Gardner Backs Ryan Call in Contentious GOP Chair Fight

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by: Colorado Pols

Ryan Call

Colorado Republican Party Chair Ryan Call is facing a tough re-election fight against former Adams County GOP Chair (and candidate for governor) Steve House. We've gone through some of the reasons that Call might be ousted despite a fairly successful 2014 election season, with perhaps the main point of contention over Call's annual salary as Chairman.

House has already picked up the endorsement of Attorney General Cynthia Coffman, and yesterday, Call pulled out his big gun: Sen. Cory Gardner has his back. Here's Sen. Gardner in an email to GOP Party activists, hitting on what Call supporters no doubt believe are key messages:

Ryan has traveled extensively across our great state to meet with Republicans and he developed a plan to rebuild our Party. After listening to more of you, he created the 365 Plan.

The 365 Plan was simple: Register and engage voters; support and train volunteers, candidates and elected officials; coalition building; raise the funds to win; build a sustaining ground program and work for Republican victories 365 days a year. In other words, we need a full time State Party – one that can operate year round – if we want to take on the Democrats, unions and liberal special interests. This starts will a full time State Chairman.

Because of Ryan’s leadership, the Colorado GOP fundamentally changed to become a political operation that runs like a business. Field offices opened a full year prior to the election and continued to grow to 13 field offices, more than we’ve ever had in an off year election. Each office was filled with volunteers, paid walkers and staffers who made over 795,450 calls and knocked on over 1 MILLION doors! This was the largest field program our state has ever seen!

Our Party needs a principled conservative with the experience, vision and fortitude to lead in 2016. I have no doubt that Ryan will dedicate 100 percent of his time, energy and talent to continue to build the Colorado Republican Party so we can gain on our 2014 successes. That is why I’m endorsing Ryan Call for Chairman of the Colorado Republican Committee and I hope you will join me.

This endorsement from Gardner was not unexpected, but it is the first real test of Gardner's ability to operate as the de facto leader of Colorado Republicans. Is the endorsement of "Con Man Cory" enough to seal up another term for Call?

15 thoughts on “Gardner Backs Ryan Call in Contentious GOP Chair Fight”

DawnPatrol says:

January 30, 2015 at 11:15 am

Con Man Cory Gardner is a cowardly, dissembling, dishonorable, slithering reptile.

But he remains loyal eternally to the Koch Bros for bankrolling his fraudulent campaign, and to his boy here, Ryan Call, who orchestrated his rise and enabled him to pull off his breathtaking sleight-of-hand con job on the CO electorate.

So there is that…

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Tom says:

January 30, 2015 at 11:19 am

Of course Cory would endorse Call. Gardner won with Call as party chair. At the very least, the dude's a lucky charm even if there aren't some more substantial favors to be repaid.

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ElliotFladen says:

January 30, 2015 at 4:16 pm

Calling Cory Gardner "Con Man Cory" is as inappropriate as some conservatives calling Rhonda Fields "Rap Sheet Rhonda". It is stuff like this that turns people off to politics.

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1. dustpuppy says:
  
  January 30, 2015 at 4:33 pm
  
  Fladen, Con Man Gardner fits him to a T.
  
  He lied about his "green energy" policies and voted against the Wind Tax Credits yesterday. He's all about O&G. So, yes, Con Man Gardner is exactly who he is, and he'll be eternally hounded for the rest of his life on his stupdity.
  
  He is best off tendering his resignation to Mitch "Even More Dumbass than We thought" McConnell so we can get the rest of the 5.5 years back to Udall.
  
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2. DawnPatrol says:
  
  January 30, 2015 at 5:01 pm
  
  The shoe — and the moniker — fit. Until it no longer does (yeah, right) it stays. Sorry counselor.
  
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3. mamajama55 says:
  
  January 30, 2015 at 6:41 pm
  
  Except that Rhonda's youthful transgressions were literally in the last century, thirty nine years ago, and twenty four years ago.
  
  And Cory's double talk to voters on abortion, contraception, renewable energy, and immigration was all less than a year ago. Except for that.
  
  I'm opposed to bringing up Cory's juvenile record, when he was (shudder) a Democrat. I wouldn't hold that against him.
  
