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May 13, 2009 12:15 AM UTC

Pinon Canyon: Proxy Gubernatorial Battlefield

  • 65 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

We’ve been watching the tempest unfold for the last week regarding gubernatorial candidate Scott McInnis’ self-insertion into the heated debate over expansion of the Pinon Canyon Army training site. As our readers know, McInnis stunned just about everybody when he publicly came out against a state bill headed for Governor Bill Ritter’s desk that would further curtail the Army’s expansion plans, putting him at odds with much of his own party–not to mention the rest of the state. Likely primary opponent Josh Penry, who supported the bill in question, leapt to condemn McInnis’ position as “politicizing the property rights of these ranchers.”

But as the Colorado Springs Gazette and Denver Post report, McInnis is getting some backup in this fight from Colorado’s two remaining GOP congressmen:

Lamborn, R-Colorado Springs, said the immediate objective was to persuade Gov. Bill Ritter to veto HB1317, a bill passed by the state Legislature forbidding the sale or lease of state-owned lands for purposes of expanding the Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site northeast of Trinidad. Without the state lands, an expanded Piñon Canyon would look a bit like Swiss cheese, making the expansion less attractive to the Army.

Local ranchers have led the fight against expansion, fearing their lands will be seized by eminent domain. Colorado Springs interests fear the Army will reduce its investment of troops and money in Fort Carson if the expansion is blocked.

Lamborn argued that “the bad message” that the Piñon Canyon bill sends to the Pentagon makes it less likely to form a fifth brigade of the Fourth Infantry Division at Fort Carson…

Joined by Rep. Mike Coffman, as the Post reported today:

Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman on Monday called on Gov. Bill Ritter, a Democrat, to veto a bill that would prevent the U.S. Army from acquiring state lands as part of its expansion of the Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site in southeast Colorado.

Coffman’s call for a veto of House Bill 1317 comes almost a week after a similar veto call from former GOP Congressman Scott McInnis.

Our view: a couple of things going on here. First, Lamborn’s and Coffman’s support for the Army over the Pinon Canyon expansion is natural given the district Lamborn represents and Coffman’s military ties. But more than that, they are backing up one of their own–a former Congressman well-integrated into the same Washington circles that that Lamborn and Coffman travel in. It’s not a stretch to see McInnis as their more natural ally in the Governor’s office than the inexperienced and ideological Penry, and the swiftness with which Penry used this issue to attack his fellow Republican surely gave them pause.

On the other side, we note how quickly Republican blogs in Colorado jumped into this controversy on Penry’s side, and by extension stepped into their own upcoming gubernatorial primary. You can make the case that conservative bloggers are predisposed to a certain side of debates involving government power and takings generally, but we maintain that most of them–far from stereotypical “pajama journalists,” often staffers for local conservative organizations, past campaigns, or consultant firms–would not be wading into a primary proxy fight like this without a larger strategic purpose. And when you realize these were, in many cases, the same blogs melodramatically clutching pearls over McInnis’ infamous voice mail message? What was the high-minded principle at stake with that again? No mystery, folks–a peek at intraparty fissures that will only continue to grow.

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65 thoughts on “Pinon Canyon: Proxy Gubernatorial Battlefield”

  1. Interesting to note Lamborn’s sellout position, especially since he ran as a hard ideological Penry-style Republican himself. I don’t doubt for a minute that Coffman would prefer McInnis to Penry, especially after watching Penry make a frothing ass out of himself as minority leader. Coffman knows enough about state government to know what a disaster Penry would be.

    I think the Pinon Canyon issue makes McInnis look more “grownup” to DC elites–not to Colorado rank and file voters, but let’s not be so naive as to imagine that ordinary voters decide Republican primaries. Right, Pete Coors?

  2. So committed to ethics in elections that they threw McInnis under the wheels over a simple slip-up that anybody could have made! I would sure like to know which Penrylover got that message and gave it to the Independence Institute.

    Something you may not know: a BIG part of the GOP “insider pow wow” the Post wrote about this week is blog messaging and strategy. And a few weeks later, BAM! They debut their new organization by capping one of their own, just by coincidence the one who broke the 11th Commandment right before the elections. If that didn’t finish him off, they’ve got more attacks on McInnis ready to go. The local insiders have made their choice and to hell what Coffman and Lamborn think.

  3. There’s not a reader on this crappy site who won’t see this for what it is. You found a place where Republicans disagree and you’re turning into a big issue to divide us. Penry was McInnis’ assistant, you really think they hate each other this much? You’d like it to be that way, but it isn’t.

    And it’s funny, this hit piece on McInnis with the phone message. Do you even know for sure that wasn’t a total Democrat setup? At the very least I don’t believe Penry would do that. You can’t prove anything.

