While Joan and Jared burn...

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by: indipol

( – promoted by Colorado Pols)

The RMN headline says it all: “Democratic rivals deny they’ve gone negative.” The ads referred to in the story have been the subject of multiple posts and hundreds of comments here, so no need to rehash them, but if they aren’t negative then McCain isn’t old, Barack isn’t inexperienced and W’s approval ratings are top-notch.

Polis’ “big oil” ad against Joan wasn’t an “attack” but a “rebuttal”:

That was not an attack, said Polis campaign manager Robert Becker, but a rebuttal to what he called an inaccurate TV spot put up last week by “friends of Joan.” It criticized Polis’ record when he served on the state Board of Education.

And of course Joan’s campaign certainly has no inclination to run anything remotely negative against Jared:

Fitz-Gerald spokesman Matt Moseley said “we’ll continue to run a positive, issues- based campaign focused on Joan’s commitment to the middle class of America.”

Of course the big winner here continues to be Will Shafroth. As Joan and Jared’s battles escalate from water balloons to flame throwers and fire hoses, Shafroth gets to continue to claim the high ground.

10 thoughts on “While Joan and Jared burn…”

Arvadonian says:

July 29, 2008 at 9:27 pm

meaning he may pull 20% of the vote instead of 10%….in any case, he still finishes 3rd.

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1. RedGreen says:
  
  July 29, 2008 at 9:33 pm
  
  that this is all happening too late in the game, with early voting and low turnout. The Joan-Jared smackdown will probably harden the positions of their supporters and might turn off truly undecided voter from voting at all.
  
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RedGreen says:

July 29, 2008 at 9:31 pm

Bartels slapped down Polis after he stuck to his story that the Colorado Counts ad represented Big Oil interests, rather than the four unions that actually paid for it.

It’s not up online yet but should be available for streaming soon at http://www.kbdi.org/election/

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1. Dabee47 says:
  
  July 30, 2008 at 3:42 am
  
  and I thought JP handled Bartels’ question fairly well.
  
  I was also impressed by JFG’s answer on withdrawing troops. I basically disagree with her, but she did way more to defend her “cut off the funding” approach than WS and JP did to endorse the phased withdrawal IMO.
  
  Also, maybe it was just me, but JP’s answer on “why gas prices are so high” was wayyy too professorial for a congressional debate. Sure, I understood what he was talking about, but did most people? Got me…
  
  All in all, it I though it was a lot better than their last debate here in Boulder a few weeks ago.
  
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Knowledge is Power says:

July 29, 2008 at 10:17 pm

Then why did you not rebut the group who ran the piece vs. Jared? YOUR ad “rebuttal” was an attack on Joan. We are not stupid.

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1. colorado76 says:
  
  July 30, 2008 at 6:05 am
  
  And so we also know that the line between candidates and outside groups isn’t as holy as the law says it is. We know that this was done on Senator Fitz-Gerald’s behalf and we know that she has not stepped forward to say how appalled she was and how much she disagrees.
  
  That said, while most folks seem to this is a great way to choose leaders, I’m still of the nagging belief that if we choose representatives based on metaphorical cockfights, and then we release 535 fighting birds against each other in a big ring, perhaps the result will be less than governing at its finest.
  
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Danny the Red (hair) says:

July 30, 2008 at 1:21 am

I guess the Invasion of Iraq was a mere Rebuttal.

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Gilpin Guy says:

July 30, 2008 at 2:26 am

would respond to some real pressure. He reminds me a lot of Kerry right before the Swift boaters started carving him up. Shafroth has certainly benefited from the other candidates not bothering to include him in their fisticuffs.

Say what you will about Joan and Jared, they know how to play hardball which come to think of it is what you have to do when you go up against obstructionist Republicans.

Let them slug it out. My two cents is Democrats want give-no-quarter fighters who will go to Washington and clean up after the Bush years. Joan has been savvy to have campaign signs up along I-70. My guess is she is going to win big in the mountain counties and that might be enough to take the primary.

I’m not saying Shafroth can’t win but it would be an upset.

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1. Cold Mountain says:
  
  July 30, 2008 at 6:14 am
  
  Shafroth’s strategy depends on having nothing serious that he has to answer. Jared goes at Joan; Joan goes at Jared. Will reaches across the aisle to work with the contending parties.
  
  If this was an old timey election with everyone showing up on the appointed day and very few mail in votes, Will would be in a very good spot. As the permanent campaign meets the interminable election day/week/month, this strategy is harder to figure.
  
  Wonder who shows up at the polls?
  
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indipol says:

July 30, 2008 at 6:53 am

“continue to run a positive, issues- based campaign focused on Joan’s commitment to the middle class of America.”

From another RMN story at http://www.rockymountainnews.c…

Joan Fitz-Gerald’s campaign Tuesday challenged Jared Polis to “explain his ties” to an investment fund that includes an off-shore account in the Cayman Islands.

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