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August 04, 2015 12:01 PM UTC

When it comes to Julie Williams, even conservatives can't resist harsh criticism

  • 4 Comments
  • by: Jason Salzman

(Ouch – Promoted by Colorado Pols)

Julie Williams of the Jefferson County School Board.
Julie Williams of the Jefferson County School Board.

In today’s scripted political environment, you don’t often see one arm of an advocacy organization rip into, say, a school board member, when other arms of the same organization are fighting wildly for the survival of the same school board member.

But that’s what the appendages of the Independence Institute are doing.

On Colorado Public Television July 10, Independence Institute Research Director Dave Kopel criticized Jeffco School Board member Julie Williams.

Kopel said, Williams is “by far the least capable member of that group, and the one who has gotten the rest of the board into trouble with a lot of  foolish, barely thought-out ideas she has expressed inappropriately.”

At the same time, down the figurative hall, the Executive Vice President of the  libertarian/conservative outfit, Amy Oliver, has been slaving to save Williams, defending her and the jeffco board in a relentless string of tweets and sporadic media appearances. Oliver, who keeps any criticism she might have of Williams to herself, was the spokesperson for her organization’s website set up to battle alleged mean-girl tweets directed at the Jeffco board and staff.

(On Twitter, someone wondered whether Kopel was masquerading as a mean girl.)

Meanwhile, another tentacle of the Indy Institute churns out articles favorable to the board–with nary a word of criticism of Williams.

I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with having a sometimes schizo organization, and it’s actually refreshing. Plus, Kopel speaks for himself. But his criticism of Williams, in the midst of his organization’s agenda, is noteworthy, and may reflect the polarizing effect Williams, in particular, has had on her Jeffco school community.

Comments

4 thoughts on “When it comes to Julie Williams, even conservatives can’t resist harsh criticism

  1. Williams has strong ties, familial and political, to the Rocky Mountain Gun Owners. Kopel, the Independence Institute go-to guy on gun issues, has opening sparred with and been criticized by RMGO. This is "mean girls" is the sense that it is high school level drama. You attack me, I insult your sister.

      1. As it happens they're right. Her ham handed idiocy is responsible for much more than one conservative member's fair share of the blame. She really is a serious liability.

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