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McInnis Melts Down -- Part 2

by: TaxCheatGeithner

Tue Aug 18, 2009 at 10:48:48 AM MDT


(He's done it again--it's like a dream where you shout "there's a train coming!" but no one can hear you. Can he really not help himself? - promoted by Colorado Pols)

In a friendly interview with seasoned Colorado political reporter Charles Ashby, Scott McInnis blows his lid...again.  

Jump forward to about 4 minutes and 30 seconds to view the melt down.

Why is this subject off limits for the Congressman?  I understand that it must be difficult to defend paying your wife a hefty salary (with benefits) from campaign funds you raised from other people -- but come on.  Every time this guy is asked about this subject he blows up and attacks the person asking about it.  

If he can't handle these questions coming from reporters, what's he going to do when the Democrats start asking about it?  It's no wonder party insiders are beginning to wonder if he has the proper temperament to be Governor.  
TaxCheatGeithner :: McInnis Melts Down -- Part 2
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McInnis Melts Down -- Part 2 | 68 comments
It's not that McInnis doesn't WANT to answer the question
It's just that

Yeah, that's right, I did this last night too, wanna fight about it?

Bring back S[redacted]e H[redacted]y!

Wow.
Pete Stark had it right.  This guy IS a fruitcake.  

It's not that he's a lobbyist.  It's not that he manages a federal PAC.  It's not that he's been out of politics (but for his attempts to sabotage other GOP statewide candidates) for 6 years.  

It's that he's crazy.    

McInnis is well-known for his thin-skin
I hope he manages to stay in a while though.  If so, a real melt-down can only be forthcoming...

"[A]ll Republicans/conservatives/tea parties have been proven wrong. Everybody knows this." BJWilson83, Republican/conservative/tea partier

"The fossil record utterly refutes evolution." BJWilson83, graduate student

[ Parent ]
The good (former) congressman
went ballistic on me for including him in a list of Republicans with oil and gas industry ties (imagine that). In response to an editorial I wrote in the Grand Junction Free Press, Scott fired of an 800 word personal attack that was so nasty the Free Press wouldn't print it.

He settled for a 300 word rewrite that was 100% non-factual and abusive, in which he claimed to know me and said several unkind things. The fact is, I have never met the man. So...these reports about his thin skin are no surprise to me.

And the men who hold high places, must be the ones to start, to mold a new reality, closer to the heart. Rush/ 1977

[ Parent ]
I, too, have been the target of his wrath
at one point his (congressional) staff was ordered not to talk to me (I am in the 3rd CD) because I said something in an LTE he didn't like...

Scooter does not have the temperament to by Governor.  I agree with Floyd on one point--Penry wins the primary, mostly due to McLobbyist's stunning incompetence.  

"[A]ll Republicans/conservatives/tea parties have been proven wrong. Everybody knows this." BJWilson83, Republican/conservative/tea partier

"The fossil record utterly refutes evolution." BJWilson83, graduate student

[ Parent ]
"Because I'm a woman I shouldn't be paid"
That part kills me.  He sure is thin skinned on this issue.
I was afraid
he was going to come across the table at Ashby.

That kind of angry condescension usually only works on suspects -- McInnis still thinks he's a small-town cop, doesn't he?

[ Parent ]
"Chauvinism"?
Imbecilic.

McInnis' campaign payments to his wife after he announced he wasn't running again made national news, and received scathing editorials from Denver outlets. A campaign committee turned into a family slush fund was the obvious story, and it was rankly obvious to everyone.

So to watch McInnis attack a friendly interviewer is ridiculous. I'm not surprised he's ready to knock it down as hard as he can--what choice does he have?--but to personally attack everyone who asks these kinds of questions is pathetic and doesn't help him at all. It invites more questions; it doesn't scare them off.  

"It is hard enough to remember my opinions, without also remembering my reasons for them!" - Nietzsche  

[ Parent ]
Can't wait for the debates
If he stays in that long. If he lashes out at reporters and interviewers, what's he going to do when Penry nails him to the wall on this stuff?

There's only one place for his campaign to go from here if he keeps pulling crap like this, and that is hard negative against Penry. He's running out of time though. The good ship McInnis is about 98% capsized right now.

