May 23, 2012 02:09 AM UTC

Mike Coffman and Joe Wilson: A Love Story

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• by: Colorado Pols

The first big problem for the 2012 re-election hopes of Rep. Mike Coffman came last week in the form of a “friendly” video posted by a member of the Elbert County Republicans–a video, mistaken by some as the work of a Democratic “tracker,” where Coffman states he doesn’t know if President Barack Obama was born in America, but regardless, he’s “not an American.”

This is a point worth being absolutely clear on. The original source of that video supports Coffman, and wanted you to see those remarks out of a belief they would help Coffman. We think this simple fact helps clarify the yawning cultural divide between the Elbert County Republican who identified with and taped those remarks, and the overwhelming majority of viewers around the nation who were horrified by them.

With that in mind, here is another video from the same supporter of the same Rep. Mike Coffman–from February of 2010, speaking at the Elbert County GOP Lincoln Day Dinner.

COFFMAN: We had our first, uh, joint session of Congress. There’s only been four in the history of the country. Uh, two about war, and one, uh, by President Clinton on health care, and now, we had one from President Obama about health care. And, uh, I was sitting behind my friend from South Carolina, Joe Wilson. (applause) Joe serves on the House Armed Services Committee, and he’s gotta be one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. Quiet, soft-spoken. (laughter) And so, I’m sitting just right behind him, just to the left and right behind him. And when the President says, said ‘and uh, in my bill,’ it’s interesting it was ‘my bill’ because he never put forward a bill, it was Nancy Pelosi’s bill, but he said, in my bill, I will not allow, does not allow illegal immigrants to get benefits.’

And so I saw Joe Wilson lean forward, (laughter) and I saw him raise his finger up, and then he goes, ‘you lie! You lie!’ And I’m thinking, “wow, this is going to be a story tomorrow.” (laughter) So then, we’ve got to get up, afterwards, and we’re kind of giving our ceremonial applause, and I look down and Joe Wilson’s gone. But Rahm Emanuel, the president’s chief of staff is making a bee line right to me, looking for Joe Wilson. Just red as could be, swearing at everybody that was in his way. And, uh, Joe Wilson had left, and I looked and he was gone.

And I saw him the next morning, and he looked like he didn’t get a lick of sleep the whole night, and just looked like death warmed over, and I put my arm around his shoulder and I said, “you know, Joe, I think something good’s gonna come out of this, and I think the American people are gonna understand why you did what you did.” [Pols emphasis]

So is this as bad as saying President Barack Obama “is not an American?” Of course not. But at the time, Rep. Joe Wilson’s “you lie!” exclamation was widely criticized as a major breach of congressional decorum–Wilson himself apologized before millions in Tea Party donations started flowing in. We assume that’s the “good” Coffman assured WIlson would come of this.

Bottom line: When Coffman praised Wilson in 2010, the Sixth District of Colorado had a Cook Partisan Voting Index of R+8, nearly as safe as Wilson’s R+9 in South Carolina’s CD-2.

Today Wilson is still safe, but Coffman’s district is a very different place.