October 16, 2014 12:48 PM UTC

Halter Slams Lamborn In TV Spot; Prepares To Debate Chicken

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• by: Colorado Pols

The Hill reports on Democratic CD-5 candidate Irv Halter's new ad, hitting Rep. Doug Lamborn on his Veterans Affairs Committee attendance record–a weak spot for Lamborn in this military-heavy district:

"In the Air Force, when you're absent without leave, you get arrested," says retired Maj. Gen. Irv Halter (D), in a new ad. "In Washington, they play by different rules.”

Halter is charging that Lamborn, a four-term incumbent, missed 58 percent of the panel’s meetings, labeling it “one of the worst records in Congress.”

In his new spot, Halter says that Lamborn “blamed others for veterans not getting the healthcare they earned,” referencing the scandal at the Veterans Affairs Department over long wait times and delayed treatment for patients.

“President Obama failed his duty, but Congressman Lamborn didn’t even show up,” says Halter.

Meanwhile, as the Denver Post's Hugh Johnson writes, Gen. Halter is holding a debate today. But not with Rep. Lamborn, who has refused to face his opponent man-to-man:

Irv Halter, the Democratic candidate for Colorado’s 5th Congressional District, will likely debate a chicken on Thursday.

The outlandish notion is the latest attempt to get Republican Congressman Doug Lamborn to debate the retired Air Force general. A political-action committee called Colorado Springs Citizens For A Congressman Who Won’t Chicken Out is scheduled to host a debate at the Colorado Springs Penrose Library Thursday. Members of the committee have been going around the city dressed in chicken suits handing out leaflets imploring Lamborn to debate Halter. The committee even showed up at the Colorado Springs city council meeting Tuesday.

According to a press release, if Lamborn doesn’t show up to the debate, a trained chicken will take his place…

Working against Halter, of course, is the fact that CD-5 is a staunchly Republican district. Working in Halter's favor is the heavily military and veteran population of the district, and the fact that Lamborn is one of the most ineffectual members of Congress in either party–and a consistent bipartisan embarrassment to the entire state of Colorado. The is the biggest reason why Lamborn has faced spirited primary challenges in basically every election since taking office. 

If it's a Democrat who takes out Lamborn, he or she will be one term and done in the next election–but Doug Lamborn's rank incompetence makes that more of a possibility than it would ever otherwise be. Sooner or later, Lamborn's dumb luck will run out.