Author Archives: Jason Salzman

Thurlow: Republican Party Needs to Modify Core Beliefs

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  by: Jason Salzman June 17, 2019 at 3:06 PM MDT

(Promoted by Colorado Pols)

Rep. Dan Thurlow (R).

There’s no hope, of course, that Colorado Republicans will moderate their hard-line stance on guns, in the wake of the failure of pro-gun groups to find enough signatures to recall a Democratic lawmaker for supporting modest gun control laws after his son was murdered in the Aurora theater.

But I did find some hope in the form of former Colorado State Rep. Dan Thurlow, who’s been pushing fellow Republicans to change their stances on a variety of issues, instead of arguing about whether one consultant or another is to blame for one election disaster or another.

“When I was in business, the first thing you had to have was a good product, and yes, you had to have a good marketing strategy,” Thurlow told me. “But if you didn’t have a good product to begin with, you wouldn’t do very well in the marketplace. And that’s my premise about the current Republican Party in Colorado.”

“We seem to have become fixated on issues the voters have passed us by on,” Thurlow continued. “And that’s guns, and gay rights, and abortion.”

Thurlow stands out among Republicans for his willingness to specify changes to produce a better “product.”

Thurlow not only backed a red-flag bill, allowing guns to be taken from dangerous people, but he says the 2nd Amendment needs to be modified, and Republicans should alter their views on gun control.

“Our party seems to say, ‘NO! We absolutely will not move an inch on that issue!'” Thurlow has said. “And as a result [in Colorado elections], we are getting worse and worse outcomes.”

(more…)

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These Conservative Radio Hosts Don’t Want Cory Gardner on Their Show

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  by: Jason Salzman June 14, 2019 at 9:15 AM MDT

(Promoted by Colorado Pols)

Sen. Cory Gardner (R).

As the months continue to stack up since he’s held a town-hall meeting, U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner continued to make time for interviews with conservative radio hosts this week, speaking at length with KNUS’ Steffan Tubbs and KHOW’s Ross Kaminsky.

But he again didn’t talk with the conservative radio hosts who criticize him the most, namely KNUS’ Chuck Bonniwell, Peter Boyles, Julie Hayden, and Randy Corporon.

In an unusual move, Tubbs actually played an audio clip from his KNUS colleague Corporon, in which Corporon asked why Gardner goes on the “radio with [Tubbs] and Caplis and Ross Kaminsky, and stays away from me or Peter or Chuck and Julie or anybody else who might disagree with some of the things that he does.”

“Look, I know Randy,” replied Gardner, saying he hoped to work something out with Corporon. “I don’t know the other folks that you’re talking about.”

And it looks like Gardner won’t be getting to know Hayden or Bonniwell anytime soon.

“In fairness, we have not asked him to be on our show,” said Hayden, who is a prominent conservative and former Fox 31 Denver TV reporter. 

Bonniwell, who’s the publisher of the Cherry Creek/Glendale Chronicle, once called Gardner a “total [whore] for the Chamber of Commerce,” and a “Mitch McConnell stooge.”

Asked if they planned to invite Gardner on the show, Hayden said, “It’s kind of like the jailhouse interview you do with someone you know is guilty, just so you can say you had the interview. What purpose does it serve?

“We know we disagree. We’ll ask him a question. He’ll give us an answer. We won’t like the answer. He’ll give us another answer. Do you know what I mean? It doesn’t go anywhere.”

Boyles, who’s been in Denver media for decades, did not return an email seeking to find out if he wants to talk to Gardner, but it’s clear Boyles doesn’t think much of Gardner, saying recently on air:

BOYLES: “Don’t kid yourself about the GOP in the State of Colorado. It’s a clown show. And Cory Gardner’s not gonna get reelected, because it’s on him.”

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Ben Carson Coming To Colorado July 12-13

1
  by: Jason Salzman June 13, 2019 at 4:37 PM MDT


The conservative Centennial Institute, a project of Colorado Christian University, announced today that Trump cabinet member Ben Carson will speak at its Western Conservative Summit July 12-13 at the Colo Convention Center.

“We are honored that Secretary Carson will join us for the Western Conservative Summit,” said Jeff Hunt, Director of the Institute in a news release. “In the past, he has also visited the campus of Colorado Christian University and interacted with our students.

“It is a strategic priority of Colorado Christian University to impact our culture in support of the sanctity of life and compassion for the poor. These are principles that Secretary Carson has championed both as a neurosurgeon and now as a cabinet member.

“We are grateful for his leadership at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and are eager to hear about innovative ideas, such as opportunity zones, to improve the lives of Americans.”

Carson joined the Trump Administration as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development after being defeated by the mogul in the Republican presidential primary in 2017.

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Colo Anti-Abortion Group Opposes A Ballot Initiative Banning Abortions Later in Pregnancy

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  by: Jason Salzman June 12, 2019 at 4:12 PM MDT

(Because it doesn’t ban abortion enough! – Promoted by Colorado Pols)

A leading anti-abortion organization in Colorado has come out against a ballot initiative that ostensibly bans abortions later in pregnancy, saying the measure doesn’t go far enough and would set the pro-life movement back.

“Our misguided pro-life allies have presided over decades of regulating child killing,” Bob Enyart, a spokesman for Colorado Right to Life (CRTL), said, as quoted in Rewire.news today. “You don’t regulate crime; you deter crime. Once again, they increase confusion where only truth should be proclaimed. Their immoral initiative 108 seeks to protect children ‘who can survive outside the womb.’ But what about the rest of them?”

Enyart is reflecting the views of a segment of the anti-abortion movement nationally.

KHOW radio host Dan Caplis asked Erin Behrens, a leader the Colorado initiative, which was submitted to the Colorado Secretary of State Friday, directly about her opponents’ logic.

