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November 04, 2009 03:52 AM UTC

Cory Gardner's Democratic past

  • 37 Comments
  • by: BobMoore

(From Democratic volunteer to “Birther?” – promoted by Colorado Pols)

Cory Gardner has made no secret that he was raised in a Democratic family on the Eastern Plains and was once at least nominally a Democrat himself.

After a national political magazine began asking questions Tuesday, the Gardner campaign put out a statement that said he realized in college that his values were aligned with conservatism.

A political conversion in college isn’t unusual by any means. However, Gardner’s statement raises some interesting questions.

Like, how did the freshly minted conservative Gardner wind up giving a nominating speech for Bob Schaffer’s 1998 Democratic opponent, a year after Gardner had graduated from college?

Check out an early version of my Coloradoan story here: http://bit.ly/1eJqd4.

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37 thoughts on “Cory Gardner’s Democratic past”

  1. Including he is an alumn of Colorado Institute for Leadership Training

    http://www.ciltonline.org/cont…


    Alumni Public Servants

    Current:

    Congresswoman Betsy Markey – CILT 03

    Colorado State Treasurer Cary Kennedy – CILT 96

    Senate President Brandon Shaffer – SD 17 – CILT 01

    Representative Jeanne Labuda – HD 1 – CILT 05

    Representative Mark Ferrandino – HD 2 – CILT 05

    Representative Karen Middleton – HD 42 – CILT 00

    Representative Buffie McFadyen – HD 47 – CILT 99

    Representative Randy Fischer – HD 53 – CILT 06

    Representative Cory Gardner – HD 63 – CILT 98



    University of Colorado Regent Michael Carrigan – 1st District – CILT 96

    Eagle County Commissioner Peter Runyon – CILT 03

    Golden Mayor Jacob Smith – CILT 07

    Castle Pines North Treasurer Doug Gilbert – CILT 07

    Aurora City Councilmember Larry Beer – CILT 91

    Craig City Councilmember Terry Carwile – CILT 05

    Broomfield City Council Member Bob Gaiser – CILT 05

    Denver City Councilmember Rick Garcia – CILT 92

    Lakewood City Councilmember Karen Kellen – CILT 06

    Arvada City Councilmember Mark McGoff – CILT 00

    Loveland City Councilmember Kent Solt – CILT 05

    Westminster City Councilmember Faith Winter – CILT 06

    Denver School Board Member Jill Conrad – CILT 00

    Former

    Hon. Andrew Romanoff, Speaker of the Colorado State House of Representatives, HD 6

    Hon. Mark Ruzzin, Mayor, Boulder

    Hon. Dan Grossman, Senator, SD 32, Represenative HD 6

    Hon. Karen Wagner, Larimer County Commissioner

    Hon. Randy Eubanks, Larimer County Commissioner

    Hon. Liz Feder, Manitou Springs City Council

    One of these things is not like the others?

      1. I should learn to read. Pols says above he graduated in 1997 and gave a speech for a Dem in 1998? Cory’s timeline doesn’t match up with reality.  

      2. in a small Illinois farm town. And I’m not saying anything about anyone, but if pictures of any of those chickens exist, careers would be over.

        Youthful indiscretion? Or chicken abuse? Just depends on how much drinking was going on. (Yes- I had a sweatshirt that said “college”)

        1. Where did you go? (I grew up on a farm in northern Illinois but I’m pretty sure any pictures out there are ones of me with acid on my tongue, not ones with chickens.)  

            1. Whenever I was coming home for a visit, I always started to perk up when I got to Champaign because I knew I only had about 80 miles to go before I was home. Carbondale is at the far end of the state and it was always a hell of a drive coming home for a weekend visit.

                1. I do know where Yorkville is. It’s about 50 miles west of Chicago.

                  And my sister lives in Bothell, WA, by the way. (I saw your comment about Seattle.)

                  1. I’m afraid that my visits with her to her hometown have not taken me near Kankakee – this is the first I’ve heard of it. But Bothell, of course, I know. We almost ended up there but were able to remain in Seattle city limits.

                    1. and I still haven’t been to her house. She’s sent pictures and the area is just jaw dropping gorgeous. With my business, it’s so damned hard to get away so usually I help pay for her to come see me but I am really looking forward to spending some time out there soon.

