(Edited slightly for front-paging (split at the jump). This blog could use more insider gossip from outside the Denver/Boulder/Jeffco area. – promoted by ProgressiveCowgirl)
A Commentary by American Patriot
There’s a new joke making the rounds in the happy valley (that place that is known to outside world as Mesa County Colorado). Question: What’s that red stuff between the rogue elephant’s toes? Answer; It’s Toe Jam, Wright? And then everyone laughs. Everyone that is, except the embattled Republican House district 54 candidate, Jared Wright who is the butt of the joke because of his current predicament of being caught between two warring factions of the Mesa County Republican Party.
The fight is all about power and money; about who will control the power of the Republican Party on the western slope. It’s the old guard GOP resisting a hostile takeover by a new insurgent faction who has at various times declared themselves to be “conservative” or “Tea Party”. What they really are; is a GOP created shill group “in RINO clothing that doesn’t fit very well” whose genesis was rooted (ironically) in the GOP old guard’s efforts to co-opt the Tea Party movement by creating the umbrella group Western Slope Conservative Alliance.
But the best laid plans of mice and elephants often go awry and that’s what happened when the RINO umbrella group turned on their old guard masters. http://www.gjsentinel.com/news… That’s the power part of the rogue elephant brawl. Then came HB12-1280 (the gambling bill) which would have fast tracked an end run around the voters (with a no competition clause) to establish a race track and casino on the old Mesa County Fairgrounds; a pot of gold which the newcomers immediately laid claim to when their former board president Jennifer Bailey defected from her staff job with the Tipton administration to become a lobbyist for 12-1280 and at the same time to join the re-election campaign of HD 55 Ray Scott who was the bill’s co-sponsor.
But that’s when Murphy’s Law kicked in and the real Tea Party (GJResult) caught scent of the special interest gambling plot and voiced their concerns in an email blast to their database. Eyebrows were raised and questions were asked and eventually those questions got around to the Fruita Cop turned candidate (who was at the time considered the Republican anointed one) in what has been described by some insiders as an ambush and by others as a clandestine meeting referred to locally as the meeting of “Snow White and the seven doofs”.
That meeting reportedly occurred in the home of Jennifer and Gary Bailey (the former and current Western Slope Conservative Alliance board Presidents respectively) and that’s where the proverbial stuff hit the fan. That’s where Jared Wright went from a shoe in to toe jam when he declared himself to be in opposition to the passage of the gambling bill. Posted on Jared Wright’s campaign website is an email he received threatening a “smear campaign” by his former supporters if their campaign contributions were not returned.
But in Mesa County, such an email would hardly raise eyebrows except for the fact that the email emanated from the spouse of none other than the Mesa County Republican Party Secretary (Phyllis Hunsinger), and that gave it weight. http://wright54.com/ Then came Jared Wright’s campaign manager denouncing him on local TV followed by a robo-call campaign announced by current Western Slope Conservative Alliance Pres Gary Bailey which asked happy valley Republicans to flood Jared Wright’s campaign with calls for him to step down and relinquish his nomination as the GOP HD54 candidate.
And all of this came amid reports in the local newspapers of misconduct, lying and insubordination from his former employer (Fruita Co PD) and the revelation that Mr. Wright had filed for bankruptcy protection; a cardinal sin among the GOP elitists. There were revelations of a thousand dollar tanning salon membership, the purchase of expensive jewelry and classic cars and a great gnashing of teeth and wringing of hands as the “toe jams” campaign went into a terminal velocity free fall.
And the happy valley contingent’s of Dems were forced into the spectator role because someone had dropped the ball and they didn’t have a dog in that fight. With the Republican’s cannibalizing their own candidate, the rise of a disconcerting bipartisan support for the only viable alternative came in the form of the fiscally conservative Libertarian HD 54 candidate Tim Menger who had been endorsed earlier by two local Tea Parties. Mr. Menger (who can only be described as a reluctant candidate) was thrust into the spotlight and rose to the occasion by declaring publicly that he would not accept contributions from special interests or for that matter from anyone else. He would be taking on the invincible GOP machine right here in happy valley without spending a dime which could only be interpreted as a death wish or mucho Grande coconuts according to whom you talk to. One thing is certain; he got the voter’s attention.
