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March 05, 2012 04:17 PM UTC

Media omission: Larimer County Republicans have no plans to disinvite Friess to fundraiser

  • 18 Comments
  • by: Jason Salzman

( – promoted by Colorado Pols)

If you were in charge of a big political fundraiser in Colorado, where women voters are obviously a key voting bloc, and your keynote speaker was recently embroiled in a national controversy for his joke that contraception need not be so expensive because, back in the old days, “The gals put [Bayer Aspirin] between their knees, and it wasn’t that costly,” would you disinvite the guy and find another keynoter?

It’s a legitimate question.

Yet, as far as I know, no reporter has posed it to Larimer County GOP officials who’ve got Foster Friess listed as the keynote speaker for their April 6 Lincoln Day Dinner.

Friess, a wealthy Republican donor and backer of Rick Santorum, made the comments back in February to MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell, who said his response took her breath away. Mitchell had asked Friess to comment on Rick Santorum’s statements about contraception, which include his opposition to some forms of it.

Friess later apologized, writing on his website that he was kidding, and his joke “bombed.”

“To all those who took my joke as modern day approach I deeply apologize and seek your forgiveness,” Friess wrote. “My wife constantly tells me I need new material-she understood the joke but didn’t like it anyway-so I will keep that old one in the past where it belongs.”

Still, the joke generated controversy, particularly on talk shows around the country.

Asked if the flap around Friess had given him second thoughts about inviting Friess to their fundraiser, Larimer County GOP  Chair Michael Fassi said,  “We’re going to move ahead with Foster Friess.”

Former CU Regent Tom Lucero, who’s the master of ceremonies for the event, told me that Friess’s joke didn’t give him second thoughts about his own involvement in the dinner.

“I think that Foster handled it appropriately,” said Lucero, who’s served as Chair of the Larimer County GOP. “He was  trying for a joke, and it fell flat. It wasn’t the appropriate forum for that particular joke, and we moved on.”

Asked if he’d disinvite a speaker who made a controversial comment that women could reduce the cost of birth control by placing pills between their legs, Colorado Democratic Chair Rick Palacio said, “In a word, yes.”

Friess has said he plans to back key Senate candidates across the country during the next election cycle, and his appearance in Colorado may signal a broader interest in getting involved in Presidential swing state or in backing social conservatives like Santorum (e.g., Mike Coffman, Joe Coors, Cory Gardner) running here in Colorado.

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18 thoughts on “Media omission: Larimer County Republicans have no plans to disinvite Friess to fundraiser”

  1. his appearance. Why would they? It’s just a heeheelarious joke, right? It just “fell flat.” That’s all. No big whoop.

    I mean, come on, Jason. Apparently, it was a laugh out loud, slapping your knees and peeing your pants joke 50 years ago. The guy just needs newer material that’s more 21st century relevant when it comes to insinuating women are a bunch of cheap whores who just need to keep their legs closed.

    And hey, he said he was sorry, just like Rush did, so it’s all good.

    Onward and upward with the insults towards women (until they pull your advertising or it starts to hurt your candidate’s fundraising efforts–then it’s time to make nice.)

    1. That was a real knee snapper when I was in high school in the early 60s.   Hardly insulting to women in my admittedly male view and certainly not worth equating with the Rush Limbaugh venom.  

      1. I guess I would just implore you to think about how “funny” that little quip is to a woman–that if we don’t want to get knocked up or be accused of being a slut, we just need to stick an aspirin between our knees.

        Because, you know, it’s not like a man has anything to do with getting us pregnant. Nope. We’re just a bunch of ignorant whores that apparently also possess the power to get pregnant all by ourselves and if we just keep our legs shut, all will be right with the world and our dear Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. World without end, Amen.

        Hell, Rush referred to it in his comments regarding Fluke so it most definitely deserves to be equated with his venom, since he regurgitated it.  

        2. is recognition that sex is ultimately a consensual act, leaving the horrific example of rape aside.  A woman does, after all, have the power to say no and there are definitely times when it is wise to exercise that power.

          As I used to try to tell my then teenage  daughter, No condom will protect you from emotion and if you don’t think sex is about emotion, you’re in for a very rough ride.

             

        3. is recognition that sex is ultimately a consensual act, leaving the horrific example of rape aside.  A woman does, after all, have the power to say no and there are definitely times when it is wise to exercise that power.

          As I used to try to tell my then teenage  daughter, No condom will protect you from emotion and if you don’t think sex is about emotion, you’re in for a very rough ride.

             

  2. The more women’s votes the GOP loses the better. As for Rush, lame as his apology was, it was gratifying to see him sufficiently spooked over all those sponsers bailing to make even a lame apology.  After all, he intially doubled down for several days in a row before he started worrying about the financial consequences.  At least one of the those big advertisers has vowed not to return regardless. And the Friess aspirin “joke” ties in so nicely with the Rush tirade. I hope he’s a keynote GOP speaker in every county.

      1. over the weekend. It was in a list of 8 definite with one more likely and I think that one more also dropped bringing the field to 9.  That’s a lot of big advertisers.

        I hope Oreck decides not to re-up.  I just replaced my ancient Oreck with a new one. But then it’s such a good product I probably won’t have to replace this one until after Limbaugh’s death. He doesn’t have the look of the type who lives to a ripe old age.

        1. Carbonite CEO (Dave Friend) dropped him over the weekend and personalized the issue in a way that brings it home:

          “No one with daughters the age of Sandra Fluke, and I have two, could possibly abide the insult and abuse heaped upon this courageous and well-intentioned young lady. Mr. Limbaugh, with his highly personal attacks on Miss Fluke, overstepped any reasonable bounds of decency. Even though Mr. Limbaugh has now issued an apology, we have nonetheless decided to withdraw our advertising from his show. We hope that our action, along with the other advertisers who have already withdrawn their ads, will ultimately contribute to a more civilized public discourse.”

        1. Peter Gabriel has issued a cease and desist request for Limbaugh using his song “Sledgehammer”, a Hawaiian station on the Big Island has cancelled his show, effective immediately, and he’s lost several local advertisers in addition to the national, more well known ones.

          Gabriel’s statement:

          ‘Peter was appalled to learn that his music was linked to Rush Limbaugh’s extraordinary attack on Sandra Flute. It is obvious from anyone that knows Peter’s work that he would never approve such a use. He has asked his representatives to make sure his music is withdrawn and especially from these unfair aggressive and ignorant comments. ‘

      1. agin his  salt of the earth listeners instead of acknowledging any legitimate concerns they may have.  Now there is a movement to get him off armed forces radio.  

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