                      As for Kankakee, you are missing absolutely nothing. The most right wing, rabidly conservative Christian city you will ever have the misfortune to visit. If you’re smart, just drive on through. 🙂

                      I grew up on a farm about 20 miles west of it and the area I grew up is just so lovely. I would never leave here because I love it here but I do find parts of the Midwest to be quietly beautiful.  

                    3. moved there. She lived in Seattle first and then they bought a house up in Bothell. It was real close to 1997. How did you end up back here? Do you miss WA?  

                    4. And I used to avoid Kankakee as much as possible- no offense.

                      My grandmother still lives on her IL farm- way up north near the WI border.

                    5. It is a horrible place. I can’t believe how many of us are from that area. And Bothell? Good grief. Beyond coincidence, isn’t it?

                      I had a college friend that lived up in Palentine, near WI border. That’s a really nice area. I haven’t been home since my dad died in 2006 but springtime in Illinois is still one of the prettiest places to be in June.  

                    6. but coming back was the right thing to do. Our oldest was born late in 2004 and it became apparent that it would be a good idea to return to Denver so our families could be involved. Also, unless we were willing to move out to the burbs or the boonies, it was clear that the kind of housing we needed would always be out of reach. Despite our time there, we never really got too rooted to Seattle, so once our lease was up we packed and came back.

                      Western Washington is lovely, but those cloudy days can really get to you sometimes. It’s a very small wonder that it’s the coffee capital of America.

                    7. I’m a sun person and with 300 days of sun in Colorado, I’ve died and gone to heaven.

                      And selfishly, I must say I’m glad you came back here. 🙂

                    1. I actually know Donovan.

                      My sister, by the way, graduated from Eastern Illinois University.

                      I’m from 3 miles west of a town called Bonfield (population 300) which absolutely no one has ever heard of. I went to Herscher High School. Does either name ring a bell? Our high school had a habit of losing every major sports event so that may jog your memory. 🙂

                    2. my Mom was born there….no I’m not making that up.

                      I think we may have played Herscher a few times in High School basketball (we didn’t have a football team).

                      What year did you graduate?

                    3. No way. I’ve never met anyone that had heard of Bonfield, let alone born there. That is so cool.

                      I graduated high school in 1985.

                      And I’m guessing you beat HHS in basketball. We weren’t very good at, well…anything, really.  

                    4. behind me!  My Mom went to both Herscher and St. Anne schools growing up.  She lives in Watseka now…  

                      Wow.  Very small world indeed.  

                      I’ve always said that Kankakee is a bit of Mississippi located north of the Mason-Dixon line…so how long did it take you to get the hell out of there?  I’ve been here for 14 years…

                    5. My sister lived in St. Anne and I have cousins that still live there. You and I are pretty close in age. This is such a trip.

                      Kankakee is a good place to be from, not to move to. 🙂

              2. It’s not southern Illinois, but doesn’t miss it by much.  I went to an orthodontist in Carbondale.

                My sister went to school with “Rusty” Limbaugh, as he was then known.  His brother, David, was in my class.

                1. It’s a hop and a skip away. We used to zip over there all the time! And that’s where most of our tv stations were out of, too, come to think of it. God, it IS a small world, isn’t it?

                  And what a claim to infamous fame-you knew both the Limbaughs. Yikes.

                  Why did they call him Rusty? Do you know? And what is his brother like?

                  1. His dad was also Rush, so maybe that’s how they told them apart.

                    David was in some of my junior high classes, but I don’t really remember anything notable about him.  He sat behind me in biology and defended me when the teacher gave me a C in conduct (David said, “She doesn’t do anything but read”; the teacher said, “Yeah, but she’s reading Gone with the Wind and this is biology class”).  That’s my only clear memory of interactions with him.

                    Now he’s a lawyer and a righty like his brother who has written some books about the liberal war on Christianity and the corruption of the Democratic party.  Pity.

                    1. a different direction. I do love the way he defended you, though. That’s kind of sweet.  

    1. Gardner comes out looking bad here on several counts but not for just having a “democratic past.”

      When Kirkpatrick was popular he jumped on that bandwagon. When he saw waves being made by the birthers, he happily pandered to them. It’s as if there is an untrustworthy pattern about the guy. He’s in it to win it for himself and Lucero’s manager said it all.

      Before joining Lucero’s campaign, Rumfelt attended a Gardner town-hall meeting in Fort Collins and asked him how she could trust Gardner to keep his word. Unsatisfied with his answer, she decided to work with Lucero.

      Let’s see if the other REAL conservatives in the district feel the same.

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