colorado’s budget problems. He wrote nothing about how he will fix the need for more space in the state prison system. He wrote nothing about how Colorado can solve its long-term water problems.

    Why do you want the job as governor, Josh? Nancy Pelosi could give a rat’s ass about you. Obama could care even less. But the people of Colorado have a vested interest in the job our governor does. What will you do as governor, Josh?

    1. But he did have an alternative cut to save $ when the current governor proposed some wide reaching cuts, including a publicly funded group residence in Penry’s home district.

      Oh- wait, no he didn’t.

      1. Rhetoric doesn’t create a single job. Rhetoric doesn’t balance a single budget. It might play well with the Rule 11 Republicans, but it doesn’t do a whole hell of a lot for the people of this state.

            1. You are going to compare Penry’s rhetoric in the gubernatorial primary to Obama’s in the presidential primary and general?

              From the get go Obama had detailed policy plans and philosophy on his wed site. Sort of like Ron Paul and some others.

              So far all we’ve heard or read form Penry I could have written in about 20 minutes. Less if allowed to c&p from R talking points.

              The Colorado budget is not so big that one guy could read it and find some specific dollars to cut.  Ritter’s office did it. Penry criticized what they came up but offered no alternative.

              I know it won’t bother his base, but for a lot of CO voters, we are waiting and hoping that Penry will demonstrate a deep understanding of CO issues. And some ideas for problem areas that need solutions.

              It wouldn’t hurt if also explained how he sees some of his more creative R peers – Schulties (AIDS is good for unwed moms and their babies), Rowland (Creationism belongs in the science curriculum) and others.

              But if he just started with a simple math lesson like 2008(revenue – spending) = x

              2009revenue is decreasing, as gov here’s what spending I would decrease to preserve x.



              If he went on to talk about structural changes in the CO budget he would advocate changing into the future, all the better.

              We’ll be waiting, but I won’t be holding my breath.

  4. …I think Penry is a good guy and I’m more apt to support him over McInnis, at this point

    In addition, I ‘like’ that he pays lip-service to rejecting bail out funds

    That said… Josh is skating on very very thin ice…. the moment they (McInnis camp) bring up his abstaining from voting against the RAID of the Small Business Pinnacol funds, the Penry campaign is finished, as far as fiscal conservatives are concerned during the crucial primary vote

    We need a better explanation on the Pinnacol vote other than ‘conflict of interest’ – that’s spin to me

    1. Do you even know what you’re saying? Schaffer and Beauprez have saved the Party, Lamborn is a ROCKSTAR, etc.? I only hope you run statewide. It will be very entertaining.

    2. at the very least you keep me wondering if you are just obtusely naive or just really too deep in Republican spin-shit to able to see reality.

      All politics is spin. Are you actually complaining that Penry’s response is “just spin”?

    3. are you suggesting that Penry somehow supported the Pinnacol raid?  He spoke LOUDLY in the media and on the floor against the raid.  If I remember correctly, he had to abstain from that vote because the bank he works at in Grand Junction is a major seller of Pinnacol.  The Colorado Senate has rules — and Penry abides by them.

      Now, if you want to talk about fiscal conservatism, why don’t you ask McInnis how many times he voted to raise the federal debt ceiling.  If that’s not enough, ask him how many earmarks he supported during his tenure in Congress. If these questions aren’t enough for you, I have more…

      1. I deeply appreciate your explanation

        But honestly, if that’s the explanation, then every vote in Senate is a potential conflict

        I’m sure Josh Penry travels I-70 to get from Denver to GJ – thus, isn’t it a conflict of interest for him to vote on anything involving highway funding?

        I also believe that Penry took contributions from the Cornell PAC or the Cornell Employees PAC – PAC groups that are associated with the Cornell Company, a company that builds and manages jails

        Thus, by taking that money, should Penry excuse himself over any vote that involves corrections?

        I’m just not buying the Pinnacol explanation – personally, I fear that Penry abstained so that he could claim he didn’t want to go against Education programs, which was where our Pinnacol money was headed, had that order not been found to be unconstitutional

        That’s my opinion

  5. Mr. Penry is attempting to make this a campaign based on “standing up to Washington” but that won’t shield him from valid attacks based on his record in the General Assembly.

    His record of criticizing Gov. Ritter for not funding water projects (not true) while only a year ago sponsoring and acting as the chief spokesman for Amendment 52 which would have taken funds earmarked for water projects away from those projects is, to say the least, inconsistent.

    His statement that he won’t run on the social conservative issues while endorsing Janet Rowland’s position that creationism should be taught in public school science classes is, again, from a charitable point of view, inconsistent.

    He criticizes the Gov. for closing a facility in Grand Junction while simultaneously stating (for the second time) that Colorado should not have accepted Stimulus funds from the federal government which would have caused even harsher and deeper cuts in Grand Junction and across the state is, again, inconsistent.

    Mr. Penry has to run away from his record. If he doesn’t, his day of reckoning will soon be here.  He is eating away at his credibility. Once he looses that, he is finished. I guess if I was in his shoes I’d be running away from my record too.    

    1. It’s all about Hope and change, baby.

      Dems control the executive and legislative branches in both DC and CO. So this election is all about the Dems and whether voters are happy with the job they’re doing If things are going well in the Fall of 2010, it doesn’t matter what Penry does, he’ll lose. If things are going badly, then Penry has a chance.

      He’s taking a gamble here. But it appeals to his base and, given his record, it’s probably the best chance he’s got.

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