Now comes the rumor that the “toe jam” Wright candidate is contemplating a tell all news conference that will expose the strong arm bandits and Chicago style “thuggery” that passes for politics as usual in the happy valley. It appears that growing coconuts is contagious here in the western slope banana republic with color TV.
Now there is a great gnashing of teeth, wailing and wringing of hands by both warring GOP factions one of which is contemplating the result of GOP indoctrinated happy valley voters, habitually voting a straight Republican ticket that would elect their worst nightmare, a reformer Cop who knows where the bodies are buried and has an axe to grind. The other faction is contemplating their own nightmare of being soundly whipped in their own field by a spendthrift Libertarian, Joe Six-Pack that came out of nowhere, while they are resisting a hostile takeover.
The capitalist entrepreneurial spirit, which is alive and well in the local Tea Party is trying to capitalize by finding a way to charge the Dems admission to the dog and pony show under the banner ‘we’re all Libertarians now’. If there is a moral to this story, it must be that when you decide you want to gamble, sometimes you lose and the smart money is down on the Libertarian winning by a furlong with “toe jam” (being a good mutter) placing second and both factions of the GOP scratched from the next race as a result of being handicapped by voters who are so fed up with GOP infighting in the happy valley that they’ve decided they wouldn’t take an elephant to a dog fight even if it was favored to win.
Nobody in their right mind would call the Baileys part of the GOP old guard in Mesa County. What we have is two separate bands of whackos fighting over who is the “real” Tea Party.
The end result will be the same: Mesa County will have no representation in Denver, not even half-assed representation.
The activist Republicans have lurched so far to the right that you wouldn’t put Jesus himself on the ballot, because he preached about feeding the hungry.
Besides, I’m still waiting for you to tell us where all the homemade yard signs for Menger are, other than in the interesting alleys of your mind.
if you knew anything about what’s happening locally, you would know it was the WSCA who was correctly identified as the tin-foil hat crowd ( http://www.gjsentinel.com/opin… Next if you could read you might be able to figure out I didn’t write that Jennifer Bailey was old guard. In my opinion she’s simply a greedy opportunist taking advantage of the RINO insurgency.
FYI, you can find the quote; included “in RINO clothing that doesn’t fit very well” on page 99 of former gubernatorial candidate Dan Maes’ book “Running Without Cowboy Boots”. Neither group represents the Tea Party; although Bailey’s group (WSCA) would love to be identified as Tea Party. That’s what co-opting is all about.
There were photos posted at the GJResult. Tea Party site for some time and I believe Tim Menger’s site still has some of the photos up. But it’s always nice to hear from one of the WSCA wannabe “homies” online. Just as an aside, what happened to your website? I noticed it’s been MIA for a couple of weeks now. But if there is any of that deleted info that you need, I have it (from the genesis) copied. And the info seems to be real popular with local attorneys lately. Now I wonder what that’s about?
I’m a Democrat, one of the few western Democrats left in Mesa County or anywhere else, and I am enjoying the entertainment all of you tinfoil types are providing. To a point.
When one party has pretty much total control over a county, it bears some responsibility not to inflict complete bozos on us as “representatives” in Denver.
But in your unending quest for the “true conservatives” and “real” Tea Party, you’ve nominated a bunch of imbeciles. Recent examples include Janet Rowland, Craig Meis, Steve King, Ray Scott and Laura Bradford. Now you’re adding in John Justman, Jared Wright and Rose Pugliese.
The Western Slope has real stakes in water policy, economic development, health care, wildlife and other major issues, and your Mesa County Republican Party is nominating bozos.
No wonder the Front Range is licking its chops.
liberal progressive. You sound just like the WSCA or for that matter Mesa County Republicans.
The last time I looked, the Tea Party had nothing to do with Republican Party nominations. But you don’t get that because you’re caught in the same partisan trap they are. The world only comes in two flavors to people like you. That’s why you’re part of the problem and not part of the solution. But that too shall change in time.
