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October 25, 2010 05:51 PM UTC

Chutzpah, Thy Name Is Frank McNulty

  • 29 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

As you check your mailbox this morning for the latest round of attack mailers from GOP-leaning 527s, let’s revisit their chief progenitor–Rep. Frank McNulty of Highlands Ranch.

You’ll recall in September, when news first broke about the criminal (and often violent) records of multiple Republican candidates for the legislature, McNulty was the man appointed to respond to the threat, in his role as the orchestrator of the $4 million Republican strategic effort to retake the Colorado House in 2010. McNulty’s name even appears on the expense reports of the big Republican 527 playing in the legislative races.

McNulty’s defense of his legislative candidates, if you recall, amounted to one word: “meh.”

“You’re seeing normal people [Pols emphasis] stepping up and running for office,” McNulty said. “These are honest, everyday folks who want to go out and serve their neighbors in the state legislature.”

We’re surprised that this statement hasn’t proven much more damaging to McNulty than it apparently has. As we recounted in detail, there is nothing “normal” about the slate of GOP House candidates this year–“ordinary” and “normal,” in McNulty’s view, evidently includes assaulting police, child abuse, domestic violence, and even the infamous case of Clint Webster, GOP nominee in HD-24, who fired two shots at his ex-wife with a semi-automatic pistol.

Folks, we’re not spring chickens–we don’t know anybody who has seen anything quite like this.

And the kicker: at the moment Frank McNulty was assuring the press that his legislative slate wasn’t disqualified from public office by these revelations, McNulty was a few days away from dropping an avalanche of negative mailers on Democratic incumbents–accusing them of turning sex offenders loose on the streets, “welcoming” illegal immigrants, and other law-and-order issues.

John Tomasic of the Colorado Independent recently profiled one mailer against Democrat John Soper, and showed the premise behind the unsourced hit piece was a three-year-old ‘gotcha’ amendment to an unrelated bill–meaning an amendment introduced specifically for the purpose of using it against candidates later–and sponsored by none other than…Frank McNulty.

That’s your aspiring Speaker of the Colorado House in action, folks–someone who would tell voters that legislators should be tossed out of office over “trap votes” on criminal sentencing laws, while he promotes candidates with actual criminal records for those same offices.

We’re not so naive as to say this never happens. But the contradiction, to our knowledge, has never been quite so stark.

We’ve just learned that Republican 527s have purchased new TV time to attack former teacher and Democratic Rep. Judy Solano of Adams County, who’s running against Republican Tom Janich. Janich, you may recall, pleaded guilty to assaulting police officers in Brighton–just one of many arrests in his long record. That’s right, folks, not only is Janich still in the running after the disclosures about his violent criminal past, they’re doubling down on him.

Last year, during the Republican leadership dust-up in House, it was widely rumored that anonymous emails sent to reporters to derail Rep. David Balmer’s bid for minority leader were circulated by people aligned with McNulty. The full extent of Balmer’s troubled past, including rumors of domestic abuse, have yet to be aired in the Colorado press but have been covered here. Yet Balmer remains the assistant minority leader for the House Republicans, mostly due to his ability to pull down large fundraising checks.

Because none of it matters. McNulty can swallow camels and strain gnats at will, and nobody calls him on it. It’s “old news,” and apparently running criminals for the legislature, and tolerating them in leadership, while accusing your opponents of “coddling criminals,” is perfectly fair game.

One little word of caution, though: although it’s clear that he hasn’t thought this far ahead yet, what happens to McNulty’s reputation if some of these unsavory types actually take office? Out of McNulty’s desire to create a stable of candidates personally loyal to him in his widely-expected bid to be Speaker (should the GOP take the House), how many Jim Welker-style disasters for the Colorado GOP is he setting up?

Somebody might want to think about that, if it’s not too late already.

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29 thoughts on “Chutzpah, Thy Name Is Frank McNulty”

  1. That’s their notion of “regular people,” and nobody on their side has objected to that characterization.

    It’s the same reason no Republican has ever complained about Steve Bosley calling them stormtroopers. It’s just not an insult to them.

        1. recently i was canvassing in rural Colorado. the names were Women that had donated to Dems in the past. the Men that answered the doors were agitated that their wives were always the names us Dems were contacting. then proclaiming that there “was” NO Dems in the household.

          with a clandestine wink the wives calmed the husbands, pulled them inside and shooed us away. one saying “He hasn’t a clue I have been canceling out is vote (with mine) for years.”