“What do you say to the really good people who say, ‘Wait a second; I’m going to hesitate to support that because it’s like saying, abortions before 22 weeks are okay.’ What do you say to those folks?” asked Caplis during his May 23 show.

“I tell them that this is only the beginning of the conversation,” replied Behrens, who’s an ardent Trump supporter. “I think we can all agree, 99.9 percent of us here in Colorado can agree, that five months in is a very reasonable limit. Let’s get that passed. Let’s get that on the books. Let’s put the Boulder Abortion Clinic out of business and prevent those lives from being taken every year, and then let’s come back and talk more about it in 2022 and 2024,”

“We are going to put a very reasonable limit of 22 weeks, which is about five months into pregnancy,” Behrens said on air. “And we think that this reasonable limit will pass overwhelmingly in Colorado, and we will finally be brought into the 21st century. We will finally be among all the other states that have reasonable limits, and we will finally not be the late-term abortion capitol of the United States.”

Pro-abortion activists argue, among other things, that the language of the initiative, which includes the use of the word “child” in multiple sections, could be interpreted by the courts as giving legal “personhood” rights to a fetus, and thus be interpreted by the courts as banning all abortion in Colorado.

Activists from CRTL were a driving force behind massive signature-gathering campaigns that put personhood abortion bans on the Colorado ballot in 2008, 2010, and 2014. In 2014, over 500 churches and 1,000 volunteers from around the state were central to the success of the effort, which was often fueled by crusading passion, organizers said.

Personhood USA, which officially led spearheaded the efforts in 2008, 2010, and 2014, is not involved this year and is mostly dormant, according to a spokeswoman. All three initiatives failed overwhelmingly.

It appears likely that the stance of CRTL will put a dent in the ability of the proponents of the ballot initiative to collect 124,632 signatures needed to put the measure on the ballot.

The question is, how big a dent?

Part of the answer to that question depends on how Colorado’s anti-abortion churches and activists, who played a central role in previous ballot efforts, come down on tactical question of whether the initiative, as written, will hurt their cause in the long run–or is, as Enyart put it, “immoral.”

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Root Cause of Recall Disaster Is Establishment Republican Calcification, Says GOP Activist

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  by: Jason Salzman June 11, 2019 at 4:05 PM MDT

(Promoted by Colorado Pols)

State Rep. Tom Sullivan (D-Centennial).

Former GOP congressional candidate George Athanasopoulos defended Colo House GOP leader Patrick Neville, pro-gun activist Dudley Brown, and others today against accusations that they botched a recall campaign against Democratic lawmaker Tom Sullivan of Centennial.

“Anybody who’s trying to finger [Patrick Neville, Joe Neville, or Dudley Brown] for the blame is either misguided or is straight lying for their own benefit,” said Athanasopoulos on KNUS’ Chuck and Julie Show this afternoon.

“The story I heard is that [Brown] contracted [a firm to gather] signatures,” said Athanasopoulos. “There was a contract. There were benchmarks. There were stipulations. There were agreed-upon prices, and [the signature-gathering firm] absolutely failed to deliver. Instead of throwing good money after bad, they did the responsible thing, which was [to] say, ‘Hey, we’re going to pull the plug.'”

“This illustrates the fact that we have a political class, consultants here in Colorado, who are inept, who lie, who cannot meet contractual obligations. It’s the same thing we’ve been talking about on the air for years,” said Athanasopoulos “It’s a never ending clown show of pigheaded buffoonery, to use a colorful term.”

So why aren’t there better GOP consultants in town? Athanasopoulos traces the problem to moneyed Republicans hiring their consultant friends for short-term gigs instead of developing local firms who are both competent and trusted.

“Instead of hiring fly-by-night firms, who hire anybody with a pulse, who may or may not be Republican — in fact, are probably not — we need to stand up something organic,” said Athanasopoulos on air. “There are lots of young Republicans in the state of Colorado, lots of them, who would love to have a part time job supporting the Republican cause.”

Co-host Julie Hayden, a former Fox 31 Denver reporter, says the established consulting firms squash the newcomers.

“If you come in here and try to open up another consulting agency, they will destroy you,” said Hayden. “And they make it impossible. So we have this group, as you said, of incompetent clown shows that won’t let go of the reins and won’t let the voters do what they want.

“George, I think you’ve hit it on the head, and it’s why we keep harping on this, about the establishment people, the donors and the consultant class who control Colorado politics in this state, and they’re just doing a horrible job!” said Hayden on air. “They can’t get anybody elected.”

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RECALL RECAP: Where Do Republicans Stand Now?

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  by: Jason Salzman June 11, 2019 at 10:35 AM MDT

The vice chair of the Colorado Republican Party, Kristi Burton-Brown, wrote on Facebook today that “in order to accomplish the most good in the shortest time” she and her allies are abandoning an effort to recall Colorado State Rep. Tom Sullivan (D-Centennial) and instead are focusing on “recalling Democrat Senators who are not up for re-election in 2020.”

It’s not clear if Brown’s new strategy will win over fellow Republicans who opposed this year’s recall efforts. But here is a sampling of range of opinion within the Republican Party, as expressed before Brown’s announcement today.

OPPOSED TO RECALLS

Former State Rep. Cole Wist (R-Centennial) — “Recall fever is at odds with governing. It is designed to keep you riled up, to keep the contributions flowing, to feed the beast.“

Tyler Sandberg, former Colo Congressman Mike Coffman’s Campaign Manager — “Great work taking a swing seat and making it safe for Democrats. Real bang up job, guys.”

Ryan Call, Former Chair of the Colorado Republican Party — “…what we saw during the legislative session is consistent with what most Democratic candidates said they would do while they were running.”

