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June 25, 2014 12:32 PM UTC

Whitewashing Bob Beauprez: Good Luck With That

  • 34 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols
“Both Ways” Bob Beauprez (right).

​Coverage today of Bob Beauprez's GOP gubernatorial primary victory last night doesn't make much of an effort to define Beauprez personally, focusing instead on comparing Beauprez with his principal GOP opponent for the nomination, fellow ex-Congressman Tom Tancredo. Politico's Katie Glueck provides a good example of the emerging pundit consensus that Republicans "dodged a bullet" by nominating Beauprez:

Many in the Colorado establishment, along with outside figures such as Mitt Romney and Eric Cantor, backed Beauprez, ultimately coming to see him as the most electable candidate to take on Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper in November…

The GOP establishment’s fear was that Tancredo would kill their shot at the governor’s mansion in this Democratic-leaning state — and even worse, that his name on the ticket could cause problems for other Republicans on the ballot because of his history of making highly controversial statements.

“Any one of the other three would be strong challengers to Gov. Hickenlooper,” said former GOP state Chairman Dick Wadhams, a longtime critic of Tancredo’s. He added, in an interview before results came in, “There’s no doubt in my mind that if Tancredo is nominated for governor, his long, inflammatory and reckless record of alienating Hispanics and women will come back to haunt not only his chances in the governor’s race, but would also hurt all the Republican candidates.”

As our readers know, former Colorado GOP chairman Dick Wadhams warned of the consequences of a Tancredo primary victory in much the same way he advised fellow Republicans to reject the Rocky Mountain Gun Owners-endorsed Senate candidates in Jefferson County. Wadhams' dislike for Tancredo is well known and longstanding–and Wadhams left his post as chairman of the state Republican Party, having had it with the "crazies" taking control of the party apparatus and increasingly nominating unelectable candidates. Beauprez entered the gubernatorial race on the basis that the other candidates couldn't win, and last night's results show there were a plurality Republicans who agreed with him.

The problem, as we've discussed in this space at length, is that Beauprez is as bad as Tancredo.

We get that Republicans do not want to admit this right now. But it doesn't help anyone, not even Republicans, to run cover for something that will be glaringly apparent to everyone soon enough. Republican wishful thinking regarding Beauprez's viability got an undeserved boost right after his primary win last night, as the Denver Post's Lynn Bartels and Kurtis Lee ridiculously tried to cast Beauprez as a "mainsteam moderate."

Faced with the choice of a far-right candidate or a more moderate mainstream pick, Colorado Republicans chose the latter Tuesday, [Pols emphasis] selecting former Congressman Bob Beauprez as the party's gubernatorial nominee.

What's frustrating about this preposterous lede is that these reporters know better. They know Beauprez said President Barack Obama is pushing the nation toward civil war, and that Shariah law is 'sneaking in' to Colorado, and that climate change is a hoax. They know Beauprez has openly pandered to the "birther" conspiracy crowd. They know Beauprez appallingly made stuff up out of whole cloth about the murder of Department of Corrections Director Tom Clements in order to blame Gov. Hickenlooper.

How on earth can you call someone who has said these things a "mainstream moderate?"

The one thing we can say is this: if local media is too deferential to hold Beauprez accountable to his record, it's still going to happen. A release yesterday evening from the Democratic Governors Association shows they aren't waiting for the media to define Beauprez:

Since his historic, 17-point defeat eight years ago, Beauprez has given voice to extremism and rigid partisanship as a fringe radio host. While Both Ways Bob will spend the next few months trying to use the double-talk he mastered as a Washington politician trying to explain away his troubling record and radical views on everything from the imminent threat of Sharia law to the 'hoax' of climate change, voters won't be fooled.

Bottom line: if voters read in the local paper what a "mainstream moderate" Beauprez is, and then learn something very different from many other sources, Beauprez won't be the only one whose credibility will suffer. We'd prefer our local media stay relevant–and the first step to that is honesty.

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34 thoughts on “Whitewashing Bob Beauprez: Good Luck With That”

  1. Both Ways probably feigned looniness just enough to win the nod (i.e., Sharia Law, global warming); now he can pivot back to the middle.  He is the damage control candidate for the GOP.  He will self-fund his campaign (assuming his wife doesn't stop the loans) while the outside money can go towards Gardner.  And while Beauprez won't win, he won't alienate Hispanics as Tanc would have.

    1. You might be right that Beauprez will hurt the GOP slightly less than Tanc, but that doesn't make him a mainstream moderate. If mainstream means anything left of Tanc, it doesn't mean shit.

      1. Pretty sure that's what it does mean these days when talking about Republicans. When talking about Dems, it doesn't matter how center right or conservative a Dem is, they're all liberal. Guess if you actually endorse the Republican presidential candidate instead of your own party's a Dem can finally be considered "moderate" but that's about it. The Republican spin machine has been very successful in moving the meaning of "center" all the way right over the past three decades and, during that time, most of the main stream media has become too lazy to do much more than regurgitate talking points and amplify press releases.

