February 28, 2007 09:40 AM UTC

Wayne William's World. Disavow or condone Lamborn? Stay in/withdraw from race for (R) 5th CD chair?

• 4 Comments
• by: DemoGirl

The first and foremost rule of political survival is to save one’s self. 

Right now, the question is:  how well developed is Wayne Williams’ sense of saving himself politically in El Paso County–the springboard from which Wlliams has to launch himself in the future if he wants to rise to higher office than his current elected position as an El Paso County Comissioner? 

In Wayne’s World, the Hobbesian choice he has to make before the upcoming ballot for the race for chairman of the Republican 5th Congressional Committee, will answer the question.  Does he stay in the race against Bob Balink, the anti-Lamborn crowd’s choice, or does Williams–who is Doug Lamborn’s choice–instead withdraw, thereby embarrassing Lamborn and disavowing him in the process as part of Williams’ multi-stage political rehabilitation program in El Paso County? 

While Lamborn may have a few hard core supporters who will brook no criticism of him, the meaning of the embarrassing recent defeats of Lamborn’s slate for El Paso County Republican officers and for bonus members have surely not been lost on Williams. See:  http://www.coloradop… 

Lamborn’s defeat in those races demonstrate that a far larger portion of the Republicans in El Paso County–the epicenter of Republican power in the 5th CD, if not the entire state–are presently enforcing a subtle, if not forthright, disavowal of Lamborn–as well as the disavowal of those in the local party, such as Wayne Williams, who are most closely identified with Lamborn’s campaign ethics. 

In Williams’ case, he appears to be laboring under the double difficulty of his comparable approach in attacking John Newsome in the race for the District Attorney’s office a few years ago–the approach that is comparable to that he followed in attacking those in the primary race against Lamborn, further marginalizing Williams’ prospects for launching successfully from El Paso County’s Republican party springboard to higher office.  In fact, the El Paso County Republican party may instead be the cold hard slab on which his political future was laid to rest. 

Complicating matters further for Wayne Williams is the public knowledge that his wife is on Lamborn’s paid congressional staff, his reward for backing Lamborn, if you will.

Does Willimas stick it out in the race for chairman of the Republican 5th Congressional Committee, only to be trounced and embarrassed as he is sure to be by the anti-Lamborn contingent–and at the terrible price of marking himself as a loser while also evidencing a pig-headed condonation of Lamborn’s campaign ethics and tactics in the primary and general elections?  Or, does he take himself off that cold hard slab by effectively disavowing Lamborn by withdrawing from the race?  The latter embarrasses Lamborn but saves Williams from being marked as a loser and proves he has the political sense to save himself.  Notwithstanding Williams’ wife’s employment by Lamborn, my gut feeling is he’s got enough surivival instinct to recognize now’s the time to pitch Lamborn over the side.  Williams will withdraw from the race. Lamborn doesn’t know how to mend fences–and that’s why he’s limited to one term in office.  Whether Williams can mend fences for his own political future is the next question. 

In any event, with my move, I’m too distant and too disconnected now from Colorado to learn in any reasonable time what the outcome will be on Williams’ decision so if there are any 5th CD Republicans out there who have timely information to post after the ballot, please inform us whether Williams chose political hari kiri or survival.