 

SUPPORT RECALLS

State Rep. Patrick Neville (R-Castle Rock), GOP House Minority Leader, “This is unprecedented overreach. We need to do something. If there is a grassroots effort that starts percolating up, then I am going to help them.”

Kristi Burton Brown, Vice Chair of the Colorado Republican Party. — “Rep. Tom Sullivan needs to be recalled because, like the rest of the Democrats in the legislature this session, he did not represent the families of Colorado.”

Dudley Brown, founder of Rocky Mountain gun Owners, “I hope you’ll consider making a generous contribution to our Red Flag Recall fund.”

CU Regent Heidi Ganahl and U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) — (clapping in support)

 

LEANING AGAINST

Former State Rep. Jack Tate (R-Centennial) — “There’s something that’s just too partisan, too much of a do-over with a different voting base than I am comfortable with.“)

Michael Fields, Colorado Rising Action– “Recalls can identify people, but it also can strengthen elected officials that survive them.”

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Gardner Is a Regular on Conservative Talk Shows But Is Dodging the Public and Journalists

1
  by: Jason Salzman June 10, 2019 at 4:14 PM MDT

(Promoted by Colorado Pols)

Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Yuma)

Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner is a regular on Colorado conservative talk radio shows, where the questions are typically friendly and warm. But, these days, don’t expect Gardner to talk to real journalists and the public, whose questions might put a chill in the conversation.

Gardner hasn’t had a town hall meeting in over a year and a half, but since Jan. 1, the Republican has appeared on 15 conservative talk radio shows, hosted by some of the most strident conservatives in Colorado politics.

And it appears that he’s been dodging reporters’ calls with more regularity. Here are a few examples from this year.

“His office declined to comment about whether his opposition would include efforts to overturn Trump’s authority,” June 6, 2019, the Colorado Springs Gazette.

“Gardner’s office declined an interview request from The Denver Post this week,” Denver Post, May 23, 2019.

“His office did not respond to a follow-up inquiry,” The Hill, May 3, 2019.

“Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), when approached, said he was late to a meeting and referred questions to his office. Aides to Gardner did not respond to a request for comment,” The Hill, May 16, 2019.

(more…)

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FACT CHECK: Sonnenberg’s Mushrooms, Growing on Dung in his Feed Lot, Probably Aren’t Psychedelic

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  by: Jason Salzman June 5, 2019 at 4:41 PM MDT

(“He should check poop in warm states like Florida…” — Promoted by Colorado Pols)

After Denver’s vote last month to decriminalize psychedelic mushrooms, lawmakers and regular folks have tripped over the relevant fungal facts.

One such person is State Sen. Jerry Sonnenberg (R-Sterling), who’s wondering if the mushrooms in his feed lot are magic.

“I’m trying to figure out–I’ve got mushrooms in my feed lot in those little piles of manure,” Sonnenberg told John Waters, who hosts KFTM’s “Big Morning Show” in Fort Morgan today. “Are those magic mushrooms? Can I harvest those? Have I been missing this? How do you grow those magic mushrooms?”

Sonnenberg did not return a call seeking to know if he wants to harvest his dung-dwelling mushrooms so he can eat them and trip.

If so, the Sterling Republican should know that his shrooms probably won’t get him high. That’s because magic mushrooms aren’t known to grow wild in Colorado, and the most potent psychedelic mushroom species almost never appear in the wild here. That is, unless they’re cultivated in jars or containers indoors, likely in basements in urban areas.

Sonnenberg is correct that some magic mushroom species, in the genus Psilocybe, grow on dung, but not in our state. He should check poop in warm states like Florida, where they are common in cow pastures. And he should examine wood chips and lawns in the Pacific Northwest. Here’s a book on magic shroom identification that Sonnenberg should read.

Sonnenberg’s mushrooms were most likely species of Panaeolus, and they are almost certainly not hallucinogenic.

Some mushroom enthusiasts believe that Amanita muscaria, a common mushroom in the Colorado mountains, is psychoactive. It’s known for its distinctive red cap and white spots.

However, a reporter experimented multiple times with this mushroom, even traveling to Siberia to interview native Koryak people and shamans about it, and concluded that the mushroom, known in Russia as Mukhomor, should be considered poisonous, not psychoactive. (See Shaman’s Drum: “In Search of Mukhomor, the Mushroom of Immortality.) In his book, Soma: the Divine Mushroom of Immortality, Gordon Wasson theorized, probably falsely, that Amanita muscaria was the divine inspiration for the ancient Rig Veda texts.

The topic of mushrooms came up in the KFTM radio interview after Sonnenberg told Waters that there was a push at the Capitol to have fewer prisoners in jail.

“I’m one of those [people], by golly, [who believes] if you do the crime, you got to do the time,” Sonnenberg told Waters.

“I guess you could let them out of prison, and then they can move to Denver and do magic mushrooms and have a great time,” replied Waters.

“They can,” replied Sonnenberg. “They can do the magic mushrooms.”

In fact, psychedelic mushrooms are illegal under federal law and remain illegal in Denver. But the personal use and possession of magic mushrooms by citizens over 21 are now the city’s lowest law-enforcement priority.

Listen to Waters on KFTM here:

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Tancredo Says Republicans in Colorado Support His Border Wall

1
  by: Jason Salzman June 4, 2019 at 4:22 PM MDT

(Now THAT’S funny – Promoted by Colorado Pols)

Former Republican Congressman Tom Tancredo has a track record of stepping back into politics when things aren’t getting done the way he wants. See his run for governor in 2010 and his bid for president.

He’s at it again now, sitting on the advisory committee of “We Build the Wall,” an organization that’s just completed building a half mile of wall along the southern border near El Paso, Texas.