"I'll take incompetence over a business model incentivised to kill me any day." -- DtR(H)

I guess I'm missing something
He didn't blow-up at all. I've known McInnis since 1982 and he can be thin skinned but this interview certainly didn't come across as angry and he certainly wasn't about to come across the table at the reporter.

His answer was inartful but other than that, politically, it is meaningless in the long run.

The question I asked last week remains unanswered. Does anyone really think that the electorate really cares whether Mr. McInnis changed his mind about where to donate his campaign funds or the fact his wife was paid out of the campiagn funds many years ago compared to Mr. Penry supporting the teaching of creationism in public school science classes?

By the way, I support Governor Ritter for reelection.

I agree
Scooter was long winded and disingenuous but  did not blow up.
Too bad he was not asked about the fancy car he used campaign funds to acquire.  
[ Parent ]
Do you want an honest answer to your question?
People will care far more about this guy and his wife living off the dole of friends, family and supporters, lying about starting a charity and then being a defensive prick about the whole thing far more than they will give a shit if Penry supports teaching creationism in public schools. Sorry, but that's just where we are at these days.

And by the way, he says his wife made around $24,000 a year. I think he's off by about 20 grand.

And frankly, the way that McInnis continues to be so nasty when asked about this, I'm starting to pay more and more attention to the topic. Methinks he protests waaaaaaay too much.  

"The only way you could be worse is if you were Wade Norris." Ralphie

[ Parent ]
I respectfully disagree.
What he did with his federal campaign funds is old news and is not relevant to the issues people care about. Going forward, voters will care a lot more about what is taught in the schools they are paying for than whether Mr. Mcinnis established a charity his staff said he was going to. I frankly just don't see how this issue is relevant to the future of Colorado.
[ Parent ]
I agree he didn't blow up
but he still came across as a defensive prick. And regarding the "old news," with performances like this, McInnis makes it current news. He is feeding a growing meme that he is not cut out for the job.

I absolutely agree with you that Josh Penry's pandering to creationists and flat-earthers in general can define him as too "out there" to run a state where the swing voters rule, but if McInnis' is going to claim his "experience" counts, then he opens the door to an examination of ethically dubious activity involving huge amounts of campaign money.  

"It is hard enough to remember my opinions, without also remembering my reasons for them!" - Nietzsche  

[ Parent ]
Republicans living off the dole
while denying that they have done nothing wrong.

Yeah right 36.  Nothing to see here but more Republican manipulation of campaign funds for personal gain.  It would be a safe bet that if McInnis was a Democrat you would probably throw your back out by the fit you would pitch about it.  McInnis would be the dirtiest dog this side of Clinton to you if he was a Democrat.  Other peoples sins are Republicans soul mates.

[ Parent ]
I disagree
My point is the issue about what he did or did not do with his left over federal campaign money isn't going to be an issue next year.  
[ Parent ]
Self-fulfilling prophecies?
If this keeps up, he won't make it to next year.

Never assume "shill" when "idiot" is available as an explanation. [h/t Ralphie]
[ Parent ]
I definitely see your point
but I truly think McInnis is making this issue front and center and there's nothing more distasteful to the average guy than hearing how a rich guy got even richer off the backs of unsuspecting folks. That don't play well with just about everybody.

"The only way you could be worse is if you were Wade Norris." Ralphie
[ Parent ]
Sadly overhyped
I had to watch almost 5 minutes for this? Was eagerly awaiting the promised meltdown, which it turns out, wasn't there. Disappointed there weren't any fireworks, but this issue will continue to be an irritant for McInnis throughout the campaign.  
[ Parent ]
It will matter in the election
Will it be the number one issue? Unlikely. But McInnis is facing the same thing Bob Schaffer faced - a battle of a thousand cuts. And those items all put together become a tremendous hit.

The other problem he faces is this does not go away. Nothing goes away on the web. Every time something occurs that this can be related to, there will be links to it.

It's a wound that never heals.

Tom Tancredo Interview

[ Parent ]
Cop?
Mcinnis'  bio says he graduated with a BA in '75, got his Juris Doctor from St. Mary's in San Antonio Texas in '80. In '83 he went into the Colorado State House of Representatives. Between '80 and '83 he "was a Glenwood Springs Police officer, worked as a hospital director, and practiced law".