          We stopped, knowing those women would vote their free minds and shine-on their husbands anger.

        2. No, really, I think their plan is just to discourage women from voting at all. Republican women probably won’t go Dem this year (most of them anyway) and the Repubs are running such jerks that they won’t go out to vote R, either. They’ll stay home. When fewer women vote, Rs win.

      2. it is NOT John.

        Ritter had nothing to do with it as the Mayor never got one… OR pulled over for that matter.

        FYI All the negatives I have received Including the puss poll was from tea bag republicans. Including this ATTEMPTED smear.

        You are certainly a fool for believing such tripe.

        1. attacking the false attacks on the mayor … why won’t Morrissey do this?

          I guess what youre saying is the ‘inspector’ cites a website, the copies over the record and falsely changes the name to “John Hickenlooper”.

          Is that what you are saying?

          1. tell ya what, cite a CREDIBLE non partisan website and I will look for a REAL record, possibly even a Cop who would be a DIRECT witness.

            ya know the birthers have produced no less than 4 “real” Birth certificates? NONE of which certified by the States of Hawaii, Kenya or anywhere else.  

            1. A shocker that a bar owner has a drinking record …. what I love is the freakout over the issue.

              Why do you continue to bring up The President’s birth issue? His mother was a US citizen … he could have been born on Mars and he’s still a US citizen.

        2. and they don’t care how hypocritical they are.  Sadly, the GOP has raised defending anything any R does and smearing Dems, even if under the wrong name and with no apology, to an art  form.  They have successfully trained their base to regard all legitimate sources as liberal lies and to swallow anything they hear on Fox or conservative talk radio as absolute gospel.

          You have to give them credit.  They are excellent liars and hypocrites and it works for them because their target audience is ignorant and fearful.  As the supreme elitists, the right’s leaders know this.  They build their empire on contempt for the peasants who will buy anything.  

          And, incidentally, our lousy schools and clueless parents home schooling are their best friends. That and making ignorance a point of pride among their base.  

      3. as to whether, if true, this makes a successful executive at both business and government less qualified for office than two candidates who are successful at neither (as of today, anyway).

        1. Tanks got my vote.

          Will the elite business people be happy …. nope b/c he won’t be handing out favors based on your tax $s.

          Will the liberal Dems be happy ….. nope because he’ll bring accountability and tight fiscal management.

          Tancredo … we know where he stands (for the people) and we know who he owes (no one).

              1. I wanted to hear an answer to the question I asked, not an answer to a question that I didn’t. It’s like I asked what beer you like and you answered “ground round.”

                Give it another try.

      4. A DWAI in 1989 and a moving violation in 2000.

        Total fines for both: $516.00

        Ritter wasn’t the Denver DA in 1989 and I’m not really sure that a massive amount of political power was needed to get a moving violation pleaded out;  it tends to be an automatic thing.

        I’m sure that these are damning charges, equal to multiple DUI’s and assault charges, in some people’s eyes.

        But, I’d like to ask dear Libertad just how daming is ol’ Tom Tancredo’s charge of cowardice in failing to serve in a war that he wholeheartedly supported in a very public manner by seeking multiple deferments for college and then a medical deferment for “mild depression/panic attacks”.  Hell, MAJ (RET) Coffman found it distasteful enough to refuse to appear with him when ol’ Tom was beating the drums of war again.  I guess you love your nativist, paper tiger warriors?

        It seems that you while you are thrifty on substance, you also seem to be thrifty with the concepts of honor, duty, and country in terms of the values you look for in men.

    2. because they themselves would be offended. never acknowledging that it’s their own lack of sexual stability, confidence or self esteem. that makes such statements such an insult to themselves only.

      1. Seems most gay Dem politicians are out. The Republican ones are easily identified because they are gay bashing the hardest. Given time, out they come after lots of protesting.

        It’s the hypocrisy, stupid. (Meaning Pubs.)

  3. Since I’m not in Colorado (I’m at school), I’m not as privy to the ad campaign in its many dimensions (radio, TV, direct mail).

    Just out of curiosity – where’s the Democratic direct mail campaign savaging these GOP candidates? You’ve got wife beaters, cop assaulters, felons…where are the mailers ripping these candidates apart?

    The reason that the GOP gets away with so much, both at the national and state levels, is because they constantly push the envelope, and the Democrats don’t call them on it. Republicans think “yes, we can”; Democrats think “maybe we shouldn’t”.  

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