Also on the advisory committee of We Build the Wall is former Trump adviser Stephen Bannon, former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, and other immigration hard liners.

The group used a GoFundMe campaign to raise over $23 million after Trump couldn’t get Congress to pay for the longer wall.

Tancredo told me the response from Colorado Republicans to his wall project has been “terrific,” but he doesn’t know what elected officials like U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner and U.S. Rep. Ken Buck think of it.

He’s seen no opposition in his talks to Republican groups.

“I’m just talking to Republican organizations,” he said. “I don’t get that many offers from liberal groups.”

I told Tancredo my book group might have him, but we’re only about five people.

“When you’ve been out of office as long as I have, you go anywhere,” he said. “You talk to anybody. You don’t care.”

The We Build the Wall GoFundMe page states, “If you are sick and tired of watching politicians in both parties obstructing President Trump’s plan to build a wall on our southern border, then you’ve come to the right place. We The People are coming together to start building segments of Border wall wall on private property and the best part is, we’re going to do it for a fraction of what it costs the government.”

Tancredo told me his segment of wall will funnel immigrants to another area along the border where surveillance is better. It’s also a demonstration project, showing how to overcome technical and political wall obstacles, he said.

His group is not “going to be able to build 1,900 miles of wall,” he said.

Tancredo called construction of the wall a political technological miracle.

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Ending a Saga, Sex Ed Bill Signed into Law Today

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  by: Jason Salzman May 31, 2019 at 4:21 PM MDT

(Promoted by Colorado Pols)

Ending a legislative saga filled with lurid misinformation to try to stop a sex-ed bill from gaining traction, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed into law today legislation that bans schools from teaching only about abstinence in their sex ed courses.

Schools can opt out of teaching sex ed completely, but if they choose to include it, the course must be comprehensive, addressing all legitimate pregnancy-prevention options, the experiences of LGBTQ students, abortion, and more.

Under the law, schools can seek a waiver from the bill’s requirements. So it’s not clear how many Colorado students will be still receive abstinence-only sex-ed classes.

Still, proponents of the legislation praised its passage into law today.

“Students who receive sex education in Colorado schools will be better prepared with more comprehensive, medically-accurate information than ever before thanks to the Youth Wellness Act that was signed into law today by Gov. Jared Polis,” said Vicki Cowart, President of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains.”

“Giving students real information on healthy relationships and consent, including LGBTQ students in this learning, and allowing the full spectrum of pregnancy outcomes – including abortion – to be taught will shape generations to come. We know that when we don’t give young people the information they need, misinformation will fill the gap. That’s no way to prepare our children for the future.

“This law will foster acceptance, thoughtful decision-making, and give students tools to navigate the landscape of human relationships and sexuality.  Colorado should be proud that we are giving our young people the opportunity to form healthy foundations for a lifetime.”

Denise S. Maes, Public Policy Director of the ACLU of Colorado, also praised the bill.

“The ACLU is proud to have worked with PPRM on this historical piece of legislation. For the first time in our State’s history there will be funding for all-inclusive, medically-accurate health information. It’s a win for students, a win for Colorado.”

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Gardner Hasn’t Held a Town Hall in a Year and a Half, But Is He Talking to Voters in CO Springs?

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  by: Jason Salzman May 30, 2019 at 10:35 AM MDT

(Promoted by Colorado Pols)

Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner hasn’t held a town hall meeting with constituents in about a year and a half, choosing instead to meet with private groups and telling the public about such meetings after they occur.

But he may have held conference calls with constituents, possibly in Colorado Springs, last week without informing reporters or the wider public.

Gardner’s focus on Colorado Springs may be part of a strategic move to identify and energize voters in the conservative area, where high voter turnout would be essential to a Gardner victory in 2020, say political analysts.

Gardner appears to have briefly announced a conference call with constituents May 21, as evidenced by a May 21 screen grab of the senator’s website circulated on Twitter. But then the announcement mysteriously disappeared.

Also last week, a robo-call blocking service recorded multiple calls from Gardner inviting Co Springs-area citizens to join a call with Gardner.

Gardner’s recorded voice states, “Hi This is Senator Cory Gardner I’m calling to invite you to join our live telephone town hall taking place in just a few moments please stay on the line and you will be automatically connected if you have any questions about this event please call my office at 202-224-5941.”

The use of robo calls to invite constituents to his telephone event would raise eyebrows, given Gardner’s stance against such calls.

On his website, Gardner asks constituents who want to be invited to his conference calls to provide their phone numbers. So it’s possible the robo-call blocking service snagged those numbers by mistake.

Gardner’s office didn’t return a call seeking to know if he offered citizens in Colorado Springs the opportunity to talk to him last week on the phone, and, if so, whether some or all of those offers were made unsolicited via robo calls.

In the past, when questioned by reporters about not holding in-person town hall meetings, Gardner has argued that conference calls, which he refers to as tele-town halls, are a good way to interact with his constituents.

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Kopel: Dudley Brown is a “Direct Mail Fundraising Scam Artist” (And So Much More)

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  by: Jason Salzman May 28, 2019 at 3:53 PM MDT


(Promoted by Colorado Pols)

WEDNESDAY POLS UPDATE: Dudley Brown fires back unrepentant:

—–

Dudley Brown of Rocky Mountain Gun Owners

Pro-gun activists continue to rip at each other over an effort, led by the conservative Rocky Mountain Gun Owners (RMGO), to recall Democratic State Rep. Tom Sullivan of Aurora, who voted in favor of a law allowing judges to order that guns be taken from dangerous people.

In a Saturday interview on KNUS radio (below), the libertarian Independence Institute’s researcher Dave Kopel called Dudley Brown, who directs RMGO, a “direct mail fundraising scam artist” and a “parasite.”