What?

In 30 months this guy did what? And for how long was he a "police officer"? Yeah, baby, let the games begin.

Scotty was in law enforcement about as much as green zone coffman was a combat veteran, and owens, beauprez and bush were United States Air Force fighter pilots.

Guarantee young crusader will use this "embellishment".

Mr. McInnis was a police officer in Glenwood Springs

[ Parent ]
He was the animal enforcement officer

[ Parent ]
So you are saying
he served as the Garfield County Republican chair? :)
[ Parent ]
Are you serious???
Boy, a clever McInnis opponent could have some fun with that little fact. Make a video of Scott at work inspired by Reno 911 and a dangerous chipmuck at large :)

Tom Tancredo Interview
[ Parent ]
How?
How did he qualify to be a Police officer? At an Academy? I guess the Colorado Mountain College there in Glenwood could have trained this stone killer (you know, the trained to kill "former law enforcement officer" that hid under his desk when 72 year old Pete Stark threatened to whip his wimpy ass), but when?

We're talking a 30 month time frame here. Practiced law, was in hospital management and was a police officer?

My point is this. It looks to me like mcinniss has pulled a standard repub embellishment of his resume, using a standard conserve buzzword/words. This one: "police officer". Kind of like  "Air Force fighter pilot" used by bush, beauprez, and owens during political runs. These words fire up the base, and are great starting points for repub politicians, whether they've accomplished what they say they did or not. There didn't used to be the vetting of these red boasts that there is now, and when mclobby ran for the house back in the '80's, I guess folks figured if ya said ya did something, ya must have done it. Repubs took full advantage. For decades.

Shouldn't be a problem to show a police academy diploma. (You know, isn't a standard red demand to "produce the document!!! "?)  

Or.....if he was animal control officer, and just got hired for whatever, ahead of whomever, or just off the street,  just say it.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. "Volunteer firefighter" during that time frame as well. Actually, that's feasable, I guess.

Well, at least his bio didn't say "ground combat veteran". He refused that temptation, I'll give him that. (Listening, green zone?)

If I'm wrong, it shouldn't be hard to produce the documents.  

[ Parent ]
Memo to Hess, Duffy and Tonner
There is this new thing called candidate prep.  Staff anticipates possible questions and help the candidate develop answers.

Very helpful if the candidate has screwed up before on the same question.

Idea started in the 80s.  Well 1780s to be exact.  George Washington kicked serious butt sweeping all the electorial votes with this little strategic thinking.

Good luck.    

 

lol


"I'll take incompetence over a business model incentivised to kill me any day." -- DtR(H)
[ Parent ]
Huh?
Sorry, folks, this wasn't even close to a blow up.  WTF?  Is Penry so scared of McInnis that his supporters will stretch the truth in the hopes that nobody will actually bother to wait for the video to load to see for themselves?

It was a defensive moment, but, geez, he didn't even raise his voice!  C'mon!

If he gets flustered by predictable questions in sit-downs with reporters
wait until Micheal 'Hutton' lays into him...  

"[A]ll Republicans/conservatives/tea parties have been proven wrong. Everybody knows this." BJWilson83, Republican/conservative/tea partier

"The fossil record utterly refutes evolution." BJWilson83, graduate student

[ Parent ]
I agree
So, this wasn't a blow up and I think this post is trying to make something out of nothing.

As a female, I deserve to get paid if I work for my husband. So, should the other small business owners wives' who work for their husbands.


"...Penry...would be a shitty Governor." -Ralphie

[ Parent ]
Thanks for repeating
the exact same idiotic thing McInnis said. I guess it was such a non sequitur it needed to be said twice.

The issue isn't that the Congressman's wife was paid money for doing a job. That's not what the reporter was trying to ask him, and McInnis trying to frame it like the reporter was a chauvinist is merely deflecting the issue at hand.

"I'll take incompetence over a business model incentivised to kill me any day." -- DtR(H)

[ Parent ]
I didn't see it as a blow up
I watched it twice, once for content and once for body language.  I didn't see him turn red, I didn't see any change in body language, I didn't even really see a change in hand position.