  2. Eagerly waiting for this year's crop of BWB shills to arrive . . .

    . . . did Moddy pass his urinalysis?

    . . . will we see any new faces names from old faces?

    . . . has BWB loaned himself enough to be able to stable an internet menagerie ?

  3. Coloradopols is Right on Target

    I read the same headline in the Post and could not believe my eyes. I've followed Mr. Beauprez's career since he was first elected to Congress and what he did wrong during the 2006 gubernatorial campaign against former Gov. Ritter has not stopped in the past eight years. In fact, it has intensified.

    First, as pointed out by Coloradopols in this thread, Beauprez has endorsed almost every right-wing lunatic fringe paranoid conspiracy theory he comes in contact with. Trying to characterize him as mainstream isn't going to work. Do Colorado voters believe "Shariah law" is creeping into our state and local laws and ordinances? 

    Second, Mr. Beauprez has a habit of contradicting himself on major issues over and over again. For some reason, he thinks he can take any position he wants to and then take the opposite position and that no one will put two and two together.

    I agree the voting public is going to be at first surprised and then sorely disappointed when they find out who the real Mr. Beauprez is.

    Perhaps the Democrats should run television and radio campaign ads featuring Messrs. Beauprez and Gardner together in the same ad that discusses their parallel positions supporting anti-choice constitutional amendments and laws and by linking them establish the fact the 2014 Republican ticket and party is led by far right candidates. 

    1. Sometimes the Post just messes up a little. This time they really made asses of themselves. Why anyone would pay money to be lied to by Lynn Bartels about her favored Republican buddies is totally beyond me.

  4. Apparently according to Bartels and Lee (wasn't that a cheap wine?), new new mainstream Republican believes in all the conspiracy theories, but not science.

    And besides, the only time I heard the Post call Tanc "far right wing" was, um, yesterday.  So in Post Newspeak, to earn that moniker just means he'd alienate Hispanic voters.

  7. Bob Beauprez is not a perfect candidate but he is a good man, and he is far from extreme. Beauprez is more than a match for John Hickenlooper, and he'll be Colorado's next governor. I'm going to do everything I can to get him elected.

    2. As noted above, Beauprez has said "President Barack Obama is pushing the nation toward civil war, and that Shariah law is 'sneaking in' to Colorado, and that climate change is a hoax."   You don't call those extreme views?  Care to refute them?  

    4. welcome back Moddy. Hope you got enough talking points to last awhile. They won't last until November because BWB will reverse positions a few times

      1. That is a good question.  I predicted Brown would win the MA Senate race in 2010 and was right. I do not remember if I predicted that there would be a Republican wave in 2010.  I do know that I was not surprised.  I predicted Romney in 2012 and was wrong.  I do not know what other outcomes I predicted.  

        I think it is better to predict than assume. I think it is okay to make a prediction and be wrong.  A prediction is just that, a guess. 

         This blog is full of assumptions and rationalizations about how Hickenlooper is going to win.  Most of the time, I think that the dems are complacent. So, I do not go along with the rah rah spirit, it is because I don't think that is productive. In politics like sports, someone wins and someone has to lose.  It is either or. I like that. I don't like arguing about why someone is going to win or going to lose.  I would rather argue about tactics and strategy.  That is why I like polls…even tho, I know that they are also only a guesstimate.  They do give an indication in real time of how effective political tactics and strategies may be.

        I do have an opinion that SCOTUS's decision on Hobby Lobby will help to shape the Senate race in Colorado. 

        1. Back in the good old days, we had tag lines.  Bring them back, cp.  Until then, 

          I predicted Tancredo would win the primary and I was wrong.

      1. Aw man, now Moddy isn't gonna get his 50 cents a reply Shill commission from the Beauprez campaign!

        To get back into the campaign's good graces, he's gonna have to explain how Beauprez was " the distraction" and certified Crazy has been magically transformed into the greatest GOP statesman and hero EVAH!

        Shake, shake, shake that Etch-a-Sketch Moddy 🙂

  9. Just finished a three minute survey on the Senate and Governor race .  The focus of the questions were centered around two issues: climate change and abortion. 

    1. I read differing reputable scientists' opinions about our extreme weather "events".  Some climatologists say that climate change was a factor in the severe winter the US had. Others say  no, or that the data is not clear.

      This is important because the economy regressed almost 3% in the first quarter of 2014.  Most economists are saying that  the severe winter weather was a factor because it curtailed construction; restricted people from going out to restaurants and entertainment; and, there were snow days for business, governments, which resulted in lost productivity.  

      I don't know if it will be possible to come up with a definitive answer.  However,

      if climate change is going to cause severe weather, then maybe people(read republicans) will revise their opinion on the reality of climate change. 

  10. Beauprez pretty much revealed himself for a nutcase on CPR yesterday afternoon. "What are these extraneous, anti-free market regulatuions you would eliminate to stimulate CO's economy?" "Gun laws."

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