On Tuesday we discussed the first TV ad from Democrat Betsy Markey in her race to unseat Republican Treasurer Walker Stapleton. The ad, which you can view again after the jump, doesn't waste time in getting to the point: Stapleton doesn't appear to spend much time on the job he was elected to do.
Based on data gleaned from an Open Records request of Stapleton's state-appointed key card (which he needs to enter the State Capitol), there are probably tour guides who spend more time in the building than Stapleton himself. As the script for the ad explains:
At best…it’s inexcusable.
At worst…it’s a scandal. State Treasurer Walker Stapleton.
Official key-card records from his Denver office confirm…
Stapleton only bothers showing up at his office around ten days a month.
Often, skipping the office for weeks at a time.
Or only showing up after three P.M.
This is a pretty straightforward ad that is hard for Stapleton's campaign to fully refute, though Stapleton's spokesperson, Michael Fortney, tried lamely to defend his boss when questioned by Denver Post reporter Lynn Bartels. According to Fortney, Stapleton often forgets his key card, and when he does, he just enters the capitol through the public entrance.
But what about the days in which Stapleton's "key card" doesn't show up at the office until after 3:00 pm? Does his wife drop off the key card when he goes out for an afternoon snack? Or was he really just not in the building until the late afternoon?
You can see why this is a tricky problem. Stapleton's campaign is apparently worried about the effect that Markey's ad may be having with voters, because Republicans are spending an inordinate amount of time trying to explain away the mystery of the key card. Why else would you intentionally bring up the same TV ad — exposing its message to more voters — unless you felt the extra exposure was necessary in order to try to refute the message? We wouldn't want to be drawing more attention to a strong attack ad (particularly when Markey doesn't have millions of dollars for an ad buy), but then we're not Republican Rep. Frank McNulty and the Republican group "Reveal Politics."
Take it away, Frank and friends:
So…does McNulty just hang around outside every day waiting for Stapleton to show up for work?
We're joking — we know that's not the point they are trying to make here, but was this really worth bringing up Markey's ad once again? What do you think? You can watch that ad again after the jump:
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And continues the Colorado GOP bullet-on-foot complaints at the local ER's.
Hopefully the voters sees that Walker Stapleton is a Bush (which he is Chimpy McCokespoon's first cousin) and will throw him out of politics for good. Anybody who's a Bush needs to be far, far away from politics.
JEB (John Ellis Bush) is running in '16, and you can't shine a turd. It's still a turd.
Bush family is TOXIC to American people. And they need to reduce their gene pool down to zero chances of spawning again beyond this generation.
Also, John Ellis is also a Bush. Yeah, the CEO of the Broncos… *sigh* – and every single management for the Broncos are Republicans.
And yet the Broncos are extremely competitive.
The Broncos also do most of their work in the late afternoon.
And they play once a week! And earn millions doing it.
The Republican Way.
Also let it be known that I'm still a Broncos diehard… don't have to like the management, just the game itself 🙂
and the NFL is a non-profit organization………sounds like big time Corporate Welfare.
Awkward! And off putting. Stapleton's ad is like a mean eighth grade girl commercial.
But the proof in the pudding is how card carriers typically enter the building, and what is the policy for that.
I'm not saying I'm that great of a political tea leaf reader, more likely the Denver Post is just highly predictable:
So far, I've only been surprised by the Don Quick AG endorsement. But I'm hoping to be wrong on Stapleton, too. His Treasurer in Absentia record should concern even the Editorial Board's most partisan Republicans.
At least the Post endorsed Joe Neguse.
Here is the more interesting question:
Colorado Treasurer "Financial Genius" Stapleton "smelled of alcohol," "made belligerent noises," "ignored officers." Today, Stapleton smells of deceit and ignores reality. He continues to make belligerent noises.
From the Huffington Post:
"In June 1999, GOP candidate state Treasurer Walker Stapleton was charged with DUI and leaving the scene of the accident in San Francisco where two women were injured."
"He blamed the victims. (The reality is that he accepted a plea bargain down to a DUI, with three-year probation, twice weekly AA meetings and court-ordered community work.)"
"That charge was amended several days later, to charges of running a flashing light and hitting a cab in the intersection, causing injuries and leaving the scene."
"One of the victims, Ginger Vasquez of Santa Monica, CA, was alone in the backseat of the cab that was hit by Stapleton. She describes the vehicle spinning after the impact and seeing Stapleton's car driving away."
"After Stapleton's car stopped down a steep hill, she says, two cabs boxed in his vehicle to prevent him driving any farther. She has never talked to Stapleton and did not know his name until recently. She does not know the other woman injured in the accident. Stapleton never approached the cab to find out if everyone was all right. Most importantly, she has no motive to lie about events that night."
"Stapleton, who has an obvious motive not to tell the whole truth, continues to shift the blame and will not produce police reports (unavailable to the public) of the accident."
(My comment: Have complete police reports relating to the incident been released by our State Treasurer?)
Why isn't Betsy Markey's campaign running with this, at least in inexpensive internet ads?
Stapleton – Drove Drunk, Left the Scene of an Accident.
You're right about California not making criminal records available to the public through the California Bureau of Investigation. But Ellen Dumm in Huffpo, and the Colorado Independent's John Tomasic have researched and published the dirty details of Stapleton's police record.
And, of course, Algernon, you did a thorough expose here. Jason asked why the Post didn't report the victim's account that Walker was only prevented from leaving the scene of an accident because two cabs boxed him in.
If, as Stapleton's campaign is claiming, he is so brain-addled that he can't remember to bring his key card to work on most days, shouldn't he be able to produce a desk calendar or other contemporaneous records that back up that he actually does some work on the days he doesn't show up? Computer logins? What do people in his office have to say about his work habits?
Frank McNulty (or someone else) let him in over twice the days? And every time he entered the Capitol during the day? This belies common sense and underscores Markey's point.
I'm pretty sure McNulty's hiney would still look big in a Bob Boo-pray dress.