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  1. ElliotFladen says:
    
    January 30, 2015 at 6:44 pm
    
    You all miss the point: when you use terms like that you come off as juvenile. If that is how you want to present yourselves I am sure the GOP encourages you to continue
    
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    1. mamajama55 says:
      
      January 30, 2015 at 7:09 pm
      
      We're all juveniles here. I, for example, have watched Chris Christie fall off his chair eleven times now….and I'm still laughing at it.
      
      Calling Cory Gardner "Con Man Cory" is a meme which will keep memories fresh – he really did talk out of both sides of his mouth during the last election, and people voted for him based on demonstrable untruths. We will live with consequences for that over the course of his Senate term; votes to end legal abortion, refusing to allow minimum wages or immigration reform to come up for a vote, backing dirty energy at the expense of clean energy, etc.
      
      I know you yourself don't agree with all of his positions, and I would think you would not want to swoosh all the double talk down the memory hole.
      
      If Rhonda Fields was still doing criminal activity, writing bad checks or being bribed to vote against the public's interest, I would have no problem calling her out. Instead, she is a real public servant, proven to be an effective leader.
      
      Cory, on the other hand, is essentially being bribed to work against his constituent's public health and long term interest, with his Koch$$. That should be criminal, but isn't.
      
      Where we agree is that I don't think that we should call each other names. Ad hominem attacks never move any argument forward, and they do, as you said, turn people off of politics.
      
      So here's a challenge for you, Elliot – prove to me that Gardner is no "con man" – that he does not change his positions according to audience and time relative to the election – and I'll agree to stop using the term.
      
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      1. The realist says:
        
        January 31, 2015 at 7:39 am
        
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    2. BlueCat says:
      
      January 30, 2015 at 11:51 pm
      
      For a change, I partly agree with Fladen. It's certainly juvenile but since Republicans use both juvenile and racist slurs and taunts so freely the only possible advantage it could give them would be of the juvenile Johnny does it too variety. In other words, none. You can't argue that someone else is as fill in the blank (juvenile, corrupt, hypocritical, what have you) as you are without admitting to being fill in the blank yourself. Johnny does it too arguments are inherently never better than a wash.
      
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    3. Duke Cox says:
      
      January 31, 2015 at 7:04 am
      
      when you use terms like that you come off as juvenile.
      
      Your honor, I object…this is an opinion, based on one persons' point of view.
      
      I might also point out that this witness repeatedly plays whimsical games with the court, defending the indefensible…postulating preposterous arguments in order to avoid admitting error. In fact, your honor, I would tend to dismiss most of what this witness has to say, as his record is one of insincerity and obtuseness. In fact, I would go so far as to say his unwillingness to present honest argument and respond with contrition when wrong to be quite…juvenile.
      
      But that is just my opinion.
      
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4. Diogenesdemar says:
  
  January 30, 2015 at 7:09 pm
  
  I prefer Slimy Gardner anyway.
  
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5. Andrew Carnegie says:
  
  January 31, 2015 at 11:24 am
  
  Elliot:
  
  I kind of like "Rap Sheet Rhonda". I never used that one before, but it sounds nice.
  
  I prefer "Father of the Year Mark Udall" or "Mark Uterus".
  
  How can you expect dust puppy to not call Gardner names when he posts things that can be taken as a threat of physical violence against him? Personally, given those choices I prefer name calling.
  
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6. Davie says:
  
  February 1, 2015 at 9:51 pm
  
  Sorry Elliot, but you are yet again, oblivious to the obvious. What turns people off politics is when politicians like Cory Gardner lie, double-deal and make suckers of us all, all for the glory of money and power, and get away with it with help from apologists and a complicit or lazy press.
  
  Cory Gardner shamelessly proves that even the worst scumbags armed with wit, charm and a gleaming smile can succeed in politics, thus turning good people off politicians in general.
  
  Remember, the fewer people that vote, the more Republicans win. Coincidence? I think not.
  
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observe says:

February 1, 2015 at 8:56 pm

I haven't heard Gardner speak much, but when I have, he seems capable of articulating and getting his message out.

Last year I heard Rep. Fields speak……wow, I don't intend to insult. I was far from impressed. I expected more from someone in a leadership position.

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