There's simply no "there" there.

Best to kill them early instead of letting them possibly need food stamps.
--marilou, 2010

[ Parent ]
Granted
it's not as bad as when he freaked out on KHOW, but he still responded to a legitimate question by making a personal attack on the reporter.

Perhaps it wasn't blowing up, but it certainly didn't do him or his campaign any favors.

"I'll take incompetence over a business model incentivised to kill me any day." -- DtR(H)

[ Parent ]
I didn't see it as a personal attack, either
He just said he knew why the guy was asking, that he was looking for some substance (I don't remember the word, maybe it was "meat") but hell, It wasn't like he called him a weasel or an SOB or anything.

Best to kill them early instead of letting them possibly need food stamps.
--marilou, 2010
[ Parent ]
He called him a chauvinist
In some circles that's worse than calling him a weasel.

"I'll take incompetence over a business model incentivised to kill me any day." -- DtR(H)
[ Parent ]
maybe the reporter is
because most men are.

"...Penry...would be a shitty Governor." -Ralphie
[ Parent ]
Wow
that is a pretty sexist comment.

" And there are no Christian terrorists."

The Beej, circa 8/26/2010

[ Parent ]
maybe he just needs a quick beer bong
mid-interview. Works for Jared:
http://www.colbertnation.com/t...
That was hilarious


"I'll take incompetence over a business model incentivised to kill me any day." -- DtR(H)
[ Parent ]
Credit where credit's due
Hi - thank you for posting this video from the Rocky Mountain Independent. It's part of a package we ran Monday on McInnis and his GOP rival Josh Penry. Here's a link to the story by Charles Ashby, http://bit.ly/XG0NQ, and to the video interview with Penry, http://bit.ly/Ci290.

Cindy House, Rocky Mountain Independent

Penry comes across as reasonable
well thought out, articulate.

McInnis comes across as flustered, defensive, nothing that speaks to his alleged experience...


"[A]ll Republicans/conservatives/tea parties have been proven wrong. Everybody knows this." BJWilson83, Republican/conservative/tea partier

"The fossil record utterly refutes evolution." BJWilson83, graduate student

[ Parent ]
Thanks
We've added your link to this diary--and also corrected the spelling of "temperament."
[ Parent ]
My prediction: he withdraws from the race by November '09
   That, or they put him on some type of medication.
I hear it's pretty easy to get a prescription
for medical marijuana. Maybe he should just relax a do a few bong hits with Polis.

Never assume "shill" when "idiot" is available as an explanation. [h/t Ralphie]
[ Parent ]
That was a beer bong
Which is legal.

"I'll take incompetence over a business model incentivised to kill me any day." -- DtR(H)
[ Parent ]
I was thinking more along the lines of Thorazine for him

[ Parent ]
Jesus!
This guy is better than a sitcom! He's salivating at the opportunity to implode and take as many with him as possible.
Another Mistake by McLobbist
I do not think this was a KHOW moment for McInnis, but I do think he made another mistake. Here is a neutral reporter asking him a legitimate question and what does McLobbist do? That's right he gets rude and defensive. Do we really want this guy as our Governor?
I've seen politicians blow up.
Some have even blown up at me on occasion. This was not a blow-up or a meltdown. It was an inarticulate answer to a question that McInnis really doesn't have a good answer for. He needs to sit down in a quiet place, think about a single answer for this question that he will use in the future, and start using that answer.  
Very good point
But what does it say about his campaign that they didn't do this before any interviews? This was a national story before - even our new puppy would have figured out this question was going to be asked.

Tom Tancredo Interview
[ Parent ]
You're right.
An astute campaign manager or adviser would have seen this issue coming a mile away and dealt with it. Yet even today, no one in the McInnis camp has figured out how to handle it, leaving the candidate to go into babbling crisis mode whenever the subject comes up. It's not quite the iceberg that will sink the S.S. McInnis, but it's putting a hundred little holes in the hull, and they add up.
[ Parent ]
There is not a nickel's worth of difference
between Penry's and McInnis' poor anger management skills.  They are both hotheads who can fly into a rage at the drop of a hat.  
For my part
I have found Penry to be less hot-headed than McInnis.  While I think McInnis' 'moderate' credentials are overstated, I do think Josh is more to the right than his former mentor.

