Seven Seconds That Could End Ellen Roberts' Political Career

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by: Colorado Pols

In a talk radio interview yesterday with conservative host Dan Caplis, Colorado state Senator and possible 2016 U.S. Senate candidate Ellen Roberts attempted to thread the needle between her perceived record as a “moderate” legislator, and the conservative policies she has come out in favor of recently as she contemplates what it will take to survive a Republican primary.

Unfortunately for Roberts, in the course of making herself more palatable to the hard-right Caplis’ conservative Republican audience, she contradicted herself on the issue of reproductive choice to an extent that you almost have to find…well, pitiable. Seven seconds of video is all you need to watch:

The first clip is from Roberts’ interview with Caplis yesterday, in which he claims “I’ve never called myself pro-choice.” The second is from a Colorado Senate floor debate, where the same Ellen Roberts proudly identifies herself as a “pro-choice Republican.”

There’s no context that makes this any less damaging. Roberts tells a right-wing stridently anti-abortion talk radio host that she has “never” called herself pro-choice–no qualifiers. But as anyone with any experience with Roberts from her time at the state capitol knows, that’s completely false. Even though pro-choice organizations have written Roberts off as an ally after voting against their interests repeatedly in recent years, Roberts has frequently self-identified as “pro-choice” when it suited her politically to do so.

Obviously, these two clips make it very difficult to trust Roberts on this issue–regardless of your own personal views about abortion. Played together, they cannot help but erode trust on both sides of the aisle. And the thing for cynical Democrats in Colorado still smarting from 2014 to understand: Roberts is just not as slick as Cory Gardner was last year when he successfully played both sides of this issue, infuriating Democrats with his audacious deceptions but in the end winning the election. These seven seconds of video tell voters on both sides everything they need to know about Roberts, about a lot more than just abortion. And she just doesn’t have the same ability to talk her way out of it.

Roberts can’t clear a GOP primary field, and explained properly, we believe this self-inflicted wound is enough to make her an also-ran–in a primary or the general election.

9 thoughts on “Seven Seconds That Could End Ellen Roberts’ Political Career”

Moderatus says:

June 4, 2015 at 11:28 am

That's three! Three hit pieces on Roberts in less than 24 hours.

You're setting a new record for broadcasting your fear of a strong Republican woman.

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1. Colorado Pols says:
  
  June 4, 2015 at 11:49 am
  
  Nah. We're human like everybody else: We can't NOT watch a car wreck.
  
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2. Diogenesdemar says:
  
  June 4, 2015 at 12:14 pm
  
  Wow!
  
  (I'm guessing I'm not alone being completely gobsmacked that you have learned to count that high!?!)
  
  Did you do that without using your fingers?
  
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3. Craig says:
  
  June 4, 2015 at 12:53 pm
  
  And please, Moderatus, tell me why you are so worried about "hit pieces" is a very small but well known liberal web-site????? I love quoting the master, "I think he doth protest too much." As I have said, she is done as a political candidate for the Republicans, she already was before this nonsense started. Somebody she trusts should tell her this. But clearly, she doesn't have anyone she trusts who will tell her this, and, frankly, that speaks volumes.
  
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  1. Craig says:
    
    June 4, 2015 at 12:55 pm
    
    PS, wonder how much it costs to air a 7 second commercial? Maybe they have to do a 15 second commercial with 8 seconds at the end with just a big question mark on the screen. This is way to easy. There's another old saying that comes to mind, "you gotta dance with the one that brung ya." Guess Senator Roberts missed that one too.
    
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Diogenesdemar says:

June 4, 2015 at 1:03 pm

In Sen. Roberts' defense, at least there's no video proof, that I'm aware, of her having punched, or even claiming to have punched, a bear . . .

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FrankUnderwood says:

June 4, 2015 at 1:06 pm

Well, since the Greeley Independence Stampede is happening soon……

Seven seconds can be an eternity in politics and in rodeo. It looks like Either Way Ellen has wiped out during her 7-second bullride on the issue of reproductive choice, unlike that famous rodeo cowboy from Yuma who went all the way to the National Finals (i.e., the U.S. Senate) on a bull named "Personhood" in '14.

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DaftPunk says:

June 4, 2015 at 9:56 pm

It's quite clear, from his election time statements and his Facebook page missives, that Cory Gardner thinks his constituents are stupid. Ellen Roberts apparently shares that belief and thinks that is the road to higher office. Worked for the Con Man.

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1. Duke Cox says:
  
  June 4, 2015 at 10:00 pm
  
  Won't work for her. He has a more dazzling smile….
  
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