I hope he bought stock in tin foil companies. Our correspondent AP above obviously uses plenty.
even with two layers, I can still hear the voices.
it is just what is recommended to get you out of the doorway
I miss Ralphie too, but gertie is equally good at getting insider information. If I were AP, I wouldn’t want to go up against her in a knowledge bowl of Mesa County politics.
race track and casino, no competition within 100 mile clause, fast tracked to be approved by two Mesa County commissioners, bill written by a race track owner, sponsored by two western CO Reps. Existing casino owners against the bill. Ex Cop candidate not making public appearances. Suddenly in the middle of an economic downturn, millions of dollars of tax payer monies s being invested in infrastructure upgrades on the Mesa County Fairgrounds with the emphasis on the equestrian facilities. New intersection entrances being proposed. Veterans memorial slated to be moved. And now everyone hiding their hands and you guys think it is politics that is in play here? OK, I suppose I just had higher expectations.
Help Dan Robinson get elected. While you may disagree with some of Dans’ policies, you know he is an honest man who cares about his community more that his personal advancement.Unlike his opponent, this underhanded deal being schemed by Ray Scott and Co. is something Dan would never do.
Isn’t it time to vote for honor and integrity over partisan loyalty and self enrichment?
AP, you also could vote for someone other than the Republican nominees for county commissioner.
Ask the voices coming through the tin foil.
Better qualified. Not in lawmaking capacities!
it is about time for you guys to take a look at Independent candidate Tisha Casida in the CD3 race? You see neither the Democrat nor the Republican represents a non-partisan vote. How long has one or the other been holding power now? If they were the solution, there would be no problem. The problem with the insider’s reality is that they probably force more people into partisan politics with their constant attempts at labeling because they neither have inside knowledge nor do they face reality. If you look at every problem as a nail, then of course you only need one tool.
How do you know what a person will do when elected, before they’re elected?
So far, I would say that our Tea Party has shown a great deal more non-partisan support than both the Republicans and Democrats combined. But then that is about to change; for Democrats because they don’t have a candidate in the HD54 race. For Republicans because they do.
I know what Dan Robinson will do, because I have known Dan for many years. There is no doubt in my mind that Dan will legislate fairly and effectively, keeping the welfare of Mesa County and GJ citizens as the focus of his decisions. Dan is unquestionably NOT a slave to ANY special interest.
Most elected republicans from the western slope seem to view their office as a way to enrich themselves, family and friends…Ray Scott and Scott Tipton, are perfect cases in point. I have heard some good things about Tisha Casida..but I remain unconvinced that she will be a better congressperson than would Sal Pace. There is still time for her to convince me, but her message is pretty well drowned out by the noise from the boys.
win the race, they will owe that win to political parties; the same political parties that have been in power for generations, the same parties that have created the mess we’re in. The same parties who keep blaming each other, spending our money like drunken sailors and have created 16 trillion in national debt which btw means you personally owe just under $50,000.00 for your fair share of that debt along with every other man, woman, child and newborn infant. That presents as a clear and present danger to wit the greatest danger to our nation, our economy, our way of life and the luxury of arguing partisan politics. Sorry, but we just can’t afford to double down on what is clearly a losing proposition for the people.
When and where you have a choice and can step outside the partisan political lesser of two evils imperative, that will be your opportunity to make a real change. That will be your opportunity to make the partisan politicians accountable to the people rather than to the party. It’s called a government of the people, by the people and for the people. What a novel idea.
Should have been Pace of course. A typo
but impractical.
Voting for a third party candidate is almost always a “feel good about myself” vote. I agree with much of what you say about partisan politics…except…I note you are representing the Tea Party.
Your non-partisan rhetoric rings a little hollow, as I perceive a contradiction here. To preach against parties while supporting one is not very convincing. Perhaps it would be more fair of you to admit that it isn’t political parties you abhor…just the two you hold responsible for the national debt.
