April 28, 2010 06:32 PM UTC

Cory Gardner Throws Michael Steele Under the Wheels

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• by: Colorado Pols

THURSDAY UPDATE: A true-life case of biting the hand that feeds you, says the Colorado Independent:

State Rep and 4th District Congressional candidate Cory Gardner dissed Republican National Committee Chairman Michel Steele at a Fort Collins 9/12 group last week. Gardner told locals asking for the controversial Chairman’s head to call Party leaders and complain. “It’s happening” he said, meaning there was a move on to can Steele, a prodigious fundraiser but also a flash-point kind of figure, who spends extravagantly on himself and has taken heat lately for allowing RNC officials to treat young big donors to strip-club outings.

Yet Gardner has benefited enormously from the support of the National Republican Congressional Committee, which early in the race named him to its “Young Guns” program and has been key in Gardner’s impressive fundraising totals all year. Turns out Steele’s Republican National Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee set up a joint fundraising committee this month that will pool donor lists and inject mega cash into key House races, like the one between Gardner and Democrat Betsy Markey.

After all the effort and credibility Colorado GOP chairman Dick Wadhams has put into defending Republican National Committee chair Michael Steele lately, it’s got to be tough to watch CD-4 candidate Cory Gardner — fast becoming the undisputed king of self-inflicted wounds — casually throw Steele to the “Tea Party” lions. Here’s a transcript of what you’re listening to above, recorded at a “9/12 Movement” candidate forum in Fort Collins last week:

9/12 Audience Member: How can we get rid of Michael Steele? I’d like to get rid of him.

Cory Gardner: You know, I think it’s happening.

9/12 Audience Member: I’ve sent two letters.

Cory Gardner: You know what, I think we have. [Pols emphasis] Call up Mark Hillman and Lilly Nunez, our national party committeeman and woman who make the decisions. Neither Lilly nor Hillman voted for him to be chairman. So don’t blame them. Mark Hillman and Lilly Nunez, our national committeeman and national committeewoman.

Gardner might want to go ahead and give Dick Wadhams a call to mend fences–there’s a difference between idly joining the bandwagon (“Birther” flirtations) and saying things that might actually jeopardize relationships. Then again, maybe Wadhams isn’t the one Gardner needs to call, as Dick’s a big boy and the discussion did turn inevitably to Jane Norton’s Referendum C…

Cory Gardner: Well, Referendum C. Remember in 2005, Referendum C was a measure that was sent to the voters. And it asked voters whether they wanted to take a “5 year time out” from TABOR. Meaning that the state would get to keep all excess funds and tax revenue and they wouldn’t refund it us. When the legislature referred, and I was not in the legislature at the time, if I was I would have voted no…

Because, you know, letting the voters vote on tax increases is, uh, not what TABOR is about. How do they keep these talking points straight, anyway? You’re right, though, Gardner won’t need to call Norton, because Norton’s defensive tackle Josh Penry has already got this on his calendar. Or maybe the plan is for Gardner and Norton to never appear together on the same stage? We suppose they can try just try glossing over this little difference of opinion when they do, but the 9/12ers might not find that very believable.