Ganahl Just Makes Stuff Up About Fentanyl On FOX News

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by: Colorado Pols

We took note late last Friday of a new ad running from Republican CD-8 congresssional candidate Barb Kirkmeyer that falsely and repeatedly claims Colorado Democrats “legalized fentanyl,” a claim that has absolutely no basis in reality after legislation passed this year in Colorado significantly tightening penalties for possession of the drug. Previous to this year, illicit possession of small amounts of fentanyl without intent to distribute was a misdemeanor, but at no point has the drug ever been “legalized.” Despite a call for Kirkmeyer to pull this brazenly false ad down, it reportedly remains in heavy circulation in the district as of today.

There’s shading and spin in political ads, and then there are outright lies. @Kirkmeyer4CO falsely claims in this #CO08 ad that Dems “legalized fentanyl,”which simply isn’t true. A bipartisan #coleg bill reduced the penalty for possession, but it remained a crime. #copolitics https://t.co/Z781aeYcG0

— Ernest Lee Luning (@eluning) October 28, 2022

Not to be outdone, GOP candidate for governor ~~Hiedi~~ Heidi Ganahl appeared on FOX Business yesterday, proudly showing off her no-longer-offensive “Mad Mom” tagline and telling uncritical host Maria Bartiromo that, as you can see in the headline of the story, Gov. Jared Polis “decriminalized fentanyl.”

Colorado’s laws on the possession of fentanyl dominated a significant portion of this year’s session of the Colorado General Assembly. Sen. Kirkmeyer, who was present for the debate over this year’s bill cracking down on fentanyl possession, is fully aware that Colorado has not at any point “legalized fentanyl.” Although Ganahl wasn’t in the legislature this year, we don’t accept the idea that she simply misspoke on national television when she falsely claimed that Gov. Polis “decriminalized fentanyl.”

In both cases, these candidates must be judged to be willfully lying with full knowledge of the truth. Not all dishonesty is created equal, and politics is full of examples of spinning facts to fit an agenda. In the case of Republicans claiming Democrats “legalized” or “decriminalized” fentanyl in Colorado, if you understand enough about the issue to articulate these claims you cannot be excused by ignorance for lying.

In previous elections here in Colorado, brazenly false claims of this kind were met with a vigorous response from media fact-checkers, outside activist groups, not to mention the aggrieved campaigns all clamoring to ensure that the lie doesn’t take root to become persistent mythology. In 2022, for whatever reason, Republicans are getting a pass to tell indefensible lies about fentanyl policy that would not have been allowed to circulate unchallenged in previous elections.

We hope this lie doesn’t work–because if it does, as Donald Trump has taught us, lying is the new normal.

12 thoughts on “Ganahl Just Makes Stuff Up About Fentanyl On FOX News”

bullshit! says:

November 1, 2022 at 2:40 pm

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MartinMark says:

November 2, 2022 at 5:21 am

This Republican moment as personified by Ganahl’s candidacy embodies extreme examples of two highly weird things about Republicans that are converging to create a toxic and unstable rift in the space-time continuum – their insistence on stridently repeating the most bizarre, brazen, obvious lies, along with their eagerness to believe the most outrageous, absurd, idiotic myths.

The most unsettling thing about people like Ganahl is that you cannot determine if she is cynically telling ridiculous lies or if she actually believes absurd myths, and you can only conclude it is both at the same time.

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1. Powerful Pear says:
  
  November 2, 2022 at 6:32 am
  
  “eagerness to believe the most outrageous, absurd, idiotic myths”. You mean myths like:
  
  The economy is strong as Hell.
  
  The border is secure.
  
  The release of SPR is not political.
  
  John Fetterman is articulate.
  
  Gas prices are going down.
  
  The inflation Reduction Act will cut inflation.
  
  I’m not aware of my son’s business dealings.
  
  I’ve never met Tony Bobulinski.
  
  I’m not the big guy.
  
  I’m going to shut COVID down.
  
  Skin cancer is caused by the oil industry.
  
  Unlikely the Taliban will overrun the whole country.
  
  Putin price hike.
  
  No troops in Ukrain.
  
  The DOJ will be totally independent.
  
  “you know the thing”.
  
  In your mind you know this is why Democrats will get spanked in 6 days.
  
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  1. Conserv. Head Banger says:
    
    November 2, 2022 at 6:59 am
    
    The Myths of Pear (could be a followup to Lord of the Rings). A sample…..
    
