As reported in the Greeley newspaper this weekend, Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler made a fairly astounding slip during a keynote speech to the Weld County GOP’s Lincoln Day dinner. Or maybe it wasn’t a slip–speaking before a friendly and rural Republican audience, with no television cameras to be seen, maybe Gessler just felt safe to say what he really feels.
According to reporter Nate Miller of the Greeley paper, Gessler was discussing “criticism” he had received since taking office on various issues. Not his abortive decision to work part time for his old elections law firm, or to hire the former head of an organization Gessler once represented and had accumulated vast reporting fines–not that stuff, mind you, but the fight over several million dollars Gessler wants to keep in his office budget, and his steadfast support for citizenship ‘verification’ schemes to purge the voter rolls.
Reports Miller, Gessler now claims that he wants the money for a citizenship verification program–first we’ve heard of that, his previous defense was that the money was from business fees and should be used for related purposes. But Gessler says all of his actions since taking office have been in pursuit of principle, “whatever the consequences may be.”
Because you see, gentle reader, Scott Gessler wasn’t elected Secretary of State to serve the state of Colorado! Gessler straight-out told his audience of Weld County Republicans that, even though he “wants to be thoughtful,” and considerate of both sides, the reason he was really elected is “to further the conservative viewpoint.” Not to safeguard Colorado’s elections, or administer business law, or lobbyist registration, nonprofits and charities, or any of his nonpartisan constitutional duties. “To further the conservative viewpoint.” We’re not saying he’s blowing these responsibilities off. But by his own admission, something else comes first.
We knew all of this before, of course. But we are a little amazed that he came out and said it.
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Hmmm. If you’re talking about HB11-1252, the only one active at the moment, the Fiscal Note on it is only $12K.
Does he have another one coming to replace the bill that was killed in the Senate?
That’s the bill that attempted to take $4 million from Gessler’s budget; but the Democrats backed off on that in conference committee (JBC) and let it go back to Gessler’s office.
Do you have another number?
because there will so obviously be millions more fraudsters than we think. Millions.
You think local government should have to pay for the armed guards used to fend off the Dems illegal minions? $1/illegal ain’t bad.
It’s Senate Bill 164 – cash funds transfers. It’s part of the budget-balancing package.
This isn’t about 1252, it’s about money that Buescher had decided the office didn’t need but Gessler decided he did.
http://www.denverpost.com/legi…
Hey Scott, what does suppressing the brown vote have to do with “business services?”
damage done to the Wisconsin capitol building by protesters. It’s multiple millions when trying to gain the sympathy of (especially conservative) voters, but next to nothing otherwise.
That’s why he ran as a Republican and not a Democrat. The secretary of state is a partisan election. You lost, so now you can’t continue your little racket of letting non-citizens vote. Deal with it.
Is it the only way you feel your party can win? Sorry, that may only be Presidential elections. Go on, you were saying?
That’s why I’m so happy Gessler is ending the practice of letting dead people vote.
Just because you take a week to answer doesn’t make it go away.
Would you like to try again, from the top?
For the record, Pols has lost considerable ground in blog importance, and I don’t swing by here as much these days.
We wouldn’t want you to sully your reputation.
Regardless, I do expect you to read your own posts before answering like it never existed. See the blue word “Parent”? That’s not a way to summon your mom…
“Um, duh.” bjwilson83, summarizing his acumen on all matters
Don’t discourage him.
BJ making an ass of himself is quite entertaining.
But alas beej, what if gessler blows all that $$ certifying that no brown citizens vote and then has none 2 investigate panther noirs @the polls? Beej support that?
Why can’t Gessler point to any instances of non-citizens voting? His blacklist only mentions registered voters who, over the past five years, may have been non-citizens. Doesn’t seem like much of a problem.
I think you’ve summed up the problem quite nicely. All it takes to vote is a utility bill. Don’t tell me that all the illegal immigrants in the state of Colorado, especially after being whipped up by Dems trying to paint the GOP as evil racists, do the honorable thing (unlike what they did in crossing the border) and don’t take that opportunity to vote.
Little racket is right! Even by Sec. Gesslers own admission, this is a very small issue. Gessler said ‘proof of citizenship’ voter registration law should be passed due to a report which stated “11,805 individuals who were non-citizens when they obtained a driver’s license but are currently registered to vote.” [1]
Youre a math person, right Mr Wilson?
Well lets consider if all of those people voted. In the recent Bennett-Buck squeaker, the difference in votes cast between the two candidates was 15,646. Meaning, even if every single one of those individuals voted, and voted for Bennett, the result wouldn’t have changed.
I fail to see the logic for this bill since Gessler’s problem is basically a statistical nonproblem. Its also worth asking if possibly keeping those 12k from voting is worth more than keeping one American Citizen from voting.
[1] http://www.kdvr.com/news/polit…
Of those 11,805 individuals on Mr. Gessler’s blacklist, just shy of 5,000 voted. In addition, 32,000 people have become citizens in Colorado over the last 5 years, the same time period as the SOS’s study. While probably not the case, it is more likely that all 11,805 became citizens than it is that even a small percentage voted while non-citizens. Gessler is creating solutions to problems that do not exist. I don’t think he was elected to spend state money to do that.
Bobby D, do you have a source for the 32,000 number? I’d like to repeat the point you made in another setting, but not unless I can back up the stat.
You can go to DHS Data and Stats – Naturalized Citizen Profiles to get the data. For 2009, Colorado naturalization was around 6,800.
Thanks Phoenix. We had received our numbers from USCIS, but those numbers pretty much match up to the DHS website.
This helps.
Anywhere?
Other than that of Anne Coulter in 2008?
Please enlighten us.
We had one here in Junction a few years ago.
Owner of one of the local TV Stations, rich old conservative white guy, was found to have voted both here and in Illinois.
Gertie can tell you more about it when she shows up.
That’s 2-0 bad guys.
BJ? Anything to add?
Charlie White, currently Sec. of State in Indiana, falsely registered at his ex-wife’s house so he could retain his city councilman’s position. I’m assuming he voted in-district for himself. (He had, in actuality, moved out of district.)
The “conservative” position is that if something is not in the Constitution, then it is no business of government.
UNLESS one is a “conservative.”
On second or third thought, I don’t get this at all.
Just what are the “principles” at issue here? Or is “principles” just a fancy way of spelling “priorities?” And we all know how current events can alter one’s sense of “priorities.”
Wisconsin Senate majority leader Scott Fitzgerald coming right out and saying that taking away from unions means less money to reelect Obama after weeks of Walker and Repubs claiming that the attack on unions was all about the budget emergency. On Fox, too. Can’t very well accuse them of tricking him or taking him out of context.
They are so over confident, they’re forgetting that there are things you’re not supposed to say out loud.
and their problems with honesty. Much better to elect corrupt Dems to take care of things in back room deals.
He and his law partners don’t care which side pays them.
Most of his clients happen to be of that persuasion, but I don’t think the man gives a damn about ideology.
He cares about his own ego and career.