Asked if he supports recalling Sullivan, who’s son died in the Aurora theater massacre, Kopel said: “No, because I think it’s stupid and it’s not going to work, and it’s going to make Sullivan all the stronger. I mean, already he’s raising tons of money.  And thanks to this, he’s not just raising money in Colorado, he’s raising national money. And when this recall fails, which I am almost certain that it will, he’s going to have a lot of money leftover to have a big head start on his re-election and in 2020.”

“He just sucks up money which could go to groups like Gun Owners of America, or the NRA, or Second Amendment Foundation, or anybody else that actually tries to advance the cause,” said Kopel on air.

RMGO backers have pointed out that the organization’s effort to recall Democratic State Sen. Evie Hudak in 2014 resulted in Hudak’s resignation, which paved the way for Laura Woods to win the swing state senate seat later that year, allowing the state GOP to gain a majority in the state senate and, for four years, to block Democratic bills not only on gun control but health, environment, education, and much more.

Here’s a transcript of a portion of the KNUS interview with Kopel:

(more…)

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Republicans Unable to Land Trump for Ceremony Spotlighting Trump Portrait for Capitol

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  by: Jason Salzman May 28, 2019 at 2:50 PM MDT

(Promoted by Colorado Pols)

Colorado Republicans were unable to get Trump to take time while he’s in Colorado this week to appear at an unveiling of a Trump portrait, which is ready and waiting for hanging at the state capitol.

Republicans thought they had a shot at getting the president to appear at a ceremony to show off the portrait, according to multiple sources, but they struck out, leaving the completed painting in the hands of legislative staff until Republicans, led by former State Senate President Kevin Grantham, decide when and how they want to present it to the public.

Trump has a history of promoting portraits of himself, so the notion that the president would headline a ceremony spotlighting a Trump portrait was not so far fetched.

A request for an advance peek at the portrait was rejected by legislative staff.

Trump will address the graduating class at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs Thursday, and it appears there are no other planned appearances in the state.

But Trump supporters are planning to welcome the president to Colorado with Trump/Pence signs and American flags.

They’ll gather Thursday at 8 a.m. at the Academy Blvd. exit ramp off North I-25 North, according to KVOR host Jeff Crank.

Crank said on air that he expects the Trump motorcade to pass the group at 10 a.m., but the event may be forced to move at the last minute if the route is different.

Crank said elected officials should show up to “celebrate Trump” as well, and he hopes to see both Democrats and Republicans there.

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Tate “Skeptical” about Campaign to Recall Sullivan

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  by: Jason Salzman May 22, 2019 at 4:49 PM MDT


(Promoted by Colorado Pols)

Sen. Jack Tate (R).

A second Republican who represented the Aurora state house district now occupied by Democrat Tom Sullivan is expressing skepticism about the recall campaign against Sullivan, which is spearheaded by the conservative Rocky Mountain Gun Owners.

State Sen. Jack Tate told KZMT 1690-AM’s Jimmy Sengenberger yesterday:

“We had an election last year and we’re going to have another election next year. And so the recall makes me skeptical because a recall provision is about getting representatives, or your elected representatives out of office due to serious issues of malfeasance, maybe criminal behavior, something that is really just outside the pale in terms of providing a function of being an elected representative. So, if you think about why there are recalls, it is about getting people out of office when we need to. But at the same time, you have to have some discipline. You can’t set up a situation where people who you elect — maybe under a trustee model, more than a delegate model — to make tough decisions are constantly facing an every-month a recall, based on having made tough decisions. If constituencies don’t like the decisions politicians make in the fray, then that’s what a normal election is for. So, I have a degree of skepticism.”

“…And now we have these recall efforts. And it’s like, there’s something that’s just too partisan, too much of a do-over with a different voting base than I am comfortable with.  So I’m thinking through this issue right now, Jimmy. “

Tate’s comment follows a sharp denunciation of the Sullivan recall effort by Republican Cole Wist, who was defeated by Sullivan in last year’s election. Wist won the house district after Tate ran for state senate.

(more…)

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Priest Now Says He Wasn’t Representing the Catholic Church In Testimony Against Conversion Therapy Bill

0
  by: Jason Salzman May 22, 2019 at 8:22 AM MDT

(Promoted by Colorado Pols)

With Colorado Gov. Jared Polis planning to sign legislation next Friday banning licensed therapists from trying to turn gay youth into heterosexuals, a priest, who said he was “representing the Catholic Church” when he testified in March against the conversion-therapy ban, is now saying he testified “on my own behalf.”

In fact, the Archdiocese of Denver, which speaks for the Catholic Church on such matters locally, did “not take a position on this bill,” according to Mark Haas, a Archdiocese spokesman.

“I testified on my own behalf and just meant to identify myself as a Catholic priest who would be bringing a Catholic perspective to the conversation,” Rev. Matthew Hartley, Parochial Vicar at St. Joan of Arc Church in Arvada, said in an email after the Colorado Times Recorder asked who gave him authority to speak for the Catholic Church.

In his March 18 testimony before the Colorado Senate’s State, Veterans, and Military Affairs Committee (here at 1 hour 41 minutes), Hartley denounced the bill banning conversion-therapy on minors, telling lawmakers it was “outdated, irrational, in violation of religious freedom, and discriminatory.”

The Archdiocese of Denver supports the right of its religious leaders, like Hartley, to express their political opinions.

“We support his right, like that of any citizen, to participate in the political process,” said Haas.

Johnny Hultzapple, a South High Student who testified for the ban on conversion therapy for minors, objected to Hartley’s claim to represent the Catholic Church, a couple weeks before Hartley announced he wasn’t really representing the Church.