    True Republicans, we can agree to disagree about this issue and still be happy with our nominee, whoever it is. STOP helping Colorado Pols do its job of destroying Republican unity.

      1. It’s funny how this blog claims to be bipartisan but then you try to drive out conservatives. So sorry, I’m staying for the good part in November, 2010.

        1. So happy to hear you will continue to drive up traffic and Pols revenues with your contributions! Right on! You stupid fuck.

          1. Either I’m stinking up the place or I’m singlehandedly upping their bottom line. Which one is it?

            You’re probably a stupid fuck too, but I don’t know you. You don’t know me to know if I’m a stupid fuck. Funny how you Democrats are always the ones who REALLY prejudge?

            2. You’re stinking up the place.

              “You’re probably a stupid fuck too, but I don’t know you. You don’t know me to know if I’m a stupid fuck. Funny how you Democrats are always the ones who REALLY prejudge?”

              Do you see that, while accusing someone of prejudging, you do the same?

              And please, tone down the profanity. We’re trying to have an adult discussion here.

        2. We enjoy them, when they have something to add to the discussion. You don’t bring anything but a dearth of intelligence and charm.  

    3. I think you just did a great job summarizing why the “middle” doesn’t vote for Republicans anymore.

      Best of luck to you and your political ambitions.

      But just as an aside–if you want to win people over, you might consider charm school.

          1. It’s going to make your destruction that much sweeter next year. Either Penry or McInnis can smear the floor with Ritter and we both know it.

              1. You want Penry to be elected? You don’t care if he is? How about McInnis? Is that why you bash them both every chance you get?

                Your mistake is you think you’re fooling a single person.

        2. As I’ve extended this invitation to all the chuckleheads like you, who come here just to bash the people that actually come here to communicate in an adult manner.

          “commie pinko circle jerk?” Now that’s just mean.

    7. People don’t hate you because you’re a Republican, Warrior. They hate you because you act like a psycho.

      I want to know why you think Penry and McInnis wouldn’t hate each other. Yes, Penry worked for McInnis. But after that, Penry ran for the state legislature and instead of backing his former Aide, McInnis endorsed his Brother-In-Law who ran against Penry in the race.  

      Add to the mix the fact that Wadhams and  McInnis clearly despise each other and that Penry is Wadhams’ only great hope for the future of the Colorado GOP and I think it’s pretty clear that they aren’t on the best of terms.

      Warrior, contrary to other posts, I think you should keep reading this blog. And you should contribute to it. But when you spout out crazy bullshit that makes you sound more like a serial-killer than a Republican loyalist, you’re not doing a damn bit of good for anything you believe in. Unless what you really believe in is your right to sound like a raving lunatic. In which case, proceed as usual I suppose.

      1. Is the speculation among people who have no idea what they are talking about, presuming to know how others feel about still more others, none of whom you have ever even met. That’s raving lunacy.

        Yes, elections sometimes make for strange loyalties, but hard feelings only serve the Democrats. That’s why you keep talking about it. We’re big boys over in the GOP and we can get over shit–holding grudges is so very mamby pamby liberal.  

  4. Let me get this straight.  Because of this one issue and because they are sitting Congressmen you assume that Coffman and Lamborn are supporting ‘one of their own’ in Scott McInnis?  Why don’t you guys stick to blogging all things liberal, and let the GOP sort things out themselves.  Is your political memory so short that you don’t remember Scott endorsing the Hesse ran Rayburn campaign AND Wil Armstrong in 2008?  How did those endorsements work our for Scottie?  The answer, not too well.

    Josh Penry is right on this issue.  While I understand Coffman and Lamborn’s position because of their background and district respectively this is not how ordinary Republican primary voters feel across the state.  

    This is Scott’s lame attempt to enter the Springs political circles.

    2. We don’t need to bring up old fights to prove a point to these chumps. Did it ever occur to YOU that Coffman might have gotten over it?

      1. …surely he’s forgotten the jihad that Will Armstrong’s forces fought against him. (Coffman loves that word, jihad, to describe criticism or opposition to him.)  It’s been less than a year, after all, since he fought Armstrong in the primary.

        1. Coffman buried Wil, he won both that battle and the respect of all concerned. The people who endorsed Wil stand with Mike Coffman now.

          IT’S NOT GOING TO WORK THIS TIME. We are in charge of our own affairs.

            1. You are extremely dippy, like you’re on drugs, and you do not know how to debate people. Did they equip the short bus with wifi?

              This goes for many on this blog, but I’m replying to you at the moment.

              3. You seem to want to fit some political arguments around your gratuitous insulting. We would prefer more of the former over the latter, since political arguing is kind of what we do here.

                Sometimes it’s tough to tell, we know.