    “gas prices going down” : couple days ago, saw $3.17 in Lakewood. Diesel under $4.90. Last week, $3.28 and $3.26 in Englewood. Have to go thru Englewood later this AM and can check again.
    
    “John Fetterman is articulate” “Nice to see” that Pear has jumped on the “MAGA bash-people-with-disabilities bandwagon.” The speech impediment, Pear, is something that will likely improve. Fetterman does have a functioning brain behind the impediment, unlike your non-conservative MAGA darling in Georgia, Herschel Walker.
    
    “The economy is strong as hell.” Well, unemployment is currently 3.5%, versus 14% in 2020 under your Great MAGA Trump. Economists report 9 million unfilled job openings nationwide. My retirement IRAs are down about 4% for the year. With interest rates going up, finally getting a decent return on various bank accounts.
    
    “Putin price hike.” That one is real.
    
    I can agree with you on one thing that you imply, which will lead to the spanking. The Dems have not done a good job nationwide of telling their story. They spent too much time on abortion. Here in CO, and Dist. 8, the Caraveo campaign has been rather inept. Too much smiley face from the candidate and not enough hard hitting on Kirkmyer’s record.
    
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    1. Powerful Pear says:
      
      November 2, 2022 at 7:16 am
      
      When Biden took office the national average for gas was $2.393 per gallon. Diesel is $5.35 on the road.
      
      Fetterman said he would not release his medical records so your assertion that it will likely improve is unfounded.
      
      Inflation is at a forty-year high. Interest rates are forty years high.
      
      If the Putin price hike was real when gas was going up, then the Putin price cut must be real with the price going down.
      
      Some voters like the smiley face campaign ads.
      
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      1. Conserv. Head Banger says:
        
        November 2, 2022 at 7:58 pm
        
        "national average for gas….." profits at big oil companies are skyrocketing. I'm not complaining much as I get dividends, via mutual fund holdings, which are going up nicely. Meaning I will have more money in January to donate to some of those conservation groups that you don't like, Pear.
        
        "Fetterman said he would not release his medical records…..my assertion….is unfounded." Nice try, Pear, but no cigar. I spent a good amount of years in disability work; as part of my social services career. He's already shown improvement since the original stroke date in May.
        
        While we're on the topic of not releasing records, your boy Trump continues to assert that he is above the law. He continues to not want his tax records released to the House Ways & Means Committee, even though a 1924 law says IRS must release upon request.
        
        As promised, saw gas for $3.23 per gallon at Stinker in Englewood and $3.25 couple blocks away at Loaf & Jug. Gas was $3.24 per gallon at Valero at Belleview & Simms.
        
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  2. spaceman2021 says:
    
    November 2, 2022 at 12:02 pm
    
    Ronald Reagan was competent.
    
    Trickle down economics work.
    
    Originalism is actual adjudication.
    
    More guns make America safer.
    
    Powerful Pear is clever.
    
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    1. Conserv. Head Banger says:
      
      November 2, 2022 at 8:01 pm
      
      Ronald Reagan signed more wilderness bills into law than any other president.
      
      Reagan signed the Montreal Protocols in 1987 for the US, leading to reductions in hydro chloroform emissions attacking the ozone layer of the atmosphere. Oh, and those nasty air quality regs in California that far righties love to hate started going in when Reagan was governor, with his approval.
      
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BoulderPatentGuy says:

November 2, 2022 at 7:29 am

Let’s assume for the sake of argument that Democrats are to blame for high gas prices and inflation in general. If that’s the case, then the choice is between a party whose policies have driven up prices and a party whose policies support raiding the U.S. capital, as evidenced by the 147 GOP representatives that voted not to certify the election after the raid. So, high prices with democracy vs. riots and dictatorship. We know who Pear stands with.

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1. Powerful Pear says:
  
  November 2, 2022 at 8:23 am
  
  Lame.
  
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  1. BoulderPatentGuy says:
    
    November 2, 2022 at 9:45 am
    
    Or… you’ve been outed as supporting raids & dictatorship vs. democracy & high prices?
    
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2. Genghis says:
  
  November 2, 2022 at 8:46 am
  
  Any chance the GQP “cure” for inflation – which at the moment is every bit as chimerical as the old incontinent morbidly obese adderall junkie’s ACA replacement plan – will be something other than tax cuts for the uber rich and doing away with Social Security and Medicare?
  
  lol j/k
  
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