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September 14, 2013 12:22 PM UTC

It's All One Big Joke To Jon Caldara

  • 46 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

UPDATE: Gazette editor Wayne Laugesen hotly points out in a comment (below the fold) that Caldara probably didn't leave his minor children in the house he "leased to renters" in Boulder while he rented former GOP Rep. Mark Barker's guest bedroom in Colorado Springs. While that leaves unclear the location of Caldara's minor children while he "lived" in a Colorado Springs guest bedroom and fraudulently voted in the Senate District 11 primary, it's good to know the kids weren't in a house that has allegedly flooded.

But that doesn't legitimize Caldara's disregard for the law, or making a joke of the floods impacting the state today as a pretext for some too-clever-by-half legal defense. After all, "he can't be this far from his kids" is a pretty good reason not to "move away" in the first place. Which Caldara didn't really do, as stated in his own press release.

It never ceases to amaze us how stupid some people think you, meaning all of us, are.

—–

Via Wayne Laugesen, editorial page editor of the Colorado Springs Gazette, we finally learn how Jon Caldara of the Independence Institute hopes to resolve the sticky legal predicament he finds himself in. As reported, Boulder resident Caldara voted in the Colorado Springs-area Senate District 11 recall a week ago, after affirming under penalty of perjury that a "week-to-week lease" of a single room in ex-GOP Rep. Mark Barker's house was now Caldara's "sole legal residence." This led to angry warnings from Gov. John Hickenlooper that such attempts to "disrupt the process" are unlawful, and a request for Attorney General John Suthers to get involved if necessary.

Well folks, we're embarrassed to even show you this, but here is how Caldara apparently plans to skate:

caldaranotmoving

Convenient, albeit an insult to so many legitimately inconvenienced, or worse, by this week's massive flooding along the Front Range. This latest move raises many questions, of course, like why (or whether, see update above) Caldara would leave his children in a home he has "rented out" while he made a single bedroom in another city his "sole residence." But more than anything, we would kind of like to know if Caldara has any shame left. At all. Because whatever contrivance Caldara uses to effect his getaway from Mark Barker's guest bedroom, everyone reading this knows he never had any intention of making it his "permanent home."

Election fraud notwithstanding, Caldara should be grateful you can't be arrested for being a callous asshole.

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46 thoughts on “It’s All One Big Joke To Jon Caldara”

  1. I understand the chasm between the Left and Right views of the world, and often between each other as people as well.  Regardless, the point Mr. Caldera intentionally made, and drew national intention to, was the ease with which elections can be co-opted by whoever can provide the most busses.  Even the Denver Post understood and acknowledged that the plethora of recent election law changes need further scrutiny and some changes.

    It's one thing to criticise the obvious stunt.  It's quite another to call a passionate advocate of his principles a callous asshole because of something someone else said about what he did and why.

    I don't expect to agree with you very often.  But I certainly expect better than this.

      1. Now, BS, that's unfair and too broad. You should have said, "He's a callous asshole who doesn't mind exploiting other people's tragedies and misfortunes to try and cover his own cowardly ass, which is obvious to all but the most deluded Teabagger Secessionist Wannabe Rambo GOP Fanboys"….

        or is that too wordy?

    6. @rbcorporon: What fricking buses? ANY election fraud besides Jon Caldara and co? ANY? No. None.  2 incidences in 10 years….in spite of all Gessler's efforts.

      However, Caldara at the LEAST, committed 3  Class 1 misdemeanors:

      By Colorado statute:

      Election code offenses: 1-13-105 Making a false certificate in connection with an election

      General offenses:

      18-8-503 (2) 98. Perjury in the second degree (making a materially false statement, which one does not believe to be true, under oath with the intent to mislead a public servant in the performance of his or her duty)

      1-13-114. Failure to comply with the requirements of the Secretary of State. Any person who willfully interferes or willfully
      refuses to comply with the rules of the Secretary of State
      relating to elections commits a misdemeanor.
      ($100 – $500 fine, or maximum of 30 days
      in jail, or both)

      I'll give you any credibility at all, or courtesy, or respect, when you, Marilyn Marks, et al, get as worked up about blatant voter suppression, as you do about hypothetical voter fraud that has never happened until Caldara commited it to make his sleazy point.  I'll treat you with respect when you and your scofflaw buddies show that you actually respect the law.

       

    7. @rbcorporon, Laugesen, Caldara, et al:

      You expect leftists to be courteous, respectful, and polite, while Caldara blatantly flouts election laws, and his friends excuse him. Colorado election laws state: 

      (The following are felonies with specified penalties)

      1-13-701. Interference with election official. 

      1-13-704.5. Voting by persons not entitled to vote – penalty.

      1-13-709.5. Residence – false information – penalty. 