I want neither as my governor.  

"[A]ll Republicans/conservatives/tea parties have been proven wrong. Everybody knows this." BJWilson83, Republican/conservative/tea partier

"The fossil record utterly refutes evolution." BJWilson83, graduate student

[ Parent ]
Then you haven't criticzed Penry very often.
Trust me.  He doesn't like to be hit.  If he did, he would have played some position other than quarterback.

Best to kill them early instead of letting them possibly need food stamps.
--marilou, 2010
[ Parent ]
Well, I don't live in Penry's district
but I did live in McInnis'

So, professionally, our paths crossed more often.  

It's not that I don't think Penry likes to be hit, or that he won't try and hit back, just that Scooter has a really hard time accepting any criticism...and an even harder time hiding his anger.

But I do love the mustache!  

"[A]ll Republicans/conservatives/tea parties have been proven wrong. Everybody knows this." BJWilson83, Republican/conservative/tea partier

"The fossil record utterly refutes evolution." BJWilson83, graduate student

[ Parent ]
Reply from Sean Duffy
I received this email from Sean in response to a general discussion we were having. I asked if I could post it here as a reponse to the discussion. Sean graciously gave me permission.

You'll see much more, and we are doing some now, but, frankly, answering "Scooter" nonsense and all sorts of idiotic and juvenile stuff at this stage is not the highest priority, as you can understand.  Not saying it's not important, but there is some fundamental stuff that we're taking our time to get right.  

And, yes, we DO interview prep... :-)

See ya.



Tom Tancredo Interview
"Idiotic and juvenile"?
Labeling those questions "idiotic and juvenile" is an unnecessary insult. These are serious questions that deserve serious answers.

That was a poor answer by Sean Duffy. They KNOW the question is going to come. Take five to ten minutes to work out some quick answers for McInnis to have at the ready.

Heck, it might even be worth a half hour of McInnis' precious time...

Defend the 1st, 10th, 14th and 17th Amendments - and Social Security! Vote Democratic!

[ Parent ]
I think I struck a nerve

[ Parent ]
McInnis
You guys are reaching on this one.  I rarely jump on blogs but enough is enough.  My take is your buying into the Penry operatives agenda and I'm tired of reading your blog and letting it slide.
It's a one-sided fight
TaxCheatGeithner is a feverent Penry supporter. And a number of the comments here are from other Penry supporters. On the flip side, you don't have anyone here defending McInnis.

I'll agree that a one-sided conversation is unfair (and boring). But the fault lies with the McInnis campaign for not engaging in the discussion.

Tom Tancredo Interview

[ Parent ]
Actually, there have been several responses defending McInnis
At least saying that it was nothing like a "meltdown" or "blowup."  

Defend the 1st, 10th, 14th and 17th Amendments - and Social Security! Vote Democratic!
[ Parent ]
Those weren't so much defending McInnis
as pointing out the obvious. A defense would be a posting trying to answer & then put behind us this issue.

Tom Tancredo Interview
[ Parent ]
So now you're complaining about the quality of McInnis shills?
Maybe his shills are so buried you can't tell they're shills -- a masterstroke.

Or they're sitting back and letting the over-reaction speak for itself. Again, probably the smarter approach.

But I guess nothing that happens is going to move you off your conclusion, based on information you're unwilling to share, so we'll just have to trust your judgment on this.

[ Parent ]
Does he have shills here?
As you said, if they are posting, it's so subtle we don't see it.

Tom Tancredo Interview
[ Parent ]
That's why they're so crafty.

[ Parent ]
Does McInnis parasail?
I don't think these issues will be that big a deal in the long run, although the questions are serious and deserve serious answers.

The public likes some sort of imagery: Schaffer's parasail. Palin's red leather jacket. Beauprez and the tail end of a horse.

Defend the 1st, 10th, 14th and 17th Amendments - and Social Security! Vote Democratic!

some sort of imagery
McPenis Canyons signs aren't vivid imagery enough? After all, he spent, what, 100 times the money fixing those as he did on breast cancer research. But it would be sexist to point that out.
[ Parent ]
McInnis Melts Down -- Part 2 | 68 comments
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