October 20, 2015 10:07 AM UTC

Inside The Secret Denver Dubya Fundraiser (Finally)

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• by: Colorado Pols

The loss earlier this year of star political reporter Eli Stokols of FOX 31 to Politico’s stable of writers working the 2016 presidential race was a huge career break for Stokols, and an even bigger loss for political journalism in Colorado. Yesterday, Stokols proved his mettle once again with a brilliant write-up of Jeb! Bush’s fundraiser at the swanky Denver Art Museum penthouse residence of billionaire J. Landis Martin last Sunday evening–a fundraiser featuring none other than former President George W. Bush himself, but that somehow no one in the local media could be troubled with reporting having even taken place.

Indeed, the local media actually cooperated with the organizers of the event to conceal its location in the scant reports about the fundraiser ahead of time, which we were nonetheless able to figure out in minutes–and a small but lively crowd of bullhorn-equipped Occupy Denver protesters was on hand to “welcome” the Bush family to Lanny Martin’s penthouse despite their best efforts.

Inside the Martin Museum Residence, as Stokols reports in detail for Politico, was a scene Colorado voters would surely want to know about:

The donors at the event were a mix of establishment stalwarts like former Gov. Bill Owens and business executive Larry Mizel as well as a number of young professionals, who were offered reduced $250 tickets at the last minute in an effort to fill the room, [Pols emphasis] according to an email the organizer circulated among potential supporters and obtained by POLITICO…

The former president, who lives in Dallas, was appearing at his fourth fundraiser in less than a month for his brother’s campaign, which is hoping to capitalize on the family legacy and donor network without allowing the 43rd president’s controversial record to become a distraction. [Pols emphasis] He will also be appearing along with his father, former President George H.W. Bush, at an event in Houston this weekend that was set up to reward new donors to Jeb Bush’s campaign with the rare opportunity to see two former presidents and, potentially, a third in the same room.

During some 35 minutes of unscripted remarks inside billionaire industrialist Lanny Martin’s condominium adjacent to the Daniel Libeskind-designed Denver Art Museum, Bush never addressed his own record, even as his brother was defending it in another war of words with Trump. The developer and entertainer blamed the former president in part for the 9/11 terrorist attacks because they happened on his watch and for the Iraq War…

“He emphasized that he’s not going to be out on the campaign trail doing public events,” one donor said. “He wants to be helpful and supportive like any brother would be. But he said, ‘You’re not going to see a lot of me.’

“Actually, he said that a couple of times.”

The narrative of two-term former President George W. Bush “sneaking” into Denver with no fanfare, headlining a secretive fundraiser for which it turns out desperate measures had to be taken to avoid an embarrassingly empty venue, is, needless to say, most unhelpful for Jeb! Bush’s campaign. It’s also a noteworthy development for anyone who follows our local politics, with lots of interesting sidebar material to chew on. For example, who outside the Black Tie Colorado set even knows who J. Landis Martin is? For those who do, what does it say about this top-shelf Republican billionaire that he can’t even fill his condo to see a former President?

And, of course, what does that say about said former President? About his brother who wants to be President? About his close cousin and co-host, Colorado Treasurer Walker Stapleton?

So much fascinating material to piece out here, if only we had a local media willing to do its job.

But it’s nice at least to have Stokols writing about our town again.