(more…)

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Gardner: It’s “Up to the States,” like Alabama, to Decide if Abortion Is Legal

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  by: Jason Salzman May 20, 2019 at 11:31 AM MDT

(Con Man Cory’s original sin is back – Promoted by Colorado Pols)

Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Yuma).

After initially dodging a question from a reporter about Alabama’s abortion ban, saying he was late to a meeting and had no time to talk, Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner has now stated his general support for the controversial measure.

That’s consistent with his previous stance against Roe v. Wade, which, if overturned, would allow states to ban abortion.

“I’m pro-life, but that’s up to the states,” Gardner told Politico over the weekend, adding that he hadn’t seen details of the new law.

If states are indeed left to decide whether abortion is legal, then Gardner would presumably support Alabama’s law.

Here’s why:

The Alabama measure will likely be challenged in court on the grounds that, under Roe v. Wade, states like Alabama don’t have the authority to ban abortion.

In fact, many anti-abortion activists hope that if Alabama’s new anti-abortion law is reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court, the conservative new justices will overturn Roe v. Wade, which currently guarantees a women’s right to an abortion.

If Roe were overturned, abortion would not be illegal. Instead, states like Alabama would have the authority to ban the procedure, even for rape and incest, as Alabama’s law does.

So Gardner’s position of leaving it “up to the states” to decide about abortion is consistent with anti-abortion Republicans who want Roe v. Wade struck down.

In his comment to Politico Saturday, Gardner didn’t cite his opposition to Roe specifically.

But in a 2010 Colorado Family Institute candidate questionnaire, he’s on record opposing the landmark abortion decision.

In the survey, Gardner indicated that he opposed the “U.S. Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade abortion decision.”

Gardner has been a staunch opponent of all abortion throughout his political career, using anti-abortion activists to help carry him into the U.S. House of Representatives. He’s voted to defund Planned Parenthood 10 times since he’s been in federal office.

In his run for U.S. Senate in 2014, he reversed his opposition to a personhood abortion ban in Colorado, but he continued to support a federal personhood bill, which he cosponsored, that aimed to outlaw abortion nationally.

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Gardner Dodges Question about Alabama Abortion Ban, Saying He Was Late for a Meeting

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  by: Jason Salzman May 17, 2019 at 11:48 AM MDT

A reporter from The Hill, a Washington DC new site, tracked down Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner today for a comment on the new law in Alabama, banning all abortion in the state.

Gardner declined to comment, as the Hill’s Alexander Bolton reported:

Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), when approached, said he was late to a meeting and referred questions to his office. Aides to Gardner did not respond to a request for comment.

Gardner is one of two Republicans running next year in a state Clinton carried in 2016.

During his election campaign in 2014, Gardner repeatedly claimed not to have co-sponsored a federal personhood bill, which would have also banned abortion. He claimed the bill was just a statement of life, a claim debunked repeatedly by fact checkers.

But Gardner has been a staunch opponent of all abortion throughout his political career, using anti-abortion activists to help carry him into the U.S. House of Representatives and then shifting his stance to help win his current U.S. Senate seat.

He’s voted to defund Planned Parenthood 10 times since he’s been in federal office.

Most recently, he’s been part of a Republican misinformation campaign against abortions late in pregnancy.

And he voted to ban abortion after 20 weeks.

Gardner’s office did not return a call for comment.

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Nugent Once Said GOP had “No Balls,” But Now He’s Loving Trump and Sheriff Reams

2
  by: Jason Salzman May 17, 2019 at 10:50 AM MDT

(Wang Dang Sweet Poontang! – Promoted by Colorado Pols)

The Nuge.

A few years ago Rocker Ted Nugent was on Colorado radio saying the Republican Party has “no balls” and “someone extracted their scrotum with a rusty siv.”

Now he’s saying Trump is his “hero,” and Nugent is doing a fundraiser for a Republican sheriff in norther Colorado June 21.

Here’s what Rocker Ted Nugent said on Colorado radio in 2014 when asked what happened to the Republican Party:

“Someone extracted their scrotum with a rusty shiv,” Nugent replied. “They have no balls.  I don’t know where this ‘Let’s be Mr. Rogers with a Lawrence Welk soundtrack tie adjusting’ mantra came from, but my god! If there’s a life-support system attached to the GOP, it’s flat-lining.”

Then he sang “The new American Anthem.” Here at 3 min 50 sec. “I’m heart broken,” he said.

But now things appear to be looking up for Nugent.

He loves Trump.

“Finally we have president who sounds like you and I and your dad and mom at a campfire,” Rocker Ted Nugent told KHOW’s Dan Caplis May 10.

“[Trump] is a we-the-people guy,” said Nugent, who described Trump as a “good friend” and “my hero.”

And Nugent also loves Weld County Sheriff Steve Reams, who’s been fighting against Colorado’s red flag law, which allows a judge to authorize the confiscation of guns from people deemed dangerous to themselves or others. Reams has threatened not to enforce the new law, passed by Democrats this year.

“I’m cocked, locked, and I’m ready to rock, and I can’t wait to get back to Colorado, ’cause I have a feeling if I’m with Steve Reams I’ll be in the real Colorado,” said Nugent on air.

But Nugent isn’t impressed Colorado generally.

Nugent said he’s watched Colorado turn into a suburb of San Francisco, which he described as dominated by “feces, needle Capitol, celebrants.”

“I’ve always confronted the abuse of power, and the corruption, and the cronyism,” said Nugent, who says he drives the left “berzerk.”

The Nugent/Reams event at the Island at Pelican Lakes, in Windsor begins at 5 p.m. with a barbecue. A rally follows at 7 p.m.

