The Denver Post's Kurtis Lee has a blog post up discussing the possibility that Colorado House Minority Leader Mark Waller may soon step down to pursue his widely-expected run for Attorney General in 2014. If that happens, attention would then naturally turn to the choice of the next Minority Leader. As Lee reports:
“Some have said it’s between Libby [Szabo] and [Brian] DelGrosso,” said Rep. Frank McNulty, R- Highlands Ranch, who served as House Speaker after the 2010 election. “At some point if he (Waller) chooses to run for another office, then the caucus would need to choose a new leader.”
We have to say that the possibility of Rep. Libby Szabo actually being a candidate for House Minority Leader at first seemed to obviously be a mistake–despite the fact that she currently holds the assistant minority leader post. But as you can read, either Lee mistakenly wrote her name in place of someone else multiple times, or it's not a mistake, and she might really be a candidate for the job.
It's difficult for us to find the right words to explain what an unqualified disaster that would be.
Our first experience with Szabo came in her 2010 campaign for election, when we reported on her husband's "classes" at Faith Bible Chapel likening President Barack Obama with "the Antichrist." Szabo herself has unquestioningly voted on the hard right of virtually every issue. She is not, to put it mildly, known as an intellectual leader in her caucus, but she compensates for that with boundless energy and fierce loyalty. Szabo's speaking voice can be best described as a cross between former Denver radio host Craig Silverman's nasal whine and fingernails screeching across a chalkboard.
The worst moment of Rep. Szabo's career by far came this spring, when she appeared on FOX News' O'Reilly Factor, and accused Speaker Mark Ferrandino of "obviously protecting someone" after a bill instituting long mandatory sentences for certain sex offenders was killed in the House State Affairs Committee. Ferrandino's sexuality and support for civil unions were twisted into a bigoted allegation regarding this unrelated legislation. This resulted in, among other things, an outpouring of hate mail and even threats against Ferrandino personally.
Although seen by millions of conservative FOX News viewers nationwide, Rep. Szabo's unprecedented accusation of personal criminal motives against another sitting legislator went almost unreported in Colorado media. In fact, the Denver Post's editorial editor Curtis Hubbard did more to rebut this deplorable and totally baseless accusation than the Post's newsroom did–and even he inexplicably left Szabo out of his criticism of Bill O'Reilly, despite Szabo's charge against Ferrandino being by orders of magnitude the worst part. Without hyperbole, we believe this was truly one of the lowest moments in recent Colorado political history–and that's saying a lot.
Suffice to say, Speaker Ferrandino's graciousness in the face of this is better than could be expected of us.
And Szabo a serious candidate for one of the GOP's highest profile political jobs? It's beyond shameful.
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She is the perfect embodiment of the disloyal, backward, and obstructionist GOrP. Of course she'll get the job, and all the kudos from treacherous 'pubs like our own ArapaGOrP for the temper tantrums she'll throw. Maybe she'll even cane somebody and be celebrated for it.
Good. If she accurately represents the bigotry, lies, and willful ignorance of the Colorado GOP, why not let everyone see that?
I'm with Curmudgeon. What better way to illustrate the depths to which the Republicans have sunk than to put one of of the worst of the lot in a position of power? Maybe that will get the attention of some of the remaining reasonable (though we disagree) Republicans to step up and run for some of the term-limited seats. Maybe some fresh blood is what's needed to get them to stop being, what did Gov. Jindal call them? Oh yeah, the Stupid Party
Yeah, no doubt.
As far as "minority leader" goes, even if he's not considering following Suthers' lead, waller may be stepping down, or being pushed down, because he's not nuts enough.
And he's plenty nuts.
The szabot will defininitely fit that bill.
Her only real constituency is the nutjob crew out of faith bible chappel. Her husband is even crazier than this thread describes him. She's probably the least intellectually curious……..or honest………State Rep. of my lifetime. HD27 could do so much better than this uneducated, spitefull hack.
From personal experience, I know the szabot was encouraging the gooney Sen Hudak recallers at the King Soopers at Ward Road, just down the street from faith bible.
But like Ari said, oh yeah, she'll represent the true intent of the pinko party in Colorado from a position of minority leader.
And that ain't a compliment.
Maybe she could spearhead Guppy's new plan to attract gay voters to the GOP.
Minority Leader Szabo? Precisely why the Colorado GOP will maintain its minority status.
That doesn't make her any less of a disgrace to Arvada, Jeffco, or the Colorado General Assembly.
I resemble that remark. I live in Arvada. lol
Me too. Szabo is my rep. Every time I think about it my blood boils.
That picture is the female version of the movie poster for "Dumb and Dumber." Looking at the two of them you wonder if they an come up with half a brain cell – combined.
Don't listen to them, Libby! You've got a great heart, and conservatives love your style.
Republicans are blessed with so many great candidates for leadership.
agop, what legislation has the szabot sponsored, voted for, advocated for or against, that would be something you could back this up with?
Anything. Try channelling o'reilly if you want, or palin, or mcnulty, and come with it.
Just once.
Szabo is truly one of the most vacuous, unintelligent people I have ever met.
She is also the ALEC co-chair for Colorado and ass't minority leader.
Szabo is the leadership Republicans want.
Cool. So is Szabo going to run against Hick? Udall?
Is this the secret–hush-hush–waiting-in-the-wings miracle? Or do we still ahve to wait on that?
Guppy's right, Libby! We're all terrified of you! Ter-ri-fied!
Please don't try to become Minority Leader, and spew your ignorance and bile on a daily basis! You'd bring so many moderates into the GOP that way, we're scared!
And while you're at it, please don't throw us in that there briar patch, 'neither.
ArapaGOP, put aside the conservative philosophy for a second. Don't you want a minority leader who can think? One with just a bit of intellectous curiosity? It's like the GOP at times celebrates mindlessness.
Intelligence implies that there's a capacity for reason. Reason hints at the possibility of compromise. Compromise is how the nutballs like Szabo, Palin, and Guppy get pushed out to the fringes where they belong.
True answer, believe it or not: no.
At times? Remember this is the party that thought Sarah Palin ought to be a heartbeat away from the presidency. This is the party whos last presidential nominee claimed Russia was still today our number one geopolitical threat. The party that refuses to stand up against any crazy theory base members come up with, no matter how devoid of evidence and outlandish. The Party that stands against science and scientists. The Party that wants religious myths to be taught in schools as the better alternative to science.
The GOP positively enshrines ignorance and lack of real world fact based knowledge. It has become the party both targeting and appeasing those that don't need no book learnin' beyond what the only non-Satan inspired book, the Good Book (or at least selected passages), says and proud of it, dang it!