I know what will happen if we return a republican Congress to Washington…and I doubt Tisha will be going there, except perhaps to visit.
when someone excuses their own partisanship by accusing someone else of it. The Republican Party already made the mistake of believing they owned our Tea Party and the Democrats made the mistake of assuming we were Republicans. I can understand why the Dems want to make us Republicans; its because you enjoy a numeric advantage. 36% of the national voting demographic are registered Dems. Only 28% are registered Repubs. But we are conservative. 40% of the voting demographic are self described Conservatives while only 21% are self described liberals. Are you a democrat or a liberal? But I believe the question has been asked and answered and is therefore redundant. We are and will remain; Taxed Enough Already. And you’re obviously not. Which begs the question; is it you or other people you feel should be taxed more? Perhaps there is another solution? Maybe we could spend less? And there’s another novel idea that didn’t originate with political parties. That one came from the Tea Party. Another product of Conservative thinking. http://www.gallup.com/poll/120…
that are simply not relevant or represent a gross misjudgement; to wit…
I am, in no way, excusing anything. I am a registered Democrat because the Democratic Party is as close as I can get to finding a party that is competitive and also reflects my values and point of view. I disagree with the Dem majority on a number of things, but fiscal responsibility isn’t one of them.
Can it be that you are unaware of the history of American debt building? Republicans are responsible for two thirds of it. What Luntz, Rove, and Norquist have managed to do is convince too many people that helping our fellow man is what has caused this problem. It is a drop in the bucket compared to the Trillions of dollars stolen from the American treasury by autocratic bandits.
I do not believe that 146,000,000 individual voters could decide on anything. Government is predicated on honest consensus, created by forthright and purposeful cooperation. That is what parties are supposed to facilitate. That is why the system has survived this long. And that is what “Big Money” fears.
As long as the Lords of Wall Street, the insurance industry and the Military/Industrial Complex can pervert the process with billions of dollars, the public will continue to subsidize the wealthy aristocracy.
Sadly, you, among many others are so unable to see that our (the little people) only chance is to bury the hatchet on social issues and vote these thieves out.
Yes, AP
There is another solution…coalition.
and yes, we can spend less…but not as long as there is a republican party that insists that the little people, alone, foot the bill.
when you write to me I get the distinct feeling that you think you’re addressing a Republican or that you’re teaching me something I don’t know. Well, in fact you are; I’m learning more about Dukeco1. Now why do you suppose that would be important to me? Maybe I’m only interested in defeating the democratic menace but of course that only works if I give a damn which party wins. I don’t. I give a damn about which person wins. And I give a damn that neither party wins.
The purpose of a political party is to influence an election disproportionate to its numbers. The social issues are mostly fetchers used to fill the coffers of both political parties. Could you point out to me in my writing where I said that one party was responsible for the excessive spending, but you think it’s the Republican Party and frankly I don’t give a damn. It’s engaged in by both parties. And that’s what we have to stop; both parties. I am not a registered Republican. I used to be until I discovered they were just as bad as the Democrats and of course in your opinion worse. So tell me now, which of the two of us looks more partisan? Do you care? I don’t. I just feel that we might be in different stages of evolution and I’m just not smart enough to say which one is the advanced stage.
I believe in what I do and I respect that in others. And I don’t expect to bring you to Jesus overnight. Now what do you suppose I meant by bring you to Jesus? Why do you suppose I would use that term? Assumptions are what keeps the people working for the political parties instead of the other way around. Isn’t it amazing to you how often ones assumptions become a self fulfilling prophecy? A nail, just waiting for the application of the hammer. Tell me, do you see political parties as a tool? And so, you do feel empowered to impose taxes on others but only if they’re rich. Well here’s my take on that. It’s not how much you pay in taxes; it’s what you have left after you pay the taxes. It’s not about fairness, it’s about survival.
And yes, I am a meat hunter. The only meaning antlers have to me is they make a great handle for a homemade hunting knife made out of a file, not the big Rambo kind with the saw teeth on the top edge but the kind you can really use that has a purpose; a use. I am a conservative thinker by necessity. Think of me that way and you’d be surprised how fast the rich, fat cat, Republican tattoo on my forehead will just disappear.
and there’s a lot more to this conversation, but it will wait.
further discourse on this subject is unwarranted. Your biggest misunderstanding is that you seem to believe I care what you think or do…I don’t.
Your mission is to pontificate.
Mission accomplished.
Never mind.
that not only do you feel empowered to impose taxes on others but you also feel that you’re the only one qualified to discuss the Democratic Party. But there is one thing I have to give you; you’re the only one of the two of us who works for a political party, which by extension makes you an employee of the government, which right now makes your employment future very uncertain. Not because you might lose the election (but you might), but more likely when you run out of other people’s money, which should give you plenty of time for conversation.
It must really hurt.