       

       

      The following are misdemeanors:

      1-13-114. Failure to comply with requirements of secretary of state. Any person who willfully interferes or willfully refuses to comply with the rules of the secretary of state or the secretary of state's designated agent in the carrying out of the powers and duties prescribed in section 1-1-107 is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine of not less than one hundred dollars nor more than five hundred dollars, or by imprisonment in the county jail for not more than thirty days, or by both such fine and imprisonment. 

      1-13-104. Perjury. 

       

       

      I will give you people courtesy, respect, and credibility, when you stop being scofflaws or advocates for scofflaws, and start respecting Colorado election law. 

       

  2. Check facts before you publish, Pols. Jon did not leave his children in the property occupied by renters. No one said or implied he did any such thing. Stop using imagination in place of facts. Do the work. Especially when using personal information to crucify a flood victim.

    1. It's good to know that you personally are the reason why Gazette editorials are so full of shit.

      Everybody knows what's happening. It is you who has no credibility.

    2. Wayne, you're the one who says he "can't be that far from his kids." I don't know anything squat Caldara's personal life and I don't want to. But he's the one who announced he was moving to the Springs in a press release, and I've read many times that he has young kids.

      You're the one trying to excuse his shenanigans. Why don't you explain?

      1. Lynn Bartels reported about Jon's kids this week, in the story about the request for Caldara's prosecution:

        http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_24060583/el-paso-county-democrat-asks-da-investigate-jon

        Caldara also has a residence in Boulder, where he said as a single dad he spends time with his two children.

        Maybe his ex is very accommodating and took the kids. It's either that or they were all very cozy in Barker's spare bedroom.

        Either way, this is a joke and Caldara is an unconvicted criminal.

    3. Wayne, just say you believed Jon when he said he was moving to Colorado Springs. Then we can just feel sorry for your gullibile nature rather than insulted by your mendacity.

    4. Facts and thorough research have not been a concern of yours.  They still aren't.  You have reduced yourself to being a shill.  You could be so much better, but sadly, I   don't think that will happen.  

  3. Sure, Pols, all the flood victims — which includes Jon — have dropped everything to feel insulted by Jon's return to Boulder to deal with a flooded house. I doubt even the galactically oversensitive are buying that one. Your assertion only promotes the interest of politicos who will defend HB1303 (election reform) no matter what. Please stop exploiting the plight of suffering flood victims, which includes some of my closest friends, to further your political agenda. Jon merely said the flood caused an immediate return to Boulder, which it did, and may alter his future. He brought it to my attention because I asked him to attend a going away party for Gazette reporter Daniel Chacón Friday night. He could not do so only because of the flood. Then he explained that he felt distant from his children in the Springs, as he shares their custody with his ex-wife who lives in the Denver/Boulder area. Yes, Jon went out of his way to make an important point about a flaw in our election law and I thank him for that. But Jon does NOT occupy a residence he owns in Boulder, he has not for quite some time, and he did move to Colorado Springs on Sept. 6 — complete with a written lease agreement. The fact he could vote in the Springs, one day after he moved here, is patently absurd. But the law allows it, even if he moved for the sake of voting or making a point. This should be a bipartisan concern, and in Sunday's Gazette we will propose a solution.

    2. I don't understand why you continue to harp on the same day registration issue or why you are attempting to defend Mr. Caldara's actions. Wisconsin enacted same day registration in 1977 and there has never been wide spread vote fraud because of it. Last year Wisconsin Republican legislators began asserting that the state's same day registration statute must be repealed to stop massive vote fraud. They said it and you in your editorials support the same view even though you have thirty-six years of experience staring you in the face that that isn't the case.

      You now have even more evidence that isn't going to happen based on the recall elections in Pueblo and your hometown Colorado Springs. There is no evidence that occurred in either recall election. 

      From a practical point of view, based on how people really live, do you realize how silly you sound. Do you really think a same day registration statute will cause massive numbers of people to travel from one part of Colorado to vote in another part of the state. People have jobs, families and all the other cares and joys of everyday life. They're simply wouldn't even think of doing that.

      I certainly don't know why you're against same day registration but the reality of decades of experience with such laws means it can't be because you believe it has or will precipitate vote fraud.  

  5. Truth be told, I thought HB1303 stood to hurt Sens. Morse and Giron more than it would hurt recall campaigns. That's because gun owners communicate and organize rapidly. There were hundreds of last-minute registartions in the election, and we may never know whether they were legitimate residents of District 11. We just need to fix one passage in HB1303 to ensure that voters with legitimate roots in a jurisdiction are allowed to vote in its elections.

  8. Caldara and his children live in a property they rent. They do not live in a house Caldara owns, Mr. Bulls–t. It's amazing how the left thinks the requirement for a photo ID is "voter suppression." Yet, if Caldara wants to vote according to the law he encounters the full force of voter suppression from the left, along with detailed probes into his personal life. This has been a valuable and revealing event.

    1. It has indeed, Wayne. It shows there are no depths you scumbags won't sink to, no lies you won't tell, no bullshit explanations you won't defend,  no disingenuous arguments you won't hide behind, when confronted with facts and logic. 