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Neville: Removal of Ryan Call As Chair of Fundraising Committee Would Be “Wise Move”

12
  by: Jason Salzman May 15, 2019 at 11:38 AM MDT

(It’s war. For Colorado Republicans, it’s always war. – Promoted by Colorado Pols)

House Minority Leader Patrick Neville (R-Castle Rock).

Republican leaders expressed what appeared to be cathartic disagreement yesterday over whether to support a move by Colorado’s Republican Party to recall a state lawmaker for backing a gun-control bill, after the lawmaker, whose his son died in the Aurora theater massacre, campaigned on the issue.

The dispute prompted a top Colorado Republican to say it would be a “wise move” to oust the former leader of the Republican Party from his chairmanship of a key GOP fundraising committee.

Colorado’s GOP House minority leader, Patrick Neville of Castle Rock, made the comment on KNUS radio during day of intense infighting among conservatives, which opened wounds, inflicted by Republicans on themselves, that have been festering under the party’s skin for at least a decade here.

The pain was evident on Twitter, where warriors representing factions of the Republican Party put aside restraints and publicly denounced one another’s stances.

After a conservative radio host Chuck Bonniwell slammed Tyler Sandberg, who was former U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman’s campaign manager, for telling a news site that Trump has a “less than zero” chance of winning in Colorado, Sandberg tweeted, “Chuck, take my advice, put down the meth pipe.”

But the proposed recall campaigns, opposed by the deep-pocked oil and gas industry and other corporations, were the focus of most of the day’s debate.

Former Colo GOP Chair Ryan Call came out against the recall campaign of State Rep. Tom Sullivan of Aurora, which led to this conversation on KNUS 710-AM’s Chuck and Julie Show, with Neville and hosts Chuck Bonniwell and Julie Hayden:

(more…)

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Sandberg: Trump Has “Less than Zero” Percent Chance of Winning Colo

1
  by: Jason Salzman May 14, 2019 at 10:13 AM MDT

Polls show most Democrats are worried that Trump could win next year’s presidential election, despite the beating Republicans took in last year’s mid-term.

But the Republican who managed November’s failed re-election campaign of former U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman believes Trump’s chances of winning, at least in Colorado next year, are “less than zero.”

“Despite the recent bravado from Trump’s campaign manager saying he thinks Trump can win Colorado, the chance of that happening is less than zero,” told Colorado Politic’s Dan Njegomir in an interview posted yesterday.

Sandberg didn’t return a call seeking to know if he thinks Trump has any chance of winning nationally. Also left unanswered on Sandberg’s voicemail was the question of if there’s anything at all Trump could do to turn things around here in Colorado.

“In every single metric we’re looking at being bigger, better and badder than we were in 2016,” Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale told CBS’s “Face the Nation” last month, pointing specifically to Colorado and three other states.

Sandberg managed Coffman’s campaigns in 2018 and 2014 and was a senior project at the influential GOP consulting group, EIS Solutions, where he worked with Josh Penry. Sandberg worked on former Lt. Gov. Jane Norton’s failed U.S. Senate bid in 2010.

Even Democrats were surprised in November when Democratic U.S. Rep. Jason Crow trounced Coffman, who’d repeatedly defied efforts to unseat him.

For next year, Sandberg told Colorado Politics that Colorado Republicans need to figure out a way to get voters to split the ticket, meaning to vote for Republican candidates even though they’re voting against Trump.

U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner’s seems to think differently, hoping Trump will get more popular here.

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Some Colo Republicans Blame Losses on Dumb Campaign Tactics and, partly, on the Koch’s Flawed Voter Database App

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  by: Jason Salzman May 9, 2019 at 2:16 PM MDT

(Promoted by Colorado Pols)

A dispute has emerged among Colorado Republicans about how much to rely on a giant database of voter information developed over many years with billions of dollars by the Koch brothers, the GOP’s mega donors.

The Koch database, called i360, is heralded by many Republicans as a beautiful tool to target voters across the country, including Colorado, using information gleaned from consumer spending (from credit agencies and vendors), social media, canvassing by Americans for Prosperity and others here in Colorado, and other places where big data sources.

Just before last year’s election, Salon called i360 an “unprecedented propaganda” tool identifying more than 199 million active voters and 290 million U.S. consumers, with about 2,000 data points on each person, such as “your vitals, ethnicity, religion, occupation, hobbies, shopping habits, political leanings, financial assets, marital status and much more.”

“They know if you enjoy fishing — and if you do, whether you prefer salt or fresh water. They know if you have bladder control difficulty, get migraines or have osteoporosis. They know which advertising mediums (radio, TV, internet, email) are the most effective,” according to Salon.

But for former State Sen. Tim Neville (R-Littleton), the promise of i360 doesn’t match the reality, which led Neville, in part to reject pressure from the Colorado Republican Party (and its consultants) last year to use the party’s voter data to target voters in his (mostly) Jefferson County district, according to sources.

(more…)

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Radio Host Misrepresents Holbert’s Stance on Recall Campaigns

1
  by: Jason Salzman May 7, 2019 at 5:02 PM MDT

There are some people out there saying recalls are a waste of time,” Republican State House Leader Patrick Neville told KNUS 710-AM host Chuck Bonniwell yesterday.

To which Bonniwell asked, “Who are the people who say you are wasting your time?”

Bonniwell then alleged that Colorado Politics reporter Marianne Goodland said that State Senate Republican Minority Leader Chris Holbert is against recall campaigns.

Bonniwell asked Neville yesterday if this was true.

“I don’t know if he’s against recalls or not,” replied Neville, who’s set up a website to support efforts to recall Democrats from office in Colorado.

It turns out, Goodland actually told Bonniwell on air that Holbert and Neville “differ a great deal on the issue of recalls,” not that Holbert opposed them per se.

For the record, Holbert told the Colorado Times Recorder that he is “neither for nor against” recalls.