                  1. Are you kidding? Why do liberals need policing? Aren’t we (a) bleeding hearts, (b) pussies, (c) afraid of our own shadows, (d) wimps, and (e) freedom haters who want the terrorists to win? I know I spend most of my curled up in a dark corner shivering with fear because big bad Rush doesn’t like me.

                    If you can’t take the heat…

    3. You don’t know what you’re talking about. McInnis supporting Wil had more to do with forming bigger alliances than it was against Coffman. The first thing a smart McInnis would do after the election is patch things up with our newest representative, which was done. They are actually very close politically on the issues that matter, and both men of integrity–THAT is why Coffman supports McInnis on Pinon Canyon.

      The Pols have tried to drive wedges within the party using last year’s primary. Don’t fall into their trap.

      1. Sometimes they are impossible not to notice. That is not our fault, any more than the guy who reports traffic is responsible for the traffic jam.

        1. You exist to drive wedges between Republicans, to demoralize Republicans, and to elect Democrats. You have been doing it for years and honestly, you do it pretty well.

          But don’t take me for a fool.

          2. Turning an entirely Red State into a Blue State in four short years. You gotta give the Dead Guvs credit, look at all they’ve accomplished on their own.

          3. Moron, yes. Mean-spirited, yes. Fool? Of course not.

            We don’t need to work to demoralize Republicans. Your party leadership is doing a bangup job of that themselves.

            I look forward to the next deeply philospohical tidbit from Rush (The Addict) Limbaugh, Dick (Shotgun) Cheney,and Michael (Drill Baby Drill) Steele. I’m sure it’ll be enlightening for you.

      2. We don’t really disagree with your assessment of McInnis and Coffman. We would add that they have both mavericked against the party establishment fairly hard recently in their respective ways and might have considerably more in common than you would prefer to admit, but we don’t want to spoil this tender moment.

  5. This is about a philosophical opinion that the US needs a trained Army and with the expansion of troops at Ft. Carson, they need more space to train in.

    1. …it seems like it has more to do with empirical facts, which are true or not.  Apparently there is disagreement about such facts depending on whether you really need to win Colorado Springs in a GOP primary.

  6. that the largest military force in the history of the known universe, that is a root cause of global insecurity, and is a significant factor in the bankrupting of our country, needs MORE land to cause MORE damage. Give me a break!  

      1. What should viable armed forces be capable of doing?

        For what reason do we need viable armed forces?

        (Choose all that apply).

        a) defend our country

        b) police the world

        c) protect our economic interests everywhere in the world

        d) build nations

        [snark on]

        e) protect our oil (even if it’s under their sand)

        f) find and eliminate all WMDs

        g) depose all dictators

        h) depose all hostile dictators

        i) depose all hostile dictators sitting on a pool of oil

        j) depose all hostile dictators sitting on a pool of oil and claiming to have WMDs

        [snark off]

        Personally, I choose (a) and some of (b), depending on the circumstances (e.g., we should have intervened in Rwanda). What do you think, MM?

        1. [snark on]

          I would choose a, c, e, and j.

          I mean fuck them, right?

          [snark off]

          if possible can I add choice k?

          k. remove all hostile Sir Robins and throw them off the bridge…

          I would be all for that one, especially since I recall that Sir Robin dropped a challenge that he could kick any military persons a$$ here a few years back.  As I recall, there were a few takers but he wouldn’t pony up..

  7. One key component that everyone is forgetting is that there’s NO WHERE ELSE for this new Brigade. It doesn’t matter how much training land a particular post has, if there’s no support for the unit on post.

    Fort Hood is already stuffed full – they don’t have the infrastructure to support the family members with housing. services, etc. And there’s absolutely no employment opportunities or off-post housing for the families.

    Fort Riley is almost an identical situation.

    Fort Bliss “could” take this Brigade, but it’s also a training base, which would make it tough for a real Brigade to shoehorn itself in and share the training facilities.

    Fort Benning is out for the same reason – it’s purely a training base.

    Fort Wainright is a light infantry post – no “stuff” for all the heavy equipment a mechanized or armor Bridage needs.

    Fort Irwin is the military’s version of Hades, and it’s evil gloom makes it unsuitable to add another unit. Also, the post is in bum-f*ck nowwhere – the front gate is 45 minutes from the highway, and even further to the nearest city. Not so good for family members and housing.

    So that leaves Fort Carson, which has room to expand on-post for the “Army Stuff” and a booming  housing market for the families to live. It won;t matter if Pinon Canyon expands a 1000 miles or 10 – the new Brigade is going there.  

    1. When I was on active duty (and collaborating on needs document for an expnsion of a training area) I don’t recall the Army being so family focused, dependent friendly.  

      I do recall hearing “bloom where you are planted” more han once.  

      And I liked FT Irwin way better than Drum.  I didn’t thaw out for a long time after visiting Drum one fine February.

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