      1. Again, Morse and Giron are out of office. Cleary their consitutents didn't like the legislation they created. Some of the irresponsible laws they left us with are bound to get fixed now. Please enlighten us with the facts and logic that explain HB1303. That's a serious invitation. I want to know how we're wrong about this law.

          1. Bingo. Laugesen may enjoy pretending that Caldara actually intended to legitimately relocate but even Caldara tacitly admits that's bull by casting a blank ballot, hoping to have his cake without choking on it. Seems to me the content of the ballot shouldn't matter. The fact that he cast it with no intent of moving to the district and obtained it only by lying is what matters. He should be prosecuted for the offenses outlined by Mamajama.

  9. "The fact he could vote in the Springs"…

    Mr. Laugesen,

    I do not know you and I have never read your paper. However, familiarity is not necessary to spot the obvious mendacity in the above statement and, indeed, your entire narrative. 

    Caldara DID NOT VOTE in Colorado Springs…he turned in a blank ballot, as I understand it. I suspect he did so because he knew full well that, had he checked a single box on the ballot, he would be committing a felony offense had he done so and did not really have the courage of his convictions. That act renders his effort little more than a cheap publicity stunt by a cowardly political hack…and it proves nothing except the level to which he, you, and the rest of your hateful brethren will stoop.

    Your defense of Caldara is nothing more than bullshit, political spin. I am always offended by attempts to take me for a fool. You offend me, sir.  

     

    1. I realize the hard left is angry about the recall of Morse and Giron. It doesn't excuse indulgence of potty talk and profanity in their missives. It's extremely juvenile.

    2. Caldara cast a ballot. Doesn't matter what votes were or were not on it. After all, ballots are secret, and once cast no ballot can be traced to an individual voter. There is no way to prove–by law there is to be no way to find out–how an individual ballot was cast. The fact that Caldara showed his ballot as blank makes no difference–he cast a ballot.

      To claim that a blank ballot somehow averts a crime is to argue that how one votes makes a difference on whether nor not one violated an election law. I don't think we want to go there–that's the realm of police states and dictatorships.

  10. Let's see if I understand this. Laugesen says in one comment that "Caldara and his children live in a property they rent." But Caldara "moved" into a single room in Colorado Springs with the intention of making that his home. It dosn't seem to be a "home" he intends to share with his kids. According to Laugesen, it was the Boulder floods that caused Caldara to realize that "he can't be this far from his kids, given the dangers of the world." Are we to believe Caldara never pondered such dangers and the distance from his kids until the flood? Is he that out of touch with his kids and his responsiblities as a parent? So either Caldara is a miserable, thoughtless, uncaring, unthinking father, or he never intended to make Colorado Springs his home. I believe he loves his kids and wants the best for them. That's why Boulder is and will continue to be "home" for Caldara and his kids.  That means he falsely affirmed his "intention" of making Colorado Springs his home.

    Laugesen's defense of Caldara just further confirms Caldara's lie and the nonsense of arguing differently.

    2. Well, thank heavens that the flooding occurred and gave Caldara an excuse to slink back to Boulder without explaining the his whole residency scam, huh? 

      I guess he and Laugesen can look upon the dead, missing, and flooded out as noble sacrifices to further the goal of covering Caldara's scummy ass.  Gawd works in mysterious ways, don't he?

      1. As to Caldara "moving back" to Boulder to because of the flood, all I can say is we'd better not hear of him taking advantage of any government-provided financial aid for any loses he may have incurred. Is that cynical? You bet. Who's with me? And that goes for the rest of Weldistan, too.

  11. What did Caldera accomplish?  He publicized to recall proponents that they could

    REGISTER and vote on the same day.  WAs he successful in increasing the pro-recall vote?  I don't know.  I think so.

    The Morse supporters did not, evidently, take advantage of the publicity to encourage their supporters to REGISTER and vote.  I don't know what the general reaction to the Caldera ploy was in democratic circles in CS; but, if the response here was any indication, it was to dismiss and ridicule and personally attack Caldera.  If this blog is any indication, that is what democrats are most comfortable doing. 

    I personally believe that Republicans are smart and try many different approaches to get their agenda implemented….sometimes ithey works and sometimes they don't.

    But always, complacency by the democrats is absolutely essential for these various political ploys to work.  I do not think that Caldera is in any danger of being arrested or charged.  I think his act was purposeful and he accomplished his purpose.

    I, quite frankly, thought he was just trying to get publicity for his Sunday talk radio show, which is on or used to be, betwee 5pmand 8pm.  This is not what you call your popular time slot.

     

  12. A preview screen, a preview screen, I'd give my kingdom for a preview screen…

    this is what the sentence should say:

    I personally believe that Republicans are smart and try many different approaches to get their agenda implemented…sometimes the approaches work and sometimes they don't.

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