June 04, 2007 08:25 PM UTC

Are You Republican Enough?

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• by: Colorado Pols

Colorado Republicans just can’t seem to keep from cannibalizing their own. The latest Republican to have his “Republicanness” questioned is Rep. Al White, as The Grand Junction Sentinel reports:

Western Slope lawmaker Al White said his position as the only Republican to support Gov. Bill Ritter’s controversial property-tax plan has sparked intra-party discussions about whether he is “Republican enough.”

“I don’t think we in the Republican Party should try and identify those of us who are Republican enough and those of us who are not Republican enough,” White said. “Nor should we have discussions about purifying our party, as I have heard several members suggest.”

White said discussions about Republican purity “sounds very Adolf Hitler-ish to me.”

“There are suggestions that by getting rid of the likes of Al White that the party would be better off,” White said. “And my point would be that if you get rid of Al White, you’re going to end up with a Democrat, and that Democrat is going to vote for Democratic leadership.

“Al White, regardless of what you think of his votes in support of his district, will continue to vote for Republican leadership in those votes when they come up.”…

…White said if his party’s discontent with moderates places ultra-conservatives on the ballot, it could result in larger election gains by Democrats in districts such as his where voters focus on policy positions more than party affiliations.

White said if he is replaced on the ballot with an ultra-conservative candidate in 2008, the party could see his seat shift blue for the first time since Rep. Kathleen Sullivan, D-Meeker, held the seat in 1982.

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again. Liberal Democrats do the same thing to elected officials like Sen. Ken Salazar when they aren’t perceived to be “true Democrats.” The definition of Democrat or Republican is different for everyone. If you don’t agree with someone, that doesn’t make you more or less of a Democrat or Republican than the other guy. It’s called an opinion.

On another note, Colorado Pols is always happy to see a public official channel Rickey Henderson and refer to themselves in the third person. Colorado Pols thinks that is pretty funny.