“That’s up to people in local districts,” he said. “And I’m not for them or against them. I don’t have a position for or against.”

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Gardner Says White House’s Refusal To Cooperate with Congress Is Just a “Negotiating Position”

1
  by: Jason Salzman May 6, 2019 at 5:33 PM MDT

(Would it surprise you to know that Gardner has taken a completely different position in the past? Of course it wouldn’t. — Promoted by Colorado Pols)

Sen. Cory Gardner (R).

In a radio interview over the weekend, U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) characterized U.S. Attorney General Barr’s refusal to testify before the U.S. House–and Trump’s statement that other White House officials won’t cooperate with the investigation–as a “negotiating position.”

Asked by KNUS 710-AM’s Craig Silverman if he thought it was a “viable position” for Trump officials to refuse to testify before Congress, Gardner implied that he didn’t think it was viable:

GARDNER: “I think you are seeing a bit of sort of negotiating positions by both the Democratic majority in the House, and by the Administration. And I think part of this public discussion is giving time for the private discussions to occur–on how the committee hearing would work and how that testimony is allowed to move forward. So I think that is exactly how they are trying to negotiate.”

Gardner has demonstrated his support for congressional investigations, voting in 2011 to subpoena White House documents relating to Solyndra, a solar company, even though the Obama White House indicated it was producing documents for the House committee.

Gardner’s office didn’t return a call seeking to know what he thought Congress should do if it turns out not to be a negotiating position by Trump.

Nor did he say if he thought Trump should stick to his position of 1) refusing to cooperate with congressional investigators and, specifically, 2) not allowing White House officials to testify.

But Gardner repeated his position that Special Prosecutor Bob Mueller should testify to Congress.

“I don’t think any testimony that he gives will be any different than anything that’s in the report,” said Gardner on air. “That’s what Bill Barr has said. That’s what Lindsey Graham has said. That’s what others have said. I think that testimony will just line up with what the American people have already seen through the release of that report.”

(more…)

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GOP Lawmakers Who Need Media Literacy Training Vote Against It

2
  by: Jason Salzman May 6, 2019 at 10:34 AM MDT

This fake news remains on Scott’s Facebook page to this day.

(more…)

(Those who need it most always want it least – Promoted by Colorado Pols)

Multiple Colorado Republicans voted last week against legislation, now awaiting Democratic Gov. Jared Polis’ signature, aimed at boosting media literacy in public education, even though they would have clearly benefited from media-literacy education themselves when they were in school.

I’m talking about lawmakers who’ve shared fake news on their Facebook pages–or otherwise undermined professional journalism’s mission of illuminating facts and exposing misinformation and lies.

One lawmaker who voted against the bill, yet needs serious schooling in media literacy, is State Sen. Ray Scott (R-Grand Junction) who notoriously called the Grand Junction Sentinel “fake news.”

But Scott’s complete and total absence of media-literacy skills came a few days after he called the Sentinel “fake news,” when he actually promoted Sentinel articles he agreed with on Facebook, as if a news outlet is only fake when you disagree with it.

What’s more, Scott then refused to remove from his Facebook page a fake news item titled, “WikiLeaks CONFIRMS Hillary Sold Weapons to ISIS…Then Drops Another BOMBSHELL! Breaking News.”

This fake news remains on Scott’s Facebook page to this day.

(more…)

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GOP Recall Leader Says Legislative Session Wasn’t So Bad After All

5
  by: Jason Salzman May 3, 2019 at 10:48 AM MDT

(Recalls talk, reality walks – Promoted by Colorado Pols)

A leading Colorado Republican, who’s been saying for months that Democrats should be recalled from office for proposing extreme laws, now believes the “system” worked and the results aren’t so bad.

“No, it wasn’t a complete clean sweep,” Republican House Leader Patrick Neville of Castle Rock said this morning on KNUS 710-AM’s Peter Boyles Show. “I mean, there’s a lot of bad stuff that they did get that we don’t like. A lot of climate change stuff going through. The oil and gas stuff. But even that, we were able to get some amendments to make it not as bad.

Patrick Neville

“I think the system’s working. I think we had tremendous support from you, and your station that helped got the message out. It helped get the message out and caused quite a bit of chaos down at the Capitol to make sure that they were actually hearing the people’s voice. And that was effective.”

How does this view of the legislative session square with Neville’s comments over the last few months that, essentially, the Capitol dome was melting due to “unprecedented overreach” that warranted the ousting of any and all Democrats.

“This is unprecedented overreach. We need to do something,” Neville, the state house Republican leader, said on KHOW radio March 9. “If there is a grassroots effort that starts percolating up, then I am going to help them,” he said.

Neville formed a Recall Colorado website to help fund the recall efforts, listing six pieces of “overreaching legislation.”

Here’s a recap of his list:

o An oil-and-gas bill regulatory measure was amended to the point where the oil-and-gas industry has accepted it with trepidation, and the Colorado Oil and Gas Association and oil companies aren’t supporting the recall elections.

o A bipartisan sex-ed bill will likely become law, with amendments that address some of the most controversial elements, leading Republican Larry Crowder of Alamosa to say on Facebook that the legislation “was an overreach and was brought down to Earth.”

o The national popular vote bill, conditionally removing Colorado from the electoral college passed, as did a measure allowing courts to apply guardianship proceedings to immigrant minors.

o A proposal to make Colorado a sanctuary state died.

o A red-flag bill, allowing a judge to allow the confiscation of guns from dangerous people, passed with amendments.

That’s just the six bills listed on the Recall Colorado website. Many others moved in the GOP direction, including a now-dead proposal to save the lives of drug addicts.

So you can see why Neville said the system is working for him.

Now, will he still push ahead with recalls anyway?

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